| abstract
| - More than a few people have recognized the Fridge Logic in the behavior of the average Lawful Stupid character. After all, smiting someone merely because your magic radar told you he was evil seems more sociopathic than heroic to most. In order to avoid this however, some people take things too far to the other side; resulting in The Messiah taken to its illogical extreme. In short, the Stupid Good character is "good" to the point of being unable to comprehend that someone else might be bad. As such, she's a Friend to All Living Things, unliving things, and things that ought not live. In short: good, but in a bad way. This often extends to such utter pacifism that they refuse to kill, attack, or even defend themselves from anything. While most people would flee when faced with a foe which cannot be reasoned with, this person will attempt to talk down the enemy even as they're charging with swords drawn, howling for their heads. This is the kind of person who would attempt to convince the devil himself that his evil crusade is wrong and that he and his good counterpart should resolve their differences with a kind word and a handshake. It is difficult, if not impossible to reason with hardened criminals or terrorists of any sort, both in reality and in fantasy. It gets even more ridiculous when one tries negotiating with entities whose goals include the destruction/domination of the world, or pure manifestations of evil. Yet the Stupid Good character attempts to convert the Complete Monster to the side of good using The Power of Friendship anyway -- cue everyone complaining when the predictable bloodbath ensues. The other players often see this kind of character as a nuisance, especially when they just want to crack some heads and she won't let them because she doesn't want to make orphans of the "cute little baby orcs". Such a player may be bringing too much of a rigid stance into an action-adventure series where creatures can be Always Chaotic Evil, and thus may be ruining the other players' fun. They don't want to have a huge moral quandary on their hands every time enemies attack. In some settings however, Stupid Good behavior may actually work -- though these settings also tend to be so high on the idealistic end of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism that they crap sunshine and puke rainbows. The Purity Sue also has a tendency to convert any villain -- no matter how loathsome -- to the side of Light. Suffice to say, this isn't really the intended way to play a paladin either (though the Book of Exalted Deeds did provide vows of non-violence for those who wanted to play a pacifist character). The Book of Exalted Deeds didn't provide so much advice for these players (indeed, they left a paladin to choose between "destroying evil and honoring love" when said love was between two Always Chaotic Evil succubi), but they did indicate a good character could ask "How big is that dragon, and does it have any friends?" with an eye towards knowing if they stand a chance at all. Guess Wizards of the Coast thought it was more important to avoid being Miko Miyazaki than it was to avoid being Piffany. If becoming good results in Stupid Good, see Hero Ball. Despite the implications, not actually related to Dumb Is Good, which is where a lack of intelligence means a person is innately inclined to be good, as opposed to taking Good to such extremes as to act in a stupid manner (so this is more along the lines of Good Is Dumb). Examples of Stupid Good include:
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