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Alignment

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 102
Alignment is a simplified characterization of a community (or individual’s) ideology. On a personal level, it can encompass one’s behavior, morality, and personality. When applied to a group, it encompasses the beliefs, laws, traditions, societal framework, and shared ethos of the institution and its members—the spiritual zeitgeist that unites individuals into a community. This section focuses on alignment as applied to a settlement, society, world, or other group. For more information on individual alignment, see page 24 of the Core Rulebook.

The Alignment System

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 102
Alignment is measured using two pairs of opposing values: good and evil, and law and chaos. Each pair of values creates an axis within a spectrum, with neutrality in the middle. Combined, these two axes produce a total of nine alignment possibilities: lawful good (LG), neutral good (NG), chaotic good (CG), lawful neutral (LN), neutral (N), chaotic neutral (CN), lawful evil (LE), neutral evil (NE), and chaotic evil (CE).

Good and Evil

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 102
The good-evil axis measures morality. Good alignment could indicate a society that values altruism, charity, helpfulness, honesty, loyalty, respect for life, or the protection of others. An evil alignment could indicate a society rife with corruption, cruelty, greed, oppression, prejudice, selfishness, violence, or lack of compassion. Neutral morality could indicate indifference, a lack of commitment, a commingling of aspects of these two opposing values, or a purposeful rejection of the concept of morality.

Law and Chaos

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 102
The law-chaos axis measures order against spontaneity. A lawful alignment could indicate adherence to rules, codified values, real or perceived fairness, honesty, or deference to authority or tradition. Lawful societies tend to be consistent, predictable, organized, and stable. A chaotic alignment could indicate distrust of authority or emphasize anarchy, freedom, unpredictability, creativity, or spontaneity. Chaotic societies tend to be adaptable, inventive, and flexible. Neutrality on the law-chaos axis often indicates indifference, passivity, or living by a fluid code of conduct that may be altered or broken as required.

Using Alignment

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 102
Every world, nation, settlement, organization, and community can have an alignment, though quantifying it is neither simple nor universal. A society’s alignment reflects the typical alignment of its citizens, leaders, and government. This alignment is neither homogeneous nor inherent to its inhabitants or environment. Individuals and smaller communities within these groups and cultures can be of any alignment, regardless of their surrounding society or governing body.
Much like individual alignments, a society’s alignment isn’t static. It changes over time, as behavior shifts, cultural mores change, or when new generations come into power. Typically, this change happens over centuries. When change occurs at an accelerated pace, it’s often the result of internal shifts, such as cultural reform, revolution, or new leadership; external influences, such as natural disaster, war, or other shared calamity; or rapid change in a community’s other attributes, such as accord, magic, religion, or technology.
When creating worlds and settlements, alignment is a useful descriptive tool meant to differentiate locations from one another, quickly convey societal information, and spark creativity. Applied well, alignment enhances a location by setting a baseline for a society that events can be measured against. Alignment alters worlds completely, making two worlds with the same attributes and biomes distinct. A world governed by ascetic ysoki warrior-mages that idolize self-sacrifice will be very different from that same world governed by backstabbing ysoki gangs vying for supremacy, scrappy ysoki freedom fighters hiding out among the trees, or spoiled ysoki aristocrats who wield social connections and magic to suppress lower castes. Among these varied worlds and cultures, a single act—perhaps the theft of an apple or a pernicious lie—can have drastically different meanings and repercussions. However, alignment shouldn’t restrict player creativity or actions. Rather, it should provide context, qualities, and quirks for a location and its inhabitants; drive social interactions; and engage players in the people and places around them.
In addition to alignment’s ability to affect the gaming environment, alignment is a helpful guideline for GMs. It indicates which player characters will find easy acceptance and which will have to work to fit in, or more easily rebel. When encountering random NPCs, most will be of the same alignment as their surrounding culture; those who don’t fit these expectations are likely to catch the attention of players. Alignment is also useful for determining basic laws, social encounters, and typical combats. GMs running a lawful world might introduce law enforcement, customs agents, religious leaders, professional greeters, or ardent patriots tasked with acclimating— or assimilating—foreigners. GMs running a chaotic world might introduce a band of criminals, dashing musicians, wily pickpockets, or frantic philosophers who battle in the streets with lyrical soliloquies. Generally, chaotic worlds feature dangerous wildlife and hazards more often than lawful ones.
The nine alignments and how they might influence a society or world are examined in more detail below. As with any system, alignment is a tool meant to enhance gameplay and inspire adventure. If you don’t enjoy the interactions facilitated by the alignment system, feel free to ignore it altogether.

Alignment Entries

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 103
Each alignment entry lists some of the many creatures, deities, planes, and worlds associated with that alignment, followed by details about how that alignment might manifest in alien societies and worlds. More information about the cited creatures and worlds can be found in their respective cited books, and the Starfinder Core Rulebook has more information about deities (pages 482–493) and planes (pages 470–471).

Lawful Good

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 103
Associated Creatures: osharu, philosopher worm, shirren
Associated Deities: Angradd, Hylax, Iomedae
Associated Planes: Heaven
Associated Worlds: Idari, Helfen-Thel, Marixah Republic, Szandite Collective

A lawful good society is altruistic and ordered. It possesses a codified set of beliefs, laws, or traditions, with clear repercussions for those who break them. Its citizens help those in need, protect the innocent, and speak out against cruelty and oppression. In a lawful good society, greater value is placed on people than on profit and progress.
Beyond these basic qualities, lawful good societies vary greatly. One might be a peaceful utopia where all citizens are equal, a meritocracy with complex social strata, or a stratocracy with a rigid military hierarchy. Its citizens may be insular, content to police one another; pacifists who enforce law with a strongly worded scolding, ritualized debates, or collective ostracism; or valorous warriors intent on righting the wrongs of the world both within and beyond their borders, perhaps going out of their way to arrest criminals, topple tyrants, vanquish extraplanar threats, or revolutionize corrupt societies.
Lawful good societies are typically stable and consistent, capable of weathering hardship and tragedy without breaking down or descending into panic and chaos. Their laws and processes might enable extraordinary unity and efficiency, though if applied unwisely, these elements could as easily hamper dayto- day life and unwittingly ensnare visitors who are unfamiliar with the arcane, altruistic intricacies. Many lawful good societies value traditions and prove relatively slow to enact change. This can cause some societies to stagnate or grow so rigid that they become incapable of adapting to changing environments. Some societies embrace the democratic ratification and modification of laws, confident they move closer to a more virtuous and perfect society with each amendment.
Lawful good societies police or monitor their inhabitants to ensure conformity with laws and values. Generally, this is well-intentioned and respectful, yet visitors to a lawful good world might nevertheless experience uncomfortable inspections, questioning, and lectures on local laws and customs to ensure they don’t upset the peace. Whether welcomed or watched warily, visitors are expected to conform.
Most citizens in a lawful good society are proud, considering themselves blessed, virtuous, or morally just. This can make these worlds difficult for strangers to feel at home. The inhabitants often consider chaotic visitors flighty, immature, untrustworthy, or troublesome. They consider neutral visitors lacking in determination. They consider evil visitors cruel and selfish, and although these travelers might receive mere reprimand for any villainy, most lawful good societies can quickly mobilize to imprison, punish, or chase away true threats.

Neutral Good

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 104
Associated Creatures: agathion, noqual dragon, phentomite, rheonnaghan
Associated Deities: Arshea, Sarenrae, Yaraesa
Associated Planes: Nirvana
Associated Worlds: Absalom Station, Bretheda, Ghorus Prime, Orry, the sun, Varturan

A neutral good society is benevolent and encourages its citizens to do the right thing, help others, and cooperate, but doesn’t force them to conform, uphold this mandate, or feel pressured to sacrifice their own wellbeing for others. Laws aim to make life comfortable for citizens and punish harmful behavior, not codify virtue. Neutral good societies police their inhabitants lightly. Reform and community service are often fair punishment for minor crimes.
Neutral good societies are typically diverse. They may be a cultural melting pot, a refuge for those fleeing oppression, or a fledgling colony whose survival depends on cooperation and tight community bonds. Their citizens might be trying to establish a better way of life, might consider their neighbors family, or might simply be trying to live their lives in peace. Visitors receive a warm welcome, whatever their appearance, creed, or history. All are judged by their deeds, not their reputation or place of origin. Such societies are a often a safe destination for refugees and exiles.
For all their neighborly and generally content status, these societies should be aware that there’s room for improvement to make things better for all. They have little patience for self-righteousness, prejudice, oppression, or rebellion. They’re willing to settle most disputes among themselves, rather than requesting intervention from authority figures or law-enforcement. When confronted by those in positions of authority, members of neutral good societies are most likely to rely on collective decision-making and mutually beneficial ideals passed on through social norms. They likely consider lawful visitors rigid and close-minded, chaotic visitors impatient and unreliable, and evil visitors cruel, perhaps even a danger to themselves and others.

Chaotic Good

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 104
Associated Creatures: azata, copper dragon, dessamar, dirindi, djinni, onkushi, storm giant
Associated Deities: Black Butterfly, Desna, Weydan
Associated Planes: Elysium
Associated Worlds: Daimalko, Gaskar III, Landahl

A chaotic good society is constantly changing, though it remains focused on doing what’s right regardless of the repercussions. It’s flexible, capable of rapidly adapting to changing environments and situations, and willing to break rules for the greater good. Its citizens are fiercely independent, valuing freedom and resenting attempts to control or limit them. As a downside, these societies sometimes overextend themselves or act without acknowledging the full ramifications of their actions.
The society might be a vibrant democracy, a fractured collective of provinces vying for dominance, or an egalitarian community rallying against oppressors. Its citizens might be daring survivors fighting for their lives, activists spreading progressive ideologies, freedom fighters determined to abolish galactic slavery, or innovative intellectuals creating new methods to better their world. Innovators and iconoclasts, like adventurers and explorers, often find themselves welcome in these cultures. Leadership often incorporates many voices, with no one person retaining longterm control. When powerful leaders arise, they’re often charismatic visionaries who lead by example.
These societies uphold accepted values but have few codified laws. Its citizens might condone vigilante justice, solve disputes among themselves, or have courts that pass judgment via popular opinion or democratic vote.
Most citizens in a chaotic good society are confident and outspoken, considering themselves good people living independent lives free from oppression and corruption. They likely consider lawful visitors boring, old-fashioned, and overbearing. They consider neutral visitors in need of encouragement and guidance, and exhibit little restraint when given a chance to offer either. They consider evil visitors in need of reform or punishment and watch them carefully for signs of ill-intent.

Lawful Neutral

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 105
Associated Creatures: anacite, azer, formian, inevitable, witchwyrd, yithian
Associated Deities: Abadar, Kadrical, Talavet
Associated Planes: Axis
Associated Worlds: Aballon, Castrovel, Nakondis, Pabaq, Tabrid Minor, Triaxus, Verces

A lawful neutral society is ordered and dependable, with consistent social customs, codified laws, processes for arbitrating disputes, and repercussions for breaking laws and taboos. Its citizens respect and embrace authority. In a lawful neutral society, reason and order are valued over emotion, morality, and personal expression.
A lawful neutral society might be a tightly controlled utopia or dystopia, a bastion of enlightenment and education where rational thought outweighs emotion, a corporate plutocracy, or a monarchy with traditions dating back millennia. Its citizens may be innovators pushing the boundaries of science or magic, colonists trying to tame the wilderness, or laborers working to get by. Stability is often more important than transparency, which may result in governments keeping secrets from their citizens.
These societies are typically peaceful and predictable. They might be overburdened with excessive laws or a model of streamlined efficiency. Citizens understand their laws and lives aren’t perfect but prefer them to the alternative, believing order is the only thing holding society together. Most citizens know their role in society, follow the rules, and find comfort in safety and routine.
Lawful neutral societies often monitor their citizens and visitors closely, staying alert for lawbreakers and corruption. Imprisonment, labor, and fines are common punishments meted out to criminals after judgment is passed, dependent on local customs.
Citizens in a lawful neutral society often get along well with other lawful-aligned visitors, who typically respect that society’s strictures, though they consider both groups overly judgmental. They consider good visitors naïve and evil visitors cutthroat. Chaotic visitors are likely considered corrupt, lawless, and unreliable.

Neutral

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 105
Associated Creatures: contemplative, elemental, moonflower, nyssholora, robot
Associated Deities: The Eldest, Eloritu, Ibra, Pharasma, Triune
Associated Planes: The Boneyard, the Drift
Associated Worlds: Arquand, Liavara, Orikolai, Riven Shroud

A neutral society is slow to unite and difficult to sway. Although some are committed to balance, political neutrality, unbiased reason, or other philosophical ideals, most simply exist, expending their energy to carry on or maintain the status quo without any particular inclination to conform or grow toward a specific ideal. Its citizens might prefer good to evil or law to chaos, but they don’t go out of their way to uphold or impose these values. A neutral society’s citizens likely care more for themselves and their families than they do their neighbors or the world at large, and most consider distant or future problems of little consequence unless they pose a tangible threat. Alternatively, a neutral world might be occupied by creatures that act purely on instinct or programmed behavior, such as animals, plants, or constructs.
A neutral society might be a nature preserve, a holographic or illusory construct, a preprogrammed world of golems or robots, a settlement unconcerned with the outside world, or a loose affiliation of farmers who rely on each other for support. Its citizens might be an insular cloister of esoterics contemplating life, a gathering of those trying to survive in a hostile environment, or people just trying to feed their families and care for themselves.
Neutral societies are often natural meeting places and trade hubs, as they’re largely unconcerned with visitors. Many have simple laws based off common sense and the preservation of society. Visitors to a neutral world can disappear easily, making these planets popular among criminals or revolutionaries looking to lay low. Most citizens in a neutral society are self-interested and passive, considering other people’s problems none of their concern. Most consider visitors bossy and nosy, especially on moral matters.

Chaotic Neutral

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 106
Associated Creatures: asteray, calcecor, colour out of space, equinoxian, hesper, oracle of oras, valkyrie
Associated Deities: Besmara, Calistria, Groetus, Oras
Associated Planes: The Maelstrom
Associated Worlds: Akiton, the Diaspora, Preluria, Tabori Cluster

A chaotic neutral society is unstable and unpredictable. It features few codified rules and little to no governing body, instead being ruled by whatever groups or individuals have the most power at any given time. Often, these lawless societies divide into factions vying for power, though even these alliances and coalitions might fragment suddenly based on evolving circumstances. Its citizens resent authority and any attempts to control them. If forced into obedience, many citizens seize their first opportunity to escape, lash out, or turn on their oppressors. These unpredictable elements thus make many chaotic neutral societies dangerous.
Chaotic neutral societies value adaptability, creativity, and spontaneity. A chaotic neutral society might be a smuggler’s paradise, a blasted wasteland where gangs hold sway, a boomtown on a resource-rich frontier, a refuge for artistic iconoclasts evading retaliation from the tyrants they mock, or a hot spot for reckless youths and daredevils. Its citizens are opportunistic and often care more for their themselves, their interests, and their holdings than they do for their neighbors or surroundings. They may be angry anarchists, greedy criminals, fast-talking swindlers, or unashamed opportunists out to have fun and strike it rich. In other chaotic neutral societies, though, inhabitants are less interested in lawlessness than they are dedicated to their group’s freedom from others’ hegemony and dogma, making this an ideal alignment for cultures purposefully living off the galactic grid.
Chaotic neutral societies typically don’t monitor their citizens or visitors. Their citizens must protect themselves or find someone stronger to protect them, often in exchange for services or credits. Inhabitants keep their word only as long as it benefits them. They do what they want and rarely regret it. Their opinions on visitors are incredibly varied, though most consider lawful visitors a pain, good visitors gullible or preachy, and evil visitors unnecessarily cruel and violent.

Lawful Evil

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 106
Associated Creatures: bone trooper, efreeti, embri, hobgoblin, reptoid, velstrac, vesk
Associated Deities: Asmodeus, Damoritosh, Lissala, Zon-Kuthon
Associated Planes: Hell
Associated Worlds: Azlanti Star Empire, Embroi, Gideron Authority, the Veskarium

A lawful evil society is rigid, ordered, and often oppressive, benefiting those who best know how to maneuver, manipulate, and wield the society’s laws, hierarchies, and traditions for their own benefit. Its citizens believe in the rule of law and take pride in using it to get what they want, regardless of whom it might hurt. In a lawful evil society, loyalty, profit, tradition, and order are valued over dignity, freedom, and even lives. In times of turmoil and tragedy, lawful evil societies stand firm, recovering quickly and rarely falling to chaos.
Many lawful evil societies wield their laws as weapons and use them to justify cruelty, oppression, violence, and other heinous acts. They may argue their despicable behavior is honorable, for the greater good, for the welfare of their people, or to the benefit of those they oppress. Some regimes delight in causing pain, spreading terror, or displaying power. A lawful evil society may be an expansionist military dictatorship, an oligarchy ruled by devious tyrants, or an oppressive bureaucracy where barristers hold more power than emperors. Its citizens may be social climbers manipulating their way to the upper echelons of society, despicable slavers, or loyal soldiers serving remorseless masters.
Lawful evil societies tightly monitor, police, and punish their citizens and visitors. Many citizens are capable of wielding the law for their own ends, in an underhanded but entirely legal manner. Most do this for their own financial or social betterment, to tear down their competitors, to punish those who offend them, to prove their abilities to superiors, or even just for their own sadistic entertainment.
Most citizens of a lawful evil society are greedy, selfish, and power-hungry. They consider themselves cunning and superior to those around them. They often consider good visitors deluded, neutral visitors lazy, and chaotic visitors insufferable or a threat to their way of life.

Neutral Evil

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 107
Associated Creatures: bloodbrother, draelik, gray, hound of tindalos, mi-go, necrovite, undead minion, void hag
Associated Deities: Lao Shu Po, Urgathoa
Associated Planes: Abaddon
Associated Worlds: Daegox 4, Eox

A neutral evil society is amoral, dangerous, and utterly without remorse. Most are loosely governed or corrupt, espousing rules that are regularly broken. Its citizens have little respect for authority or order, routinely flouting laws and ignoring boundaries. Many are selfish and lack empathy. In a neutral evil society, lives and vows have little value.
A neutral evil society might be a dangerous haven for criminals where any service is for sale, a proving ground where the cunning rise to power, or a prison as corrupt as its inhabitants. Its citizens might be opportunistic bounty hunters, blood-soaked gladiators, vile cannibals, or unethical scientists who develop and test magic or weapons on unwilling subjects. While some of these societies are purposefully sadistic, others become neutral evil as a result of hardship and trauma, with selfish actions being the only means for survival in a cruel galaxy.
Neutral evil societies are typically aggressive and opportunistic, capable of a wide variety of evil acts. Alliances last only as long as they’re beneficial. Most neutral evil societies make enemies regularly.
Some neutral evil societies monitor their citizens, visitors, and enemies, while others pay them little attention. Visitors are often unofficially assessed for their usefulness, either by the society or its citizens. Visitors who might prove useful are often embraced and utilized, while those who don’t are ignored or targeted.
Most citizens of a neutral evil society consider themselves free to do whatever they want, whenever they want. They regard visitors in terms of their utility and are willing to ignore flaws and differing opinions as long as those visitors might be of use to them. They often judge visitors based on behavior they’ve witnessed rather than on stated beliefs or morality.

Chaotic Evil

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 107
Associated Creatures: bryrvath, drow, ghoul, jinsul, kyokor, orocoran, the Swarm
Associated Deities: The Devourer, Lamashtu, Nyarlathotep
Associated Planes: The Abyss
Associated Worlds: Apostae, Aucturn, Shadari Confederacy

A chaotic evil society is dangerous and unpredictable. It has few laws or governing bodies, instead being controlled by whoever can wield the most power or inspire the most fear. Many chaotic evil societies are overseen by a variety of powerful groups or individuals who have found tentative equilibrium, though how much control each has is constantly in flux. Individuals and groups in positions of power change rapidly as they’re toppled, betrayed, or overthrown by their underlings or enemies. A chaotic evil society primarily respects cruelty and power. While much of their violence is internecine, these societies often project their aggression outward through raiding, pillaging, and conquest.
Citizens from a chaotic evil society are often driven by greed, hate, lust for power, or a love of inflicting pain. They’re often brutal and unpredictable, having no qualms about betraying even their closest allies. They lash out at anyone who attempts to control or restrain them, though many must rein in these urges against more powerful adversaries.
A chaotic evil society might be a terrifying military powerhouse ruled by a bloodthirsty tyrant, a coalition of gangs locked in a tenuous equilibrium until one can seize control, an anarchic metropolis where every citizen struggles for survival, or a cutthroat kleptocracy hiding behind a veneer of legitimacy. Its citizens might be bloodthirsty berserkers or mages who aim their aggression at outside enemies, criminals who prey on each other as often as they’re preyed upon, anarchists intent on tearing down governments throughout the galaxy, or demon-worshiping cultists who yearn to spread pain and misery.
Chaotic evil societies don’t usually monitor their citizens or control who visits them, but most citizens consider visitors to be either future adversaries to confront or victims to oppress.