Thought Exercise - Alignments for Discworld characters

[Jürgen Hubert]

I'd like to do a little thought exercise - trying to figure out what the D&D alignments of various Discworld characters would be.

Carrot Ironfounderson: Lawful Good. Obviously.

Samuel Vimes: Also Lawful Good, if less obviously. However, his actions (post-alcoholism) can certainly be seen as Good - in the end, he always tries to save people, especially innocent people (though how many truly innocent people actually exist in Ankh-Morpork is another question...). And he lives under a strong set of self-imposed rules because he fears what he would become if he didn't live under them. He may be judgemental, but he refuses to become judge and executioner. He insists on discipline for his coppers - not the "spit-and-polish" discipline which he despises, but the kind of discipline makes coppers behave like they ought to behave. He never mistreats prisoners, and never abuses the powers of his position, even for a good cause. To my mind, Samuel Vimes is the perfect model for a Lawful Good character who has lost his naivity but not his ideals.

Havelock Vetinari: True Neutral. Many of his actions could certainly be considered Evil, but in the end, he probably chooses the path of the least suffering for the least number of people. Hoever, if he does see a problem that can best be solved by force, then he will not hesitate to use force. He does not really believe in planning and organization enough to be lawful, but his careful methodology isn't chaotic either.

Granny Weatherwax: Neutral Good, and not very happy about it. Ultimately, she does what is best for people, even if said people disagree. Her refusal to accept any organisations and worldly laws as relevant to her prevents her from being lawful, but nevertheless she strongly adheres to the rules of Witchcraft, in which there is always a price to be paid.

Nanny Ogg: Chaotic Good. She is far less concerned about the rules of propriety for witches than Granny, and has certainly developed her shair fair of whimsies. However, in the end she will go just as far to protect the people of Lancre as Granny.

 

[Tinner]

I see vimes more as Neutral Good. Vimes is OK with doing some fairly rough things to accomplish the greater good. He also has no problem hanging out with seedy sorts and turning a blind eye to their behavior (Nobby & Colon ... well Nobby really)

Speaking of Nobby, I'd peg him easily as Chaotic Neutral, but a case could be made for Chaotic Good. Nobby's essentially a good egg, he just has a lot of bad habits, and a skewed perspective on the world.

Rincewind is the epitome of Chaotic Neutral. His actions are haphazard and random, and are mainly focussed on maintaining his personal freedom/existance.

Discworld characters are very hard to pigeonhole into D&D's rigid alignments. Mainly because Discworld characters are basically stereotypes or completely insane.

That said, the Librarian is clearly Lawful Neutral. He has a respect for rules, especially the rules surrouding books, however, he's fine with ripping off the arms of those who annoy him by calling him a monkey.

 

[delericho]

I tend to think of Havelock Vetinari as the classically Lawful Evil Machiavellian ruler. I'm frequently disturbed by the extent to which I agree with his actions.

Granny Weatherwax is, as you said, a Neutral Good character who really wants to be Chaotic Evil.

 

[shilsen]

Discworld characters are very hard to pigeonhole into D&D's rigid alignments. Mainly because Discworld characters are basically stereotypes or completely insane.

Interesting you should say that, since I generally view a number of them as significantly rounded, just as much as characters by any author in literary history.

 

[Nifft]

Vetinari is supposed to look Lawful Evil, but he doesn't really have people killed as often as he should do to uphold that image. When someone is too dangerous (e.g. that inventor guy), the person is imprisoned comfortably rather than quietly liquidated.

-- N

 

[Felix]

When someone is too dangerous (e.g. that inventor guy), the person is imprisoned comfortably rather than quietly liquidated.

Leonard da Quirm. And while Vetinari may have imprisoned instead of killed, he does come up with hideously efficient ways of killing people in a mass scale.

I think Vetinari is a great example of how a Lawful Evil dictator can be a good governer. Just because his policies benefit the city does not mean that he isn't an Evil dastard as well.

And he is an Assassin. Hands-on killing he has done, after all.

 

[brehobit]

Vetinari is LN, maybe even LG or NG.

I can't think of an evil thing he has done off the top of my head. At least not post-"Men at arms". He is willing to be really scary. But who has he harmed? He's let Carrot live, when any reasonable LE ruler would have to kill him off.

I think he was intended to be LE (or even NE) but quickly morphed otherwise.

Mark

 

[Aristeas]

We never see these things because Pratchett doesn't like to be too graphic, but we're told often about the Patrician's facility with torture. He refrains from killing people because typically he's ingenious enough to find a way to use them for his own ends, like the main character of Going Postal, not because he would hesitate to kill them if he needed to. Remember he's a former assassin. Lawful Evil, says I.

I would have called Granny Weatherwax Chaotic Good. She's very tidy and follows all the rules, true, but they're all rules <i>she</i> made up on the spot. The one thing she can't stand more than anything is for anyone to tell her what to do, no matter how good their motivation. Personal Code != Lawful, remember; Robin Hood had a personal code. Magrat is clearly Neutral Good, on the other hand.

What about Susan? I'd almost say True Neutral. Maybe Neutral Good. She's willing to play by the rules, sometimes, such as when she stands in for the very Lawful Death. But she also brazenly ignores authority she doesn't respect, like the schoolmistress she works for in Thief of Time. And she's saved the world several times, which might qualify her for Good, but she fights tooth and nail against the mission every time and only saves it when no one else can. She's certainly never evil, though..

 

[Felix]

And of course there's DEATH.

As Lawful Neutral as it's possible to be.

 

[Mr Samedi]

And of course there's DEATH.

As Lawful Neutral as it's possible to be.

I dunno, a case for Neutral Good could be made. He has a fondness for cats and as he's progressed, for humans as well.

In fact, the best argument for his goodness could be made in Theif of Time, in which he and the other horsemen decide to fight the auditors, rather than sit back and wait for reality to end.