Neutral Good

Part of the Alignment Rules

## Neutral Good Definition

***A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Joznan, cleric who helps others according to their needs is neutral good. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order.***

## ‘Neutral’ and ‘Good’

There are two main aspects to the Neutral Good alignment – ‘Neutral’ and ‘Good’. The ‘Neutral’ aspect refers to the perspective Neutral Good characters have on how society should be structured. The ‘Good’ aspect of the alignment describes that character’s morals.

### Neutral

‘Neutral’ sits between the ethical extremes of Lawful and Chaotic. Lawful characters believe society functions most effectively with rules and order, while Chaotic characters believe that order restricts individual freedoms.

Neutral characters do not feel compelled to follow every rule and societal belief, nor do they feel the need to ignore or rebel against societal order. A Neutral character follows the rules that align with their own goals, that are convenient to them, or they think are necessary.

Neutral characters will usually follow the rules because they generally lead to a better outcome for them. However, they can break the rules if they believe the benefits to them outweigh the risks.

Characters with a Neutral alignment may see themselves as superior to Lawful and Chaotic aligned characters because in not taking sides, they are the only alignment with true freedom to decide.

### Good

Good characters care about others and act in ways that help and benefit them. They protect the innocent, defend the weak, and go out of their way to help other people.

## Neutral Good

Neutral Good characters do their best to help others, but they do it because they want to, not because they have been told to by a person in authority or by society’s laws. They are governed and led by their own conscience. They are generally your regular ‘good’ person.

Neutral Good characters are in the middle of the ethical axis because they believe that some rules and order are useful in society to a point, but only when individuals are still generally free to do what they want on a daily basis. They are aware that too much order can restrict people’s freedoms, but likewise, that too much freedom can lead to societal collapse and people making decisions that negatively affect others.

While they will generally follow the rules and laws of society, Neutral Good characters do so because they lead to good outcomes, rather than because they feel obliged to by authority figures and institutions. If a person in authority tries to use their power to restrict the Neutral Good character’s freedom, they will not be happy and may rebel.

In a similar way, a Neutral Good character will mislead, break promises, and take things that don’t belong to them to further the greater good.

A Neutral Good person will break the rules if they are doing it for the greater good and they will feel confident and justified in their actions.

Some Neutral Good characters do good as they go about their everyday lives, it’s just part of who they are.

Other Neutral Good characters are on a quest to do Good everywhere they go. Doing Good is all they care about and they will take risks to accomplish it. Are bandits taking your food from the harvest? I’ll take care of them! A group is making people pay a toll to pass over a local bridge, you say? I’ll sort them out.

The drawback to these emotionally driven Neutral Good characters is that they can care about upholding Good more than abiding by any laws, so they can adopt Chaotic Good behavior and be unpredictable in some circumstances.

A Neutral Good character will always to try to solve things peacefully because they believe that life should be protected. They will try to calm down situations with talk, minimize harm or get opponents in the leg or arm to spare their life. They will always be merciful if asked and would never use poison. However, if left with no choice they will eliminate a character to defend themselves and others.

When working with others, a Neutral Good character is trustworthy and loyal to friends and allies. They are effective in a group, providing that group is seeking to do Good.

## Neutral Good traits

Neutral Good characters can be vastly different, however, there are some traits which are often associated with them.

* Selfless
* Independent
* Kind
* Helpful
* Honest
* Trustworthy
* Fair
* Loyal
* Merciful
* Respectful

## Neutral Good moral code

The moral code for a Neutral Good character might look like this.

* I will do good in the world.
* I will follow the law so long as it furthers good, but will break it for the greater good.
* I will help people in need.
* I will not harm innocent people.
* I will respect and support others who want to do good without being power hungry or restricting individual freedoms.
* I will trust my conscience over that of the law.
* I will always stand up against evil.
* I will keep my word unless breaking it will do more good.
* I will not break promises made to my friends and allies.
* I will protect the everyday freedom of others.

## Neutral Good character’s perfect world

The perfect world for a Neutral Good character might look like this.

* Everyone is free to choose their own way to do good in the world.
* People are not beholden to authorities but will follow them if their aim is Good.
* Evil in society is brought to justice either by the government or by individuals.
* Society seeks to reform evildoers rather than eliminating them.
* People stand up for what is good, irrespective of what the law says.
* The people in positions of power do not use their positions to manipulate others.
* Everyone helps those in need.
* The Government maintains a peaceful order but doesn’t restrict individual freedoms.
* Friends and allies are loyal to each other.
* People live peacefully.

## Neutral Good decisions

As characters travel the world on their adventures, they will face tough choices. Should they trust the shady-looking person’s information?

For decisions, your character will refer to their alignment, their beliefs and value system. For character alignments like Lawful Good, they may find that the two aspects of their alignment disagree. Would Lawful Good follow the orders of their government even if it means doing evil?

However, Neutral Good characters don’t need to deal with this disagreement. They will always prioritize doing the most good whether it follows law or chaos. Doing good is always what matters the most.

Where a Neutral Good character may face difficulty making a decision is where there are no good options – whatever they decide, it will lead to a negative outcome for some people. They will also find it difficult to decide what to do when the outcomes are very uncertain.

Because doing good is the highest priority for a Neutral Good character, they need to be certain that they are doing the right thing in every situation. In one D&D campaign I played, there were three people competing to be the next ruler. It was so difficult to know if any of them had good intentions, so the party didn’t know who to trust and who to support.

## How a Neutral Good character views the other alignments

The top priority for a Neutral Good character is to make balanced, pragmatic decisions that allow individuals to make the best decisions that lead to the best outcome for the greater good.

A Neutral Good character may ask themselves this question of others, “Are they pragmatic and are they kind?”

A chart showing a Neutral Good’s perspective on the other alignments looks like this.