Chaotic Neutral

Part of the Alignment Rules

## Chaotic Neutral definition

***A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behaviour is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it. 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.***

## ‘Chaotic’ and ‘Neutral’

There are two aspects to the Chaotic Neutral alignment – ‘Chaotic’ and ‘Neutral’. ‘Chaotic’ doesn’t mean that the character is unpredictable and random in their decisions! Instead, it describes the alignment’s perspective on how they believe society should function. The ‘Neutral’ part of the alignment refers to their morals and drive to do Good or Evil.

### Chaotic

Chaotic aligned characters live by their own rules instead of the rules society has decreed. They believe that is the only way an individual is truly free and can live up to their full potential.

Chaotic characters resent and distrust authority, don’t like following orders, and live life on their own terms. They can be flexible and adaptable and do what fits the situation and their own agenda.

Characters with a Chaotic alignment may rebel against rules to try to bring about change or simply to create anarchy. They may take actions with a complete disregard for the consequences.

### Neutral

A character with Neutral morals does not have a natural motivation to harm the innocent like an Evil aligned character, nor do they feel the need to put the needs of others before themselves as Good characters do.

Instead, the moral actions of Neutral characters are driven by their loyalty to others and themselves. If an action is in their best interest or in the best interest of those to whom they are most loyal they, will take it.

While all characters may naturally change alignments through character development, it is especially common for Neutral characters to move to a Good or Evil alignment if the majority of their actions favor one moral alignment over the other.

## Chaotic Neutral

Chaotic Neutral characters are free spirits. They do what they want but don’t seek to disrupt the norms and laws of society.

These individuals don’t like being told what to do, following traditions or being controlled. That said, they will not work to change these restrictions, instead, they will just try to avoid them in the first place. Their need to be free is the most important thing.

Chaotic Neutral characters do what is most likely to ensure their freedom, protect their free will and get them the outcome they want. That might be a Good action like helping someone, or an Evil action like misleading someone. However, a Chaotic Good character is more likely to take a Good action than an Evil one because it usually results in a better outcome and an easier time of it for them.

Chaotic Neutral characters might be one step away from being caught for a misdeed in one moment, then redeem themselves with a good action in the next moment. They can easily slip into Chaotic Good or Chaotic Evil if they take too many Good or Evil actions in a row.

Because Chaotic Neutral characters do what’s best for themselves they can be incredibly frustrating allies to have in a D&D group! For example, they might take all the loot for themselves and refuse to share it. Even worse, if they aren’t particularly loyal to anyone in the party and an encounter is going badly, they might just run away and leave everyone!

Some Dungeon Masters won’t allow players to have a combination of Good and Evil characters in a party. In that case, Chaotic Neutral is an interesting alternative if you wanted to play an Evil character.

## Chaotic Neutral traits

The exact character traits with vary from character to character, but there are some traits which are commonly associated with Chaotic Neutral characters.

* Unpredictable
* Selfish
* Cheeky
* Rebellious
* Free-spirited
* Independent
* Impulsive
* Fickle
* Unreliable
* Hedonistic

## Chaotic Neutral moral code

Being Neutral on their morals, a Chaotic Neutral character wouldn’t adhere to much of a fixed code consciously, but their behaviour may lead to actions along these lines.

* I will always make the best decision for me.
* I will not follow authorities unless it serves me.
* I will work to maintain my freedom.
* I will help others if there’s a benefit for me.
* I will do bad things and break the law if I can get away with it.
* I will not help people who want to restrict individual freedoms.
* I will always look for fun.
* I will not harm innocent people.
* I will not use my power over others.
* I will pursue whatever goals I have.

## Chaotic Neutral character’s perfect world

The ideal world for a Chaotic Neutral character might look like this.

* Everyone makes the best decisions for themselves.
* There is no government overseeing society.
* People are free to pursue their own interests.
* Individuals advance their lives while causing minimal harm to others.
* There are lots of places to have fun.
* There are no laws.
* People are free to enact justice in the way they see fit.
* Contracts are broken without consequence.
* People will only break promises to those they are loyal to if their life is at risk.
* Everyone works against anyone or anything that tries to restrict their freedom.

## Chaotic Neutral decisions

As a Chaotic Neutral character is adventuring they will have to make some difficult decisions. Should they play all their gold to potentially double their money? Do they offer their only health potion to save an ally?

Other alignments like Lawful Good (see my article for more detail), will face situations where the two parts of their alignment disagree. For example, would they follow the orders of their local authority to bring in an innocent person?

For Chaotic Neutral characters, things are a little different. All they care about is doing what’s best for themselves and they often do what they feel like in the moment. There’s no telling whether they will break the rules or follow them, or even if they will take a Good or Evil action. It’s one of the reasons why Chaotic Neutral is often seen as the most unpredictable alignment!

For example, put a Chaotic Neutral character in the same situation on two different days and they may make very different decisions based on their mood. On one day they’d dive headlong into the fray to support the villagers in defending their town. On another day they would use the opportunity to take some loot from the villagers’ houses while they are distracted!

## How a Chaotic Neutral character views the other alignments

A Chaotic Neutral character is mostly interested in being free to make decisions independently without reference to societal norms. They also believe that Good and Evil are just ideals which change depending on the perspective of the situation.

The question a Chaotic Neutral character might subconsciously ask of others is, “Are they freethinking and realistic when making decisions?”