Evil

**Evil** was the antithesis of good and a trait of some creatures, inhabitants, and deities.

“
Evil finds its worst enemy in truth and honor.

”
— Scar

## Description

How "evil" was defined was up to the societies that interpreted it. As such, evil appeared in many different shapes and forms, and those who committed evil acts often did not see the harm or destruction they actually caused. Evil beings, those who were generally unconcerned with chaos or law were known as neutral evil. Evil beings that were concerned with using the laws of society to benefit themselves were known as "lawful evil", and those who disregarded the law and revelled in chaos or bloodlust were known as "chaotic evil".

By and large, evil creatures were associated with killing, hurting, and oppressing others. Some deliberately sought to be evil in order to please a wicked deity or patron, whilst others were naturally compassionless.

“
A den of *stinking* evil. Cover your nose Boo! We will leave no crevice untouched!

”
— Minsc, a ranger opposed to all evil

Some evil beings supported rigid caste structures and slavery, as long as it benefited them. Due to the beliefs of many evil inhabitants, good beings would often try and seek them out, either to convince them of their evil ways, or outright kill them.

## Notable Evil Creatures

* Devils, demons, and other natural inhabitants of the Lower Planes were inherently evil. Such creatures did not choose to be this way, neither did they "tend" towards it, but in fact, being evil was in their essence.

“
Evil empires often bound themselves in webs of hate toward fabricated enemies, and none in the history of the world were better at it than the drow.

”
— Drizzt Do'Urden

* Drow, as with orcs, were mostly considered evil due to the influence of Lolth, a demon-goddess. Throughout the millennia of the Realms, many believed that the drow were innately evil, though noble and heroic drow such as Drizzt Do'Urden and Liriel Baenre proved otherwise.

* Orcs were usually inclined towards evil, as their nature reflected that of the evil deity, Gruumsh. That said, it was certainly possible for orcs to become good, though they had to struggle against their god's influence.

## Notable Evil Deities

* Auril, a neutral evil deity that was mostly worshiped out of fear.
* Bane, the lawful evil deity of tyranny.
* Shar, the neutral evil deity of darkness

## Appendix

### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 David "Zeb" Cook (April 1995). *Player's Handbook 2nd edition (revised)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 65. ISBN 0-7869-0329-5.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 BioWare (December 1998). Designed by James Ohlen. *Baldur's Gate*. Black Isle Studios.
3. ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (April 1995). *Player's Handbook 2nd edition (revised)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 65. ISBN 0-7869-0329-5.
4. ↑ Gary Gygax (1978). *Players Handbook 1st edition*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 33. ISBN 0-9356-9601-6.
5. ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (August 2000). *Player's Handbook 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 104. ISBN 0-7869-1551-4.
6. ↑ Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt (June 2008). *Player's Handbook 4th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 0-7869-4867-1.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). *Player's Handbook 5th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
8. ↑ R.A. Salvatore (December 2005). *Homeland*. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3953-2.
9. ↑ Steve Kenson, *et al*. (November 2015). *Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide*. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 107. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
10. ↑ R.A. Salvatore, Jeffrey Ludwig, Matthew Sernett, James Wyatt (November 19, 2013). “Campaign Book”. *Legacy of the Crystal Shard* (Wizards of the Coast), p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7869-6464-2.
11. ↑ Steve Kenson, *et al*. (November 2015). *Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide*. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 21, 25. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
12. ↑ Steve Kenson, *et al*. (November 2015). *Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide*. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 21, 26. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
13. ↑ .Steve Kenson, *et al*. (November 2015). *Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide*. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 21, 36–37. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.

### Connections

Alignment
**1st, 2nd, 3.x, and 5th editions**

Lawful good • Neutral good • Chaotic good

Lawful neutral • (True) neutral • Chaotic neutral

Lawful evil • Neutral evil • Chaotic evil

**4th edition**
Lawful good • Good • Unaligned • **Evil** • Chaotic evil