# Let's assign D&D alignments to things! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908 "2012-09-26T17:58:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/1 "2012-09-26T17:58:02Z")
Klingons: Lawful Neutral Captain Picard: Lawful Good Kirk: Neutral Good Superman: Lawful Good The Joker: Chaotic Evil Bugs Bunny: Chaotic Good Daffy Duck: Chaotic Neutral Doc Brown (from BTTF): Chaotic Good Emperor Palpatine: Lawful Evil Darth Vader: Neutral Evil Just a few to get started. Feel free to argue with mine and/or add your own! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/2 "2012-09-26T18:04:46Z")
[Character Alignment](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharacterAlignment) for those unfamiliar. Also, through following links, a metric assload of characters’ and their alignments. WARNING: TV Tropes link. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/3 "2012-09-26T19:03:44Z")
This thread: lawful neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/4 "2012-09-26T19:23:32Z")
Bureaucracy: _lawful evil_ Cars: _neutral evil_ Deckchairs: _chaotic evil_ Cats: _chaotic evil_ or _chaotic neutral_ Ants: _lawful neutral_ Dogs: _lawful stupid_ ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/5 "2012-09-26T21:58:58Z")
Sauron: Lawful Evil Nazis: Lawful Evil. KKK: Chaotic Evil. Dogs Lawful Neutral (they obey orders) Cats: Chaotic Neutral (they _don’t_ obey orders) > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > [Character Alignment](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharacterAlignment) for those unfamiliar. Also, through following links, a metric assload of characters’ and their alignments. > > WARNING: TV Tropes link. One easy to miss but funny link on that page: [Batman’s Alignment Chart](http://writingiseasier.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/batman-alignment-chart.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/6 "2012-09-26T22:57:36Z")
My fave - Muppets: [http://geekdiaper.tumblr.com/post/3728668536/a-muppets-d-d-alignment-chart](http://geekdiaper.tumblr.com/post/3728668536/a-muppets-d-d-alignment-chart) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/7 "2012-09-26T23:01:22Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > The Joker: Chaotic Evil Ledger’s Joker calls himself Chaotic Evil, but I’d put him further towards the Lawful end of the spectrum - he’s either a savant or just as much a schemer as everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/8 "2012-09-26T23:39:48Z")
Being a schemer isn’t a lawful (or any other alignment) trait. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/9 "2012-09-26T23:53:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Being a schemer isn’t a lawful (or any other alignment) trait. Of course it is: creating and following complex strategies indicates a more lawful mindset. A chaotic mindset suggests a propensity to play things by ear. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/10 "2012-09-27T00:33:31Z")
Are you really going to try to claim that Elan the Bard [is lawful](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0389.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/11 "2012-09-27T00:42:31Z")
Captain America: _Lawful Good_ Thor: _Chaotic Good_ Westboro Baptist Church: _Lawful Evil_ Ghost of Marshal Jim Dalton (_High Plains Drifter_): _Chaotic Neutral_ ---
**Author:** ![meflin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@meflin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meflin)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/12 "2012-09-27T00:50:09Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > Cats: _chaotic evil_ or _chaotic neutral_ Since I’ve done AD&D since the 70’s I would love a explanation of how cats are neutral. Chaotic goes without saying, altho I could make a lawfull evil argument for cats. Meflin ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/13 "2012-09-27T00:54:55Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Of course it is: creating and following complex strategies indicates a more lawful mindset. A chaotic mindset suggests a propensity to play things by ear. Schemers are lawful? I guess that explains why drow are lawful. Oh. Oh. Oh… [Alignment:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)) > [@](#): > > Law (or Lawful) is the belief that everything should follow an order, and that obeying rules is the natural way of life. … If a choice must be made between the benefit of a group or an individual, a Lawful character will usually choose the group. Sometimes individual freedoms must be given up for the good of the group. Lawful characters and monsters often act in predictable ways. > [@](#): > > Law implies honor, trustworthiness, obedience to authority, and reliability. On the downside, lawfulness can include closed-mindedness, reactionary adherence to tradition, judgmentalness, and a lack of adaptability. Those who consciously promote lawfulness say that only lawful behavior creates a society in which people can depend on each other and make the right decisions in full confidence that others will act as they should. > [@](#): > > Chaos (or Chaotic) is the opposite of Law. It is the belief that life is random, and that chance and luck rule the world. Everything happens by accident, and nothing can be predicted. Laws are made to be broken, as long as a person can get away with it. It is not important to keep promises, and lying and telling the truth are both useful. … They cannot be trusted, and their behavior is hard to predict. > [@](#): > > Chaos implies freedom, adaptability, and flexibility. On the downside, chaos can include recklessness, resentment toward legitimate authority, arbitrary actions, and irresponsibility. Those who promote chaotic behavior say that only unfettered personal freedom allows people to express themselves fully and lets society benefit from the potential that its individuals have within them. Call him neutral evil if you’d like, but he’s not lawful. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/14 "2012-09-27T02:27:28Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Schemers are lawful? I guess that explains why drow are lawful. > > Oh. > > Oh. > > Oh… It’s why they’re “Usually Neutral Evil” - because they are opportunists as well as schemers. > [@](#): > > Call him neutral evil if you’d like, but he’s not lawful. I _did_ call him Neutral Evil. I said "further towards the Lawful end of the spectrum [than Chaotic Evil]. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/15 "2012-09-27T05:43:37Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Of course it is: creating and following complex strategies indicates a more lawful mindset. A chaotic mindset suggests a propensity to play things by ear. > [@Chronos](#): > > Are you really going to try to claim that Elan the Bard [is lawful](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0389.html)? What’s your point? Elan didn’t create and follow a complex strategy. He abandoned it when a better opportunity presented itself. It looks to me exactly like he’s playing it by ear. Why would Grumman think that’s lawful? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/16 "2012-09-27T06:17:17Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Of course it is: creating and following complex strategies indicates a more lawful mindset. A chaotic mindset suggests a propensity to play things by ear. On the other hand, the Joker is acting out of a specifically chaotic ideology. He commits crimes not for personal profit or power, but solely to spread chaos and destruction, with the long-term goal of making people recognize that the universe is a cruel and meaningless place. His plans center around destroy existing order and authority, and making sure that there is nothing and no one capable of filling the resultant vacuum. The plans themselves, while meticulously detailed, focus on killing and maiming innocent people, betrayal and murder of allies, and cruelty for cruelty’s sake. While I agree that meticulous planning is a lawful trait, it’s the only lawful trait the Joker possesses. His other traits are overwhelmingly chaotic, enough so that I think his overall alignment buries the needle on Chaotic Evil. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/17 "2012-09-27T21:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s your point? Elan didn’t create and follow a complex strategy. He abandoned it when a better opportunity presented itself. It looks to me exactly like he’s playing it by ear. Why would Grumman think that’s lawful? He did, in fact, create and follow a complex strategy. Yes, he abandoned it, but that hardly says anything: A person of _any_ alignment would have given up their previous plans to accept Julio Scoundrel’s help in that situation. You’d have to be a colossal fool (even more of one than Elan) to refuse. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/18 "2012-09-27T21:37:38Z")
Crop eating bugs: awful weevil Still wet sidewalk cement: new trail gooed ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/19 "2012-09-27T21:38:20Z")
Adolph Hitler: Chaotic Good. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908/20 "2012-09-27T23:27:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Adolph Hitler: Chaotic Good. Since consensus is obviously impossible, let’s just compromise and call him True Neutral. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-assign-d-d-alignments-to-things/635908.md?page=2)