| rdfs:comment | - Lawful evil is one of the nine alignments that represent a creature's general moral and personal attitudes.
- Lawful evil is referred to as the "Dominator" or "Diabolic" alignment. Characters of this alignment show a combination of desirable and undesirable traits: while they typically obey their superiors and keep their word (trustworthy), they care nothing for the rights and freedoms of other individuals. Examples of this alignment include tyrants, devils, honorable but undiscriminating mercenary types, and soldiers who follow the chain of command but enjoy killing for its own sake.
- Lawful evil is the realm of the individual who knows what they want and will manipulate the system (legal, cultural, and so forth) to achieve those ends, no matter the consequence. This can be for personal gain (for example, the traditional evil vizier who seeks to claim the kingdom for himself) or to better society at all costs - the "I know what's best for everyone else"-attitude without any of the compassionate limits to action found in lawful good (an excellant example is Cardinal Richelieu of Three Musketeers fame).
- An Evil character likes a well ordered (but evil) society. Lawful Evil will follow orders but may twist the rules.
- A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order, but not about freedom, dignity, or life. He is loath to break laws or promises, partly because he depends on order to protect himself. Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood, and imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled thugs. The scheming baron who exploits his people is lawful evil. Lawful evil represents methodical, intentional evil.
- 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 by their actions but by their race, religion, homeland or social rank. He is loathe to break laws or promises. This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly from the fact that he depends on order to protect himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds. Some Lawful Evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it
- Упорядоченно-злой (англ. lawful evil) персонаж методично получает то, что он желает, действуя в рамках собственного морального кодекса или в рамках законов, не обращая внимания на страдания окружающих. Целью может быть как личная выгода (типичный пример упорядоченно-злого персонажа — злой колдун, пытающийся захватить мир или его часть), так и благополучие общества в таком виде, в каком его понимает конкретный персонаж (кардинал Ришельё или Борис Годунов).
- A Lawful Evil character is an evil character who either tries to impose or uphold a lawful system, and / or adheres to a particular code. They believe in order, but mostly because they believe it is the best way of realising their evil wishes, or they feel it is a realistic and necessary compromise or restraint on them. A Character Alignment made popular by Dungeons and Dragons, Lawful Evil comes in four flavors: All four variants are likely to take advantage of Questionable Consent, pushing people into "agreements" and then pushing them to uphold their end of the "bargain."
- Lawful evil is the methodical, intentional, and frequently successful devotion to a cruel organized system. A lawful evil character methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his personal 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's comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He is loath to break promises, and he is therefore very cautious about giving his word unless a bargain is clearly in his favour.
- A lawful evil character methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his personal 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's comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He is loath to break promises, and he is therefore very cautious about giving his word unless a bargain is clearly in his favour. Lawful evil is sometimes called "diabolical", because devils are the personification of lawful evil.
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| abstract | - Lawful evil is one of the nine alignments that represent a creature's general moral and personal attitudes.
- 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 by their actions but by their race, religion, homeland or social rank. He is loathe to break laws or promises. This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly from the fact that he depends on order to protect himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds. Some Lawful Evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled villains. The scheming baron who expands his power and exploits his people is Lawful Evil. Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with the zeal that a crusader commits himself to good. Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take pleasure in spreading evil as an end in and of itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to an evil lord or master. Lawful Evil is sometimes called "diabolical" because devils are the epitome of Lawful Evils. Lawful Evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents methodical, intentional and frequently successful evil.
- Упорядоченно-злой (англ. lawful evil) персонаж методично получает то, что он желает, действуя в рамках собственного морального кодекса или в рамках законов, не обращая внимания на страдания окружающих. Целью может быть как личная выгода (типичный пример упорядоченно-злого персонажа — злой колдун, пытающийся захватить мир или его часть), так и благополучие общества в таком виде, в каком его понимает конкретный персонаж (кардинал Ришельё или Борис Годунов). Упорядоченно-злой персонаж ценит традиции, преданность и порядок, но не ценит свободу, достоинство и жизнь. Он соблюдает правила, но играет без милосердия и сострадания. Он склонен действовать в рамках иерархии; он предпочитал бы править, но зачастую готов служить. Он не любит нарушать законы и обещания; отчасти это вызвано его природой, отчасти — тем, что законы могут защищать его от противников, придерживающихся иных убеждений. Некоторые упорядоченно-злые персонажи действительно преданы какой-то злой идее, злому божеству или злому повелителю, как паладины преданы идее добра. Такие существа с радостью способствуют распространению зла. «Упорядоченно-злое» мировоззрение также иногда называют «дьявольским» из-за того, что его квинтэссенцией являются дьяволы баатезу. Это одно из самых опасных мировоззрений, потому что оно показывает сознательную, методичную и успешную сторону зла.
- Lawful evil is referred to as the "Dominator" or "Diabolic" alignment. Characters of this alignment show a combination of desirable and undesirable traits: while they typically obey their superiors and keep their word (trustworthy), they care nothing for the rights and freedoms of other individuals. Examples of this alignment include tyrants, devils, honorable but undiscriminating mercenary types, and soldiers who follow the chain of command but enjoy killing for its own sake.
- A Lawful Evil character is an evil character who either tries to impose or uphold a lawful system, and / or adheres to a particular code. They believe in order, but mostly because they believe it is the best way of realising their evil wishes, or they feel it is a realistic and necessary compromise or restraint on them. Though Lawful Evil characters are often found in charge, these characters also make good henchmen or mooks. Though they lack any moral scruples that may impair their work, a cautious villain will find they respond well to concepts like 'loyalty' 'duty' and 'honour'. The caution however should be remembered though, as these characters also respond poorly to Bad Bosses and Dirty Cowards, as well as simple incompetence that could lead them to deciding to either find a more worthy master, or take over 'for the good of the cause'. A Character Alignment made popular by Dungeons and Dragons, Lawful Evil comes in four flavors:
* Type 1 is those who believe in civic order, and are the villains who believe either in keeping order and control at all costs, or that it's much easier to become ruler of the world by exploiting the existing system than by tearing it down and starting anew. Maybe they like to rule with an iron fist, or publicly playing by rules gives them enough Good Publicity to get away with their evil schemes. If the villain is supreme ruler of their realm, then they are probably either Lawful Evil or The Caligula . This is the canonical alignment of devils in Dungeons and Dragons. Lawful Evil can be the most dangerous alignment because it represents intentional, methodical and frequently successful evil. More than likely megalomaniacal sorts out to "restore/maintain order" by - you guessed it - Taking Over The World.
* Type 2 is a baddie with a code of honor (personal order) that prevents them from doing truly heinous things, or at least keeps them focused and disciplined. Often a form of Principles Zealot. This code of honor sometimes leads to the Type 2 conflicting with Type 1's when their values and codes conflict with those of main-stream society. This does not make them Chaotic. Types 2's do have a sense of order, just not the one that society at large possesses. If this is the case, expect the Type 2 to be a Byronic Hero or Ubermensch. They typically value loyalty in their minions and possess Evil Virtues, and tend to be reliable allies in an Enemy Mine situation where alignments would fizzle out. The second type tends to either perform a Heel Face Turn or suffer death by redemption. The alternative is that they ultimately choose evil over this and cross the Moral Event Horizon. Note that these two types are not mutually exclusive.
* Type 3 can be The Dragon in a Five-Bad Band or a minion of lower rank. Perhaps they lack the same pure drive that the Big Bad has, or maybe they're just not quite as smart, but they both do what they are told or do what they say that they are going to do, taking the most straightforward and efficient means of accomplishing the task they set out to do. They're a genuine threat, but they're not the real danger. If they're loyal to the Big Bad then they take orders without any problems, and they obey the Big Bad without any complaints. If the villains are going to be killed off, you can bet this guy is going to go down with the Big Bad. They are not The Starscream because of their loyalty to their boss, but they're just as mean in real life as they are at their job, so they're not a Punch Clock Villain either. Type 3 may work temporarily with The Hero if the Big Bad goes temporarily nuts, but this isn't a Heel Face Turn, as they will go straight back to their boss once it's all sorted out.
* Type 4 is a rare case of characters that simply hate freedom and will enslave people out of malice, or those who get their jollies from imposing ridiculously harsh rules with even more ridiculous consequences for breaking them. Dystopia Justifies the Means can fall under this category and it tends to be the Lawful Evil type that is most likely to be a Complete Monster, as they use law and order principally as instruments of suffering and oppression for its own sake and not (just) that of power or running The Empire efficiently. They might keep up appearances of a Noble Demon but at best they will abuse the hell out of Exact Words and at their worst they will flat out lie and cheat in spite of it. Darkseid is the classic example of this sort of villain and demonstrates just why it is the worst of the Lawful Evil types. All four variants are likely to take advantage of Questionable Consent, pushing people into "agreements" and then pushing them to uphold their end of the "bargain." If you have a difficulty deciding which alignment an evil-aligned character belongs to, the main difference between Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil is not their devotion to their evil wishes, but the methods they believe are best to realize it:
* Even though there are some situations where they can't always use this method, Lawful Evil characters believe the best way is to have a specific, strict code of conduct, whether self-imposed or codified as a law. Their first impulse when making a moral decision is to refer back to this code; those with externally imposed systems (codes of laws, hierarchies, etc.) will try to work within the system when those systems go wrong. Depending on whether they are more Lawful or more Evil, they will either refuse to break the code even though it would hurt their evil objectives, or else break it only very reluctantly, and only when it would hurt their evil objectives if they kept their code.
* Neutral Evil characters are indifferent to Order Versus Chaos, and their only interest is in realizing their evil wishes. They will use whatever means will help in realizing their evil wishes, whether that means tearing down a code of laws, following a code of laws, creating an orderly society, causing the breakdown of justice, or staying away from society altogether. Their only goal is to realize their evil wishes, full stop.
* Most Chaotic Evil characters don't constantly break the law, but they cannot see much value in laws (or, for weaker-CC Es, do not see the value in laws that do not function solely to their depraved objectives). They believe that their own evil impulses are their best guides, and that tying themselves to any given code of conduct would be limiting their own ability to realize their depraved wishes. They do not get along with anyone who tries to instill any kind of order over the Chaotic Evil character, believing these people to be restricting their freedom; Chaotic Evil characters often focus very strongly on their own individual rights and freedoms, and will strongly resist any form of oppression of themselves. In a nutshell, these are a variety of evil characters who don't care if what they do is "heinous" or "horrible", but who will always follow certain rules. Such characters are, for example: A warlord who would kill anyone who threatens him -- and, let's say, would always spare the enemies that can serve him; or a Complete Monster who believes in playing by the story conventions; or a villain whose word is absolutely binding but would still kill a pregnant woman; or any kind of evil character that might commit mass genocide but for some reason Will Not Tell a Lie. Or a character who does, without flinching, anything their master orders them to do, anything, because their one rule is absolute obedience. Remember, being Lawful does not imply at all that you have moral standards, and any one of these character archetypes have just as much potential as a Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil character to be truly despicable. Being lawful is thus a matter of ethical concerns and not moral ideas; alternatively, a lawful character may work within and abuse the rules. Lawful evil is not always the "Nicest" of the Evil alignment. It is just the most consistent and orderly. In short, an evil character who feels that the rules is what gives them strength or superiority. This includes upholding Evil as an ideal in and of itself, coupled with a sense of duty to promote it wherever possible and by any means. They're likely to have standards, but they're just as likely to have such a warped moral code that they're Complete Monsters regardless.
* Adherents of the stricter forms of the Religion of Evil.
* Anthropomorphic Personifications that combine order with evil.
* Many Affably Evil characters
* AI Is a Crapshoot
* Ancient Conspiracy, depending on how far they're willing to go.
* Any villain trying an Assimilation Plot
* Amoral Attorney
* Aristocrats Are Evil
* Most Black Shirts
* Some Blood Knights, as they enjoy conquest and warfare but also have some appreciation for fair play and valor.
* Career Killers (when they live up to their agreements or follow a strict code of honor).
* Some Corrupt Churches
* Corrupt Corporate Executive
* Criminals whose modus operandi heavily relies on Super OCD.
* Culture Police
* Dark Messiah
* Diabolical Mastermind
* More loyal types of The Dragon.
* Dirty Cop
* The Emperor who leads an evil Empire
* The Empire
* Evil Chancellor (When aren't Neutral Evil)
* One Evil Counterpart to a Lawful Good character regularly is this.
* Evil Overlord
* Family Values Villain
* Glorious Leader
* God, when he's evil.
* Hanging Judge
* Quite a bit of Sociopathic Heroes who find themselves "stuck" to the good side by a deal, contract or some similar bind, or simply out of a sense of loyalty to the heroes.
* Killer Robot, as they follow strict programming and parameters, but what they do is usually evil.
* Knight Templar
* Classic portrayals of The Mafia
* Mayor Pain
* Noble Demon, when he is actually evil and their "noble" side is because one code of honor
* Obstructive Bureaucrat, when they aren't Lawful Neutral or Lawful Stupid.
* President Evil
* Evil Principles Zealots
* Punch Clock Villain when are really evil.
* Sadist Teacher
* Secret Police
* State Sec
* Stepford Smiler
* Straight Edge Evil
* The Syndicate
* Totalitarian Utilitarian
* The Renfield
* The Man
* The superego character in an evil Freudian Trio.
* The blue oni in a evil Red Oni, Blue Oni duo.
* More villainous cases of The Fettered.
* Those Wacky Nazis
* Tyrant Takes the Helm: The bad new boss is in this arc is usually Lawful Evil.
* Many Villains with Good Publicity
* Well-Intentioned Extremist Examples of Lawful Evil include:
- A lawful evil character methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his personal 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's comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He is loath to break promises, and he is therefore very cautious about giving his word unless a bargain is clearly in his favour. This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly because he depends on order to protect himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds. Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They feel these personal morals put them above unprincipled villains. Many lawful evil characters use society and its laws for selfish advantages, exploiting the letter of the law over its spirit whenever it best suits their interests. Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with a zeal like that of a crusader committed to good. Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take pleasure in spreading evil as an end unto itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to an evil deity or master. Lawful evil is sometimes called "diabolical", because devils are the personification of lawful evil. A tyrannical ruler who drafts the rules to suit himself, a corrupt lawyer or judge who uses the law to mask his own misdeeds, and the ruthless bosses and minions of organized crime are all examples of lawful evil characters.
- A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order, but not about freedom, dignity, or life. He is loath to break laws or promises, partly because he depends on order to protect himself. Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood, and imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled thugs. The scheming baron who exploits his people is lawful evil. Lawful evil represents methodical, intentional evil. This alignment is seen by some to be the most insidious, as it combines harming individuals (evil) with supporting the structure of society (law). Some lawful evil characters make harming others a goal, while some regard it as an acceptable course of action. They play by "the rules" to maintain a relatively stable environment for themselves, with the most clever able to twist the letter of the law to their own ends. The extreme of the lawful evil alignment is represented in Neverwinter Nights as a rating of "100" in law-chaos and "0" in good-evil. The alignment title is "dominator". The outsiders who represent this alignment are the devils.
- Lawful evil is the realm of the individual who knows what they want and will manipulate the system (legal, cultural, and so forth) to achieve those ends, no matter the consequence. This can be for personal gain (for example, the traditional evil vizier who seeks to claim the kingdom for himself) or to better society at all costs - the "I know what's best for everyone else"-attitude without any of the compassionate limits to action found in lawful good (an excellant example is Cardinal Richelieu of Three Musketeers fame).
- Lawful evil is the methodical, intentional, and frequently successful devotion to a cruel organized system. A lawful evil character methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his personal 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's comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He is loath to break promises, and he is therefore very cautious about giving his word unless a bargain is clearly in his favour. This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly because he depends on order to protect himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds. Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They feel these personal morals put them above unprincipled villains. Many lawful evil characters use society and its laws for selfish advantages, exploiting the letter of the law over its spirit whenever it best suits their interests. Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with a zeal like that of a crusader committed to good. Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take pleasure in spreading evil as an end unto itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to an evil deity or master. Lawful evil is sometimes called "diabolical", because devils are the personification of lawful evil. A tyrannical ruler who drafts the rules to suit himself, a corrupt lawyer or judge who uses the law to mask his own misdeeds, and the ruthless bosses and minions of organized crime are all examples of lawful evil characters.
- An Evil character likes a well ordered (but evil) society. Lawful Evil will follow orders but may twist the rules.
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