What Is Your Alignment?

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

HUGE, STRANGE POST ALERT.

 

This thread is intended for everyone on the forum, not just D&D players. My reasons for making it are to help me know everyone a bit better and to sate one of my weird curiosities. Having seen a thread dedicated to D&D, I know there's at least a handful of regulars here that can skip over most of this post, but for those unfamiliar with what's to follow, I entreat you spare a few minutes to read and reply. It could be enlightening.

 

 

Many role-playing games have some way of measuring the player's moral and ethical compass. The one I want to look at right now and apply to all of you — or rather, have you determine it's application to yourselves — is the alignment system found in Dungeons & Dragons. Those who are already familiar with how it works will notice this is pre-4th edition. That's deliberate.

 

Here's how it works: there are nine alignments, each one representing a certain proclivity for good or evil and law or chaos. Tell which one most accurately matches you, and if you want to talk about where your friends and family fit in relation to you or how they've influenced you, for better or worse, that would be even more interesting.

 

I've already started pegging some of you with alignments, and I feel pretty confident about most of them. These are some "official" definitions so they may seem oddly-worded considering the question is aimed at you and not some character of your own devisal; they're arranged in a 3 X 3 grid:

 

 

 

 

Lawful Good

 

A lawful good character upholds society and its laws, believing that these laws are created to work for the good and prosperity of all. He is both honest and benevolent. He will work within the established system to change it for the better, and strives to bring order to goodness that other good-aligned characters might pool their resources to better the world. A lawful good character combines a commitment to oppose evil with discipline. Most lawful good characters live by a strict code of honor, or by the rules of conduct set down by their deity. They will generally selflessly act by these codes even at the cost of their own life. It must however be stressed that blind obedience to local laws is not required by the lawful good alignment. A paladin is not in violation of his alignment if he decides to take up arms against a usurper on behalf of the rightful king, for example, even if that means going against the sedition laws instated by the usurper.

 

An incorruptible enforcer, a ruler or politician who acts for the good of his people, and a heroic soldier who strictly obeys the laws of battle are all examples of lawful good characters.

 

 

Neutral Good

 

Neutral good characters desire good without bias for or against order. A neutral good character does good for goodness' sake, not because he is directed to by law or by whim. Such a character will obey the law, or break it when he sees that it will serve a greater good. He has no problems with co-operating with lawful officials, but does not feel beholden to them. In the event that doing the right thing requires the bending or breaking of rules, they do not suffer the same inner conflict that a Lawful Good character would. He isn't bound strongly to a social system or order. His need to help others and reduce suffering may take precedence over all else.

 

A doctor who treats both sides in a fight and somebody who feeds the starving in a war zone are both examples of neutral good characters.

 

 

Chaotic Good

 

Chaotic good combines a good heart with a free spirit. A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He is kind and benevolent, a strong individualist hostile to the claims of rules, regulations, and social order. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He will actively work to bring down unjust rulers and organizations and to liberate the oppressed. He finds lawful societies distasteful and will avoid them, often living as a nomad or hermit.

 

Noble rebel leaders fighting corrupt or venal regimes, vigilantes acting for what they see as the greater good, mercenaries who only work for the "good guys" and anyone who "robs from the rich to give to the poor" are all examples of chaotic good characters.

 

 

Lawful Neutral

 

A lawful neutral character is directed by law, logic, tradition, or a personal code. Order and organization are paramount to him. He may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or he may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government. Lawful neutral combines reliability and honor without moral bias. Note that this does not mean that a lawful neutral character is amoral or immoral, or does not have a moral compass, but that moral considerations — the good or evil of the action — come a distant second to what the character's code, tradition, law, or logic dictate.

 

A functionary, soldier, or employee who follows orders without question regardless of the result; an arms dealer who sells his wares to the highest bidder, whatever that bidder may do with them, and an impartial jurist who sticks rigidly to the rule book are all examples of lawful neutral characters.

 

 

True Neutral

 

The neutral alignment (sometimes known as true neutral) is without prejudice or compulsion. A neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or order vs. chaos. He thinks of good as better than evil — after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he isn't personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way.

 

A true neutral character sees good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. He advocates the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. His position is carefully neutral, but he does not continually balance his morals in a yin yang or fanatical fashion.

 

 

Chaotic Neutral

 

Chaotic neutral is freedom from both society's restrictions and a do-gooder's zeal. A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but does not strive to protect the freedom of others. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character doesn't 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 by evil (and a desire to make 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 to cross it.

 

A wandering rogue who lives both by work for hire and petty theft is an example of a chaotic neutral character.

 

 

Lawful Evil

 

Lawful evil is the methodical and intentional devotion to a cruel, organized system. A lawful evil character methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his personal 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's comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He is loath to break promises, and he is therefore very cautious about giving his word unless a bargain is clearly in his favor. 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. Many lawful evil characters use society and its laws for selfish advantages, exploiting the letter of the law over its spirit whenever it best suits their interests.

 

A tyrannical ruler who drafts the rules to suit himself, a corrupt lawyer or judge who uses the law to mask his own misdeeds, and the ruthless bosses and minions of organized crime are all examples of lawful evil characters.

 

 

Neutral Evil

 

Neutral evil is pure pragmatism without honor and without variation — survival of the ruthless. A neutral evil character does whatever he can get away with. He is out for himself, pure and simple. He shows no remorse for those he kills, whether for profit, sport or convenience, and he has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make him any better or more noble. On the other hand, he does not have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has.

 

Career criminals, particularly those who harm others for money, such as hitmen, are the most obvious example of neutral evil.

 

 

Chaotic Evil

 

Chaotic evil is power without control — selfishness unfettered by any law. A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. 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. His plans are haphazard and any groups he joins or forms are 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. These characters will commit any act to further their own ends.

 

---

 

Now here's where I fit into all this. Read it or don't, but I want to hear your stories and what you think of yourselves.

 

My alignment is Neutral Good. I've concluded — perhaps erroneously — that the opposite of me would be Neutral Evil. However, they don't bother me as much as those who fall firmly into the Lawful Neutral slot. Don't get me wrong, there are several people here whom I like that I would easily label as LN, but the idea of allowing another man's or system's moral compass take precedence over one's own is almost unimaginable for me. I have actually known people who have said things like "The government is capable of thinking for me, so I don't want to think." Yes, that is one of the most extreme cases, but people like that exist and it's an ideology that is entirely beyond my comprehension. Whether or not my moral stances changed throughout my life, my application thereof underwent many. Through it all I've never relinquished a sliver of my individuality beyond what I felt was fair compromise, though this has admittedly been counterproductive to my intentions in some circumstances, causing harm where I intended to bring relief.

 

Reflecting on my younger days I can say that my heart was originally NG, but circumstances being what they were (abuse, violation of trust, etc.), my childlike malleability combined with innate and unwavering moral stances pushed me more into being a Chaotic Neutral individual. I was willing, able, and did on occasion risk money and possessions just for the thrill of it. Sometimes it was as big a risk as gambling with large (to me) sums of money. Sometimes it was as small as extending my arm out the bus window and flipping a coin because I knew I wouldn't get it back if I didn't catch it. Easy come; easy go. A few times I gambled with my life. I learned to keep to myself even if it meant allowing somebody else to endure some kind of unnecessary hardship I could have prevented, justifying my inaction by saying they could better learn by practice than with my assistance. The truth was I didn't want to risk being taken for a ride. Always empathetic, there was only so much emotional distress I could tolerate upon another before lending a hand. I wasn't heartless.

 

Then there's my "brony conversion story," in which by example as much as admonition that eclectic group pulled me back here, where I always belonged and desired to be. As terrible as that bygone period of my life was, I think the way I devalued myself back then has helped me presently to find more courage in interposing myself to keep another from harm. And learning how fragile and fleeting possessions are through my reckless actions back then has helped me to be more generous now.

 

As for the significant and not so significant people in my life — my parents first; they are about as hard to the Lawful side of things as can be. Both of them almost straddle the line of good and neutrality when it comes to the vertical axis, with my dad a little more on the good side than my mom. There was a time where I would have placed them farther into neutral, in days when they were more content with their situations so long as they weren't in dire need of anything, but in more recent days they've started to determine that their ability to decide is a bit more important than simplicity. We were always at odds when I was growing up. I'd hear of something I perceived to be an injustice, whether somebody got too harsh a sentence for some offense or was let off the hook despite obvious guilt; every time I would be furious, and their attitude was largely apathetic because they weren't affected.

 

My closest and first of only two friends is Lawful Good. At times he can seem more neutral than good, but he's just very guarded and secretive. The other is also Lawful Good, but he's a simple, country guy who grew up in a normal family and just wants to live a quiet life.

 

The majority of my mom's side of the family is Neutral Evil, and a few of them are Chaotic Evil; one person is Lawful Good and one person is Chaotic Neutral. The majority of my dad's side of the family is Lawful Good.

 

 

edit: Please don't rely on any kind of online test to determine your alignment. Like any other test, it will be limited by the diversity, quality, and quantity of questions asked, and won't give an accurate evaluation. Do some reflecting and see which one sounds most like you. You can take a test if you want, but I'd prefer that you not use its results here.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Artemis

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

Well, I'm not sure how my family/friends fit into this, but as for myself I think that I'm somewhere between Neutral Good and Chaotic Good, probably a bit closer to Neutral. There are many descriptions of both alignments that seem to describe me, in a way. Interesting, I'd never thought of doing this to real people before.

[Archi the Atmomancer 564]

I'd have to say Lawful or True Neutral, although some of my ideas probably could be classified as Lawful Evil.

 

However, when I say Lawful Neutral that doesn't mean I'll blindly follow the government, I just respect the values of law and order and think they're very important to a good society.

 

I wish I could say I was Lawful Good but I don't think I help people enough and I'm usually a cynical bastard.

Edited January 15, 2013 by Archi

[Just some guy 1,070]

Probably either Neutral Good or Chaotic Good.

 

I'm always happy to lend a hand,but I sometimes think that rules can just get in the way of some things,especially when it comes to really hepling somebody out.While I'm not on the extreme end of being a vigilante and all that jazz,I can and will bend or break rules if it means to help somebody out,especially a friend.

[Night Shine 767]

i have to say, the description of "Neutral Good" really resonated with me the most. I do support the 'system' more than most other teens my age, but I certainly do break rules when I find them impeding--technically my nocturnality is breaking my parents' rules X3

 

Still, I like to think of myself in the 'good' category for sure. I am ridiculously idealistic in most acts and opinions--in fact, on some subconscious level, I think I may love MLP so much because of its purity compared to most/any other entertainment these days. No sexual content of any sort, no relentless bashing of any character or cause just for the fun of it...

[Starshine 16,333]

Hm... Seems like Chaotic Neutral fit me the best. I never really feel any obligation to do anything either it's good or bad, and I hate too much restrictions.

 

But if there are two words that describes me the best, they would be "Chaotic Lazy"

[Bronium 512]

I'm definitely Neutral Good. It encapsulates my feelings perfectly. I've got no trouble with laws nor with breaking them. As long as it leads to the health and safety of myself and those around me, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. At least, I wish I was willing to. I wouldn't risk my life for others, but when I feel safe, I'll try to help others.

 

I think most people are like this. At least, I hope most people are in the good side. I mean, I'd like to see someone who puts themselves down as evil. I don't think I've met a person who is evil. Not that they don't exist. You can't believe they don't exist after seeing all these dreadful things that happen in the world.

 

Damn the double negatives! They make my life so much harder. I've got a system for double negatives. I can't make out a sentence with a double negative without careful thought about it actually.

[Jessper 735]

In RP, I'm always Lawful Evil. I'm actually almost in the position where I'd say I want to be that.

 

In life, well, Chaotic Neutral with bits of True Neutral. As far as would D&D and Neutrals go, I would be influenced by Evil way more than Good.

[GoldenShield 46]

I gotta go with "Neutral Good" on this one, I like to do the right thing and I will do it regardless of whether authority or society would be against such a thing, but at the same time I also understand that laws exist in society for a reason and are in many ways a good guide towards what is the right thing to do.

[Commander Urdnot 2,680]

Chaotic Good.

 

I am fiercely individualistic and idealistic, and detest following other people's rules and laws. I could do much more good on my own, without being shackled to the rules and to the book.

[Admiral Colt 61]

Well I feel obligated to really respond to this with the best of my abilities since my friends think I can be a goody goody... Which I can be.

 

I feel like I'm Neutral good because I have a bit of both Lawful and Chaotic Good in me. For example, there are some rules I can't stand, yet there's some that I feel need to be followed. Myself have broken a few rules in the past, but I'm not exactly proud of it. Also, I follow my code very closely, and will jump to help a friend or enemy if someone needs it, I can't hold a grudge against anyone no matter what really. I guess it's in my nature, but my final verdict is probably Neutral Good.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

Alignment: True Lawful Good Paladin

Mount: Lockheed F-35 Fighter Jet

Weapon: Friendliness

Defense: Running away really fast

Edited May 6, 2021 by Blue

[Shiki 5,855]

I would be one of the Chaotics. I believe in staying "Good" according to my own rules, but am not afraid to be the "brutal" part of "Chaotic Evil" just to get what I want. I basically do whatever I want, whenever I want, doing "good" according to myself. So, perhaps "Chaotic Neutral" would be best? They all seem very unfitting for myself, to be honest.

[MelancholicMemory 2,025]

I'm probably somewhere between chaotic neutral and chaotic good. I largely operate as chaotic good, but I'm not afraid to venture into the grey areas of morality on occassion. I'm always opposed to restrictions and rules though, and my personal liberty is very important to me.

[Milk Wave 454]

With my main oc's, its usually either Neutral, or all the Evil's that exist on that board (which applies to only one of my characters).

In life, its Lawful Neutral. Simple as that.

[Syrchalis 40]

I myself tend to be either true neutral or chaotic good. You cannot put me into one category that easy. My characters are probably easier to judge as they are mostly true neutral or neutral good, not both though like myself. I do not play RP's with evil sides... not those stereotype evils. If there is an evil in my story or roleplay they have good reasons and don't act like someone evil would - their actions are fully understandable and just evil towards the opposing side.

 

As for myself: I am too open towards everyone and everything to be true chaotic good, but I also have my own ideas about everything and they tend to be rather the stereotype of good.

[Champion RD92 8,658]

I think I am maybe somewhere in between Lawful Good and Neutral Good. I like to follow the law because it just doesn't feel right to me to break the law, although I would go against the law if I felt it was the right thing to do. I usually like to base my actions off of my own morals, as opposed to strictly following some kind of law or rules.

[Yourmomsponies 444]

Chaotic good definitely 

Although I'm an Equal Opportunity Asshole, I Never intend what I say.

I rip on anybody and everybody.

I'm good because good is good. 

[Mortimer 332]

In RP, I'm always Lawful Evil. I'm actually almost in the position where I'd say I want to be that.

 

In life, well, Chaotic Neutral with bits of True Neutral. As far as would D&D and Neutrals go, I would be influenced by Evil way more than Good.

 

WOW! Gotta agree with this.

In RP, i love to be Lawful Evil, it's like the right thing in my opinion. I like those kinds of OCs.

In life, i'll be in the neutral line, the three of them, i just can't decide because i have little touches of all of them.

[Shanks 10,816]

Somewhere between lawful good and chaotic good, as a libertarian I have a strong distrust toward any kind of unchecked power and have complete and total contempt for the current "authorities" because of the simple fact that they are destroying freedom on the absurd premise that it is necessary to protect freedom. But I also believe strongly in obeying just laws and that the rule of law in general is extremely important but the rule of law is completely meaningless unless is applies to everyone equally which it currently dosen't. The global corporate mafia and their minions commit horrific crimes everyday that if we did we would put in the slammer for a long time yet the corruption has gotten so out of hand that it has just become business as usual. Here is a short list of them

 

1. Murder: unconstitutional undeclared wars of aggression, secret assassinations, backing brutal dictatorships the blood money trail goes on and on,

 

2. Bribery: corporations are legally considered people (seriously I am not making that up) and as people they have the "right" to bribe politicians into getting their way even if it means screwing the rest of us over.

 

3. Racketeering: credit default swaps, derivatives, carbon taxes (literally charging us for breathing) the sheer amount of scams they are able to get away with proves Pt Barnums famous statement of "there is another sucker born everyday" true.

 

4. Counterfeiting: did you know the dollar is backed by absolutely nothing and is printed at interest by a private for phophit bank deceptively called the Federal Reserve? Or that banks can legally loan out 10 times what they actually have on reserve or in some cases even more than that thanks to derivatives and other bad lending scams? 

[The Stranger 812]

I'm going to be honest with myself and post real results here. This thread exists on another forum and I took a test to make this alignment decision and got these results:

-------------------

 

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 is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (17)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (24)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (18)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXX (5)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXXXXXX (9)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXX (4)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Chaos --- XXXXXXXX (8)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Evil ---- X (1)

 

---------

A few more points and I would of gotten Chaotic Good.

 

Anyone who wants to get real results and not just pick a side you like check this link out: http://easydamus.com/alignmenttest.html

Edited January 15, 2013 by Twisted-Bone

[Standard User 2,127]

Through my actions, I am Lawful Good.

By my thoughts, I am Lawful Evil.

I wanna start some small nuclear wars and watch the world burn, baby.

[Kamil 315]

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (25)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (18)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (17)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (22)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXX (8)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXXX (6)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXX (6)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Chaos --- XXXX (4)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Evil ---- XX (2)

 

So... I guess I'm Neutral Good, with a very slight nudge toward lawful and not overly extreme on the Good part. I would have thought I was more lawful than that, but if tradition and social constraints are considered the same as actual law then there's no way I would make that. I have no respect for my family if they try to force me into something I don't like. I guess I feel pretty similarly about laws, but the government is way better at forcing people to do things.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

My alignment's pretty good, thanks for asking. Of course on an older vehicle like a 2000 Stratus, there's always a bigger risk of those wheels getting jolted out of position, but...

 

Oh.

 

Um, true neutral. I avoid conflicts and rarely commit myself to either side of one. Motivation is highly overrated. Nobody ever walked into a place and started gunning people down because they weren't motivated enough. Persistence is overrated too. People will say it's everything (including Calvin Coolidge who, no disrespect to the man, had one of the most do-nothing presidencies in history), but they'll also say doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different result is insanity. That's another thing, it's hard to trust people. If they're not as neutral as you, they are potentially dangerous and unbalancing forces that can upset your life. Let them waste their energy on all this stuff if they want to, but you don't need to get caught up yourself.

 

A note on chaotic good that you may find interesting: I suspect there are a lot of a-holes throughout history who would have called themselves this, but I knew a guy who was the very definition of it. He drank heavily, smoked weed all the time, didn't pay his rent, worked sporadically, took walks in the woods across the highway and occasionally burst into a howling frenzy that could be heard in all the apartments. (Drink and 2am video game sessions were likely the culprit.)

 

On the other hand, he was a stand-up guy and a true Christian who never hurt anyone and wouldn't hesitate to help you out or run the occasional drunken idiot off our property. Everybody liked him and there was no doubt that he was a force of good around here. (He was also really handsome with a cool country accent and the only guy I've ever been attracted to, but that's not the point *cough*.) The point is, that was one of the very few chaotic good people I have known. They're a rarer breed than you might think. I was sorry when he moved out.

Edited January 15, 2013 by TailsAlone

[Jessper 735]

WOW! Gotta agree with this.

In RP, i love to be Lawful Evil, it's like the right thing in my opinion. I like those kinds of OCs.

In life, i'll be in the neutral line, the three of them, i just can't decide because i have little touches of all of them.

Lawfull evil is pretty amazing for a powerful character. Governed by intelligence and rational thinking, gaining more power trough plans and intrigues... Yes. And when it's a dark elf (Forgotten realms, preferably), it all goes even better.

Tho I really dislike Chaotic Evil. Those are just dangerous. I call it being evil for the sake of being evil. Psychopaths.

 

Also, sharp stick poke incoming. How can you be both Lawful and Chaotic Neutral, those two are almost perfect opposites.