D&D 5E Why the heck does D&D have Hecate as Chaotic Evil

[Shiroiken]

Hecate is listed in the Astral Drifter background as one of several gods that your character had a "Divine Contact" with and learned some secret or cosmic lore. The options given are as follows (and I added their alignment and source pantheon):

• Fharlanghn (NG, Greyhawk)

It seems they got him confused with his brother Celestian (also NG), who seems far more appropriate for this.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Is she ugly? Are her followers ugly? That's priority 1 of deciding good or evil in D&D.

Is she non-traditional in any way? If yes, CHAOTIC.

 

[Havrik Stoneskimmer]

Arawn is Neutral Evil? Nuada is Neutral? Does this guy just have it in for Celtic and Greek gods or something? Ptah is LN and Arawn is NE? I mean, who came up with this gibberish?

God it's like a bad day in 2nd Edition. Absolute massacre.

If Ptah is LN, Arawn should be LN, frankly, and Nuada is basically the same guy as Tyr, who this dude would NO DOUBT characterise as LN or LG. Awful. I genuinely haven't seen something this outright ignorant with historical deities since 2E, though I probably missed something (guessing there may be a similar list I'm forgotten in one of the core books).

I mean, how about don't assign them alignments, for god's sake? If you're going to be this ignorant...

I mean, this is all from the 2014 PHB, where there is an explicit disclaimer that says that they are just taking inspiration while filling out the various alignments and spheres of influence that the game requires:

The Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, and Norse pantheons are
fantasy interpretations of historical religions from our
world's ancient times. They include deities that are
most appropriate for use in a D&D game, divorced from
their historical context in the real world and united into
pantheons that serve the needs of the game.

 

[FrozenNorth]

The idea of an absolute good and evil run aground when you're trying to come up with an alignment for Zeus and decide that "Chaotic good" is the appropriate one given the stories.

Unless it's the Zeus that appears in Disney's Hercules movie. That guy I buy as Chaotic Good.

I think “Boisterous Obnoxious” is a more accurate alignment.

Bonus, it could also apply to certain incarnations of Thor.

 

[Reynard]

Is she ugly? Are her followers ugly? That's priority 1 of deciding good or evil in D&D.

Is she non-traditional in any way? If yes, CHAOTIC.

You are forgetting that Hawt is also Evil.

 

[Vaalingrade]

You are forgetting that Hawt is also Evil.

And per the Book of Exalted Deeds, Furries are inherently Good.

 

[Reynard]

And per the Book of Exalted Deeds, Furries are inherently Good.

What alignment are Bronies?

 

[Vaalingrade]

What alignment are Bronies?

The conspicuously wide-hipped horse lady was LG, so...

 

[Davies]

• Arawn (NE, Celtic)

Y'know, I loved Lloyd Alexander's writing, but the influence of his work really irritates me sometimes ...

 

[QuentinGeorge]

And per the Book of Exalted Deeds, Furries are inherently Good.

The most pure untainted good.