First, responding to lethal force in self defense is never an evil act. I have the right to say that my life is worth more than the retribution of a king and to support that opinion with whatever force is necessary to survive the guards' disagreement with that position.<br/>Second, I'm a changeling. Unless True Seeing is a lot more plentiful than it should be, I don't have a problem blending in.<br/>Third, I'm a beguiler. I have a nonlethal version of Harm. And that's just the start. It is actually less practical for me to use lethal force than to avoid it.<br/><br/><br/>Much as I have come to loathe the franchise, Palpatine was the very soul of Lawful Evil. He held strictly to a personal code of ethical behavior, he worked within the bounds of existing law to gain power, and he was generally faithful and forthright with<em>his minions</em>. He held the galaxy together for a few decades by the loyalty of his generals and governors to him, personally. That doesn't happen when you get a reputation for betraying everyone and everything. Vader on the other hand is closer to Neutral with a touch of Chaotic; he has no loyalty from anyone because he is more than willing to kill anyone who even remotely displeases him, regardless of their history of success that brought them to his position in the process. Compare to Mith'raw'nuruodo, particularly his treatment of tractor beam operators in Heir to the Empire and The Last Command.<br/><br/>On to a less distasteful subject. Thievery in its essence is the rejection of the cultural concept of ownership. In a vacuum lacking causal relationships, it is a chaotic act. And, I should point out, ignoring the responsibility of consequences is also inherently chaotic. But things are rarely so cut and dry, and good vs evil demands an examination of consequences. Stealing a loaf of bread from a rich man's house is so petty an incident that it barely deserves mentioning. Stealing the same loaf from an orphanage is worth a few days in the stocks so the people can throw rotten food at you.<br/><br/>On the subject of this gift of treasure the king doesn't entirely realize he's given us, while shoving it in an extra-dimensional space and saying the dragon ate it has some laff appeal, practical thievery requires a more discerning eye. Without a fence lined up, heraldric crests, heirlooms, and anything else like that is off limits. We're looking for bars and coins, loose gems, maybe a few pieces of jewelry that are fairly generic, and those we want to part out quickly just to be safe. Generally speaking I prefer cons to outright swindles because with a good con, the mark thinks he lost his wealth fairly or not at all until it's too late.