The Alignments - Final Thoughts

After 3 weeks, 9 alignments and several hours of writing we've finally come to a close on the alignments series. Now before you go FULL DREDD on your party next time you play D&D, or any other tabletop RPG. Here's some final thoughts on the alignment system and its practicality.

Current state (5th edition Dungeons & Dragons)

As of last year, Wizards of the Coast released the latest edition of Dungeons and Dragons, and the way alignments work has changed dramatically. Before, your  characters alignment was an integral art of how you played him or her. It used to be impossible to make a Paladin that wasn't Lawful Good, or a Sorcerer that wasn't chaotic.

As it stands the current way alignment works is only seen as a vague guideline that doesn't even define your characters. They are now defined by their background and how they act upon their bonds, quirks, personality traits, and flaws. What this means is that if you give your character a well thought out background, then THAT is what will define him.

It basically means that Chaotic Good Half-orcs can now be Paladins.

Gul'Thak kill puny man... FOR JUSTICE!!!

Neat huh?

But let's try to look a bit further from what the books say about alignment.

Alignment as guidelines for NPCs

As a Dungeon Master, it is my personal opinion that ditching the concept of Alignment in characters is not really necessary. Player characters may not have any real use for this system anymore. But NPCs can be a lot more flat in terms of character development. It helps define the way they will act during the story arc that you are narrating to your friends.

You can use the alignment system and the titles we gave them in the last three weeks, to create compelling and well defined archetypes for the NPCs in your campaigns. Do you need a Villain that is pure Evil? Go Neutral Evil (The Villain). Do you need an NPC that will serve as an instigator and a revolutionary leader that will ask for the party's assistance? Chaotic good may be the choice for your dashing Robin Hood-type rogue.

Needless to say, keeping these alignments in mind when narrating or playing out the characters in your story will make it a lot easier for you when faced with the question "How would this character react to what the players are doing?" That is not to say that your NPCs should always be flat characters that never go through any type of character development. Any believable villain or hero has its own motivations and background as well. however when you think about them as characters whose morals are aligned to one of the 9 alignments, then it becomes easier for you to narrate and present them.

Also, it sort of gives you a tool to avoid voicing all of your characters the same way. When Bob the innkeeper sounds and talks in the exact same way than Robert the fighter, and Robbie Lightfoot the halfling rogue... then you might want to start thinking a bit more about the NPCs you present in your games. The alignment table could help you to think about the different motivations all your NPCs could have before running your game, and thus making it easier to differentiate each character from each other.

Alignment as guidelines for Player characters:

Player characters are the main protagonists of your story. As such, their personality (and maybe even their moral code) should go through some kind of development as the story develops. A Lawful Neutral "Judge" may start as a hard ass, black and white judgmental type with a stick up his ass.Then, after going through some dramatic story arcs, he realizes that sometimes the law does not cover every single possibility out there. He finally learns to see the good intentions behind the more chaotic members of his party, and learns to make exceptions to the rule and look the other way when the law just doesn't make much sense.

Instead of seeing the alignments as straight jackets that put your character in a cage, try to see them as starting points. Your background choices, and your personal history as an adventurer made you take some decisions that took you down the path of Chaotic goodness, but maybe through the experiences you go through while adventuring, you end up as Neutral Good, because you realize that Chaos can sometimes hurt more people than it helps.

To this effect I think the background system of 5th Edition D&D is perfectly suited to tell your character's story in a way that is easy to present and easy to understand as well. The backgrounds could be generated randomly by using the tables in the Player's Handbook, but they could also be created on your own. This means that you can ALSO modify your bonds, flaws and personal traits as your story progresses, with your DM's permission of course. 

Sure, it's fun to play as Bob the fighter and simply hit problem X with your B.A. Sword until X is not a problem anymore, but you're playing a Role Playing Game.  This means your role as an adventurer can be SO MUCH MORE than just a "tank" or "Damage dealer". You can be an iconic character within your adventure's setting, setting an example for all adventurers that come after you (they will probably be played by you as well... cool huh?)

Batman v Superman Spoilers: They end up as BFFs. FOREVAH

So I'd like to close off the alignment series by asking you: If you're a player, what alignment will YOU be starting off as next time you play an RPG?

And if you're a DM: What type of NPC alignment is easier for you to narrate? 

(you can answer both if you want)

Thanks for reading!

The Joker - Chaotic evil

(As Nightwing pummels him) "Aw... Jeez... I hit Jason a lot harder than that. (Pause) His name was Jason, right?"

I'll be really honest with you guys. As cliché and mainstream as it may sound. To me there is only one way to describe a Chaotic Evil character. And that is doing it with the Joker in mind. 

Now… let's put a smile on that face.

Chaotic Evil is the type of dude you never want to give his morning coffee, because once he gets some energy and determination in him he will burn everything. EVERYTHING. Or he might just as well go on with his life and do nothing. These characters are the most unpredictable bad guys ever. If Lawful Evil is scary because of the way they can order regular people to do evil stuff, and Neutral Evil is scary and dangerous because their one single purpose is doing evil upon others... then Chaotic Evil is Scary and dangerous because you KNOW he wants to kill you, you just don't know how or when he's going to do it. The unpredictability of chaos added to the vile cruelty of Evil make one of the most unique types of villains in roleplaying settings, comics, tv series, movies, literature, you name it.

Unpredictability is pretty much the defining word here. Just as Chaotic Neutral is all about his own freedom, Chaotic Evil is all about his freedom to do Evil unto others. And forget about laws and morals and personal codes of conduct. These guys have none. Even when they say they have a code or a "way of doing things" they will drop their Modus Operandi in a second if it means doing what they really want to do.

Want an example? Here you go:

The dude has PRINCIPLES, he ONLY kills when it's funny! The problem with that is that his sense of humor is as sadistic and chaotic as it gets. So that kid has all the right to be scared shitless.

Here's the textbook definition:

A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are poorly organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him.

Chaotic evil is sometimes called "demonic" because demons are the epitome of chaotic evil.

Chaotic evil beings believe their alignment is the best because it combines self-interest and pure freedom.

Chaotic evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents the destruction not only of beauty and life but also of the order on which beauty and life depend.

So without any further ado, here's the final piece in the chart. 2 years ago I was absolutely sure the Joker was going to be in here, and none of the other alignment examples were as clear to me as his... ok, maybe Dredd... that's the only other one that had his spot guaranteed.

HAHAHAHAHAhaHAhaHAhaHaHahAHahHaaHhaHahhaHahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA

Leto, you better nut up for this role sir... or else no one is ever going to let you hear the end of it. 

Ok, now... since I did just flat out told you who was my choice for Chaotic Evil for this post. Here are some OTHER also chaotic evil characters from film, animation, video games and such.

Majora - The Entity from The legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. This one needs no explanation. Suffice to say that this thing makes Ganondorf look nice.

Ramsay Bolton, from Game of thrones. This sick fucker likes flaying people alive, he loves rape, he loves murder, and excels at torturing people. Fucking. Evil

The Lich from Adventure time, whose sole goal is the destruction of ALL LIFE. He is also a Supernatural undead force, created from Nuclear waste. Can it get more Chaotic Evil than that? hmmm well..

"HeeeehehehehehehehHEHEHEHEHEHEHEhehehehhehehehehHEHEHEEHEH"

Kid Buu - Dragonball Z

And hey... you know the thing about Chaos?

It's FAIR

Thanks for reading

The Villain - Neutral Evil

"For mine own good, all causes shall give way."

Ever met an asshole in your life?

You probably have.

Today's alignment post is all about assholes and the way they see the world.

Neutral Evil is one of the most defined types of evil. I could summarize it by saying that as long as he gets his way, a Neutral Evil character will do anything as long as he can reach his goals. If that means following or breaking the law, then so be it. He will align with anyone, good, bad, tall, short, young, old, anyone who may help him further his own goals; and in the end, he will probably kill everyone who helped him get there if necessary.

These are not nice people. They don't care about anyone but themselves and they will remind you of that at every turn. As a matter of fact, if you've watched any type of cartoon there's a chance most bad guys were of this alignment.

"Next time Gadget... NEXT TIME!!!"
Dr. Claw - Inspector Gadget

"Curse you, He-Man. Some day I'll have the power to destroy you. Some day!"
Skeletor - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Robin: [wondering what Slade's motives were for helping Trigon take over the world] So, why did you do it? For money? Status? Those dark powers?

Slade: Not everything is so... cut-and-dry, Robin.

Robin: Selling out our world for your own personal gain seems pretty cut-and-dry to me.

Slade: With or without me, there was no stopping this.

Robin: But you played a part; And just like everything else you've ever done, it's made people suffer.

Slade: It's what I do best.

Slade - Teen Titans

Now, just as with Neutral Good, Neutral Evil is different from Chaotic Evil because they will respect law, order, and morals as long as it doesn't get in their way. Chaotic Evil, on the other hand, will burn everything and everyone including their (own) grandma on a whim. It's all about principles see?

They are Bad, ok? Evil, pure and simple. Lawful Evil and Chaotic Evil are simply two different interchangeable states of evil. Neutral Evil is PURE UNADULTERATED EVIL.

Here's the textbook definitions:

Neutral Evil can be the most dangerous alignment because such characters are willing to step on, betray, take advantage of, hurt, and kill other people to reach their goals and get what they want. The Neutral Evil have no difficulty working with others so long as their own needs are met. However, they also have no difficulty betraying former companions if there is some gain in doing so. They are also extremely susceptible to bribes.

Now, the quote at the beginning was from Macbeth... so here comes the chart:

YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE ABOUT TO SEE MACBETH BUT INSTEAD IT IS I... DIO!!

Zeppeli: "How many lives have you sucked in order to heal those wounds?"

Dio: "Do you remember how many breads you have eaten in your life?"

Oh man... THIS FUCKING GUY... if you look up "Unadulterated EVIL" on google, you get this picture in your search results:

Go watch the anime... just... go

In the first chapter of JoJo's Bizarre adventure - The Animation. Jojo, the protagonist, meets Dio, and after a quick exchange of words, Dio meets Danny, Jojo's dog. What does he do? KICKS DANNY IN THE FACE! WHAT THE HECK DIO! then later on he just goes and burns the dog alive. He does this and a whole bunch of other horrible shit just to make sure that Jojo is brought to his knees and taught a lesson about Dio's greatness. And the dude is still like 13 years old. If you still don't get he's the bad guy of the series after the first episode, then you need to go get yourself checked.

Ugh... he does know how to strike a pose though...

Thanks for reading

The Tyrant - Lawful Evil

“Some battles are won with swords and spears, others with quills and ravens.”


And now, for the more... unsavory... part of the alignment chart. 

Evil...

Lawful Evil. The Alignment that makes us all crawl with unease for the fact that it is so easy to be LED by one of these characters. Sometimes you see what they do, and you can't help but sympathize with their ways. They are cruel, tyrannical, Dictatorial, and yet somehow their way works. Because they follow an order, they follow rules and they keep chaos and Anarchy at bay.

The problem with that, is that they usually end up hurting others to get their way, they tend to have a total disregard for the suffering of others, and will do anything that is necessary, and within their moral code, to achieve success. 

These characters make for some of the best villains in any story. Mainly because they are Evil because they see it as a necessity. It's not unusual to read a book, or watch a tv-series and feel in a way charmed by a character who does HORRIBLE things, but still has a certain charm and well educated demeanor that keeps you wanting to see more of him or her.

Let's take a look at what most Rulebooks say about Lawful Evil, and their particular way of "Following a code".

Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled villains.

Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with a zeal like that of a crusader committed to good. Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take pleasure in spreading evil as an end unto itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to an evil deity or master.

Lawful evil creatures consider their alignment to be the best because it combines honor with a dedicated self-interest. Lawful evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents methodical, intentional, and frequently successful evil.

Frequently successful evil... scared yet? no? 

Let's look at the chart.

And so he spoke... and so he spoke...

“Joffrey, when your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you. 

Tywinn Lannister - A Storm of Swords

Lord Tywinn Lannister, Hand of the King, Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, Savior of the City and Protector of the Realm. Tywinn follows a very strict code where he puts his family's name in fron of everything. Lannisters must rule, no matter what. He sticks to protocol whenever it is needed, and was smart enough to manipulate the Freys into killing Robb Stark. He pretty much had Westeros all for himself until Tyrion put a bolt in his gut.

But he was like-able wasn't he?

I'll leave you with a final thought.

The real danger in a Lawful Evil character is not how evil they are ... but their ability to have others do evil for him. A study in the 1960s by Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram seeked to find exactly how much harm a regular person could inflict upon another one after being ordered to do so by a person in a position of perceived authority. Here's the Crash course psychology video that explains the experiment and the results thereof.

Scared yet?

Thanks for reading...

The lawless benefactor - Chaotic Good

- You know something Robin I was just wonderin'... Are we good guys or bad guys? You know... I mean... our robbin' the rich to feed the poor...

- ROB?!? tsk tsk tsk that's a naughty word. We NEVER rob! We just... sort of borrow a bit from those who can afford it!

- Borrow? heh... boy are we in debt

Chaotic Good. The hero of the people, who opposes the law because laws are meant to be broken, tied to a horse, dragged around the streets naked, and then burnt while the newly freed people celebrate their hero.

Chaotic Good is another one of those alignments that come up very often in a Roleplaying game, mostly because it's easier to roleplay someone who does not follow the rules. A true Chaotic Good character is not as simple as that though. From my point of view a Chaotic good character is very likely to turn Chaotic Evil, even more so than a Chaotic Neutral character. Crazy huh? Let me elaborate on that.

A chaotic Good character will go out of his way to denounce and fight the inequities imposed by society and its laws. Why should there be kings that live in opulence when their people are starving? Why do people starve when there's more than enough food for everyone? Why am I threatened with jail time when all I've done is denounce the corruption of the state publicly with my opinion? Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so there should be no absolute power! Freedom is the right of all sentient beings! Let's take away from the rich and give to the poor! All these statements resonate very well with the Chaotic Good alignment. And each and everyone of them could lead down a very dangerous path, in which the line between good and evil is no longer clear, and the heroes become the villains by doing what they think is right, but ends up hurting more people than helping them. 

These characters usually have a hard time dealing with the aftermath of their revolutionary actions. Once the evil tyrant is gone, who's left to lead the people? you? Of course not, you don't believe in order. You believe in freedom and in doing everything you want to do regardless of what the world thinks of you. So why would you replace an Evil Tyrant's government system with another one that limits the freedom of the people you just saved?

See? not so simple if you think about it!

Not everything needs to be 1500 shades of grey though. So let's look at the positive side of this alignment

Chaotic Good characters have good intentions, possibly the best intentions, They are quite possibly the best type of heroes, since they act quickly and are very emphatic with the ones they want to save.

Here's the textbook definition of Chaotic Good:

A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.

Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it combines a good heart with a free spirit.

Chaotic good can be a dangerous alignment when it disrupts the order of society and punishes those who do well for themselves.

So that quote at the beginning should make it pretty obvious who we're going to add to the chart, right?

Drumroll...

PLOOOOT TWIST!!!

PFFFTTT!!! YOU THOUGHT I'D KEEP USING THE SAME TYPE OF TEASER/REVEAL ON EVERY POST!!! HAH!!! CHAOTIC GOODNESS DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR RULES!!!

ROW ROW, FIGHT THA POWAH!!

Simon: Force your way down a path YOU choose to take, and do it all yourself! That's the way Team Dai-Gurren rolls!

Nia: Even when trapped by karma's cycle...

Yoko: The dreams we left behind will open the door!

Leeron: Even if the universe stands against us...

Viral: Our burning blood will cut through fate!

Simon: We'll break through heavens and the dimensions!

All: And defy all who would stop us to grab hold of our path!

Simon: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann!

All: JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!

— Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Fun fact: Kamina (The dude with the awesome cape) is Chaotic Good BIG TIME.

TEAM DAI GURREN!!! AAAAAWWWW YYYEEEAAAAAAHHH!!!! ROW ROW FIGHT THA POWAH!!!

These guys are Chaotic Good to the core. If you haven't seen this anime I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading

The Hero - Neutral Good

The Hero - Neutral Good

*Notes from the Present: After writing the entry for Lawful Good, I started working on Neutral Good, but then life happened, and I lost interest in the project. What follows is completely new material, fresh out the oven. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and doing research for it.

"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

Neutral Good, the alignment that most, if not all, of the heroes we know from comic books, tv-shows and mainstream media tend to fall on. What is Neutral Good in a nutshell? Well simply put: whoever chooses to do good deeds, aid those who can’t fend for themselves, and at the same time does not fully associate himself with the law. He does good because it’s the right thing to do.

The man who stole the loaf of bread a couple of posts ago was going through some hard times. A Neutral Good character would have more than likely gone out of his way to buy a loaf of bread and give it to the man before he committed the crime. They do not care who needs help, he or she will help regardless of whether it’s done because it is dictated by society's morals or ethics or even the laws themselves.

Here’s what most player handbooks say about this alignment:

Neutral Good can be the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. Neutral Good characters value freedom and will protect others' freedom as long as it's not used to do harm.

Understandably, this alignment can be confused a lot with Chaotic Good, but a good way to set the two of them apart is remembering that Neutral good is a lot more practical and a lot more moderate than Chaotic Good. Although both are led by a more internal code of morality, rather than an external code or set of morals, Neutral good tends to stick to the safe and practical side of "doing good deeds".

Simply put: If the Neutral Good character lives in a society where the laws allow or help him to do what he believes is good. Then he will abide by the law. However, if the laws impede them to do what they internally find to be good, they will find no problem in breaking those laws. Only… you know… not as extremely as Chaotic Good, who would not only save the children. They would also go and burn the churches, kill the priests, hack the planet, boom.

And here you see one of the problems with Alignments. When you need to define what is good and what is evil. Maybe your morals dictate that something that is good for someone else, is actually very twisted and evil for you. What is good? what is bad? what is love? baby don't hurt me... don't hurt me... no more...

SO! Who would be a good example? One who Serves kings and magistrates but is not beholden to them, right?

Dumroll…

He levels up by killing a Balrog in a 1v1 fight... also kind of a dick move since he shared NONE of the xp...

GANDALF!

He does not stop to think about the laws of men, Hobbits, Elves or Orcs when doing his duty as one of the Istari. He travels middle earth doing good, even though his definition of good clashes with others like Denethor, Théoden or Boromir. Who, let’s face it, were ALL doing what was good by their own set of morals. Here’s Gandalf at his finest: with the most ominous quote from the book and the movies.

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many - yours not least.” 

Gandalf – The Fellowship of the Ring

If you google "Meaning of foreshadowing", you find that quote.

Thanks for reading! What do you think? Did I get it right? Was I HORRIBLY off-point in this one? leave a comment and tell me what you think!

The Paladin - Lawful Good

“He could have tried. He could have died. Old or young, a true knight is sworn to protect those who are weaker than himself, or die in the attempt.”

Again… remember that quote for me ok? ;)

 Lawful good… I took my sweet time to write this because of several reasons. One: I wasn’t sure which side of the chart I was going to cover after “Neutral”. Two: I don’t like to play LG. Three: since I don’t like to play it… research was needed for this one. Four: I wanted a true example of LG to fill the chart, but I also wanted to have a woman as the example. Let’s face it, out of the whole hero population; Lawful good female heroes are about 15% of it. But I found her, and it’s funny because she was right under my nose. And thanks to that we don’t have a sausage-fest in the chart anymore (I know… Treebeard is a tree, but his voice is manly, so there) (Notes from the future: A wood joke... there was a wood joke here, and I missed it... DAMN IT me from the past... DAMN IT)

A Lawful good character lives by a code, a strong set of rules that define his actions. He or she also believes that these rules exist to help those in need. To protect the weak and uphold justice, honor and morality, while also being humane and kind to those who need it, and ruthless to those who would violate the law and do evil upon his fellow man/woman.

 Now, how do we avoid becoming “that paladin” who instead of Lawful Good just seems to be “Lawful Stupid”?

The one that will throw the party’s rogue into the hands of the authorities because he picked some noble’s pocket to get the key they needed to save the slaves.

The one that will throw a sermon every single time anyone breaks the law, ANY LAW, at anytime, anywhere, and even go as far to act as Judge, Jury, and Executioner on the spot (Sound familiar? This is how Lawful Neutral USED to be played in the old days… thankfully it’s been rewritten)

The one that decides he needs to convince every single NPC of how good his deity is, to the point where it’s impossible to start an adventure without some kind of conflict of ideas between him and the quest giver.

Ugh… yeah… that one

Basically we need to keep this in mind: Characters of this alignment believe that an orderly, strong society with a well-organized government can work to make life better for the majority of the people. To ensure the quality of life, laws must be created and obeyed. When people respect the laws and try to help one another, society as a whole prospers. These characters strive for those things that will bring the greatest benefit to the most people and cause the least harm.

 Keywords for Lawful Good:  Honor, Tradition, Justice, Fairness, and the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few.

 So… who’s going up on the Lawful Good bracket on our chart? The same person who said those words at the beginning of this post…

 *Drumroll*

 

Coming very soon to a theater near you wearing Chrome Plated armor and an assault rifle...

Brienne of Tarth!

Simply put: Brienne is a Knight in Shining Armor who is willing to risk life and limb to fulfill an oath she has taken or to protect innocent people, despite the fact that she lives in a Crapsack World dominated by dishonorable or even outright evil men and gets little respect or glory for it.

Remember that scene in the Game of Thrones tv-series where she faces a road bandit who has just threatened to rape her just as he did rape a woman he left hanging from a noose on a tree… and after beating him in a sword fight she shoves her sword straight up his rectum?

That… my friends… means Lawful good does not necessarily mean “Lawful Nice”.

*shudder*

*Notes from the future: 
As I mentioned before, this article is a bit dated, since Lawful goodness is no longer directly related to Paladinhood. Personally I like it a lot more the way it is now. An alignment should not be a straightjacket for character development. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

The free spirit - Chaotic Neutral

The free spirit - Chaotic Neutral

“Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. ”

Remember that quote ;)

Ah… Chaotic Neutral. Have you ever had a party in which EVERYONE started out with Chaotic Neutral characters? Yes? I don’t think anyone who’s played 3rd Edition DnD could say No to that question.

Chaotic Neutral means you’re absolutely free from the dictates of Law and tradition, while also never defining yourself as good or evil. This alignment looks very attractive to any new players who are unsure what to choose for their alignment. And honestly, who can blame them? This is what the Player’s Handbook says: 

“Chaotic neutral is the best alignment you can be because it represents true freedom from both society’s restrictions and a do-gooder’s zeal.”

Who wouldn’t want that??

And I won’t blame you for wanting to play this alignment after you finish Reading this post. The real problem with playing a TRULY Chaotic Neutral character in an adventuring party is that CN characters are not the best team players. They follow their whims. They are individualists first and last. Their freedom (THEIR freedom) is the most important thing and will always be their driving force. I have ONE player in my party who is chaotic neutral and plays it PERFECTLY (Kike, if you’re reading this, I’m just gonna say this: either you’re gonna get us all killed, or you’re going to make US kill you. Keep it up buddy :D) 

(Notes from the future: Surprise surprise, he didn't kill us, but we were very close to killing him, several times XD)

Disorder, chaos, anarchy, freedom. Those are the key words behind a Chaotic Neutral character.

Now for the chart! Remember the quote at the beginning? if you recognized who says that then you already know The poster-boy for Chaotic Neutral is…

Drumroll…

Take all you can, give nothin' back

Captain Jack Sparrow!

Seriously, I could have titled this post: Captain Jack Sparrow - Chaotic Neutral, and then write a bunch of Pirates of the Caribbean quotes…

Like this one: 

Elizabeth: Whose side is Jack on?

Will Turner: At the moment?

Or this one:

Jack Sparrow: [Wakes up and sees Elizabeth burning the rum] No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You burned all the food, the shade… the rum.

Elizabeth: Yes, the rum is gone.

Jack Sparrow: Why is the rum gone?

Elizabeth: One: because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two: that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me. Do you really think there is even the slightest chance they won’t see it?

Jack Sparrow: But why is the rum gone?

And most importantly… this one:

Jack Sparrow: I love this song. Really bad eggs. Ooh.

[falls]

Jack Sparrow: When I get the Pearl back, I’m gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we’ll sing it all the time.

Elizabeth: And you’ll be positively the most fearsome pirates in the Spanish Main.

Jack Sparrow: Not just the Spanish Main, love. The entire ocean. The entire wo'ld. Wherever we want to go, we’ll go. That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs but what a ship is… what the Black Pearl really is… is freedom.

Sea Turtles mates… Sea Turtles.