Jesse Clark’s Blog

Alignment Chart

by Jesse Clark
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A traditional alignment chart uses a 2-axis grid to describe 9 moral alignments:

Good - Evil
Lawful - Chaotic

3x3 alignment chart

But it is difficult to take alternative moral perspectives seriously when some of them are labeled as "good".

Everyone thinks of themselves as good: we rationalize that our past actions (which we cannot change) fit some definition of "good" (which we can change).

For example, Paladins are good at following laws, Demons are good at getting what they want, and Devils are good at both.

The Fay races have a more thorough understanding of consequentialist ethics, and their Chaotic morality is not simply the opposite of following laws. Fairies experience time backwards. They remember the future but can only guess at the past. That means that their ethics must be based on a superhuman understanding of consequences. If a fairy wants something that is not constantly guarded, then they can take it when it is not guarded. If a fairy wants something from you, and can convince you that you are getting a good deal in exchange, then they can offer you that deal. They already know whether they will have to follow through or not.

Instead of including Good in the alignment chart, consider the remaining labels as 3 independent axes:

Lawful: "The means justify the ends"
Chaotic: "The ends justify the means"
Evil: "The ends justify themselves"

3-axis chart

This 3-axis space has 8 quadrants which we can visualize as 2 political compasses:

Neutral (Druids)
Lawful (Paladins)
Evil (Demons)
Lawful Evil (Devils)
Chaotic (Pixies)
Chaotic Lawful (Faeries)
Chaotic Evil (Gremlins)
Lawful Chaotic Evil (equivalent to neutral)

2-political-compass chart

By combining the neutral categories, we get a chart with 6 familiar alignments, 1 new alignment, and more meaningful tradeoffs for characters who cannot claim to be simply Good.

7-point triangle chart

This 3-axis system maps neatly onto traditional depictions of winged creatures:

Lawful: bird wings
Evil: bat wings
Chaotic: butterfly wings