Alignment
Two-axis system (Good/Neutral/Evil x Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic) creating nine alignments. Limited mechanical impact in 5e — mainly a roleplay guide.
Alignment is a two-axis description of a creature's moral and ethical outlook.
The Two Axes
Moral axis (Good—Neutral—Evil):
- Good: Altruistic, compassionate, willing to sacrifice for others
- Neutral: Pragmatic, acts based on personal interest without strong moral conviction
- Evil: Selfish, cruel, willing to harm others for personal gain
Ethical axis (Lawful—Neutral—Chaotic):
- Lawful: Respects order, tradition, contracts, and hierarchy
- Neutral: Doesn't strongly favor order or freedom
- Chaotic: Values personal freedom, resists authority, distrusts institutions
The Nine Alignments
| Lawful | Neutral | Chaotic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Lawful Good | Neutral Good | Chaotic Good |
| Neutral | Lawful Neutral | True Neutral | Chaotic Neutral |
| Evil | Lawful Evil | Neutral Evil | Chaotic Evil |
Unaligned: Beasts and creatures without the mental capacity for moral reasoning are unaligned rather than neutral.
Mechanical Impact
Alignment has very limited mechanical impact in 5e compared to earlier editions. It matters for:
- Detect evil and good (detects creature types, not alignment)
- Protection from evil and good (same — creature types, not alignment)
- Some magic items require a specific alignment for attunement
- Spirit guardians damage type depends on caster alignment
- Glyph of warding can target by alignment
- A Paladin's oath may reference alignment-adjacent concepts
Practical Use
Alignment is best used as a roleplay guide, not a straitjacket. Characters can act against their alignment in specific situations. If a character consistently acts differently from their listed alignment, the DM may suggest changing it to match their behavior.