Since D&D 1e, ethical values organize into a binary structure. A "Good-Evil" axis intersects a "Chaotic-Lawful" axis. Their coordinates comprise eight alignments plus "True Neutral" at the center.
The Good-Evil axis is frequency of compassionate actions.
• Good is altruistic, striving to benefit others as well as oneself.
• Evil is predatory, benefiting oneself at the expense of others.
The Chaotic-Lawful axis defines who ones "self" is.
• Chaotic is an individual identity with personal needs.
• Lawful identifies with a group with collective needs.
The True Neutral alignment is a mix among the other alignments. Creatures less able to make ethical decisions, such as most Beasts and Constructs, are Unaligned.
The intersection of the two axes plays out according to the following ethical values for each the nine alignments.
Chaotic Good empowers the individual identity. They emphasize personal freedoms, chosen friendships, and spontaneous self-expression. They also feel strong empathy for others and make efforts to meet their individual needs. They encourage each other to discover ones own best version of oneself, to liberate individuals from oppression, rescue them from distress, and find ways to enjoy the unique talents of each person. They often welcome competition, show off individual prowess, and playfully brag. Businesses flourish within niches and by innovation. Arts of all kinds flourish everywhere. There are many ways to be beautiful. Chaotic Good allies form intense personal bonds that eschew societal expectations. They will be there in times of need. One can rely on any commitments made one-on-one between friends.
True Good, also called Neutral Good, is compassionate actions. They strive to increase the frequency of compassionate actions among themselves and others, in voluntary and sustainable ways, to achieve as much wellbeing as possible for as many people as possible. Each strives to love others as much as one loves oneself. They nurture self-love as well as the altruistic love for others. They optimize between individual needs and group needs, whichever can achieve the greater Good in any particular situation. They economize limited resources to further as much Good as possible. They tend to support a group identity that is a framework to safeguard the diverse individual identities within it. Legal systems that enforce personal freedoms, tend toward the True Good alignment. Yet they are likely to speak of "ethics", and view "laws" as tools whose validity depends on whether they maximize Good. At the same time, they expect most individuals to find more wellbeing when cooperating with others within a group. They seek to do no harm, but require individuals to defend themselves against any who do harm. Reciprocity is key. True Good makes great effort to empower those individuals and groups who seem likely use this power to assist even more groups or individuals who do Good. Ten Good who empower each other become vastly more powerful than ten Evil who tear each other apart. One can count on True Good to help others to do Good, and to show empathy toward Non-Good.
Lawful Good empowers the group identities, such as citizens of a nation or members of a societal institution. Members work together to better the group as a whole, and often adopt shared group obligations, such as laws or policies. The societal expectations function as virtues that one develops a discipline to fulfill. The groups tend to ally with other groups: such as an treaty between two ethical nations, or a wealthy community founding an institution to empower an impoverished community. They value multiculturalism, where the different ethnic and religious identities cooperate together as groups. Sophisticated groups coordinate the specializations of each group to benefit from each others strengths and to cover for each others weaknesses. They care about justice and a society that is fair, and work hard to improve life for everyone. One can count on those obligations of group that are decent, and on the expectations to do the right thing.
Lawful Neutral means group identity. The self is made out of the groups that one belongs to. To speak with one is to engage in the values of a nation, the mores of a religion, the pride of a prominent extended family, the concerns of any parents and siblings who arent even present physically. They follow rules stoically to the best of ones ability, and celebrate those who sacrifice to fulfill collective needs. They feel a powerful sense of honor when ones own group accepts and esteems them as members, but feel debilitating shame if outcast from the group. To be shunned is a death of self, and often worse than to die bodily. They tend to view others according to stereotypes that they assign to the members of other groups. They value responsibility, standardization, repetition, expectations of tradition, status quo, and collectivism. One cannot rely on any actions on behalf of personal friendships. But one can count on the fulfillment of binding treaties, collective laws, institutional policies, legal contracts, and family obligations to be carried out in full.
True Neutral is a dynamic mix of the other alignments. Often a single individual is the mix, such as kind to some people and unkind to other people. They encourage a live and let live attitude. They are always pragmatic, and often intentionally amoral. They deal with the realities at hand, as constructively and as conveniently as possible. They might be apathetic if without too much disruption, or principled with a realpolitik on behalf of the largest percentage of individuals and groups. There is tolerance for any individuals and groups who succeed, but little regard for small percentages who come to harm. Civility, diplomacy, negotiations − and bribery − are values. There is equal opportunity, but individuals and groups do well to fend for themselves. Perhaps the only extreme is the insistence on a safespace to be moderate. One can count on any beneficial legal contracts with groups and on any mutual commitments with individuals. But nothing excessive endures.
Chaotic Neutral means individual identity. They attend to personal needs, desires, pleasures, and ambitions. Personal freedoms are the priority. They respect the accomplishments of other individuals. There is zero regard for any laws or societal expectations that they didnt personally agree to. They either ignore or are oblivious to undesirable rules. They form intense bonds with chosen friends and allies. Communities aggregate like molecules comprising various arrangements between various individuals, who are often surprisingly diverse. They might get uncomfortable if others become dependent on them, but are patient with loved ones, and can be extraordinarily generous if no strings attached. They value freedom, innovation, variation, surprises of progress, utility, and individualism. One cannot rely on any implied obligations. But one can count on the fulfillment of a personal commitment, especially if a solemn vow or sincere promise.
Chaotic Evil behaves solely for ones own benefit. They lack empathy for the wellbeing of others and disregard any laws or societal expectations. They tend toward criminality, whether brazen or sneaky. The conflicts between Chaotic Evil versus Lawful Good are obvious. They view Lawful as laughable and Good as vulnerable. Some endeavor to gain dominance over others. The resulting governments are tyrannical and tumultuous, often with a cult of personality and hierarchies of intimidation − and frequent assassinations. Each member calculates ones own costs-versus-benefits. The punishments for disobeying a superior tend dissuasive, even wrathful, cruel and unusual. They often target the loved ones of their enemies. Personal friendships can be sincere and across identity groups, as long as they dont get in each others way. One can count on an arrangement to benefit oneself but must avoid any pretense of obligation.
True Evil, also called Neutral Evil, is predatory in pragmatic way. They resort to both their group identity and their individual identity, whichever optimizes more advantage. Their competence with alternate tactics and the lack of empathy for anyone, comes across psychopathic. They often fanaticize other members of a group to seize power over other groups, while also conspiring with individuals to achieve more personal power. They happily betray either if expedient. They often fulfill societal obligations for the sake of self-serving motives, and build personal relationships for the sake of tactical alliances among groups. To seize opportunities while evaluating reality astutely are inherent skills. The True Good alignment often envies these skills. The resulting governments of True Evil tend to be cautionary tales of corruption and destabilization, with shocking discoveries of horrific abuse in dark places. One can count on arrangements that benefit ones "self", but must continually track whether group benefits or personal benefits prove the most opportune.
Lawful Evil is a predatory pack mentality. It is national chauvinism, ethnic supremacism, religious fanaticism, aristocratic elitism, criminal mafia family obligations, street gang loyalty, neighborhood lynch mob, or so on. The group as a whole is predatory, with policies and behaviors that actively exploit and harm the members of other groups. The mentality is "us versus them", without empathy for "them". Typically they form empires that assert and supposedly "deserve" dominance over the other groups. Individuals sacrifice for the glory of their group. The concerns for the group, its laws and norms, are more important than the needs of members within it. Even leaders can become expendable if deviating from collective values. The collective dehumanizes outsiders. Often they formally demonize others and seek to remove any legal rights from others. They might even be intolerant toward insiders that dont fit in with the rest of the group. Sometimes the group does far more cruelty to these insider dissidents who are perceived as a threat from within. There can be a grudging acknowledgement of an other group that seems similar to ones own group, especially if such acknowledgement is tactically useful for the promotion of ones own group. But imperialism, expansionism, and conquest eventually overtake any mutual alliance. Those who benefit from the group tend to enforce the group, and those who dont benefit fear the group and seek ways to pretend. Affection for other members of the group can be sincere, but betrayal and ostracism result when deviating from the societal norms. Lawful Evil is almost synonymous with dysfunctional. The group functions and survives, but painfully so for some of its members. One cannot rely on a sense of fairness or even on mercy from loved ones. But one can count on any laws, policies, or societal expectations to be enforced to the fullest extent that power makes possible.
These are the nine alignments of D&D that result from a vertical Good-Evil access and a horizontal Chaotic-Lawful axis, plus a True Neutral center. Unaligned is uninvolved with these nine, but sometimes defaults as if True Neutral. The descriptions pertain to 5e and describe Chaotic and Lawful in terms of individual versus group, respectively. Other interpretations of the alignments might exist in different editions, campaign settings, or ones own gaming tables.
