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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7978392" data-attributes="member: 42582">What  D&D text suggests this?From AD&D (which is the game you say that you play), here are some relevant extracts:DMG (p 23): Law And Chaos: The opposition here is between organized groups and individuals. That is, law dictates that order and organization is necessary and desirable, while chaos holds to the opposite view. Law generally supports the group as more important than the individual, while chaos promotes the individual over the group.Nothing there suggests that the lawful think that society is naturally unruly. It also leaves it an open question why order and organisation are seen as necessary and desirable. But we find answers - different ones - for each lawful alignment (PHB p 33, DMG p 23):LAWFUL EVIL: Obviously, all order is not good, nor are all laws beneficial. Lawful evil creotures consider order as the meons by which each group is properly placed in the cosmos, from lowest to highest, strongest first, weakest last. Good is seen as an excuse to promote the mediocrity of the whole and suppress the better and more capable, while lawful evilness allows each group to structure itself and fix its place as compared to others, serving the stronger but being served by the weaker. Lawful Evil: Creatures of this alignment are great respecters of laws and strict order, but life, beauty, truth, freedom and the like are held as valueless, or at least scorned. By adhering to stringent discipline, those of lawful evil alignment hope to impose their yoke upon the world.These people clearly think order and organisation are necessary and desirable because, without them, individuals will flourish in their own ways rather than being harnessed to the yoke of those who can benefit from such order. These people like external laws - these are a key component of the yoke. They don't care about, or even celebrate, the fact that imposing the yoke and extracting the benefits might undermine life, beauty, truth and freedom.LAWFUL NEUTRAL: It is the view of this alignment that law and order give purpose and meaning to everything. Without regimentation and strict definition, there would be no purpose in the cosmos. Therefore, law is good or evil is of no import as long as it brings order and meaning. Lawful Neutral: Those of this alignment view regulation as all-important, taking a middle road betwixt evil and good. This is because the ultimate harmony of the world - and the whole of the universe - is considered by lawful neutral creatures to have its sole hope rest upon law and order. Evil or good are immaterial beside the determined purpose of bringing all to predictability and regulation.The PHB entry here gets a bit carried away with its rhetoric, but the key idea is clear: the LN value order and organisation because they insist on regulation, regimentation and harmony as necessary for meaningfulness. They are order fetishists! It is possible that some of these people regard society as at risk of unruliness if not delieberately ordered. But that doesn't seem to be mandated.LAWFUL GOOD: Creatures of lawful good alignment view the cosmos with varying degrees of lawfulness or desire for good. They are convinced that order and law are absolutely necessary to assure good, and that good is best defined as whatever brings the most benefit to the greater number of decent, thinking creatures and the least woe to the rest. Lawful Good: While as strict in their prosecution of law and order, characters of lawful good alignment follow these precepts to improve the common weal. Certain freedoms must, of course, be sacrificed in order to bring order; but truth is of highest value, and life and beauty of great importance. The benefits of this society are to be brought to all.These people value order because it brings wellbeing to all, including life and beauty. There's no evidence that they thing society is unruly by nature and in need of discipline. They like society becaue it makes people happy!</blockquote>

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