How would you roleplay a LE?

[LurkerInPlayground]

An example of a lawful evil character would be in the Jade Empire video game. Sagacious Zu would be defined lawful evil. He's a firm believer in personal strength. The strong *should* rule the weak. It's simply the natural order.

However he does not approve of the current Emperor's regime. This is partially because the current powers uses a secret police to target every voice of dissent and criticism. He views this as a weakness in itself because it shows an incompetence in administrative strategy and also a personal insecurity and arrogance. Even worse, the Emperor is playing god, which is clearly goes against the mandate of the Heavens.

Of course, Zu has no compunctions killing people he considers to be "honorless dogs." These include such notables as corrupt lords and bandits. They deserve death simply because their personal incompetence and weak character usually translates into problems for other people. The personal strength of a person redeems itself by the consequences of the actions taken by that individual.