Alignment Descriptions

Lawful Good
A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. She combines a
commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. She tells the truth, keeps her
word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see
the guilty go unpunished.
Lawful good combines honor with compassion.
Lawful good characters are proficient at understanding bureaucracies, following laws, and
cultivating order and structure in their own lives and in others'. They are naturally helpful, and
others find them trustworthy, even if they don't share the same alignment. Additionally, lawful
good characters are adept at deciding which actions are lawful and benefit society rather than the
individual. With their focus on order, they can often build governmental stability where none
previously existed. These characters sometimes have problems defying laws, even when the laws
are unjust. Instead of disobeying or protesting against such laws, they work within the provided
structure or system to change those laws, and they implore others to do so as well. They feel
guilty lying to others, even if only asked to fib to provide a ruse for their companions. Similarly,
they won't break the law to help good-intentioned party members perform actions that might
have beneficial results.
When they're adventuring in urban areas with their companions, lawful good characters may feel
compelled to excuse themselves from certain plans or attempt to reason with those more lenient
in their interpretation of the law. It's much easier for lawful good characters to ignore the bad
behavior of other party members when exploring ruins and wilderness areas outside the direct
jurisdiction of a governing body.
Lawful good characters regard law as necessary for the welfare of society. They fight to abolish
or change laws they deem unjust, and they always aid those in need. Lawful good characters
strive to be forthright in their words and deeds, refuse to lie to others, and keep their covenants.
They oppose evil wherever it is found, and avoid putting the good of the individual ahead of
what is good for the masses. For these characters, the end rarely justifies the means. Characters
drawn to honor, righting wrongs, or making sacrifices for others might be attracted to this
alignment.
Opportunities And Allies
The character class most often associated with the lawful good alignment is the paladin, but this
alignment may also include monks, who are always lawful. With a few exceptions, the other
character classes allow for any alignment. However, playing a lawful good roguethough
feasible via the game's rulesmay be challenging. Such a character would, however, be a good
addition to a law enforcement body as an investigator, or might travel as a scout or spy for a
military or knightly order. She might also be a trustworthy appropriator of treasures lost in the
depths of old ruins.
Social Order: Bringing peace and order to a community or nation should be a paramount ideal
to a lawful good character. Settling conflict and establishing a fair body of laws may be more
often associated with politicians, legislators, and barristers, but an adventurer can pursue those
ideals as well. Whether she focuses on keeping the peace or fighting against those who seek to
upset the traditions of a particular society, an adventurer in an urban environment can instill the
principles of a lawful good alignment in its people.
Philosophies
Lawful good characters vary widely, especially in terms of their zeal for their beliefs. Some may
be fanatical examples of the alignment, while others apply these ideals more loosely in their
lives. The following examples showcase just a few of the possible approaches to this alignment.
Builders
Builder characters believe in the importance of close-knit families and strong communities, and
they teach others to be self-sufficient. Builders revere order and law, regarding these concepts as
the answer to all of civilization's problems; for them, a strong, benevolent government is what
allows civilizations to thrive. Builders often assist in creating actual structures and items as a part
of community's attempt to improve members' quality of life.
If you are a builder, you:
Strive for order and organization.
View strong government as necessary for civilization's cultivation, and strong
families and communities as the building blocks of successful settlements.
Use your creativity and skills to teach others how to improve their lives and
communities, and gladly offer your assistance when others are moved to create order
and structure.
Code: You bring order to society through your creations, whether material or philosophical.
Crusaders
Crusaders endeavor to stamp out the presence of evil wherever it arises. These just, strong
individuals spend their lives in pursuit of such heroic endeavors, tenaciously taking the fight to
the root of evil in an attempt to eradicate it. Crusaders seek honor, valor, and glory in their
pursuit of evil, and willingly sacrifice themselves in their efforts to destroy their targets.
If you are a crusader, you:
Abhor evil in all its aspects.
Are motivated to right wrongs and to stamp out evil and injustice.
Seek honor and glory through your actions, and suffer death over accepting
dishonor.
Code: You are honorable and risk your life to eradicate the evil threatening your lands or the
lives of those you've vowed to protect.
Guardians
Guardians respect life and believe there is no greater duty or higher calling than protecting the
lives of innocents and those who are too venerable to protect themselves. These brave,
unwavering individuals gladly risk life and limb in defending whoever or whatever they have
vowed to protect, whether it's a city, village, fortress wall, or even a strategic pass. They
willingly sacrifice themselves to the last soul to carry out their duty, and they find their honor,
valor, and glory in defense rather than in taking the battle to others. When not actively involved
in protecting their charge, they spend their time teaching defensive tactics and skills to those
willing to learn.
If you are a guardian, you:
Protect the lives of others at your own risk.
Are motivated to protect the weak and the innocent.
Improve the tactics and defensive skills of those you aid.
Code: You risk your life to protect the lives and well-being of others.
Neutral Good
A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping
others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them.
Neutral good means doing what is good and right without bias for or against order.
Neutral good characters excel at seeing both sides of a situation, and they use this ability to
inform their actions, doing what they believe will produce the most good. These characters seek
balance and harmony in their dealings with others; they know to avoid conversations leading to
heated topics, and keep their responses to the middle of the road. They understand the value of
nature, and realize that expanding civilization into the wilderness is not always the most
appropriate thing to do. Because of their ability to see all facets of a situation, neutral good
characters can sometimes have difficulty in choosing a side between other good beings. For this
reason, others may label them as wishy-washy or not capable of serious conviction.
Dealing with other characters aligned along the lawful-chaotic axis can also be challenging,
especially in mixed-alignment adventuring groups. The neutral good characters will not always
agree with the lawful good characters' meticulous need to plan their actions, control others, or
prevent others from disobeying laws that interfere with the party's goalssometimes less-than-
honest tactics are necessary, after all. Conversely, neutral good characters might find chaotic
good characters a little on the uncontrollable side, not liking the wild bent of their ideas or
actions. Too much freedom of thought and action, they believe, just makes one irresponsible.
Neutral good characters can see both sides of the lawful-chaotic axis, understanding that some
choices are indeed better for all, and others are better for individuals. Because supporting either
extreme on the axis does not motivate them, neutral good characters are often considered the
true good alignment. They seek to do the most good in the world to make it a better place and
to help others when possible. Neither anarchy nor the need for strict order concerns them.
Neutral good characters support laws that benefit all, but have no qualms about ignoring unjust
laws or tyrannical rulers.
Neutral good characters give great consideration to their actions before deeming them correct;
some neutral good characters find it unfathomable that others cannot see their viewpoint as the
most sensible.
Opportunities And Allies
Neutral good is an alignment common to the druid class, who must select any neutral alignment.
Neutral good serves as an effective alignment for most any class, except the monk and paladin,
who must be lawful.
Exploration and Preservation: Neutral frontier lands can hold significant interest for characters
of this alignment. This is a great stepping-stone for characters wanting to do good, preserve
beautiful works of art and history, and make names for themselves.
Peace, Redemption, and Refuge: Neutral good characters might find hotbeds of chaos ripe for
intervention in the form of redemption and mediation.
Philosophies
Neutral good characters vary widely, especially in terms of their zeal for their beliefs. Some may
be fanatical examples of the alignment, while others apply these ideals more loosely in their
lives. They find slavery, whether legal or not, abhorrent, and may make it their goal to destroy
such institutions wherever they find them. The following examples showcase just a few of the
possible approaches to this alignment.
Healers
Healers value life, seeing beauty and good in all living creatures. Healers offer their curative
powers to those in need, regardless of their patients' alignment, believing it's their duty to use
their skills and magic to maintain the purity of life itself. As life is all-important to them, they
take oaths never to do harm to others or to take lives; when forced to fight, they protect
themselves, but tend to employ abilities that hamper or entrap their enemies rather than killing
them outright. After all, every being's life is important to the universe, and the loss of any soul is
a true tragedy to healers. If you are a healer, you:
Value life above all else.
Use your curative knowledge and abilities to heal the sick and wounded.
Fight defensively, and only to capture or weaken opponents.
Code: You seek to maintain the life and health of others, and do not take others' lives.
Mediators
It is not possible for all members of a community to have their way; life is all about compromise,
and mediators specialize in steering rational individuals to agreeable terms and favorable
outcomes. When things go badly or they must deal with hostile people, mediators do not rashly
pull their weapons on others, but instead offer alternative options for resolution through
diplomacy or intimidation. Of course, many creatures lack enlightenment, and thus don't accept
compromise. When words fall on deaf ears, mediators resort to weapons to win the day.
If you are a mediator, you:
Value balance and peaceful, beneficial resolutions.
Are motivated by the desire to keep the peace and diffuse conflict.
Attempt to use your wisdom and charisma when dealing with non-evil creatures.
Code: When conflict arises between reasonable creatures of either axis of your alignment, you
offer your diplomatic skills to accomplish compromise or agreement.
Redeemers
Redeemers believe that with a few exceptions, most beings are capable of goodness. Beings not
following the path of light need only be given a chance to renounce their wayward behavior and
be enlightened to the true path of goodness, thus allowing them to redeem their souls and atone
for their vile deeds. Redeemers believe in patience, knowing old habits are hard to break. Of
course, those who refuse proffered redemption opportunities must not be allowed to continue
along their destructive paths, so redeemers must permanently prevent them from doing further
harm. If you are a redeemer, you:
Value life and are patient.
Are motivated to bring others into the light, believing they deserve a second chance.
Are willing to kill those who refuse redemption.
Code: The lost can be returned to the light if given the chance; you must offer it and show them
the way.
Chaotic Good
A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others
expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness
and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate
others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may
not agree with that of society.
Chaotic good combines a good heart with a free spirit.
Chaotic good characters follow their own consciences and are adaptable, easily rolling with life's
punches. They rarely make plans too far in advance, preferring to take a wait-and-see approach
to most things, which allows them to adjust their actions or reactions in a single heartbeat. They
have no qualms about breaking laws, especially when doing so will save others or protect others'
rights from being trampled. Chaotic good characters want freedom for themselves and others,
and find it difficult to live in societies they deem too restrictive to individuals. They view laws
and regulations as unneeded mechanisms of control rather than protection. Deeply inherent in the
chaotic good character's philosophy is the belief that most individuals are good and will do good
if given the freedom to act as they please. In this regard, these benevolent, kind-hearted
individuals can be viewed as the most idealistic of the good alignments. Other good characters
call their live-and-let-live attitude overly idealistic, instead believing that individuals are more
selfish than kindhearted in nature and need guidance to become good. The chaotic good
philosophy, however, holds that because individuals are not all like-minded persons, imposing
such guidance and laws to force them to conform to a single mold deforms their spirits, creating
flaws and cracks where evil can more easily find a foothold.
Chaotic good characters are strong-willed and self-directedmasters of their own destiny. They
act as their consciences dictate, viewing the plights of the weak and innocent with compassion
and correcting injustices when they can. Chaotic good characters disregard others' expectations
of their behavior, finding many laws and regulations too limiting to their personal freedom. They
resent those who inflict their ideals on others, especially through intimidation, and are often
reluctant to conform. Chaotic good characters want the freedom to do as they will and desire
others to be free of oppression as well.
While chaotic good characters do not accept that individuals must sacrifice their ideals and
follow laws for the good of the whole, they willingly sacrifice themselves (and their
individuality) to protect the whole in the name of good.
Opportunities And Allies
Chaotic good is not an alignment embedded in any particular character class, though it can be an
excellent one for barbarian characters, who must avoid lawful alignments. The most difficult
character class to portray with a chaotic good alignment might be the cavalier, as cavaliers are
tied to teamwork by the nature of their combat skills and must follow an order as well. Such
knights, however, could serve as effective freedom fighters and leaders in the fight for liberty.
Racial Allies: Chaotic good characters might find allies among the elves and half-elves, with
whom they share not only an alignment (generally speaking), but also a curiosity about life and a
zeal to forge their own paths in the world. This tendency is even stronger in the case of half-
elves, who often find themselves without a unified homeland and feel they must create their own
destinies. Elves are more commonly found in the wilderness, making it reasonable that they
could be useful allies for druid and ranger characters. Chaotic good characters might also find
allies among aasimars who tend toward chaos, or perhaps even among the rare but free-willed
catfolk.
Philosophies
Chaotic good characters vary widely, especially in terms of their zeal for their beliefs. Some
chaotic good characters seem to be fanatical examples of their alignment, while others apply
these ideals more loosely in their lives. These carefree souls follow their own whims and
pleasures, harming no one unless their personal sense of justice is inflamed. They find slavery an
utter abomination, and fight against all instances of it they encounter. The following examples
showcase just a few of the possible approaches to this alignment.
Activists
Activists ensure others question and reflect upon the origin of beliefs and knowledge, both their
own and that of others. They do not do so out of malice or a desire to disrupt others' thoughts,
but rather out of a duty to help others realize their true selvesa person cannot truly be a free
person until her thoughts and beliefs are, in fact, her own, not the rote drivel instilled by those
wanting a society of faithful sheep. If you are an activist, you:
Value questioning the establishment.
Are motivated to awaken other free thinkers.
Are a seeker of knowledge and truth.
Live life without restricting others.
Code: You want others to question what they know, ensuring each individual is truly living
honestly and thinking for himself.
Freedom Fighters
Freedom fighters believe no one should suffer the indignity of slavery or be forced to serve a
government that rejects or ignores the rights of its people. Everyone is born free and should
remain so. Liberty is the right of all, and tyrants and slavers must be thwarted or eradicated by
any means necessary. Freedom fighters spread their ideals in hopes of inspiring others to wage
war against slavers and oppressors.
If you are a freedom fighter, you:
Value freedom and liberty for all.
Are motivated to eradicate slavery.
Ensure laws do not restrict individuals' rights.
Code: You find tyranny and slavery the most intolerable crimes in existence, and you long to
free every man, woman, and child from their grip.
Vigilantes
Vigilantes believe those individuals enforcing the laws of the land are too lazy or uncaring to
effectively punish evildoers, or that their hands are tied by the law. Therefore, vigilantes step
forward to deliver justice to wrongdoers, serving as both judge and punisher for thieves, thugs,
and murderers. When their prey happens to be slavers or violent oppressors, vigilantes
sometimes cross paths with freedom fighters. For vigilantes, justice must be delivered at all
costs, and they risk their own lives to keep the lives of innocents safe and secure.
If you are a vigilante, you:
Value the justice delivered by your own hand.
Are motivated to punish evildoers.
Disregard laws to bring about your own justice, and are, therefore, often a wanted
individual.
Code: You risk limb and life to bring wrongdoers to justice for their crimes, and in doing so,
make life better for others.
Lawful Neutral
A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs her. Order and
organization are paramount. She may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or
she may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government.
Lawful neutral means you are reliable and honorable without being a zealot.
Neutral
A neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. She doesn't feel strongly one way or the
other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos (and thus neutral is sometimes called true
neutral). Most neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment
to neutrality. Such a character probably thinks of good as better than evilafter all, she would
rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, she's not personally committed to
upholding good in any abstract or universal way.
Some neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality.
They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the
middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run.
Neutral means you act naturally in any situation, without prejudice or compulsion.
Chaotic Neutral
A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his
own liberty but doesn't strive to protect others' freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions,
and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations
as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a
desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those others suffer). a chaotic neutral
character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to
jump off a bridge as he is to cross it.
Chaotic neutral represents freedom from both society's restrictions and a do-gooder's zeal.
Lawful Evil
A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct
without regard for whom it hurts. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order, but not about
freedom, dignity, or life. He plays by the rules but without mercy or compassion. He is
comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He condemns others not
according to their actions but according to race, religion, homeland, or social rank. He is loath to
break laws or promises.
This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly because he depends on order to protect
himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds. Some lawful evil villains have particular
taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come
to harm (if it can be helped). They imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled
villains.
Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with a zeal like that of a
crusader committed to good. Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take
pleasure in spreading evil as an end unto itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to
an evil deity or master.
Lawful evil represents methodical, intentional, and organized evil.
Neutral Evil
A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and
simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. She has
no love of order and holds no illusions that following laws, traditions, or codes would make her
any better or more noble. On the other hand, she doesn't have the restless nature or love of
conflict that a chaotic evil villain has.
Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often,
such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies.
Neutral evil represents pure evil without honor and without variation.
Chaotic Evil
A chaotic evil character does what his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He
is vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is
ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse.
Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are likely to be poorly
organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their
leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him.
Chaotic evil represents the destruction not only of beauty and life, but also of the order on which
beauty and life depend.