Lawful Neutral

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. Those with a neutral moral stance often refrain from passing judgement on anything. They do not classify people, things, or events as good or evil; what is, is. In some cases, this is because the creature lacks the capacity to make a moral judgment (animals fall into this category). Few normal creatures do anything for good or evil reasons. They kill because they are threatened. They sleep where they find shelter. They do not worry about the moral consequences of their actions - their actions are instinctive. Lawful Neutral Order and organization are of paramount importance to characters of this alignment. They believe in a strong, well-ordered government, whether that government is a tyranny or benevolent democracy. The benifits of organization and regimentation outweigh any moral questions raised by their actions. An inquisitor determined to ferret out traitors at any cost or a soldier who never questions his orders are good examples of lawful neutral behavior. Keeps his word of honor. Lies and cheats only if very necessary. Never attacks or harms an unarmed foe. Never harms an innocent. Does not use torture unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. (Never for pleasure) Never kills for pleasure. Usually helps those in need. Works in groups well, especially if it suits his needs. Will quite possibly take dirty money. Never betrays a friend. Has a high reguard for life and personal freedom. Found these 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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