rules D&D players should ignore, but creative alignments can definitely add to the fun.
Dungeons & Dragons alignment is a cross-section of nine personal convictions that are combined at character creation. Along one axis is good, neutral and evil. Along the other is lawful, neutral, and chaotic. Players can combine these two axes to come up with an alignment, though there may be some restrictions based on the campaign setting chosen. Evil players wandering Candlekeep might be interesting, but only if the whole party is ok with it.
Alignments can be misconstrued as a restrictive force on players in Dungeons & Dragons. Some feel they can't adapt to changing circumstances if they're tied to an alignment, but this misses the fun that can be had by engaging with alignment rather than being constricted by it. There's nothing like watching a player's burly Minotaur friend in D&D squirm while presented with an easy task that goes against their convictions. Here are six ways to play the six most common alignments.
D&D Alignment - Lawful Good
Try playing a lawful good character in D&D that isn't tied to any worldly set of established laws. Perhaps they were visited in a dream by some eldritch beast that bestowed upon them and them alone a moral code. Now they fight for good while observing a set of laws alien to the world they're inhabiting. Tossing coins into the river every time they catch a fish to eat, for an oddly specific example. A lawful good character might be an easy way to introduce friends into D&D as well, given the straightforward moral code.
D&D Alignment - Good
The challenge in D&D's Good player role is playing a pacifist. Perhaps they were scarred by previous conflict, or have taken an oath to never harm another living creature. It is an excellent alignment to try along with D&D's centaur race. There is still plenty of utility for a dedicated healer or manipulator of enemies.
D&D Alignment - Chaotic Good
Chaotic Good players can very quickly slip into the role of a Robin Hood-type. While that's fine, it might be more interesting to try and play a character that actively tries to dismantle law. Perhaps they go out of their way to sew discord in the bureaucracy of empire, or to tear down oppressive structures, as long as they're doing it for their perceived good of the people. An excellent choice for Kender in the Dragonlance setting.
D&D Alignment - Lawful Neutral
Lawful Neutral players respect order in all its myriad forms. An evil empire, while perhaps morally unpleasant, still might deserve respect if they are efficient and organized in their actions. An interesting Lawful Neutral character, especially a villain, could be a colonialist. They think they're doing right by spreading their version of the law to peoples who definitely don't want or need it. It might make an interesting villain in a number of homebrew D&D settings.
D&D Alignment - Neutral
Neutral Characters can tragically fall into the world of the bland. Instead, trying to play an incredible serious neutral character dedicated to balance might shake up a game considerably. Picture a gambler adventurer who decides everything with the flip of a coin, even what to do with enemies at their mercy.
D&D Alignment - Chaotic Neutral
A Chaotic Neutral character can aim for a less evil version of Batman's Joker or Harley Quinn, but they can also make for interesting additions to a party if the player is willing to craft their Chaotic Neutral character to embrace the Jack Sparrow archetype, self-serving and impulsive but generally willing to go along with whatever scheme the party comes up with, caring for friends up until things go very, very wrong.
However players try to use alignment to help create characters, it's important to that alignment really only matters for roleplaying opportunities in Dungeons & Dragons. Since there are so few rules that rely on alignment, embracing new ways to play can seriously shake up character creation and allow for some entertaining new stories to emerge from gameplay. As long as the whole group is on board, pretty much anything can go in Dungeons & Dragons.
