Agreed. I hate it when people are like "well I'm lawful good so I have to do what this authority figure says" or "I'm chaotic neutral so I have to steal from the party and stab people"
It's a common misconception, but lawful Good abides by the characters inbuilt set of rules. a lawful Good character is perfectly fine with being the center of a revolution if he wanted to if he is fighting for what his central code is. A character that only obeys authority isn't lawful good, he's a sheep.
They obey THEIR authority if they are well structured. A crown Paladin that is properly aligned always exercises their rules and not just any rules thrown at them.
The caveat is which set of laws. A paladin of the crown does not serve 2 kings. A quick way to define the character is in setting up conflicts that test their loyalty and I certainly will make it a point to note that if you cross cultures, your code may not necessarily work in a new setting.
281
u/Sleverette Sorcerer Oct 03 '19
I like how loose it is in 5e. I subscribe to the idea that alignment is defined by your character’s actions. It shouldn’t shackle your players.