Lawful Good

Index Lawful Good Lawful Neutral Lawful Evil Neutral Good True Neutral Neutral Evil Chaotic Good Chaotic Neutral Chaotic Evil

Law, Neutrality and Chaos Attitudes towards order and chaos are divided into three opposing beliefs. Picture these beliefs as the three points of a triangle, all pulling away from each other. The three beliefs are Law, Chaos and Neutrality. One of these represents each character's ethos, or ethical beliefs - his understanding of society and relationships. Lawful people generally follow the social rules as they understand them. They maintain that order, organization, and society are important, indeed vital, forces of the universe. The relationships between people and governments exist naturally. Lawful philosophers maintain that this order is not created by man but is a natural law of the universe. Although man does not create orderly structures, it is his obligation to function within them, lest the fabric of everything crumble. For less philosophical types, lawfulness manifests itself in the belief that laws should be made and followed, if only to have understandable rules for society. People should not persue personal vendettas, for example, but should present their claims to the proper authorities. Strength comes through unity of action, as can be seen in guilds, empires, and powerful churches. Good, Neutrality, and Evil Like law and order, the second set of attitudes is divided into three parts. These parts describe, more or less, a character's moral outlook; they are his internal guideposts to what is right or wrong. Good characters are just that. They try to be honest, charitable, and forthright. They generally care about the welfare of others. People are not perfect, however, so few are good all the time. There are always occasional failings and weaknesses. A good person, however, worries about his errors and normally tries to correct any damage done. Remember, however, that goodness has no absolute values. Although many things are commonly accepted as good (helping those in need, protecting the weak), different cultures impose their own interpretations on what is good and what is evil. Lawful Good Characters of this alignment believe that orderly, strong society with a well-organized government can work to make life better for the majority of the people. To ensure the quality of life, laws must be created and obeyed. When people respect the laws and try to help one another, society as a whole prospers. Therefore, lawful good characters strive for those things that will bring the greatest benefit to the most people and cause the least harm. An honest and hardworking serf, a kindly and wise king, or a stern but forthright minister of justice are all examples of lawful good people. A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. They combine a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. They tell the truth, keep their word, help those in need, and speak out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Some feel that lawful good is the best alignment one can be because it combines honor and compassion. Always keeps his word. Never lies. Never attacks, harms or kills an innocent foe. Never harms an innocent. Never tortures for any reason. Will not allow torture. Always helps others. Always work within the law. Respects honor, self-discipline, authority and law. Works well within a group. Never takes 'dirty money' or items. Never betray a friend. Ever. For ANY reason. Found the above guidelines on another page by another author. Wizard's of the Coast have put together a neat "D&D Online Alignment Test". Webmaster

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