Neutral Evil

A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. She has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make her any better or more noble. On the other hand, she doesn't have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has. Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often, such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies. Neutral evil beings consider their alignment to be the best because they can advance themselves without regard for others. Neutral evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents pure evil without honor and without variation.

The neutral evil creature views law and chaos as unnecessary considerations, for pure evil is all-in-all. Either might be used, but both are disdained as foolish clutter useless in eventually bringing maximum evilness to the world. Similar to the neutral good alignment, that of neutral evil holds that neither groups nor individuals have great meaning. This ethos holds that seeking to promote weal for all actually brings woe to the truly deserving. Natural forces which are meant to cull out the weak and stupid are artificially suppressed by so-called good, and the fittest are wrongfully held back, so whatever means are expedient can be used by the powerful to gain and maintain their dominance, without concern for anything.

Neutral evil characters are primarily concerned with themselves and their own advancement. They have no particular objection to working with others or, for that matter, going it on their own. Their only interest is in getting ahead. If there is a quick and easy way to gain a profit, whether it be legal, questionable, or obviously illegal, they take advantage of it. Although neutral evil characters do not have the every-man-for-himself attitude of chaotic characters, they have no qualms about betraying their friends and companions for personal gain. They typically base their allegiance on power and money, which makes them quite receptive to bribes.

The neutral evil is an unscrupulous, self-serving character who is only out for himself. Power, glory, wealth, position, and anything that will make his life more comfortable is his goal. It matters not who gets caught in the middle, as long as he comes out smelling like a rose. This person will lie, cheat, and kill anyone to attain his personal goals.

These characters willingly cooperate with anyone who will further their own ends. They often seek the easy road to fame and fortune, with little concern for the people they trample along the way. They value strength and ability alone. If the neutral evil can use laws to weaken those who stand in the way of his success, he will use them. If he must resort to breaking the law, he will. He has no preference for either method. The only important thing is that he gets what he wants. Laws are tools to use against people, as well as their own sense of honor.

For the neutral evil being, law and chaos are beneath consideration in this character's quest for pure evil in the universe. At the root of this character 's personality is the word "wicked." Evil is his goal; natural and man-made forces, if allowed to take their course, weed out the weak and useless in society. The deserving should take advantage of this condition to further their own goals by any means possible, especially to destroy weaklings who put forward "good" actions to promote the well being of all, which is just an excuse used to deny the deserving their due. To the neutral evil being, life is of no value, for those who cannot take advantage of their superiority don't deserve it, and they'll only interfere with the rightful pursuits of those who do.

A neutral evil character never feels compelled to keep his word. He will attack and kill an unarmed foe (those are the best kind). He will harm and may possibly kill an innocent. He will use torture to extract information and for pleasure. He may kill for pleasure. A neutral evil character will use poison. He will not help those in need without a reward and he works well alone or in a group. He responds well to higher authority until that authority attempts to use the law to hamper his ability to pursue his own agenda. He will follow the law unless breaking it is in his best interest and he's reasonably sure that he will not be caught. He may betray a family member, comrade, or friend if it is convenient to do so and it advances his agenda. Neutral evil characters are indifferent to the concepts of self-discipline and honor, finding them useful only if they can be used to advance their own interests or gain power over others.

**Here are some possible adjectives describing neutral evil characters:**

* unfeeling
* uncaring
* insensitive
* unkind
* uncooperative (unless it suits them)
* self-reliant
* wicked
* cruel
* depraved
* corrupt
* immoral
* hateful
* vicious
* destructive

## Notes

**Source:** http://easydamus.com/neutralevil.html

* Well known neutral evil characters from film or literature include: Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars), Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek), Saruman (Lord of the Rings), Peter Pettigrew (Harry Potter), and Lex Luthor (DC Comics).
* Equivalent alignment in other game systems: Miscreant (Palladium), Road of the Beast (Vampire), Dark Side (Star Wars), Evil (Warhammer), Unscrupulous (Alternity).