LogFAQs > #911110419

darkknight109 posted...

Lokarin posted...

This reminds me of the Chaotic Evil argument... some people hate when there are Chaotic Evil party members 'cuz they think they'll be required to backstab the party.

Where as in my opinion Chaotic Evil would simply be more likely to take pragmatic unfavourable action to get a job done.

In my experience, people completely misunderstand what "Chaotic" means on the alignment chart (and, admittedly, that's a terrible name for what the designers were going for). Chaos doesn't mean lolrandom, it means a willingness to ignore law and order in favour of an in-built moral code. A chaotic evil individual isn't necessarily a bloodthirsty raging berzerker with zero ability to think rationally; they're just a "look out for number one" type who is likely willing to do almost anything to further their own aims. The more chaos-focused ones can be anarchists and iconoclasts, while the more evil-focused ones lean more towards sociopathy and amorality.

Uh...I disagree.
Lawful is also not a great name for the opposing alignment, and a lawful character doesn't need to follow or respect the laws of a town if it conflicts with their own personal beliefs (classic example: LG or most LN characters would not "respect" local laws allowing slavery and requiring people to inform the guards of any escaped slaves they notice).
It's the "lawful" alignment that's all about having a strict personal code the person adheres to. whether it's due to the law of his home, the law of his god, or just his own inner moral code.

"Chaotic" alignment indicates the absence of such an inner code.