Lawful Evil

Part of the Alignment Rules

## Lawful Evil definition

**A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order but not about freedom, dignity or life. He plays by the rules but without mercy or compassion. He is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve.**

**He condemns others not according to their actions but according to race, religion, homeland or social rank. He is loath to break laws and promises. This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly from those who oppose him on moral grounds.**

## ‘Lawful’ and ‘Evil’

All the alignments in the nine-point D&D chart have two main aspects. The first word in the alignment, ‘Lawful’ refers to that perspective on order and its role in society and individual’s lives. The second word ‘Evil’ describes that alignment’s morals on the Good and Evil axis.

### Lawful

A Lawful character follows the rules, respects hierarchy and believes in power given by society and organizations. Lawful characters believe in honour, following traditions and being trustworthy. They have faith in rules because they are how you create a functioning society where everyone acts in the way you expect.

While they may sound noble, Lawful characters can be inflexible and blindly follow the rules even if they make no sense. They can harshly judge others that don’t follow the same rules and place their loyalty to the system above their loyalty to friends and family. They can even follow the rules because they give them the means to control others.

### Evil

Characters aligned with Evil will eliminate others, cause them harm and make them miserable. They do not feel remorse for their actions and will go after anyone, whether those people are innocent or not.

Characters may be aligned with Evil for many different reasons. For example, it could be because they follow an Evil deity, they work for an Evil master, or because they enjoy it.

## Lawful Evil

For a Lawful Evil character, ‘lawful’ does not necessarily mean legal rules. Lawful Evil characters are often outlaws but they follow their own code perhaps by joining with others in a guild. Corrupt government members are likely to be Lawful Evil.

A Lawful Evil character views themselves as above other unruly criminals. They are part of an ordered system with codes, honour and often strict hierarchies. They carry out evil acts but they do it according to a carefully constructed set of rules and oaths. For a Lawful Evil character, following these codes and keeping their promises is just as important as it is to a Lawful Good character.

The codes they follow might prevent them from harming or eliminating residents of their town, but they can take out anyone else. They are unlikely to do it out of enjoyment (though some Lawful Evil might), they are more likely to do it because they are ordered to and they will gain reputation or other rewards for it.

Hierarchy is important to a Lawful Evil character. It is how the strongest rise to the top to lead everyone else. It means that the weakest people are at the bottom of the hierarchy which is where they deserve to be. If they want to rise up, they need to be stronger and prove themselves. That is the only fair way to decide.

A Lawful Evil character will respect and follow those above them. However, they would usually like to be promoted within their order and lead others. They may follow the system because they can use their role within it to control others.

The Lawful Evil leader better watch their back though. If at any time they are perceived as weak by their followers, or they start acting out of line with the codes, their followers will deem them unworthy to lead and will displace them and promote a new, more powerful leader that follows the code.

Lawful Evil characters are likely seen by those outside of their order as evil, but the Lawful Evil character might not perceive themselves that way. They might think they are doing what is right for society and the world. To them, they could be bringing peace to the kingdom, or using strict control measures to keep everyone in their place so that society works as it should.

Some Lawful Evil characters might be aware that what they are doing is evil, but they hide behind their codes and laws to justify their actions. As they progress through the ranks of their order, they may get lower status members to do the most evil acts for them, to further distance themselves from evil.

The longer a Lawful Evil character is involved in their order, the more evil acts they have done and the harder it is for them to leave. If they leave, what will protect them from a society seeking justice?

A Lawful Evil system is put into effect by force. Anyone who doesn’t follow their code, acts out of line, or even is of a different race, class or social standing will face consequences. Lawful Evil characters feel no guilt or remorse for causing harm to others in this way.

Lawful Evil alignments are particularly bad because Evil combined with order and structure, often leads to very powerful Evil movements and controlling regimes.

Some Lawful Evil characters are so consumed with spreading their evil order that they will enjoy spreading evil for evil’s sake. Others will follow a deity and everything they do is for them.

Other Lawful Evil characters may enjoy using the existing legal system to take down those that get in their way. Usually, though, they see the current societal system of law and order as preventing the strong from rising to the top of society.

## Lawful Evil traits

Personality traits will differ from character to character, but there are some that are more often associated with Lawful Evil characters.

* Merciless
* Strict
* Procedural
* Obedient
* Ambitious
* Scheming
* Manipulating
* Intimidating
* Proud
* Extreme

## Lawful Evil personal code

For a Lawful Evil character, the codes they follow are of utmost importance. The personal code for a Lawful Evil character might look like this.

* I will not break promises to my allies and superiors.
* I will follow my personal code above all else.
* I will respect and follow the authorities that I recognize.
* I will harm and eliminate others for personal gain and to advance my order.
* I will not help the weak and needy.
* I will promote order in society.
* I will seek power and control over others.
* I will always stand up for my allies.
* I will turn over family and allies that break the codes of my order if they are disloyal to me.
* I will always tell the truth to those I respect.

## Lawful Evil character’s perfect world

A Lawful Evil character’s perfect world might look like this.

* I am the ultimate authority in the world.
* My servants enforce my rule with force.
* Order prevails everywhere and society functions like a smooth machine.
* Law-breakers face the consequences of harm or elimination.
* Traditions, law and order are upheld.
* The strong rise in the social order and the weak stay low.
* Everyone tells the truth.
* Contracts are never broken.
* Those who have earned respect are given respect.
* No one aids the forces of Good.

## Lawful Evil divergence

As a Lawful Evil adventurer travels around the world, seeking power, wealth and status for themself, they will face some tough situations. How they react will reveal which aspect of their alignment they identify with the most. Is it the Lawful aspect or the Evil aspect?

Take this situation for example. Your character is part of a group assigned to visit a village and take out some specific people there to teach them a lesson for not sending enough food from the harvest. Eliminating people without being ordered to is against the code of your order but some of your allies are doing it anyway. What does your character do?

### Law before Evil

If your character places Law before Evil, they will not join in with the others. Following the codes and law to the letter is the most important thing to them.

Because of their adherence to their order, if your character is not friends or especially loyal to those taking out the other people, they may even report them to their superiors.

### Evil before Law

Generally speaking, this option is less likely for a Lawful Evil alignment. If they were more driven to do Evil than be Lawful, their alignment would more likely be Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil.

However, if your character gets swept up in the moment and their need to spread Evil overrules their Lawful nature, then they will join in with taking out more people. This opportunity to do more Evil in the world is just too good to miss.

Perhaps they see it as a weakness of their order that the consequences aren’t very extreme and feel it is justified. If possible, they may even leave their order and form a new group with the other law-breakers to spread more Evil in the world.

## How Lawful Evil views the other alignments

When evaluating another character, a Lawful Evil character is always themselves, “Does this person follow a guiding set of principles and are they ambitious in developing themselves or wasting time helping others?”