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need advice on playing lawful neutral
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<blockquote data-quote="LightPhoenix" data-source="post: 1200104" data-attributes="member: 115"><p>None taken! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p> </p><p>I tried to imply in every case that these are possibilities, and not absolutes. Apparently not well enough. I completely agree that you play a character, and that defines your alignment. Hell, I'm all for characters not picking an alignment at all, and let the DM decide alignment when and if it's really necessary. I'm also a fan of the d20 Modern allegiances system, since IMO it's much more realistic.</p><p> </p><p>That said, strictly by the PHB, Good and Evil <em>are</em> absolutes. I believe the same applies to Law and Chaos. That's why the <em>vast</em> majority of people are TN IMO, with the next common alignments being NG and NE. Most people just are not strongly enough affiliated with Law or Chaos to be labelled as such.</p><p> </p><p>Even so, the traits I listed were predispositions... just like a Chaotic person is prone to being impulsive. Again, I didn't make that clear enough.</p><p> </p><p>To address specific points:</p><p> </p><p>1) OC - my exact quote is "A character that is LN <em>may appear to be</em> (or actually be, in extreme) obsessive-compulsive". No, I'm not saying any LN person is obsessive-compulsive. However, a strongly Lawful person is governed by rules, and those rules must be upheld. Those rules could include never killing a foe, always opening a door for a lady, or always keeping your toothbrush in a certain spot. One interpretation of that is that you would <em>appear</em> obsessive.</p><p> </p><p>2) LN people could be impulsive, yes. Are they likely to be? No. Impulsive behavior implies (but again, does not always mean) acting on a whim. That is almost by definition one of the traits of Chaotic creatures. Personally, I'd rule <em>any</em> Lawful character that acted impulsively consistently would lapse into Neutral and then to Chaotic. It's just not something that's ordered or structured.</p><p> </p><p>3) Which leads to my third contention. LN characters are used to following sets of rules (honor, law, what have you). More than anything else, a LN character believes in rules. Math and science are, at their core, sets of rules, as is language. To me, this implies that LN characters are predisposed (again, no certainty) to fields where rules are paramount - accounting, chemistry, and the like.</p><p> </p><p>4) Politics works somewhat the same way. LN characters live by rules, and to do so it's very possible (but not always) that they interpret the world around them based on rules as well, and try to put order to it. That can lead to being very good with people. There are general rules in the way people react - seeing someone tense up to attack, yawning when someone is bored and/or tired, and blushing when embarassed. A LN person picks up on these simple ones, and may pick up on more complex ones as well. A high CHA LN character would probably pick up on these quite easily.</p><p> </p><p>In the same way I talked about predisposition to subjects, I imagine LN characters are prone to being good at card games (which have defined rules) and good at reading tells (unconscious things people do during a game). The best con artists and gamblers probably would be LN, <em>not</em> Neutral or Chaotic.</p><p> </p><p>5) A quick note - a LN character may or may not have any care of "laws of the land". It's the personal code that matters first and foremost, everyone else comes second. It's great if your code meshes with the local laws, but if it doesn't, you're not going to change for them. I mean, if your code is "kill everyone you meet", then you're going to do just that regardless of local laws (though this is lapsing into LE territory). That's not Chaotic - that's a clearly defined set of rules, and hence Lawful.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LightPhoenix, post: 1200104, member: 115"] None taken! :) I tried to imply in every case that these are possibilities, and not absolutes. Apparently not well enough. I completely agree that you play a character, and that defines your alignment. Hell, I'm all for characters not picking an alignment at all, and let the DM decide alignment when and if it's really necessary. I'm also a fan of the d20 Modern allegiances system, since IMO it's much more realistic. That said, strictly by the PHB, Good and Evil [i]are[/i] absolutes. I believe the same applies to Law and Chaos. That's why the [i]vast[/i] majority of people are TN IMO, with the next common alignments being NG and NE. Most people just are not strongly enough affiliated with Law or Chaos to be labelled as such. Even so, the traits I listed were predispositions... just like a Chaotic person is prone to being impulsive. Again, I didn't make that clear enough. To address specific points: 1) OC - my exact quote is "A character that is LN [i]may appear to be[/i] (or actually be, in extreme) obsessive-compulsive". No, I'm not saying any LN person is obsessive-compulsive. However, a strongly Lawful person is governed by rules, and those rules must be upheld. Those rules could include never killing a foe, always opening a door for a lady, or always keeping your toothbrush in a certain spot. One interpretation of that is that you would [i]appear[/i] obsessive. 2) LN people could be impulsive, yes. Are they likely to be? No. Impulsive behavior implies (but again, does not always mean) acting on a whim. That is almost by definition one of the traits of Chaotic creatures. Personally, I'd rule [i]any[/i] Lawful character that acted impulsively consistently would lapse into Neutral and then to Chaotic. It's just not something that's ordered or structured. 3) Which leads to my third contention. LN characters are used to following sets of rules (honor, law, what have you). More than anything else, a LN character believes in rules. Math and science are, at their core, sets of rules, as is language. To me, this implies that LN characters are predisposed (again, no certainty) to fields where rules are paramount - accounting, chemistry, and the like. 4) Politics works somewhat the same way. LN characters live by rules, and to do so it's very possible (but not always) that they interpret the world around them based on rules as well, and try to put order to it. That can lead to being very good with people. There are general rules in the way people react - seeing someone tense up to attack, yawning when someone is bored and/or tired, and blushing when embarassed. A LN person picks up on these simple ones, and may pick up on more complex ones as well. A high CHA LN character would probably pick up on these quite easily. In the same way I talked about predisposition to subjects, I imagine LN characters are prone to being good at card games (which have defined rules) and good at reading tells (unconscious things people do during a game). The best con artists and gamblers probably would be LN, [i]not[/i] Neutral or Chaotic. 5) A quick note - a LN character may or may not have any care of "laws of the land". It's the personal code that matters first and foremost, everyone else comes second. It's great if your code meshes with the local laws, but if it doesn't, you're not going to change for them. I mean, if your code is "kill everyone you meet", then you're going to do just that regardless of local laws (though this is lapsing into LE territory). That's not Chaotic - that's a clearly defined set of rules, and hence Lawful. [/QUOTE]
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