The addition of this kind of duality, between Order and Chaos, is one
of my favorite things in DnD. Sure, anyone can make up some one dimensional
moral code of Good versus Evil, but to add that second dimension on top of
that, really makes for a more complex and interesting game. Not that the idea
of a conflict between Chaos and Order is unique to DnD. Roger Zelany’s Amber
series is a saga between the courts of Amber (Order) and the courts of Chaos
(Chaos, go figure). However, the best example of stories involving Chaos versus
Order is practically anything that Michael Moorcock has written. The most
popular is the Elric saga, but all of his stories occur in worlds where Good
and Evil are irrelevant, and Order and Chaos vie for supremacy.
Again, I cannot give you a list of Chaotic, Lawful, and Neutral actions.
I will attempt to sum up these ideologies so that you will have rules of thumb
to make judgments while you are DM’ing.
Chaos
The essence of Chaos is change. Chaotic people tend to make changes
in the direction of their lives at a moment's notice. This is not to say that
they are flighty or incapable of committed action, but they listen to their
hearts more often than their heads. If they feel it is time for a change,
then it happens, and damn the consequences.
Chaotic people are free with their emotions and often pursue things
with a wild abandon. They perform the best when they are given no external
instructions, and are allowed to create their own methods and plans. They
hate anything that limits their options. Many artists are Chaotic. Most people
who attend the Burning Man festival have a little Chaos in them.
A friend of mine has an aunt that is a Chaotic person. She is a writer,
and sometimes she will decide to go camping in the mountains, often deciding
to go before lunch, and heading out after dinner. She travels across the country
to seminars, where the sole purpose of the gathering is to allow the individual
to express themselves in an un-inhibiting environment.
Chaotic people believe in freedom (how else can change occur, but when
people are free to make those changes?). They believe that the individual
is supreme, because society is just a construct that attempts to impose a
form of behavior on it’s members. (The Man is keeping me down!) They will
actively oppose anything that attempts to limit the rights of individuals,
be it a government, a church, or an organization.
Examples of Chaotic people in real life are easier to find in organizations.
Liberal people tend to be more Chaotic (the non-Politically correct liberal
people anyway). The ACLU and "The People for the American Way",
are two organizations that espouse a Chaotic philosophy of individual rights
over government coercion. Conservatives that believe in a limited government
are Chaotic in that belief. The Libertarian party believes that government
has no role, whether social or economic, in the lives of citizens whatsoever.
It is probably the most philosophically Chaotic political party in America.
The basic rules of Chaos are:
1) The only constant in life is change.
2) The rights of the individual trump the rights of society.
3) The heart rules the mind.
Law (Order)
People who are Lawful live an orderly existence. Their desks are clean
and organized. They run a tight ship. They are on time. They keep their promises
to the letter. They are methodical in achieving their goals. They embrace
logic over sentiment. They believe everything has it’s place, and there’s
a place for everything. A lawful person will have all of his appointments
detailed for the next week at least. They never lie and will go to great lengths
to fulfill their part of a contract.
To a Lawful person, Order and Discipline are guiding principles for
their lives. They love structure, and thrive in environments where their role
and responsibilities are clearly defined. They are creative, but only in a
context where that creation has a purpose and a place. They hate it when things
are up in the air, and a plurality of options serves only to annoy them since
they have to carefully consider each and every option. Lawful people never
like to make decisions on the spot.
People who work in jobs that involve imposing order onto Chaos are
likely to be Lawful. This includes, police officers, lawyers, scientists,
drill instructors, and high school principals.
Lawful people believe that the needs of society trump those of the
individual. In order for a society to be a cohesive unit, the needs and wants
of some people will have to be oppressed. For example, the needs and wants
of arsonists, thieves, and murderers have to be quelled for a society to be
viable. Some Lawful people would extend this to people who introduce other
forms of Chaos into a nice Orderly society, such as the Chaos that is created
by new ideas, different sexual mores, and a non-uniform standard of life for
different members of society.
Liberals that believe in the suppression of thought and speech that
offends or harms minorities are Lawful. Conservatives that believe that abortion
and homosexuality should be made illegal, because the good of society trumps
that of the individual, are Lawful. People who believe that the debt of third
world countries should be written off are Lawful (The good of the world trumps
the rights of the individual governments.)
The most Lawful organization in the history of the West is the Roman
Catholic Church. Other Lawful groups are social conservative groups like the
American Family Association, or the Christian Coalition. Groups that work
for social justice, like the United Way, UNICEF, or Amnesty International
are also Lawful.
The basic rules of Law (Order)
are:
1) Order and Discipline are guiding principles for life.
2) The needs of society trump that of any individual.
3) The head should rule and control the heart.