Thread:Mesektet/@comment-3581997-20160615160106/@comment-3581997-20161006075824

First of all it is important to note that those alignments, down to the name, were created for Dungeons and Dragons role player table top games to help book mark an all too often overlooked aspect of wish full-fulfillment, morality. In addition to wanted certain spells to affect good characters and certain to hurt bad characters via holy and unholy powers, it was intended to make sure characters didn't become character blind. The alignments caught on so well because of the need they helped fill in fiction/role-playing that they spread across nerd ephemera, which of course leaked into the internet and integrated into popular culture.

I bring up the origin because while they are important to helping define character it is still best understood right-up front that they were initially designed for a table-top game. As such they can seem a tad, simplistic or broad.

The way it worked in D&D was the Dungeon Master would set up a number of points that make up an alignment. Like say 30. You get 30 points in a spectrum before you outgrow your current one. Like say you start of as middle of the road True neutral, but you do 30 good deeds around town, yet you frequently swipe things that don't belong to you. Well by the end of that your law alignment as shifted for neutral to chaotic and your moral behavior has seen you become a good person, regardless of if you set out to be either or not. It is a counter to keep track of how your actions define you over your motivations. This is also Greek Tragedy 101, intent only sets up a character, action solidifies it. This way the players did not become delusional to the sort of person they were being. Mario is just off to save the Princess, but how many citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom does he stomp, blast, bash and generally kill just in the name of continuing to walk right? That works fine in a bare-bones just for fun side-scroller but in a game where you are a character, and the world has to be filled with N.P.C.s that respond to your character's prescience, your character's well, character, must be gauged.

Note: That the 30 points thing is just and example, some set it to 50, some 10, some give out more points or less points for single acts, the important thing is that they be given out and measured constantly.

Now as for the alignments themselves there are two basic sets, one measuring law, one measuring mortals. Law, Neutrality and Chaos make up how the character conducts themselves or reacts to solve problems and Good, Neutrality and Evl, make up how they act socially/spiritually. The combination comes for those two sets overlapping. The more good a character preforms the further they get from evil and vice versa, same dynamic with law v chaos, and neutrality acting as buffer zone between the two sides.

Good                           I                  Neutral Zone                   I            Evil

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Lawful                         I                    NeutralZone                   I           Chaotic

(Put a marker on this bar and move that marker whenever an extra point is added to move up the bar one way or the other.)

Does that explain it?