CHAPTER 5: ALIGNMENT
Alignment is a shorthand for a character's consistent orientation toward two questions: how much do they value order over freedom, and how much do they weigh others' interests against their own? It is not a biography, and it is not a verdict. It describes a tendency — the pattern of choices a character makes when the rules are unclear, the stakes are real, and no one is watching.
Nine alignments exist, positioned along two axes. The first axis runs from Lawful to Chaotic. The second runs from Good to Evil. True Neutral sits at the intersection of both.
The Two Axes
Law and Chaos — how a character relates to structure, hierarchy, and social obligation.
A Lawful character believes order is worth preserving. They operate within systems — codes, institutions, traditions, chains of command — and expect others to do the same. Their word means something specific, and they hold others to the same standard. This is not the same as obedience. A Lawful character may break a law they consider unjust. What they will not do is break a commitment they made willingly, undermine an institution they voluntarily joined, or treat agreements as provisional.
A Chaotic character believes individual judgment outweighs external authority. They resist being bound by codes they did not choose and institutions whose legitimacy they do not recognize. This is not the same as disorder. A Chaotic character can be reliable, principled, and loyal. What they resist is the claim that a rule, title, or tradition should override their assessment of what the situation actually requires.
A Neutral character on this axis is not caught between two poles. They make pragmatic judgments about when structure serves a purpose and when it does not. They do not carry a general position about law and freedom. They carry a case-by-case evaluation.
Good and Evil — how a character weighs other people's interests against their own.
A Good character extends genuine weight to the well-being of others. This does not require self-sacrifice in every situation. It requires that others' suffering registers as something worth acting on — that the cost to someone else matters in the calculation, not merely as a secondary consideration.
An Evil character prioritizes their own interests at others' expense, either because they do not extend moral consideration to others or because they do and override it anyway. This is not cruelty for its own sake. Most Evil characters have coherent goals. The defining quality is that others are instruments or obstacles, not ends.
A Neutral character on this axis does not occupy a midpoint between caring about people and not caring. They operate according to local loyalties — their group, their immediate community, their contracted obligations — and do not extend those obligations broadly. The stranger's suffering is not their problem. Their companion's is.
The Nine Alignments
Lawful Good. Operates within structures and extends genuine concern to others within and beyond those structures. Believes order and decency reinforce each other. When they conflict, decency takes precedence — a Lawful Good character breaks an unjust law rather than enforce it, but they do so openly and accept the consequences.
Neutral Good. Wants good outcomes and will work through whatever structures or outside them to achieve them. Has no general position on law versus freedom. Makes decisions based on what actually helps.
Chaotic Good. Extends genuine concern to others but distrusts centralized authority as a vehicle for achieving it. Acts on personal judgment. Believes institutions are more often the problem than the solution. May be unreliable allies to organizations while being fiercely loyal to individuals.
Lawful Neutral. Committed to order, hierarchy, and codes without a corresponding commitment to others' well-being beyond their defined obligations. The contract matters. The party outside the contract does not. Organizations run well. People outside the organization are not their concern.
True Neutral. Operates without a consistent position on order versus freedom or on others' interests. Makes decisions based on immediate circumstances, balance, or a specific set of local loyalties that do not generalize. Some True Neutral characters are balancers — they resist any faction becoming dominant. Most are simply people without strong ideological commitments.
Chaotic Neutral. Prioritizes personal freedom above order and makes decisions primarily based on individual interest and judgment. Not malicious, but not reliably considerate of others. Self-directed in a way that can look like both Chaotic Good and Chaotic Evil depending on the situation, without being either consistently.
Lawful Evil. Pursues their own interests or their institution's interests within the constraints of a code or structure. The code is a tool — it provides cover, creates predictability, and allows coordination with others toward shared ends. Breaks rules when they can do so safely and invisibly. Does not break rules that would cost them their position.
Neutral Evil. Pursues self-interest without particular preference for order or freedom, using whichever is more useful in the moment. Has no ideological commitments. Can appear cooperative, even friendly, as long as cooperation serves their ends.
Chaotic Evil. Pursues self-interest with contempt for constraint. Does not defer to codes, institutions, or others' interests. May be impulsive or calculated — the defining quality is the absence of any limiting principle that would override self-interest or pleasure.
Alignment and Classes
Most characters have no mechanical relationship with their alignment. It describes their behavior. It does not generate consequences unless they abandon it entirely or belong to a class that has alignment requirements.
Classes with Alignment Requirements
Paladin. Must be Lawful. The specific alignment within the Lawful axis — Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, or Lawful Evil — is determined by their deity. Paladins of the Three Sisters are Lawful Good. Paladins of Tar'amaan are Lawful Neutral, trending Lawful Evil depending on the specific agent. A Paladin who shifts to any non-Lawful alignment loses all class abilities immediately and cannot recover them without divine atonement.
Cleric. Must be within one alignment step of their deity. A deity of Lawful Good does not invest power in a Chaotic Evil cleric. The specific requirements are defined by each faith and detailed in Book II. A Cleric who moves outside their deity's permitted range loses spellcasting until they return or atone.
Druid. Must be Neutral on at least one axis — either Lawful/Chaotic neutral or Good/Evil neutral. True Neutral is most common, but Neutral Good, Neutral Evil, Lawful Neutral, and Chaotic Neutral are all permitted. A Druid who abandons all Neutral positioning loses the Hyerophancy's sanction along with their spellcasting. The Hyerophancy considers this a matter of theological fitness, not personal discipline.
Champion. No alignment requirement. The Champion's Code operates independently of alignment. A Chaotic Evil Champion following a code of personal honor and a Lawful Good Champion following an institutional oath both function identically by the rules — what changes is the content of their Code and the social consequences of following it.
Tracking Alignment
Alignment is not a number — no score that ticks up or down — but the pattern of a character's choices over time, and the GM observes that pattern.
A character whose consistent behavior has drifted significantly from their stated alignment should be told — privately if possible, before consequences attach. The GM is not obligated to wait until a violation becomes irrevocable. The conversation should happen at the point where the drift is clear, while the player still has the option to reorient the character or consciously shift to a new alignment.
Voluntary Change
A character who wishes to change alignment may do so between sessions. They inform the GM of the new alignment, and it takes effect immediately. For most characters, there are no mechanical consequences. For Paladins, Clerics, and Druids, the new alignment is checked against class requirements. If it falls outside the permitted range, class abilities are suspended until atonement or the alignment is reversed.
Involuntary Drift
If a character's established behavior has drifted outside their stated alignment without a conscious choice being made, the GM may declare the alignment changed. This is not a penalty, but recognition of what the character has already become. Class ability suspension applies if applicable.
Atonement
A character who has lost class abilities through alignment violation can recover them through atonement — a specific act or sequence of acts determined by the GM in light of the nature and severity of the violation. For Paladins, this typically involves their deity's clergy directly. For Clerics, the same. For Druids, it involves the Hyerophancy. Atonement is always earned through action, not through declaration.
Alignment and Reaction
Alignment affects reaction rolls in specific circumstances. Characters of strongly opposed alignments — Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil, for example — begin encounters with NPCs of the opposing alignment at one step worse on the reaction table, before other modifiers are applied. The GM adjudicates whether the NPC is sufficiently aware of the character's alignment for this to apply. Alignment is not written on a person's face. It emerges through behavior.
Table 5.1: Alignment Quick Reference
| Lawful | Neutral | Chaotic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Lawful Good | Neutral Good | Chaotic Good |
| Neutral | Lawful Neutral | True Neutral | Chaotic Neutral |
| Evil | Lawful Evil | Neutral Evil | Chaotic Evil |
| Alignment | Core Orientation |
|---|---|
| Lawful Good | Order and genuine concern for others. Breaks unjust laws openly. |
| Neutral Good | Good outcomes through whatever means work. No position on order. |
| Chaotic Good | Genuine concern for others, contempt for institutional authority. |
| Lawful Neutral | Structure and obligation. The contract matters. Outside it, indifferent. |
| True Neutral | No consistent position. Local loyalties, case-by-case judgment. |
| Chaotic Neutral | Personal freedom and self-direction. Not malicious, not reliable. |
| Lawful Evil | Self-interest within a code, used as a tool for cover and coordination. |
| Neutral Evil | Self-interest, no preference for order or freedom, no limiting principles. |
| Chaotic Evil | Self-interest with contempt for all constraint. |
| Class | Alignment Requirement |
|---|---|
| Paladin | Lawful (specific alignment per deity) |
| Cleric | Within one step of deity's alignment |
| Druid | Neutral on at least one axis |
| Champion | None (Code operates independently) |
| All others | None |