Alignment Explained

Subject: Alignment Explained Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:01 am

Alignment Explained

Lawful Good: 1.
"Law is order, and good law is good order."
— Aristotle

Lawful Good characters believe that laws exist to further the public good, and that fairness and equality before the law are necessary for good to truly exist. Order is a vital part of good, not for its own end, but because when people act arbitrarily, they will often harm each other, intentionally or unintentionally. Justice is a very important concept to lawful good characters in every sense of the word - that people are treated justly, be it justly rewarded for their services or justly punished for their ill deeds. To a lawful good character, no one is above the rules, not even themselves.

Law before Good. Like all Lawful Good characters, they face the dilemma of doing the good thing or doing the lawful thing, and they will almost always go for the lawful option. They obey the law, and they are essentially good people who will never, ever side with the forces of evil. When it comes to the crunch, they'll topple the evil empire today and hope somebody else can save the civilians. They have a tendency to clash with Chaotic Good characters and have Good Is Not Nice attitudes to life.
Good before Law. The inverse of Type 1. They face the same dilemmas as Type 1, but they are much more likely to choose the good option when it comes down to it. They give and take lawful and good orders, and they'll never side with the criminal. When it comes to the crunch, they'll let the Big Bad get away today, as long as it ensures the safety of the civilians.
Finding The Balance. They face the dilemmas of Type 1 and Type 2, but when it comes to the crunch, they have some problems - how many civilians are there? What are the consequences of the Big Bad escaping? Can they find a happy balance? What kind of sacrifice must they make to do both? Is it better to do one or the other? When it comes to the crunch, the Big Bad may get away, but he's lost The Dragon, who can lead us back to him; not every civilian was saved, but all the women and children made it.

Neutral Good: 2.
"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
—Frederick Douglass

The Character Alignment of sweetness and light. A Neutral Good character will usually comply with laws if doing so benefits the greater good, but rebel against those they consider unjust or which conflict with the greater good.
A Neutral Good character is sometimes a Friend to All Living Things and/or a Technical Pacifist, but they don't necessarily have to be either. Just think "basically good person" and you've probably got it. If they do decide to take up arms, they may have a particular affinity with kneecap and other non-lethal shots.

Type 1 are those who are passively good- they have fairly normal lives and ambitions but will do good as the situation arises. They will help anyone they come across who needs it, then get back to their normal routine. They are most likely to be good towards family, friends and those within their social circle (if they are a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, to the extent allowed), though they have no issue with helping strangers. They may even do volunteer work or other do-gooding that they find personally satisfying. At the same time, they do not view Good as the concept that defines their lives- for them, Goodness is an obligation, or even just their nature. They will do what Good they like or what needs to be done, and then they will go home and carry on as normal.
Type 2 are those who are actively good- for them, Goodness is an Ideal as well as (or less likely, instead of) an obligation. They devote themselves to a life of Goodness and doing Good is the most important thing in their lives, or one of at least. They believe in doing what is Right and may sacrifice personal happiness, perhaps even in advance, in pursuit of that. If they are not The Cape, they admire and seek to imitate them. This type wants to do good, to go out and have adventures and to right wrongs and fight evil, but might be unprepared for the harsh realities they have to face, though they will probably have strong enough principles and beliefs that this will not stun them for long. Alternatively, Comes Great Responsibility is in play and they feel that doing good is their duty- this does not make them Lawful Good, but means that they will do good regardless of whether Lawfulness is in play.

Chaotic Good: 3.
"An unjust law is no law at all."
— St. Augustine of Hippo

Chaotic Good characters are rebels and free spirits who believe in doing good, by their own standards. Some don't have a problem with greater systems such as laws as long as they leave them alone; others are anarchists who believe that too much 'order' is bad for everybody, and the betterment of all can only be achieved by actively rejecting any higher instances of power. Likely to take a intuitive approach to The Golden Rule, caring about other people's feelings and needs without having to calcify it into specific rules.

Type 1 are those who are more Chaotic than Good. They value freedom, and feel that they and others should be free to pursue their own desires — it just so happens that what they desire is to do good. They do not see doing good as a "duty" and may actively resent any attempts to compel them to do good even if the stakes are high, but will probably end up doing them anyway, justifying their actions by saying that this is what they want to do anyway. They are also the Type most likely to get annoyed by being called "The Hero" or something similar in context, though in practice this is often a Suspiciously Specific Denial. This is also the type most likely to be a Loveable Rogue who commits crimes for their own gain, but balance it out with Never Hurt an Innocent and doing lots of good elsewhere in their lives.
Type 2 are those who are more Good than Chaotic. They desire to do good, but also feel that they have a responsibility to do good, and view freedom as a secondary (but still important) concern — essentially, they feel that being good is the price of being free, and they are more likely than Type 1 to use the law to achieve a good end. They are not opposed to the Lawful system and may even accept it as necessary or even good, but they will rarely, if ever, let it get in the way of doing what they feel is right, sometimes making them a heroic example of The Unfettered. However, this means they risk trampling on the rights and freedom of others and may push them into Well-Intentioned Extremist territory if they are not careful.
Type 3 are those devoted to a Chaotic Good cause — Freedom Fighters, benevolent anarchists, and anyone who feels that Freedom generally leads to Good, and vice versa. They usually believe Rousseau Was Right, and try to promote a society with as little government as possible, or overthrow a corrupt oppressive regime without getting drawn into the politics behind replacing it with something better. They do not believe in The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized, and the very concept is often their worst nightmare, and they will do everything to oppose or at least minimize any such trend (so long as they can be convinced that such is actually occurring, of course). For this type, the danger is being blind to the risk that their cause may be corrupted, or has little chance of achieving its end, and if they are not careful they may end up unintentionally creating something even worse than what they fought.
Type 4 is a fair balance between Types 1 and 2. They believe in doing good and in their freedom to do good, but have a grudging or even healthy respect for Lawful Good methods or types who pursue goodness by other means. Essentially, they believe that they should be allowed to be free and good as they see fit, but recognize that the rest of the world is more complicated and that whether the time is for freedom or goodness is down to a case by case basis, and will try and seek the middle ground. They try to be vigilant against the Chaotic Good danger of being judgmental on matters Lawful as best they can, though they are not immune to it.

Lawful Neutral: 1.
"God knows, it's easy to be kind; the hard thing is to be just."
— Inspector Javert, Les Misérables

One of the nine alignments from the best-known Character Alignment system. Lawful Neutral characters believe in order — personal, systemic, both or either — above all else. They will always seek to obey and preserve order, even to the inconvenience of themselves and others, and even if they themselves admit the law in question is an annoying one. While a Lawful Good character may justify breaking his code of conduct by appealing to the greater good that transcends all things, a Lawful Neutral character will not, since the greater good does not enter into it.

An important thing to note is that Lawful Neutral characters follow their own personal vision of order and law. This order may be defined by the laws of their current location, or it might not: Lawful Neutral characters will not obey every law they ever encounter, only those that are part of or do not conflict with the code they themselves obey. They may perfectly rebel against authority if they disagree with this authority's laws, and still be Lawful.

Type 1 are those who believe in Authority first and foremost — it is the context that matters more than the content; the rules matter because they give order to society more than they matter themselves. They might go so far as to believe (possibly correctly) that their superiors have the right to interpret or define the rules as they see fit. Such characters believe in My Country / My Master, Right or Wrong, though the average example is someone who obeys any figure of authority (say, a policeman) without question, possibly even with admiration. In more extreme cases, this can lead to Just Following Orders, and whether or not they slip into Knight Templar or Lawful Evil territory is a question of whether said authority is evil and is getting them to commit atrocities — however, Type 1's still have moral lines they won't cross, and if their ethics are pushed too far, they will disobey, and are not above holding their superiors to account if they are found to be corrupt or incompetent. This is what separates them from Lawful Stupid.
Type 2 are those who believe in the Rules ahead of everything else — they will hold those above them to it as surely as they will those below, without regard to authority (unless said rules favour authority, of course), but will follow the rules to the letter. A Type 2 follows the content, not the context — they believe in these rules, with a passion, and will pretty much equate them with moral truth. In other words, they see themselves as Lawful Good, but fail to qualify because they or the rules they follow are not quite moral enough. More extreme cases might fall under Blue and Orange Morality, and they might run the risk of being bigots towards other cultures and codes of law. Essentially, this is those who do not justify the Law with arguments about there not being anything better, but those that argue that these Laws are the better, and may resist even legal attempts to change them. They are also the most likely to hold their superiors to account for failing to follow the rules, whether for heroic reasons or villainous ones. May or not may be Lawful Stupid.
A Type 3 follows a personal code, including those that have been organized by another — for example, a warrior code or a religious creed — or one they have constructed for themselves. They will obey this code rigidly and to the letter, and it will usually supersede (but make allowances for) any of the other types, but it (or their devotion to it) is too rigid for them to be considered Chaotic, even if it puts them at odds with the established system of law and order, while they lack the moral or immoral conviction to be considered Good or Evil. At their best, they will obey the spirit as well as the letter of their codes, or at least try to or recognize that they must, but at their worst, they can become a Principles Zealot or a Tautological Templar who puts their own code — and their own interpretation of said code — above all else.
A Type 4 arises in a vacuum — they find themselves in a situation where neither Authority nor the Rules apply, such as an After the End scenario where law and order have broken down, and seek to establish order (or follow another who does). Typically, they will appeal to a preestablished system as the basis — murder is wrong because it used to be wrong, or because civilized societies are expected to have outlawed such acts. It can also occur where there is a sense of order, just not one that the character recognizes as valid, such as a Wretched Hive where the "order" comes from corruption and Might Makes Right, or more dubiously, a working society they deem to be chaotic or inferior. In these cases, they will probably appeal to their own rules or the rules of their own society or culture. At their best, they will bring a sense of structure and justice to a volatile situation, but at their worst, this type can slide into bigotry and tyranny, worsened by the fact that they are basically making the rules from scratch.

True Neutral: 2.
"I stick my neck out for nobody."
— Rick Blaine, Casablanca

The best known Character Alignment system has two axes: Good—Evil and Lawful—Chaotic. But some characters just don't fit either end of either axis: they're not selfless enough to be Good, but not exploitative enough to be Evil; they're not rule-abiding enough to be Lawful, but not arbitrary enough to be Chaotic. They could be described as morally bland. These characters are True Neutral, also known as "Neutral Neutral" or just "Neutral".

A True Neutral character or organization can be introduced as a Wild Card, neither aligned with the Hero nor the Big Bad. On the other hand, they may well be on one side or the other, at least nominally. Perhaps they care little for the conflict and have their own goals, which are neither particularly good or evil. A True Neutral scientist may work for the good guys because it furthers their research, but they may also work for the bad guys for the same reason. They could also be on whichever side their friends are, just because of that. True Neutral characters can seem somewhat selfish, but they can also seem rather happy-go-lucky in comparison to more responsible characters.

True Neutral makes a good 'transition' alignment — if a Neutral Evil character is going through some serious Character Development, they may reach a point where they're not doing so much evil, but not consistently doing good just yet either, and similarly when they do have something they want done, have no particular preference on whether to do it by obeying rules or breaking them. This can make for a particularly ruthless Wild Card character.

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Chaotic Neutral: 3.
"Shirahoshi: "But if you're a pirate, Luffy... Then aren't you a bad person?"
Luffy: "... Hm? ... Mmmm... I dunno, that's up to you to decide."
— One Piece

A character is Chaotic Neutral according to the best known Character Alignment system when they fail to qualify for either Good or Evil but fall on the Chaotic side of the Law—Chaos axis. As with all alignments, this can mean many things, several of which are described below. Some characters may abide by principles that they consider chaotic or autonomist, others may not have any major consistent principles at all (not even if the principles are considered inherently chaotic). For example, one Chaotic Neutral character might be part of a tribe that considers itself independent and anarchist, where as another may choose not to be, as their lives may still be dependent on that tribe's principles (and as such they may not feel they are truly self sufficient or independent after all). But then, this ultimately varies and depends on what type of Chaotic Neutral the character is portrayed as in the story.

Type 1 can be vaguely described as a true hedonist — they are interested in fulfilling their desires, and in pursuing their own interests. They have little to no respect for law and order, at best accepting it as a necessary evil that furthers these ends, at worst to the point they are prepared to commit acts that are immoral or outright criminal, avoiding a Neutral or Chaotic Evil alignment due to simply not being ruthless or malevolent enough. They are not evil because their desires are not especially evil (or they have too much of a conscience), but neither are they altruistic enough to be considered good, and they may hold both either in disdain or with indifference, feeling that to each their own, though most know better than to hang out with especially wicked types. At best, they are kind to friends, family or strangers if only because they find such behaviour personally satisfying; at worst, they are Jerkasses who don't give a damn about anyone but themselves, and are indifferent or blind to the rights of others.
Type 2 are those who are devoted to a Chaotic Neutral ideal, such as an anarchist or a libertarian, or perhaps something just plain bizarre. They are prepared to work within a group system in order to challenge an establishment system or further their cause, which can sometimes push them into Lawful Neutral territory if they become particularly devoted (or fanatical). In practice, this can be a very tricky Type to maintain without quickly devolving into some type of hypocrisy, as it is difficult if not impossible to change or abolish the system without infringing on somebody's rights or desires and it is very likely that a new Status Quo will emerge, or rather that the old one will stay in place as these causes are rarely very successful (at least in Real Life). At best this type works towards the overthrowing of a genuinely corrupt or oppressive system and replacing it with something better, but at worst they can be lead into The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized or end up supporting a cause that actually makes things worse. They may also hold Chaotic Neutral itself as an ideal, seeing it as their duty to stir things up and make things less boring.
A Type 3 is someone who rebels for the sake of rebelling, someone who is counter-culture just for the sake of it. As such, their beliefs tend to be shallow and they may find themselves in over their head, or be duped into The Man Is Sticking It To The Man. This sort tends to believe Cool People Rebel Against Authority, which conversely often makes them vulnerable to the influence of powerful personalities or particular fads that they believe no-one else is following. In effect, they have an issue or grudge against a particular authority practice or figure, or were simply aimless and adrift in their own lives, and use Chaotic Neutral as a cover to vent their frustrations or give themselves some direction. At best, this can be harmless or even lead to some beneficial Character Development, but at worst the character can fall under the sway of dangerous and evil people and perhaps become one themselves.
Type 4 are those who are overly cynical, and hold no allegiance to anyone and decide for themselves what is right or wrong, and whether or not they want to do anything about it. They are often the disillusioned types who once held onto an ideal or have lost their family or friends, and often belonged to a completely different alignment, but others were cynical from an early age, often (but not always) due to a bad childhood. They can be dragged into The Quest or bought for their services, and may battle the forces of evil if they come across them or they get in the way, but they lack conviction beyond basic self-interest, and if they still aspire to better themselves they are usually their own worst enemy. They are often loners, though they may have a handful of close family or friends, and tend to prize survival highly with wealth, luxury and power often being mainly (though not necessarily exclusively) a means of ensuring said-survival for good, assuming they are not self-destructive or suicidal. At their worst can be completely amoral and indifferent to other people getting hurt whether or not by their own hand, but they usually have the potential to still be good people.
Type 5: You don't have to be insane to be this alignment but it helps!! Literally insane, or close, these characters might actually behave like the Chaotic Stupid stereotype, or act by their own delusional logic that makes them unreliable, unpredictable and unstable. They are too caught up in their own little world or random whims to be either benevolent or malevolent. This can vary from a shallow joke character to deep characterisation, but the upshot in either case is that character's actions don't follow any sane logic. Just remember that the same does not apply to other kinds of Chaotic Neutral characters, nor does every insane character go here if they don't otherwise fit the description.

Lawful Evil: 1.
"Peace through tyranny."
— Megatron, Transformers

A Lawful Evil character is an evil character who either tries to impose or uphold a lawful system on others without regard for their wishes, and/or adheres to a particular code. They believe in order, but mostly because they believe it is the best way of realising their evil wishes, or they feel it is a realistic and necessary compromise or restraint on them. However, there is also the Knight Templar variant, who believes their rules actually make them the good guy — when they and their rules have in truth ended up at the lower end of the slippery slope to evil and tyranny.

Type 1 is those who believe in civic order, and are the villains who believe either in keeping order and control at all costs, or that it's much easier to become ruler of the world by exploiting the existing system than by tearing it down and starting anew. Maybe they like to rule with an iron fist, or publicly playing by rules gives them enough Good Publicity to get away with their evil schemes. If the villain is supreme ruler of their realm, then they are probably either Lawful Evil or The Caligula. Lawful Evil can be the most dangerous alignment because it represents intentional, methodical and frequently successful evil. More than likely megalomaniacal sorts out to "restore/maintain order" by — you guessed it — Taking Over The World.
Type 2 is a baddie with a code of honor (personal order) that prevents them from doing truly heinous things, or at least keeps them focused and disciplined. Often a form of Principles Zealot. This code of honor sometimes leads to the Type 2 conflicting with Type 1's when their values and codes conflict with those of main-stream society. This does not make them Chaotic. Types 2's do have a sense of order, just not the one that society at large possesses. If this is the case, expect the Type 2 to be a Byronic Hero or Übermensch. They typically value loyalty in their minions and possess Evil Virtues, and tend to be reliable allies in an Enemy Mine situation where alignments would fizzle out. The second type tends to either perform a Heel Face Turn or suffer death by redemption. The alternative is that they ultimately choose evil over this and cross the Moral Event Horizon. Note that these two types are not mutually exclusive.
Type 3 can be The Dragon in a Five-Bad Band or a minion of lower rank. Perhaps they lack the same pure drive that the Big Bad has, or maybe they're just not quite as smart, but they both do what they are told or do what they say that they are going to do, taking the most straightforward and efficient means of accomplishing the task they set out to do. They're a genuine threat, but they're not the real danger. If they're loyal to the Big Bad then they take orders without any problems, and they obey the Big Bad without any complaints. If the villains are going to be killed off, you can bet this guy is going to go down with the Big Bad. They are not The Starscream because of their loyalty to their boss, but they're just as mean in real life as they are at their job, so they're not a Punch Clock Villain either. Type 3 may work temporarily with The Hero if the Big Bad goes temporarily nuts, but this isn't a Heel Face Turn, as they will go straight back to their boss once it's all sorted out.
Type 4 is a common case of characters that simply hate freedom and will enslave people out of malice, or those who get their jollies from imposing ridiculously harsh rules with even more ridiculous consequences for breaking them. (Not totally arbitrary rules, though, that goes over to Chaotic.) Dystopia Justifies The Means can fall under this category and they use law and order principally as instruments of suffering and oppression for its own sake and not (just) that of power or running The Empire efficiently. They might keep up appearances of a Noble Demon but at best they will abuse the hell out of Exact Words and at their worst they will flat out lie and cheat in spite of it. Most Lawful Evil characters in Tabletop Game;Dungeons & Dragons are this type including Hextor, the iconic god of Lawful Evil. Darkseid is the classic example of this sort of villain and demonstrates just why it is the worst of the Lawful Evil types.

Neutral Evil: 2.
"For mine own good, all causes shall give way."
— Macbeth

One of the nine alignments from the best-known Character Alignment system. Sometimes known as the "Asshole Alignment" or "True Evil". Characters of this alignment fit neither end of the Law—Chaos axis, hence "Neutral", but they land at the morally worse end of the other, Good—Evil axis. Their methods vary; just as the Neutral Good character will ally with anybody to do what's right and nobody to do what's wrong, the Neutral Evil character will ally with anybody as long as it advances their own interests — and it is all about their own interests. These characters do not respect other people as people like themselves with feelings and needs; rather they are tools or obstacles inferior to the Neutral Evil, to be used for their advancement. Neutral Evil characters are intrinsically selfish people, regardless of whose side they are on, and as a Token Evil Teammate, they are the most likely to sell out to the bad guy.

Type 1 characters are amoral and commit evil for self-serving, but not necessarily malicious purposes. They tend to be in it for money and power but (generally) eschew motives like revenge or sadism, viewing them as barbaric or simply unprofessional, if they regard them at all; that does not mean they'll always, or ever, stop their bosses, partners or lackeys from indulging in such behavior, though, and they are usually prepared to Kick the Dog or perform Cold-Blooded Torture as a means to an end. Perhaps they are a Punch Clock Villain, or maybe they believe there is Better Living Through Evil, or perhaps they are Blessed with Suck and their talents happen to lend themselves to evil (like, say, a talent for professional hits). Essentially, this is anyone who would be a True Neutral if not for the lack of conscience or empathy, or their practice of putting either aside to further their own ends. A type 1 will either not understand the difference between right and wrong, or understand but choose wrong anyway, perhaps justifying it with Necessarily Evil, or perhaps simply not viewing the whole Good and Evil thing to be of any special importance in the first place. On the other end of the scale, this can ramp up to Scary Dogmatic Aliens or Eldritch Abominations and anyone else operating on Blue and Orange Morality or Above Good and Evil, but who are just culpable enough to still qualify as evil.
Type 2 characters, in contrast, are immoral and deliberately evil. Egotistical, selfish, malevolent and sadistic, they recognize the difference between right and wrong (at least superficially) and willfully and gleefully choose wrong- this does not make them Chaotic Evil, and they are generally better at hiding their behaviour under a facade of normalcy, even enjoying such a ruse and putting their interests ahead of their desires. For them, Evil Is Cool and feels good, and is the best, surest and probably the most fulfilling path to money and power, though they are much more likely than the other types to do things just For the Evulz. Some are made of Jerk Justifications and try to justify their actions with insincere What Is Evil? or Above Good and Evil arguments; many others are Card Carrying Villains who revel being the bad guy and will boast about all the horibble things they have done or plan to do.
Type 3 characters on the other hand are egomaniacal; they believe that they are the good, or even The Hero, and evil either doesn't exist or is whatever they don't like. These guys might recognize that the rest of the world has different ethical standards from them, but those standards are for lesser mortals and they will obey them only when it is convenient to do so. Often elitist and smug with a grandiose sense of entitlement and self-worth, they often think The Hero thwarts their plans out of jealousy, ignorance or spite and often fail to understand altruism or selfless behavior. They treat the bulk of humanity with indifference if not utter contempt, even if they regard themselves as a Well-Intentioned Extremist, believing themselves to be the center of the world, perhaps sharing it with a handful of semi-worthy competitors and everyone else exists to serve their needs or glorify them. Others don't care about the common person at all except as means to an end, while some are simply the Misanthrope Supreme and will shut themselves off from the trash that is mankind; or, worse, take a Kill Em All approach to Put Them All Out of My Misery. A Type 3 is fully capable of doing heinous or petty things For the Evulz and can be extremely sadistic and vindictive; they just won't consider such acts to be evil (at least, in general) because they feel they are entitled to do them.
Type 4 characters are devout- they are actually devoted to the cause of Evil (or similar sinister concept, eg. the Dark Side, Crime, Death etc.) and seek to spread it wherever they go. A Type 4 serves the resident God of Evil, seeks to open the Sealed Evil in a Can, or is the most fervent and sincere follower of the Religion of Evil, as well as actively opposing the forces of Good and going out of their way to do so. Others are more philosophical or political and advocate destructive, bigoted or Straw Nihilist creeds. The nuttiest of this type even believe Good is Bad and Bad is Good and think that normal or heroic characters are the true villains while applying Insane Troll Logic to demostrate that the "villains" are actually good. In spite of this servile approach, most are just as selfcentred and egotistical as any other Neutral Evil type; this often manifests in the real or delusional belief that they are "special"- perhaps The Chosen One, the Dark Messiah or even The Antichrist-, and they might view other followers as useful pawns or hated rivals. Some simply become addicted to Black Magic or assign religious meaning to torture and death; others are more mission orientated and come to serve as agents of dark powers or simply try to spread as much misery or death as possible. Though sometimes portrayed as cartooshily evil, the most serious of this type make very dangerous villains, as they truly do Evil for its own sake, and not (just) evil for the sake of themselves.

Chaotic Evil: 3.
"Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos."
— The Joker, The Dark Knight

One of the nine alignments from the best-known Character Alignment system. If Chaotic Neutral is the truly free spirit, Chaotic Evil is the truly free evil spirit. Whereas the Chaotic Neutral character is concerned mainly with his own freedom but doesn't seek to hurt others, the same cannot be said for a Chaotic Evil character. They will do whatever they want whenever they want to do it, which, seeing as they are evil, usually entails lots and lots of death and destruction. These characters are usually the most aggressive of the Evil alignments, more often than not being possessed of an impulsively violent nature and a total disregard for people, laws, or even the world around them. In short, Chaotic Evil represents the destruction of not only life and goodness, but also the order upon which they depend.

Type 1 places more emphasis on Chaotic than Evil, believing that their own freedom is the most important thing. They're far from being a noble person (they're still Evil after all), but they value the ability to commit acts of evil over actually committing them. As a result, this type of character can actually side with the forces of Good in the fight for freedom. Don't turn your back though, because this also means that two seconds from now their idea of freedom may change and they'll become your worst enemy. Given a lot of patience, a crapload of love, a sprinkling of luck, and a great big stick, a Type 1 may gradually reform into Chaotic Neutral or even Chaotic Good, but don't hold your breath.
Type 2 is the exact opposite. They are so Evil that they would rather side with the bad guys even if they're the ones in charge. They place more value in unleashing fiery death and mayhem over the ability to do it at any time, so they take orders grudgingly but take them nonetheless. This type of Chaotic Evil makes for a particularly unpleasant brand of Mook, given that they don't care about collateral damage (in fact they deliberately seek it) or killing any fellow Mooks unfortunate enough to get in their way (which makes it even more fun for them). If the Big Bad handles his great big stick skillfully enough, a Type 2 may become Neutral Evil or even Lawful Evil simply out of habit. If, on the other hand, they are the Big Bad, expect them to go out of their way to violate any sense of honour, traditon, loyalty, or responsibility normally associated with the leadership position, such as betraying their own Mooks purely For the Evulz.
Type 3 is very much feral in nature. They typically have an above average degree of intelligence, but luckily for everyone else they tend to be more about freedom than evil. They believe that you're either a predator or prey for another predator, so to them the only thing that matters is having the strength to take what you want. God help anyone who comes across a Type 3 and are viewed as prey, since to them weakness is unforgivable. Similar to Type 2, a clever enough Big Bad will be able to manipulate this character to their own benefit, providing they completely dominate the Chaotic Evil character in both power and intelligence. Their guard must be kept up constantly though, as the moment the Type 3 sees an opportunity to take down the Big Bad they will take it.
Type 4 is a fair balance between Types 1 and 2. They love doing evil as much as they love their freedom, and they have just enough self-control to construct a plan that involves doing both at once. They are traditionally batshit insane with a complete Lack of Empathy (think The Joker). This type is arguably the most dangerous of them all, as they don't care who they destroy or how they destroy them; the fact that they can be destroyed is enough. As a result, this character is usually the one that opposing sides in a conflict will work together to defeat, as a Type 4 is undoubtedly a much worse foe than the one(s) they currently have. This type is often where you'll find the typical Omnicidal Maniac that's in this alignment, and if they also happen to be a Chessmaster then you're pretty likely screwed.
Type 5 is a Well-Intentioned Extremist who saw (or a Knight Templar who sees) himself as Chaotic Good (Just Like Robin Hood) but slowly passed over to the evil alignment, often without being consciously aware of it. You know what they say about slippery slopes.

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