Alignments - How do you see them?

[Shadavar]

In my research on updating Deities & Demigods to the Pathfinder rules, two classes really started to stick out for me: Paladin and Anti-Paladin (renamed to Blackguard, as Anti-Paladin just doesn't sound menacing enough); which brings alignment into sharp focus.

I did a quick search and found a lot of people think that being of Lawful Good alignment means that a character is a ridged do-gooder with a stick stuck up the butt. For me, that's as far from the truth you can get. Being LG doesn't mean the character is without flaws. So lets break down the alignment to its basic parts as it's relates to a single person.

Chaotic = emotional.
Lawful = disciplined.

Evil = selfish.
Good = altruistic.

So a LG Paladin would be a well organised person intent on doing the right thing that follows a deity of a similar mindset (just like a Cleric). They abide by the laws of the land, IF those laws are just and fair (but the speed limit is just too slow).

In the same vein, a Chaotic character is more emotional and less organised and an Evil character is selfish and self-centred.

Characters shouldn't be bound by the Law/Chaos axis as much as they should be by Good/Evil. It's a matter of morals over ethics. A lawful character can be just as emotional as a chaotic one, they just control it better. And a good character can be just as selfish as an evil one, but they feel bad about it and try do the right thing overall.

This leave use with just the LN and CN alignments. LN is more ridged in their ethical beliefs over moral, whereas CN is more prone to random behaviour without regard to either ethics or morals.

To me, a person will follow their moral compass over and above their ethical first. Unless they are LN or CN.

As an example: I see a lot of people like to dump Batman into the Chaotic Good school of thought. He's Lawful Good through and through. He's well disciplined, organised and has a very structured, methodical mindset. Yes, he's brutal, but this serves a purpose in distilling fear into criminals. Now to me, Superman is more Chaotic than Lawful as he seems to follow his emotional side more often than not. Maybe placing him in the NG with Lawful tendencies category.

So ultimately this means that Paladins should be restricted to any Good alignment and Blackguards to any Evil.

Discuss!!!

[Spacelard]

I use this for all alignment discussions in my home game and all my players have the link.
LINK

[Matthias W]

Alignment is mostly an impediment to clarity and trivial to dispense with, so that's what I do. In principle, alignment is useful as a simplifying shorthand, but because no one agrees on what the basic categories mean, it lacks that functionality.

[Trinam]

This is literally how I see alignments.

[Gorbacz]

Hey OP, what made you think that starting a discussion on alignments of Paladins and Batman just before Christmas, with mods away with their families and stuff, is a good idea?

The same question goes to everybody who posts in response, by the way. :)

[Bard of Ages]

Honestly I have actually found one way to sort of quell alignment discussions in many chats. And it's thanks to this little chart.

(and yes this is serious, I have popped this chart in live chats and immediately diffused anger)

Sandwich Alignment