Alignment

Alignment is a game mechanic that has been around in Dungeons & Dragons since its first incarnation. The alignments are measured on two scales:

Lawful --- Neutral --- Chaotic
Good --- Neutral --- Evil

This produces nine possible alignments:

Lawful Good --- Neutral Good --- Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral --- True Neutral --- Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil -- Neutral Evil --- Chaotic Evil

It is worth noting that "Lawful" tendencies may be better described as "Orderly" tendencies. A lawfully aligned character does not simply 'follow the law' in an area, though that is a common habit of such characters.

In relation to Planescape, these alignments are both more important and less important.

The Outer Planes (The Great Wheel) are reflections of the alignments and shades of their meanings. In Planescape, your alignment will affect which planes you are comfortable on, and which one your Petitioner will go to after your death. Most savvy planewalkers will know their own alignments.

However, the importance of alignment in gameplay and character interaction may be strongly reduced by the emphasis in Planescape on belief. Philosophical beliefs often make for unusual bed-fellows in Planescape.