Alignment Question

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I always hated that CN is insane thing in AD&D and i'm glad they changed it. I always thought of it as a 'free spirit' or whimsical character alignment. But I've often found the alignments constraining at times.
For example in one game someone was playing a LN cleric (don't remember his patrons name) and was stopping all the party's ways of accquiring somethings the party needed from a merchants house. It was part of the adventure that i had written that the PC's would need to burgle the house to get these things, bu playing his alignment he stalwartly oppossed the illgal acts.
But then was in a system where if you hid behind a huge table it counted as a tower shield because it was abstract, as i think the alignments often were.

 

Hi, I just wanted to share a little wiev on
CN.
It seems to me, that almost everyone who has posted, believes CN characters will always look out for themselves.
IMHO you couldn't be much more wrong. If you're always looking out for yourself, your character has shifted further towards CE.
The wandering bard image, IMO shows it clearer. He wanders the earth, not looking for power, glory or wealth, he simply wanders in order to wander. He is only and always looking for new experiences.
One day he might be traveling with a LG paladin and doing good, simply for the new experiences, the he will be with some CE fighter only out to profit himself, or he might be with an insane planetraveller, trekking to the Abyss, just to find out what it's like, down there.

 

In the 2E PHB they flat-out said that CN characters were insane. While the 3E PHB doesn't go that route anymore, the stereotype still lives.

And yes, a character that does nothing but look out for himself would be CE, not CN.

But nothing will change the fact that the alignment system is just whack, and best avoided at all costs.....

Cullain

 

Actually, a character who does nothing but look out for him/herself is more NE, while selfishness is a general trait of evil.

 

Okay, I remember some topics from a while back that might be relevant (never thought I'd do this sort of link posting - I'm so proud of my first - and probably only - one) http://www.sorcerers.net/ubb/Forum7/HTML/000463.html - In which the nature of Lawful alignments is discussed. http://www.sorcerers.net/ubb/Forum2/HTML/003137.html - and this is sort of similar, although BG2 related
That's all I can think of, I'm sure there are more. Incidentally, if you want my interpretation of CN, see my RC character, Jakob.

 

I think that it depends on the character. A lawful neutral character that zealously seeks order, stamping out chaos of any kind is obviously insane. A CN character that is willful and unrestricted by a moral code may be seen as insane, but in fact have no mental problems, he or she just does not fit society's "norm". Generally people see someone who acts in a radically different way from everyone else as insane, although the "insane" person may be fine mentally.
It really comes down to how strongly the character is aligned to law, chaos, good, evil, etc. and their actions.
I have had many arguments with DMs over the years that used alignments as straight jackets...black and white with no grey. The authors of 3E have written the alignment rules with standard characters being in the grey area of their alignment, leaving it up to the player to determine the strength of their alignment.
Now, not every LG character helps old ladies across tjhe road, not every CN is a absolute maniac with no mental coherence or structure, and not every NE person is a calculating, marauding villain dedicated to the spread of absolute evil.

 

My say in this is that INTELLIGENCE and WISDOM also has a say in this. And when they are taken in mention. The BACKGROUNDSTORY can shed new light to the story.

MY POINT? In my many years as GM I have seen both many insane, smart and wise CN. The keyword of CN is "impulsive" in my experience

 

I read this once:
The most reliable thing about a chaotic neutral character is that they can't be relied upon. That sets a good image in my mind

 

Darien, If we're talking about you as CN...I'd say "insane" would be a good description.

I always thought CN was kind of playful and unreliable. CN is generally someone that always does what they want to do...When they want to do it!