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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5365424" data-attributes="member: 92511">Cool idea. Fun challenge.So, let's see...let's tart with everyone's favorite and go from there..."The Good Guys"LAWFUL GOOD (LG): "The Knight in Shining Armor" and/or "the Eternal Innocent" Lawful Good is the alignment of ideals and a sincere and humble desire to  attaining them for the betterment of all...even though, realistically, it is nearly impossible for a  mortal to do so...It is believing and living the dream of how things "should be", rising above how things "are".Doesn't cheat or lie. Does not inflict harm on an adversary who yields/surrenders or torture captives. Doesn't disobey the law, so long as it does not oppress or cause harm to the innocent. If he goes along with a plan involving these things, he probably feels guilty and will do some kind of self-imposed penance. Kind and helpful in any ways he can be...within the strict ethics and moral code through which he lives and views the world. Sticking to the ideal of "Order" is very important. Most likely in the view that Order leads to Peace. "Justice" is an ideal which he also clings to, automatically associating it with "doing good" and "maintaining order"...which man-made justice is not always in line with. Possessed of a very disciplined mind and the attitude that living a disciplined lifestyle improves oneself and leads one closer to the ultimate good they seek to emulate. He has a strict ethical and moral code that he seeks/attempts to hold as a constant of his behavior in the face of a very inconsistent world. A character choosing to be LG would do so because they want to be that hero...or simply are THAT innocent/naive. They want to further the causes of good and order and justice, most likely as espoused by their church/deity of good and order, kindness and peace. I find it unrealistic that any characters other than Paladins, Clerics of LG gods or Monks (needing to be lawful) would choose to be this alignment.NEUTRAL GOOD (NG): "The Good Person/Nice Guy" and/or "Doing the Right Thing." This character has little or no interest in what is "Lawful" or "Chaotic". If the law is harmful to the good of the land or the people then it is "wrong." If chaos and disorder is tearing apart a community and/or harming innocents, then it is equally "wrong."This is a character with a strong moral barometer that is not easily  swayed by arguments of law or temptations of chaos nor desire to engage in any "extremism" of either. Their ethics are  malleable to whatever ends will serve the moral "good." She is concerned with what will lead to the betterment or a "greater good" for all concerned. If that means following the edicts of the well-beloved (but technically "Lawful Evil") king of a peaceful realm who is brutal and sadistic to his enemies and criminals, so be it. This character is concerned with what they can do and achieve with a clear conscience before what leads to more "rules" or more "freedom." She recognizes that what is the way to achieve "Good" for one person (say, LG) may not be the same for another (say, CG) and she is ok with both approaches, so long as the end result is one in which evil does not prevail.A character choosing NG would be looking to better themselves and the world around them insofar as they feel they can in the day-to-day. She maintainins those qualities we think of a "nice person." Generally, kind, honest, compassionate, gentle...but in the face of stopping/defeating "evil", none of those qualities need apply. If they do, great. But she won't feel guilty of they don't.I think in the average day-to-day MOST people in the world at large (whatever fantasy world you play on), would be (or desire to be) this kind of person. CHAOTIC GOOD (CG): "The Noble Loner" and/or "The Freedom Fighter" The Chaotic Good adventurer is interested in making sure that no creature/person threatens the side of "goodness." Their ethical code is "whatever it takes." If they need to cheat, lie, steal...kill to further their personal cause of good, then it is done with little to no remorse. He will seek to further the betterment of communities and people through  letting them exercise their freedoms...encourage their individual  strengths. Their moral code is the same as every other "good" alignment. It is wrong to harm an innocent. It is wrong to oppress the weak. It is wrong to aid or promote evil acts. However, how he personally defines "innocent" and "weak" and "evil act" may differ greatly from the LG's definitions...and like their ethics, nothing is set in stone.i.e. A LG character will [or should] refuse to slay non-combatants. Goblin females, elderly and young, let's say, for this scenario. The CG will refuse to let them live, siting that they will continue to create/grow up to become/or seek to avenge the murdering marauders you came to these caves to wipe out in the first place. After some more arguing, the Chaotic Good character might just say "Fine. Leave them. But anything they do is on your head." The concept of Justice might mean a great deal to a CG character. The word of the "authority" and the "laws" that govern a land mean nothing if they do not work towards the good or betterment of its people. In such a case, a CG character would have NO qualms about fighting against the INjustice he perceives in any way possible. In short, the Chaotic Good character really has no problem with "breaking the rules" for the furthering of a "good" cause.A character would choose to be Chaotic Good if, say, they come from a tragic or very difficult circumstances (i.e. they are fighting to ensure others don't have to live through their hardship) or they come from a society which prizes the ideal of "personal choice" and "freedom" over the letter of "order" and "law." EXAMPLES:LG: King Arthur, Guinivere, Captain America, Superman, Sturm BrightbladeNG: Merlin (did what he needed to do to bring order to a completely chaotic realm, reintroduce some "balance" to the world), Lancelot (the ideals of chivalric love outweigh the Law of the land), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wonder Woman, GandalfCG: Wolverine, Robin Hood, Aragorn, Spartacus, Sinbad, Xena the Warrior Princess, Batman (though he won't kill, so maybe a case could be made for him in NG?)</blockquote>

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