Deimodius said:
I am currently DMing the AoW adventure path, and though the PCs have not _really_ run afoul of the law yet, the _players_ have a habit of it in previous games, and it always stymies me. I've explained the way i see alignments working in my games, and that in general if you are lawful or good, you should probably obey the law.
But what is a DM to do when a lawful or good PC breaks the law and refuses to surrender to the authorities when they come to arrest him/her? When they get to higher levels this becomes a particular problem given the usual class and levels of the average town militia/sheriff.
I'm not sure the general Alignment of the AoW Society you are referencing...
But, PC's who break the law are regarded like any other law-breaker. They will be arrested, tortured, branded, whipped, killed, whatever any other "Normal" (NPC's have levels too) criminal would be. If needed, the government should pull out all the stops. If 'All the Stops' is a 5th level warrior, the PC's might find themselves Tyrant of teeny town. If all the Stops is a Coven of 40th Level Balor Wizard-Assasins, they can roll up new characters next week.
They ignore the law, the face the consequences.
Now, as to Lawful Good having to follow Laws. Nope, not always. What constitutes Law can very from one area to another.
The best example I can think of was in a D20 Modern campaign (with an Idiot DM).
One Player was Playing a LG Jewish Rabbi. The Campaign was set in 1940 Nazi Germany.
DM informed him that if he was Lawful Good, he had to do what the Nazi SS officers told him, as "Lawful Good means you have to follow the Laws!"
He walked out. I walked out. 2 other players walked out. (His incompetence had already become quite obvious; I doubt any of us would have come back to his game anyway).
That's an extreme example but the Defintion of Law can very quite a bit. A LG Samurai, LG Moorish Warrior, LG Viking, & LG IRS Auditor will have very different ideas about Law (and good).
In general, if you see alignment trouble coming, talk with your players about what LG means to their CHARACTERS (based on backstory, race & character region). They might not see what they are doing as anti-LG (& it might not be).
Alignment is a guide, not a straightjacket & it comes in many shades, sizes & cuts.
