The Alignments of AoE
Sept 16, 2014 7:24:44 GMT -6
Post by N.O.V.A. on Sept 16, 2014 7:24:44 GMT -6
[smear:5faaff]Good VS. Evil[/smear:ca0000]
Good characters strive to protect innocent life.
Evil characters debase or destroy innocent life, whether for fun or profit."Good" implies altruism, respect for life, and a concern for the dignity of sentient beings. Good characters make personal sacrifices to help others.
"Evil" implies hurting, oppressing, and killing others. Some evil creatures simply have no compassion for others and kill without qualms if doing so is convenient. Others actively pursue evil, killing for sport or out of duty to some evil deity or master.
"Neutrality" lies withing characters with respect to good and evil have compunctions against killing the innocent but lack the commitment to make sacrifices to protect or help others. Neutral people are committed to others by personal relationships.
Being good or evil can be a conscious choice. For most people, though, being good or evil is an attitude that one recognizes but does not choose. Being neutral on the good-evil axis usually represents a lack of commitment one way or the other, but for some it represents a positive commitment to a balanced view. While acknowledging that good and evil are objective states, not just opinions, these folk maintain that a balance between the two is the proper place for people, or at least for them.
Animals and other creatures incapable of moral action are neutral rather than good or evil. Even deadly vipers and wolves that eat people are neutral because they lack the capacity for morally right or wrong behavior.
[smear:00438f]Law VS. Chaos[/smear:74041f]
Lawful characters tell the truth, keep their word, respect authority, honor tradition, and judge those who fall short of their duties.
Chaotic characters follow their consciences, resent being told what to do, favor new ideas over tradition, and do what they promise if they feel like it."Law" implies honor, trustworthiness, obedience to authority, and reliability. On the downside, lawfulness can include close-mindedness, reactionary adherence to tradition, judgmentalness, and a lack of adaptability. Those who consciously promote lawfulness say that only lawful behavior creates a society in which people can depend on each other and make the right decisions in full confidence that others will act as they should.
"Chaos" implies freedom, adaptability, and flexibility. On the downside, chaos can include recklessness, resentment toward legitimate authority, arbitrary actions, and irresponsibility. Those who promote chaotic behavior say that only unfettered personal freedom allows people to express themselves fully and lets society benefit from the potential that its individuals have within them.
"Neutrality" in a character implies respect to law and chaos has a normal respect for authority and feels neither a compulsion to obey nor a compulsion to rebel. She is honest but can be tempted into lying or deceiving others.
Devotion to law or chaos may be a conscious choice, but more often it is a personality trait that is recognized rather than being chosen. Neutrality on the lawful-chaotic axis is usually simply a middle state, a state of not feeling compelled toward one side or the other. Some few such neutrals, however, espouse neutrality as superior to law or chaos, regarding each as an extreme with its own blind spots and drawbacks.
Animals and other creatures incapable of moral action are neutral. Dogs may be obedient and cats free-spirited, but they do not have the moral capacity to be truly lawful or chaotic.
Nine distinct alignments define all the possible combinations of the lawful-chaotic axis with the good-evil axis. Each alignment description below depicts a typical character of that alignment. Remember that individuals vary from this norm, and that a given character may act more or less in accord with his or her alignment from day to day. Use these descriptions as guidelines, not as scripts.
The first six alignments, lawful good through chaotic neutral, are the standard alignments for player characters. The three evil alignments are for better suited for villains villains.
The first six alignments, lawful good through chaotic neutral, are the standard alignments for player characters. The three evil alignments are for better suited for villains villains.
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[PTab=LAWFUL GOOD]
[PTab=NEUTRAL GOOD]Neutral good characters always do what is good, right, or helpful which is why this alignment is sometimes called True Good. Unlike lawful good characters they are more flexible in their day to day actions. A neutral good character would consider bending the rules to do what is right. A doctor who fudges paperwork to help a needy person get health insurance is a neutral good person.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=CHAOTIC GOOD]These people want to do what is right but they do not do it with any real structure or system. They are perfectly willing to break the law to do what is right, and some even enjoy doing just that. The best time to play a chaotic good character is when there is a lawful evil authority to rebel against. Without such a target for a rebellion many chaotic good characters are indistinguishable from neutral good characters. A hacker who uses his skills to take down child pornography sites is chaotic good, willfully breaking the law to do good. Robin Hood is the most famous example of chaotic good.[/PTab={position:relative}]
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[PTab=LAWFUL NEUTRAL] Lawful neutral people tend to be dispassionate and calculating. They have a set of behavioral guidelines but these guidelines allow for some good and some evil behavior. A lawful neutral character tends to care a lot more about the letter of the law than the spirit. An ideal judge would be lawful neutral, making all rulings based on the letter of the law without an eye towards helping or hurting others or their personal feelings.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=TRUE NEUTRAL]Neutral characters are hard to play because they lack defining moral values. This is essentially a person who evaluates each situation independently and makes a decision, but the criteria might be different in each different situation. If you play this alignment you must balance all your decisions on both the law/chaos and good/evil axis. A true neutral person in real life is almost unheard of.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=CHAOTIC NEUTRAL]Chaotic neutral is the ultimate free spirit. This character essentially does what they want when they want regardless of whether or not it is good or evil, legal or not. Chaotic Neutral is sometimes referred to as "evil light" because many people feel it borders on evil without technically being evil. Most antiheroes in fiction and literature are Chaotic Neutral.[/PTab={position:relative}]
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[PTab=LAWFUL EVIL]Lawful evil characters are in essence, tyrants or dictators. They have a code of laws that is generally oppressive and brutally enforced. Lawful evil characters do not tolerate anyone questioning their authority, nor will they share their authority. A lawful evil character is out for personal gain, but is more given to scheming and intimidation than to random bloodshed. Don Corleone is one example, although there certainly are others who are more evil.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=NEUTRAL EVIL]Neutral evil characters are essentially pure evil. They do not follow any set of laws, nor are they concerned with obtaining power. They tend to be the kind of people who enjoy hurting others. They are not concerned with the law in the slightest. Serial killers are often neutral evil.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=CHAOTIC EVIL]Chaotic evil characters are psychopaths. They do not care for anything but themselves. They kill indiscriminately and for fun. They can only be controlled by threats and force and will probably kill anyone who controls them the moment they think they can. Chaotic evil characters are almost always solitary. The latest incarnation of the Joker would be a prime example.[/PTab={position:relative}]
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[PTab=LAWFUL GOOD]
Lawful good characters have a strict moral code, usually coinciding with societal mores, and they almost never break it. They favor order, structure, and upright behavior. They will desire to help others when the opportunity presents itself, unless doing so would conflict with their moral code. These characters would not break the law except in very rare circumstances. They do not feel that the ends ever justify the means. A "by the book" cop is an example of a real life lawful good person
[/PTab={position:relative}][PTab=NEUTRAL GOOD]Neutral good characters always do what is good, right, or helpful which is why this alignment is sometimes called True Good. Unlike lawful good characters they are more flexible in their day to day actions. A neutral good character would consider bending the rules to do what is right. A doctor who fudges paperwork to help a needy person get health insurance is a neutral good person.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=CHAOTIC GOOD]These people want to do what is right but they do not do it with any real structure or system. They are perfectly willing to break the law to do what is right, and some even enjoy doing just that. The best time to play a chaotic good character is when there is a lawful evil authority to rebel against. Without such a target for a rebellion many chaotic good characters are indistinguishable from neutral good characters. A hacker who uses his skills to take down child pornography sites is chaotic good, willfully breaking the law to do good. Robin Hood is the most famous example of chaotic good.[/PTab={position:relative}]
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[PTab=LAWFUL NEUTRAL] Lawful neutral people tend to be dispassionate and calculating. They have a set of behavioral guidelines but these guidelines allow for some good and some evil behavior. A lawful neutral character tends to care a lot more about the letter of the law than the spirit. An ideal judge would be lawful neutral, making all rulings based on the letter of the law without an eye towards helping or hurting others or their personal feelings.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=TRUE NEUTRAL]Neutral characters are hard to play because they lack defining moral values. This is essentially a person who evaluates each situation independently and makes a decision, but the criteria might be different in each different situation. If you play this alignment you must balance all your decisions on both the law/chaos and good/evil axis. A true neutral person in real life is almost unheard of.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=CHAOTIC NEUTRAL]Chaotic neutral is the ultimate free spirit. This character essentially does what they want when they want regardless of whether or not it is good or evil, legal or not. Chaotic Neutral is sometimes referred to as "evil light" because many people feel it borders on evil without technically being evil. Most antiheroes in fiction and literature are Chaotic Neutral.[/PTab={position:relative}]
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[PTab=LAWFUL EVIL]Lawful evil characters are in essence, tyrants or dictators. They have a code of laws that is generally oppressive and brutally enforced. Lawful evil characters do not tolerate anyone questioning their authority, nor will they share their authority. A lawful evil character is out for personal gain, but is more given to scheming and intimidation than to random bloodshed. Don Corleone is one example, although there certainly are others who are more evil.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=NEUTRAL EVIL]Neutral evil characters are essentially pure evil. They do not follow any set of laws, nor are they concerned with obtaining power. They tend to be the kind of people who enjoy hurting others. They are not concerned with the law in the slightest. Serial killers are often neutral evil.[/PTab={position:relative}]
[PTab=CHAOTIC EVIL]Chaotic evil characters are psychopaths. They do not care for anything but themselves. They kill indiscriminately and for fun. They can only be controlled by threats and force and will probably kill anyone who controls them the moment they think they can. Chaotic evil characters are almost always solitary. The latest incarnation of the Joker would be a prime example.[/PTab={position:relative}]
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