Lawful Evil CEO, Lawyer, or Politician?

[shadow]

Sorry to beat a dead horse by bringing up an alignment thread once again, but I've been thinking of what evil alignments mean in the D&D game. The PHB seems to imply that evil characters are all murderous villains (with varying degrees of honor). However, I've been wondering if an evil alignment could be applied to an everyday type character with some sort of power, such as a CEO, lawyer, or politician. None of these characters would likely be murderous villians, but I could definately see them examples of them being "evil". For example, a ruthless CEO could downsize his company, and lay off hundreds of workers (knowing full well that they would would be sent into poverty without a job), and find reasons to not only fire, but ruin the future career options of any employee who opposed him. I would classify this as lawful evil, even though he never physically hurt anyone or even broke any laws.
How does this relate to D&D? Well, standard D&D seems to assume that evil alignments imply some type of murderous villain (or at least a villain who isn't afraid to shed blood). This results in the classic but cliched evil wizards, darklords, and cult leaders. However, could an evil villain be a mundane person with some power? For example, imagine a scenario where the PCs are up against a corrupt politician (or nobility). This character wouldn't physically harm the characters, but would spread lies about them, do his best to ruin their reputation, and get them branded as enemies or traitors. Would this villain deserve an evil alignment?

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Yes.

And if the PCs opposed this person by puncturing him with sharpened chunks of metal, they're pretty obviously chaotic. Not so good for the Lawful party members.

Which is why everyone should have some kind of social skill, unless that deficiency is a carefully planned weakness on their part.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Again define evil in your games, define good in your game. Yea, a vile person can never show as evil if he does not perform the task but you can say the hand of one is the hand of all, so the henchman does the killing or the villian puts everyone in place so the outcome is death to one party or he goes to his god and ask for forgiveness for his actions as soon as they are done, the villian knows the results of the actions. If someone balance things, loophole.

One of my best villians was the mother of one of my players character who only wanted the best for her son, better friends, a good job, a home, a nice wife. The way she went about it was evil.

 

[hong]

Sorry

Liar.

 

[DM_Matt]

None of these characters would likely be murderous villians, but I could definately see them examples of them being "evil". For example, a ruthless CEO could downsize his company, and lay off hundreds of workers (knowing full well that they would would be sent into poverty without a job), and find reasons to not only fire, but ruin the future career options of any employee who opposed him.

I guess the latter case of ruining someone's life out of spite IS evil.

However if you think that downsizing a company is an evil act, you definately need to learn some economics...and, to show the evils of the alternaitve, some history.

 

[Hardhead]

However if you think that downsizing a company is an evil act, you definately need to learn some economics...and, to show the evils of the alternaitve, some history.

CEOs *have* been known to close out companies and "cash out" purely for personal gain. I don't think he meant that all downsizing was evil, but on occasion it could be argued so.

 

[Altalazar]

Sorry to beat a dead horse by bringing up an alignment thread once again, but I've been thinking of what evil alignments mean in the D&D game. The PHB seems to imply that evil characters are all murderous villains (with varying degrees of honor). However, I've been wondering if an evil alignment could be applied to an everyday type character with some sort of power, such as a CEO, lawyer, or politician. None of these characters would likely be murderous villians, but I could definately see them examples of them being "evil". For example, a ruthless CEO could downsize his company, and lay off hundreds of workers (knowing full well that they would would be sent into poverty without a job), and find reasons to not only fire, but ruin the future career options of any employee who opposed him. I would classify this as lawful evil, even though he never physically hurt anyone or even broke any laws.
How does this relate to D&D? Well, standard D&D seems to assume that evil alignments imply some type of murderous villain (or at least a villain who isn't afraid to shed blood). This results in the classic but cliched evil wizards, darklords, and cult leaders. However, could an evil villain be a mundane person with some power? For example, imagine a scenario where the PCs are up against a corrupt politician (or nobility). This character wouldn't physically harm the characters, but would spread lies about them, do his best to ruin their reputation, and get them branded as enemies or traitors. Would this villain deserve an evil alignment?

Hey, so long as a majority of disinterested board members and/or shareholders vote to ratify the downsizing, there should be no risk of a lawsuit - the business judgment rule should kick in, assuming there is no improper personal interest on the part of the board member. Or something like that.

But hey, if it is a laywer who is evil, you can be DAMN sure it is LAWFUL evil.

 

[WayneLigon]

There's little difference between the 'Evil Politician' who knowingly keeps good laws from being enacted and takes bribes and ruins lives and the Robber Baron who goes back on the implied contract between him and his serfs, taxing them so heavily that they dine on shoe leather while he feeds on good roast goose.

I think the 'murderous villain' idea comes from that being the simplest thing you come across. And that most of the really crazy bad guys tend to fit that picture. But with city adventuring, you see a lot more 'sophisticated' type villains, like the aformentioned CEO. I have a guy like him in the desert campaign; he's head of the richest, most influencial guild in the city, and he controls a tremendous amount of trade and personal wealth. And he's an absolute bastard, but the (mostly) corrupt city officials turn their heads because he's spread around the gold.

He's just as evil as the yuan-ti priest he deals with, maybe even more so because people think he's a fairly nice guy (if they are not people he's dealt with personally over a long period of time). He's like the rotten core of a pretty-looking apple; he's clean on the inside, but go deeper and you find out how rotten he is. He's the reason there is a drug problem in the city, he's the secret backer of the slavers and a couple evil temples in town, his money makes it possible for people to sell themselves a bit at a time for transient pleasures...

He's just as bad as the local orc chief and just as deserving of having a shortsword stuck in his neck.

 

[Si_RW]

i play a LE pc and what i go by is the phb where it says that this kind of pc lives by the rules and have taboos like not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not killing children ( if possible) so i would have to disagree with the lawyer and politician statement.