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Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Starfinder RPG Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition)

All Rules | Downtime Rules
Infinite Worlds / Alignment / Alignment Entries

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.