I thought it would be fun for members to tell us what they think is their alignment. We can also dispute one anothers self assessed alignment like a dungeon master.
The descriptions are lifted from the Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_%28Dungeons_%26_Dragons%29#Chaotic_Good) entry on Wikepedia.
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IMAGE SOURCE: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2008/06/dungeons-dragon/
Alignments
Any person, creature, deity or extraplanar realm in Dungeons & Dragons can have one of the nine alignments. The sourcebook Complete Scoundrel cites real world fictional characters as examples of aligned individuals.
Lawful Good
Lawful Good is known as the "Saintly" or "Crusader" alignment. A Lawful Good character typically acts with compassion, and always with honor and a sense of duty. A Lawful Good nation would consist of a well-organized government that works for the benefit of its citizens. Lawful Good characters include righteous knights, paladins, and most dwarves. Lawful Good creatures include the noble golden dragons.
Lawful Good characters, especially paladins, may sometimes find themselves faced with the dilemma of whether to obey law or good when the two conflict—for example, upholding a sworn oath when it would lead innocents to come to harm—or conflicts between two orders, such as between their religious law and the law of the local ruler.
In the Complete Scoundrel sourcebook Batman, Dick Tracy and Indiana Jones are cited as examples of lawful good characters.[9] Lawful Good outsiders are known as Archons.
Neutral Good
Neutral Good is known as the "Benefactor" alignment. A Neutral Good character is guided by his conscience and typically acts altruistically, without regard for or against Lawful precepts such as rules or tradition. A Neutral Good character 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.
Examples of Neutral Good characters include Zorro and Spider-Man.[9] The Neutral Good outsiders are known as Guardinals.
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SOURCE: http://cavaleirosdasnoitesinsones.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/dungeons-and-dragons-song.html
Chaotic Good
Chaotic Good is known as the "Beatific," "Rebel," or "Cynic" alignment. A Chaotic Good character favors change for a greater good, disdains bureaucratic organizations that get in the way of social improvement, and places a high value on personal freedom, not only for oneself, but for others as well. They always intend to do the right thing, but their methods are generally disorganized and often out of alignment with the rest of society. They may create conflict in a team if they feel they are being pushed around, and often view extensive organization and planning as pointless, preferring to improvise.
Robin Hood, Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, and Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly are examples of Chaotic Good individuals.[9] Eladrin are the outsider race representing Chaotic Good.
Lawful Neutral
Lawful Neutral is called the "Judge" or "Disciplined" alignment. A Lawful Neutral character typically believes strongly in Lawful concepts such as honor, order, rules and tradition, and often follows a personal code. A Lawful Neutral society would typically enforce strict laws to maintain social order, and place a high value on traditions and historical precedent. Examples of Lawful Neutral characters might include a soldier who always follows orders, a judge or enforcer that adheres mercilessly to the word of the law, and a disciplined monk.
Characters of this alignment are neutral with regard to good and evil. This does not mean that Lawful Neutral characters are amoral or immoral, or do not have a moral compass, but simply that their moral considerations come a distant second to what their code, tradition, or law dictates. They typically have a strong ethical code, but it is primarily guided by their system of belief, not by a commitment to good or evil.
James Bond, Odysseus, and Sanjuro from Yojimbo are considered by Complete Scoundrel as Lawful Neutral.[9] Three exemplars of Lawful Neutral outsiders exist. These are the Formians, the Inevitables and the Modrons.
Neutral
Neutral alignment, also referred to as True Neutral or Neutral Neutral, is called the "Undecided" or "Nature's" alignment. This alignment represents Neutral on both axes, and tends not to feel strongly towards any alignment. A farmer whose primary overriding concern is to feed his family is of this alignment. Most animals, lacking the capacity for moral judgment, are of this alignment since they are guided by instinct rather than conscious decision. Many roguish characters who play all sides to suit themselves are also of this alignment (such as a weapon merchant with no qualms selling his wares to both sides of a war for a profit).
Some Neutral characters, rather than feeling undecided, are committed to a balance between the alignments. They may see good, evil, law and chaos as simply prejudices and dangerous extremes. Mordenkainen is one such character who takes this concept to the extreme, dedicating himself to a detached philosophy of neutrality to ensure that no one alignment or power takes control of the Flanaess.
Druids frequently follow this True Neutral dedication to balance, and under Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules were required to be this alignment. In an example given in the 2nd Edition Player's Handbook, a typical druid might fight against a band of marauding gnolls, only to switch sides to save the gnolls' clan from being totally exterminated.[10]
Lara Croft, Lucy Westenra from Dracula and Han Solo in his early Star Wars appearance are neutral.[9] The true neutral outsiders are known as the Rilmani.
Chaotic Neutral
Chaotic Neutral is called the "Anarchist" or "Free Spirit" alignment. A character of this alignment is an individualist who follows his or her own heart, and generally shirks rules and traditions. Although they promote the ideals of freedom, it is their own freedom that comes first. Good and Evil come second to their need to be free, and the only reliable thing about them is how totally unreliable they are. Chaotic Neutral characters are free-spirited and do not enjoy the unnecessary suffering of others, but if they join a team, it is because that team's goals happen to coincide with their own at the moment. They invariably resent taking orders and can be very selfish in their pursuit of personal goals. A Chaotic Neutral character does not have to be an aimless wanderer; they may have a specific goal in mind, but their methods of achieving that goal are often disorganized, unorthodox, or entirely unpredictable.
A subset of Chaotic Neutral is: "strongly Chaotic Neutral"; describing a character who behaves chaotically to the point of appearing insane. Characters of this type may regularly change their appearance and attitudes for the sake of change and intentionally disrupt organizations for the sole reason of disrupting a lawful institution. Characters of this type include the Xaositects from the Planescape setting, and Hennet from the third edition Player's Handbook. In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Chaotic Neutral was mistakenly assumed to refer to this subset.
Captain Jack Sparrow, Al Swearengen from the TV series Deadwood, and Snake Plissken from Escape from New York are Chaotic Neutral characters according to Complete Scoundrel (3.5e).[9] Slaadi represent pure chaos outsiders.
Lawful Evil
Lawful Evil is referred to as the "Dominator" or "Diabolic" alignment. Characters of this alignment see a well-ordered system as being easier to exploit, and show a combination of desirable and undesirable traits; while they usually obey their superiors and keep their word, they care nothing for the rights and freedoms of other individuals and are not averse to twisting the rules to work in their favor. Examples of this alignment include tyrants, devils, undiscriminating mercenary types who have a strict code of conduct, and loyal soldiers who enjoy the act of killing.
Like Lawful Good Paladins, Lawful Evil characters may sometimes find themselves faced with the dilemma of whether to obey law or evil when the two conflict. However, their issues with Law versus Evil are more concerned with "Will I get caught?" versus "How does this benefit me?"
Boba Fett of Star Wars, and X-Men's Magneto are cited examples of Lawful Evil characters in (3.5e).[9] The Lawful Evil outsiders are known as Devils.
Neutral Evil
Neutral Evil is called the "Malefactor" alignment. Characters of this alignment are typically selfish and have no qualms about turning on their allies-of-the-moment, and usually make allies primarily to further their own goals. They have no compunctions about harming others to get what they want, but neither will they go out of their way to cause carnage or mayhem when they see no direct benefit to it. They abide by laws for only as long as it is convenient for them. A villain of this alignment can be more dangerous than either Lawful or Chaotic Evil characters, since she or he is neither bound by any sort of honor or tradition nor disorganized and pointlessly violent.
Examples are an assassin who has little regard for formal laws but does not needlessly kill, a henchman who plots behind her or his superior's back, or a mercenary who switches sides if made a better offer.
Complete Scoundrel cites X-Men's Mystique, and Sawyer of the early seasons of Lost as Neutral Evil characters.[9] Yugoloths (Daemons) are the outsiders of Neutral Evil.
Chaotic Evil
Chaotic Evil is referred to as the "Destroyer" or "Demonic" alignment. Characters of this alignment tend to have no respect for rules, other people's lives, or anything but their own desires, which are typically selfish and cruel. They set a high value on personal freedom, but do not have any regard for the lives or freedom of other people. They do not work well in groups, as they resent being given orders, and usually behave themselves only out of fear of punishment.
It is not compulsory for a Chaotic Evil character to be constantly performing sadistic acts just for the sake of being evil, or constantly disobeying orders just for the sake of causing chaos. They do however enjoy the suffering of others, and view honor and self-discipline as weaknesses. Serial killers and monsters of limited intelligence are typically Chaotic Evil.
According to the Complete Scoundrel sourcebook, Carl Denham from King Kong and Riddick from Pitch Black are Chaotic Evil.[9] The Chaotic Evil outsiders are the Demons.
Variants
In addition, there are also blended or "tendency" alignments (and relative Outer Realms) that exist between the basic nine, bringing the total of alignment combinations up to seventeen. These include Neutral Good with either Lawful or Chaotic tendencies, Lawful Neutral with either Good or Evil tendencies, Chaotic Neutral with either Good or Evil tendencies, and Neutral Evil with either Lawful or Chaotic tendencies.
So take your pick folks. What alignment do you consider yourself to be and why?
I'll go first to get the ball rolling....
I think in my everyday life I am Chaotic Good. I am up for defending the weak and powerless and do what it takes without a great deal of regard for bureaucracy, organised religion or the law in general. I like life in general but am opposed to acts of cruelty or ordered systems that result in suffering.
However, in my role as an administrator, I imagine I may come across as quite different as I frequently have to make decisions based on the site rules or PRC as a group rather than for myself.
Always have been either Neutral,Chaotic good or Chaotic neutral...although Ive played a few characters who for me were out of character..Chaotic evil dwarf..fifth level..and a lawful evil wizard who followed the rules, yet stabbed everyone in the back!literally!LOL!
Personally I myself am Chaotic Good.
My longest lived character was Average Alfred..who had a thirteen for every attribute, and was well..average. he lived to be a level ten character and was retired when I stopped playing D and D thirty years ago..sigh...:(
Alfred was hated by many due to his ability to "blend in" and be the last one standing in melee or encounters.
hehehe, I miss Alfred! :'(
Le
I would be somewhere between Chaotic Good and Chaotic Neutral... Haven't played a game where I had to choose these attributes in...decades. But for Me, personally, I am somewhere in the middle of those two.
To clarify, I am interested to hear what you think the real you is.
I've played a Lawful Evil Character. Nasty bastard he was. :P
Close between Chaotic Good and Neutral, figure most of us here are about that otherwise we would not be here. When I play a RPG though I am a one dimensional selfish Sorcerer of Neutral Evil.
Chaotic Good... I don't think Lawful Good actually exists in the real world anymore.
QuoteI've played a Lawful Evil Character. Nasty bastard he was.
Sooo...your character was a politician? ;D
Chaotic good. The name in my Avatar is my original D&D player name.
Game persona was usually some sort of magical thief.
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That would make You what, z? Strongly Chaotic Neutral?
Chaotic good describes me. It's just what and who I am.
Shasta
Neutral Good, at this point. I used to be Chaotic Good, but that requires a bit too much energy, these days. ;)
I could be considered Chaotic Good, from the point of view that I'm still a strong advocate of file sharing, or what some refer to as computer piracy; and I also don't care about the law at all where drug use is concerned, I will admit. However, as long as the law is just, and is not the actual product of people who simply want to use it to dominate everyone else, then I prefer to live within the system when I can. Generally just causes less headaches, that way.
Quote from: Amaterasu on October 03, 2012, 08:53:09 PM
That would make You what, z? Strongly Chaotic Neutral?
I actually interpret that as him not wanting to answer. Personally, I'd view Zorgon as predominantly Lawful Neutral, but probably tending in his better moments towards Lawful Good. There's a strong desire to view himself as an authority figure, but he still seeks a positive end for the collective, as well; just so long as he's in charge. ;)
You saw the description of "Strongly Chaotic Neutral," right?
A subset of Chaotic Neutral is: "strongly Chaotic Neutral"; describing a character who behaves chaotically to the point of appearing insane.
I was pokin' at Him. [grin]
Quote from: Ellirium113 on October 03, 2012, 06:19:53 PM
Chaotic Good... I don't think Lawful Good actually exists in the real world anymore.
Despite the way it sounds, that's not actually a bad thing. I view the Lawful alignments in general as being non-sentient, to be brutally honest. To me, the Chaotic prefix doesn't necessarily mean being a random douchebag purely for the hell of it; it primarily means that you're someone who can think for yourself.
A CG isn't amoral; they're someone for whom the Law is internal, which means it's actually a lot
more reliable, rather than less. Somebody like Judge Dredd, on the other hand, has it internalised that he has to very strictly follow, "the Law," in external terms, but he doesn't necessarily give any consideration to what said Law actually
is, or whether the motivation behind said Law is the real preservation of the society.
The reason why virtually none of us (at least those of us with intelligence) are Lawfully aligned any more, is because we've all had direct experience with the level of corruption that is inherent in the contemporary Law, in virtually every country in the world. Law for its' own sake, is a prime example of STS/negative polarisation, and is generally used primarily for the aggrandizement of STS/entropically polarised individuals, at the rest of the collective's expense.
As an example of this, I'm not going to give a crap about drug law, precisely because I know that ensuring my genuine wellbeing has absolutely nothing to do with the reason why said law was made or currently exists; and the main way I know that, is by virtue of the fact that if I get caught breaking it, the authorities will do far more harm to me, than most of the drugs themselves ever would have. As I think it was Lincoln who said; Not the people for the Law, but the Law for the people.
One of the single main reasons why I want to go back to Nimbin, in addition to all the others, is because the presence and activity of the police there is virtually non-existent. I do not want that because I am interested in engaging in what I consider to be truly criminal behaviour; but purely because I demand the right to live according to my own morality, rather than have laws which are contrary to my own and anyone else's wellbeing, enforced without my consent, by an external authority which is itself corrupt.
Yes, We do expound the letter of the "law" and eschew the spirit, don't We?
And yes, "laws" are made to serve special interests - like Cheney exempting fracking from the control of the EPA. And the drug "laws," of course.
Gee. I wonder why so many have no respect for this system of "laws." (There are really only three Laws...which a number of Our "laws" break. Hmmmm.)
Quote from: Amaterasu on October 03, 2012, 08:53:09 PM
That would make You what, z? Strongly Chaotic Neutral?
Definitely a Variant :D
I am the Red Dragon.
My first tattoo was a red dragon, but it is now covered up with a giant tree. Some might see this as bi-polar...
I think Chaotic Good requires the ability to think criticallyy and step outside the mandates of others. Like reminding people that politicians, doctors, police, etc work for us, not the other way aaround. And I think Mitt Romney is just plain disconnected from reality.
Shasta
Quote from: Shasta56 on October 06, 2012, 04:48:50 PM
QuoteI think Chaotic Good requires the ability to think criticallyy and step outside the mandates of others. Like reminding people that politicians, doctors, police, etc work for us, not the other way aaround. And I think Mitt Romney is just plain disconnected from reality.
I agree, he's behind his white picket fence so safe and warm, what does he care about America really?
Shasta