Lumby's Alignment Article #3: Chaotic Good

[lumberofdabeast]

I couldn't do this one last week because I had the Future Sight prerelease to prepare for. I'd apologize, but that would be a lie because I'm not sorry at all. That prerelease was awesome. Last article found here.

Oh, and warning you now, I'm probably a little biased.

What is the alignment?
Chaotic Good.

What does the alignment consider to be most important?
The most important thing for Chaotic Good is for everyone to be free to do as they please. Chaotic Good feels that in a perfect world, there would be no reason for anyone to harm another, and thus no reason for laws.

What does the alignment hate?
Chaotic Good hates people that try to control others. They view freedom as critical to a healthy society, and thus oppose those that try to limit it. There is nothing they despise more than someone manipulating others without their knowledge for that someone's own gain.

What methods will the alignment use to achieve its goal?
Chaotic Good, unlike the other Good alignments, often has a somewhat fuzzy view of morality. It may torture (though never for its own benefit), or even kill (to protect others). Chaotic Good often feels that the ends justify the means.

What methods will the alignment never use?
Just adding this one in because I've decided to remove it altogether, and wanted to make sure that no one pointed out to me that it was missing.

When would the alignment condone killing?
Also getting cut.

What is the alignment's best feature?
Chaotic Good's best feature is its intent for everyone to do what they want.

What is the alignment's worst feature?
Chaotic Good's worst feature is usually its inability to see the logical result of everyone doing what they want, since not everyone is Good, and even those who are will sometimes act in an Evil manner.

What makes the alignment unique?
Chaotic Good is different from other Chaotic alignments because it won't act with disregard for others, and different from other Good alignments because it often justifies performing Evil deeds to itself.

What are some common misconceptions about the alignment?
Too tired to think of any now. Will make some up later.

What are some well-known characters with the alignment in popular culture?
1) Robin Hood, the iconic Chaotic Good ranger. I'm suprised more people don't base their characters off of him. I blame Drizzt.
2) Kamahl. He averages out as Chaotic Good, if you take both the Pit Fighter and the Fist of Krosa into consideration. Although I see how someone could make an argument for him being Neutral in either or both.
3) My mailman. Okay, so he isn't pop culture, but he's still awesome. If everyone was like my mailman, the world would be a much better place. Also much more boring, since everyone would be the same. But hey, the boredom you get in heaven is still slightly better than the excitement you get in hell.




EDIT: While I'm thinking about it, what's the quiz everyone uses to figure out what race and class they are? I've been wondering about that for a while, because I want to finish my sig..

[Jayabalard]

some of this seems contradictory...

Chaotic Good often feels that the ends justify the means.

That's primarily a Lawful neutral or Lawful evil sentiment. Just my opinion, and it's for much the same reason as the contradiction below, because that line of thinking requires that the CG person to believe that they have some sort of right to impose their beliefs on others. They may well act that way, since most people don't strictly follow their alignment all the time, but that's not acting in a strictly CG manner.

Torturing someone to do good is the antithesis of Chaotic good; it's even more contradictory than a lawful good person doing it. It's harming someone (non-good) and trying to control them (robbing them of their freedom, exerting your will over theirs, ie, non-chaotic) at the same time.

Chaotic Good's worst feature is usually its inability to see the logical result of everyone doing what they want, since not everyone is Good, and even those who are will sometimes act in an Evil manner.

I hope this doesn't offend, but that seems to portray a stupid CG person, though perhaps "Ignorant", or "Idealistic" would be a nicer term. An intelligent chaotic good person knows that not everyone is going to always do good just that freedom, just like they know that trying to control others through laws as just as ineffective and a bad thing in and of itself since it curtail the freedom of everyone. They do their best to do no harm as much as they can, to fight oppression and tyranny, and to protect those that need protection.

[Innis Cabal]

everyone here seems to have a fever..and the only cure is more alignment threads

[lumberofdabeast]

some of this seems contradictory...

Like I said at the beginning, it's just how I view the alignments. And I view Chaotic Good as Good with less restrictions on what it will or will not do. That doesn't make it better or worse, just different.

And isn't it inherently illogical to attempt to place everyone into nine distinct classifications based on how much they like others and how organized they are?

More specific counterpoints later. My head hurts right now.

[Jayabalard]

And I view Chaotic Good as Good with less restrictions on what it will or will not do. That doesn't make it better or worse, just different.

There are 2 axis for a reason... where you stand on one doesn't affect where you stand on the other. It sounds like you're basically interpreting them as one axis.

There is nothing they despise more than someone manipulating others

This part is the core of CG, and it's true no matter the reason for the manipulation. It's the source of the contradiction I mentioned: a chaotic individual believes in the rights and well-being of individuals are more important than any group/clan/nation/etc. Torture-for-the-greater-good, or any other ends-justify-the-means philosophy violates this basic belief.

The "for the greater good" is a lawful belief; it assumes that the group's/clan/nation/etc rights and well-being is more important than those of any individual.

[henebry]

And isn't it inherently illogical to attempt to place everyone into nine distinct classifications based on how much they like others and how organized they are?

Yes. And that's the great irony of the Alignment system: it makes a roleplaying straightjacket into a metaphysical principle.

Nor is it the only sign that Gygax was something of a LE tyrant when he DMed: read through the 1st ed. for gems like "The party should appoint one player to serve as Caller, who relays the party's actions to the DM."

[Caledonian]

What does the alignment consider to be most important?
The most important thing for Chaotic Good is for everyone to be free to do as they please.

No, that's Chaotic Neutral.

[lumberofdabeast]

No, that's Chaotic Neutral.

No, Chaotic Neutral wouldn't really care if others were free or not.

[Khoran]

No, that's Chaotic Neutral.

Chaotic Neutral is about personal freedom. They want to be free and do whatever they want and the rest of the world be damned. Infact, it says in the description for the alignment "...doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom."

[Macrovore]

you should put Malcom Reynolds on the well-known characters list. he's totally CG.

[mauslin]

Is Rincewind from Discworld a good example? Or would he be more chaotic neutral?

He's very big on his own personal freedom (at least in regards to not being in danger), and can be fairly random, so one can confidently call him chaotic. However, the first thing he invariably tries to do when someone approaches him with a problem is try to run away.

When put on the spot however, he always seems to choose to be kind, and act for the greatest good. Though he tries really really hard to avoid being put on the spot.

It doesn't help that various gods and greater forces are consistantly trying to put him back on said spot. Rincewind is very paranoid that the world is out to get him; the fact that he's often right does not help his state of mind.

So is Rincewind a reluctantly CG character, or is he a CN character who keeps being picked on by destiny?

[lumberofdabeast]

Is Rincewind from Discworld a good example?

I'd put him at Chaotic Neutral, myself.

Now, Granny's a great example of Chaotic Good, even though she doesn't really want to be.

[mauslin]

I'd put him at Chaotic Neutral, myself.

Now, Granny's a great example of Chaotic Good, even though she doesn't really want to be.

The fact that she doesn't want to be only emphasises her chaotic-ness, when you think about it. And yeah, she really is a good example. She doesn't even obey her own rules all the time.

[TheOOB]

Chaotic people in general tend to follow the "ends justify the means" philosophy, though that is a side effect of the chaotic mindset rather then a requirement.

I think your overcomplicating things alittle overall. A good person is simply one who is willing to make sacrifices to help others, and a chaotic person is someone for whom the current and local take priority over the universal and established. Combine both of those and you got chaotic good, someone who does their best to help people right here right now, without a huge consideration for whats going on beyond the current situations scope.

[mauslin]

Chaotic people in general tend to follow the "ends justify the means" philosophy, though that is a side effect of the chaotic mindset rather then a requirement.

I think your overcomplicating things alittle overall. A good person is simply one who is willing to make sacrifices to help others, and a chaotic person is someone for whom the current and local take priority over the universal and established. Combine both of those and you got chaotic good, someone who does their best to help people right here right now, without a huge consideration for whats going on beyond the current situations scope.

I would disagree with the point highlighted. I feel that a chaotic person is just as likely to choose the universal over the local good as a lawful person.

I'd say instead that they are less likely to generalize between situations. A lawful person might say that stealing is always wrong, putting the person who robs a church on the same catagory as someone who robs a wealthy merchant. The punishments might differ, but the crime is the same.

A chaotic person is likely to treat both situations completely differently. They might consider robbing from an evil, corrupt church is a good thing because it hinders what they consider evil, while robbing the money a rich merchant was going to use to set up an orphanage would be bad.
They might think more like 'stealing is wrong, except when . . .'

That's my two cents

[Machete]

As a classic Chaotic Good person myself. Anarchist - 2nd level ;) . Chaotic Goods are the most Idealistic people you will meet with absurdly strong morals not allowing for "the ends justify the means" unless they themselves are accepting the short end or they believe themselves to be 'sticking it to the man for sure' by giving the man the short end.
Self sacrifice to preserve ideals and freedom is common, but sacrifice is only accepted from the willing to respect their rights or taken from the foul to be a thorn in their side.