by Chance Jensen

Created on: August 09, 2010

We have all seen them, the evil baron, the corrupt official, the psychotic serial killer, each evil in their own right, each represent a different evil alignment. Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil, and Chaotic Evil, we have all seen these listed at the bottom of the alignment list, and we have all wondered what they mean. How can you be Lawful Evil, or Neutral Evil and how are they different than Chaotic Evil?

What the book doesn't tell you is that its not Lawful Evil or Lawful Good, its Lawful + Good/Evil. Lawful means that you will follow the laws of the land you are in, Good and evil determines how. A Lawful Evil character will find a place where the laws can be abused to further their own goals. The Evil Baron is an example of this alignment, he will use laws to push himself to the top of the chain and use them to keep challengers down and in jail, if he can't execute them. They will also fill positions of power with those they can control and remove if necessary.

The same can be said for Neutral and Chaotic Evil, each is a different outlook mixed together. Neutral Evil people often desire power and will sometimes rise to it much the same as Lawful Evil, but when that looses effectiveness they will employ riskier means. Neutral Evil characters are not above killing those who are in their way and will use any method they can to achieve their goals. While this will lead them to their goals quicker, their recklessness will be often be their down fall when they get sloppy. They will often put people they can control into places that benefit them in any way through any means. A Neutral Evil Character often wont last as long as their Lawful counterpart, but will get their goals much quicker.

While most Evil character desire power above all else, those of the Chaotic rarely find themselves with excesses of it. This is because while Lawful and Neutral will wait to perform their evil acts until they have some measure of safety, Chaotic Characters do what they want, when they want it. While this works well in a tribe of Orcs, in a civilized city punishments are quick to be carried out on those without protection. As such only the strongest of Chaotic Characters make it in the world, and often have parties of Adventurers on their doorstep to rid the land of them.

When you are playing an evil character remember that you need some form of protection to survive. Whether it be laws you helped pass or a group of adventurers that don't know your true nature. Be creative with your evil and never bring too much heat down on yourself.

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