Question about Lawful Evil

[Teo]

Hey all,

In the lawful evil lore, it says that they "Have not time for the law". Does this mean that they have a moral code but will break the law of the land? For example, would a lawful evil character be willing to be payed to kill someone like an assassin/hit man does?

Thanks,
Teo

[Dorganath]

The full answer to this depends somewhat on the character.  Lawful Evil characters do have a code that they follow rather than any particular adherence to laws.  The two may overlap, of course, and in the case of a Lawful Evil Rofireinite, the two may even overlap completely. Some rulers may be Lawful Evil and establish a set of laws based on their own moral/religious/ethical views rather than what might be commonly accepted. Generally speaking though, that line is to illustrate that the "Lawful" part of the alignment does not necessarily mean an adherence to a system of laws but a code of conduct.

As for the assassin/hit-man part of your question, that's going to depend.  We also state that LE characters would not kill an innocent, so if the target fell into that category, the character would not take that contract. That said, "innocent" may well depend on the specific morals/ethics of the individual to a degree. There are plenty of examples of this sort of "ethical assassin" character type in literature and games, so it's a viable concept at least.  An assassin who will take any contract regardless of innocence of the target would fall into Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil.

[miltonyorkcastle]

Also of note, in traditional DnD, characters of "lawful" alignments were more concerned with society as a whole, and how their actions affect the whole, rather than the individual. Lawful characters are always willing to sacrifice a few for the benefit of the whole. It's why they are good with systems, and why they like rules, because rules (laws) are used to control individuals so that the individuals will fulfill their duty to society, to the whole.

"Chaotic" characters are all about the individual. Personal freedom and the ability to choose one's own path (rather than fit into the mold society as a whole wants/needs for you to fill) is of utmost importance. This is why chaotic characters often break the rules. The rights of the individual are greater than the rights of the whole for chaotic characters.

This dichotomy is why paladins must be lawful. They are duty bound to serve society as a whole. Paladins place the needs of the whole over their individual needs. It's also why paladins tend to have short life spans. ;-) 

Caveat: Layonara is not traditional DnD, and as such, some interpretations of alignment may differ. Consult with your GM during a quest to be sure of interpretation.  I simply offered this note because I find that knowing the development of an idea and where the idea came from helps us to understand the idea (in this case, alignments) much better.