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Message: <blockquote data-quote="erucsbo" data-source="post: 3287292" data-attributes="member: 40110">not unless those rituals were codified in some manner - and then you are approaching dogma.Superstitions and rituals that are individualistic do not make lawful behaviour.Superstitions and rituals that are collective can be a basis for lawful behaviour.Think about it in terms of repercussions to the individual from that individual's PoV.If breaking a law / not performing a ritual / not observing a taboo means nothing to the individual (even if they are condemned or guilty in society's eyes) then they are chaotic, as the governance for their behaviour is not dictated by external forces. They may follow society's rules / rituals / taboos to avoid unpleasant consequences - but given a choice they would as soon not do so - the rules / rituals / taboos mean nothing to them.If breaking a law / not performing a ritual / not observing a taboo is seen as "bad behaviour" by the individual regardless of the perceived or actual consequences visited upon them by society - then they are lawful. They follow society's rules / rituals / taboos because those laws provide a stable basis upon which to live and interact with other beings.Of course - that brings us to which set of rules / rituals / taboos they are following.Just because they are not following the same set of laws as someone else doesn't make them chaotic.Where you get clashes or inconsistencies of rules / rituals / taboos between societies / religions / races etc - your response (and motivation for it) is determined by alignment.Lawful characters may try to merge them to a superset if possible, unwilling submission or subversion within the laws of the conflicting society if the opposition is stronger and non-reconcilable, or oppression / re-education / extermination of the opposition if it is weaker.Chaotic characters will rather tend to disobedience, rebellion against laws (instead of surplanting the laws with others), mischief, or just absent themselves if possible.A paladin shouldn't incite a mob - but they may lead / instigate / inspire a resistance.Someone who is defined by daily routines is more often eccentric, rather than lawful.</blockquote>

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