In Open Dungeons™, alignment does not apply to player characters. You have full agency to decide how your character thinks and acts in the world. No chart, grid, or label can dictate your choices - your character's morality and personality are entirely yours to roleplay.
Alignments exist to describe how races, cultures, factions, and monsters are generally viewed. It is not an absolute law - individuals may differ - but it provides a shorthand for how most of the world understands a group's tendencies.
Some monsters, like animals, don't understand hierarchy - alignments isn't chaos or freedom - this is a creature locked into behavioral loops. Think of it like a very complex biological machine - it's not choosing to respect structure; structure is literally hardwired into its existence.
Top - Laws and Structure (X-Axis)
This is about how a creature relates to rules, order, and authority.
Orderly: Respects hierarchy, routines, or natural laws. These creatures thrive in systems and usually enforce rules.
Impartial: Indifferent to laws or rules. They follow them when convenient, ignore them when not.
Wild: Rejects laws and structure outright. These creatures value freedom, instinct, or chaos above imposed order.
Side - Treatment of Others (Y-Axis)
This is about how a creature values or disregards the well-being of others.
Kind: Respects life, acts with compassion or mercy, even toward enemies.
Impartial: Neutral toward others. Neither kind nor cruel; decisions are pragmatic or situational.
Vile: Disregards life, thrives on cruelty, selfishness, or malice. Others are tools, prey, or obstacles.