Character out of alignment

Alright, here's the situation. The other day I started in on a level 4 campaign and I rolled a human warlock. Well, I chose Chaotic Nuetral for his alignment but I don't really think I was playing him as a CN character. The wierd thing is, I'm not entirely sure WHAT alignment I was playing him as. I'll do my best to give you some of the situations and encounters my group faced and how my character reacted to them and if your so inclined, let me know what alignment I actually am.

Party composite (All humans)
Monk 4
Favored soul 2/Sorcerror 2
Fighter 4
Warlock 4

First encounter happened when we first made camp. We were beset by two Ogres. We dispatched them easily enough. 1 was killed and the other was rendered unconsious because the monk was using subdual damage. I was going to Coup De Gras him when the monk stopped me (he's taking the Apostle of Peace route with his character so he has the holyer than thou thing going on). Ok, fine whatever. I explain that we need to put the beast down because if we don't, it will cause more harm to others. The monk argued that it was no longer a threat and shouldn't be killed. the group sided with him so we moved on.

Second encounter. Bandit ambush! It was pretty much a routine mugging. We hand over all our gold and they let us pass. I don't think so. Using my intimidate skill, I suggested they allow us to pass or their blood will fertalize the ground. I rolled well and had some effect on them. Battle breaks out. After the bandit leader fell, the rest decided to scatter. As punshment, I dropped one of their archers as he fled.

Last example. At the completion of the dungeon we were doing for that particular mission. It turned out that our villian was a cleric of helm, brainwashed (or possessed or something, we don't know exactly what happened yet) was being used by the church of Cyric. Well he claims that he has no memory of what he did while acting as a cleric of Cyric, but I'm urging the mayor to have him put to death. This man had caused many deaths across the country side and the death of our Monk.

Now, to me it would appear that I would be Lawfull Evil but I don't consider my character evil. I feel those that try to bring harm to others should be punished and severly. My character doesn't seek out those to bring justice to, but if he sees it, he acts. He doesn't steal, lie or cheat. But he doesn't find any room for mercy, compasion or redemption. He'd be just as likely to take a mission for the sake that it should be done (ie, rescuing a child from some kidnappers) as he would require payment.

I'm gonna leave it at that. feel free to ask questions on how my character would react to your own situations if that would help you determine. thanks in advance.

Focus on your characters personality and an alignment will develop of itself. Let your DM be the one who concerns himself with alignment and the effects it will have. Focusing on alignment as a player just results in strait jacketing your character into a specific set of actions regardless of the variables of the situation.

Kazuel said:

I'm urging the mayor to have him put to death.

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If you drop this bit, your PC is no longer lawful. Also no longer evil. Otherwise, you're playing into your CN just fine by me. Be nice to the civilized people, but tolerate no control, either. Be the petulant teenager smoking behind the school.

Bad Paper said:

If you drop this bit, your PC is no longer lawful. Also no longer evil. Otherwise, you're playing into your CN just fine by me. Be nice to the civilized people, but tolerate no control, either. Be the petulant teenager smoking behind the school.

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Recommending to the authorities that a mass murderer should not be let off the hook because he can't remember doing it is niether an evil act nor a lawful one. You can be chaotic and still work with authority. What if this mayor was chosen by the townsfolk because his opinion was widely recognized as the wisest and most considered. Listening to advice from a trusted source does not violate chaotic alignment. A chaotic neutral character would react to each situation based on it own merits and not according to a rigidly defined moral and ethical code.

The OP would be fine in my game as CN. For now. If his behavior becomes routinely more defined by set of rules and codices, and/or if he begins to show enjoyment in or casual disregard to the suffering of others then I would have a talk with the player about his new alignment. His actions so far neither show a distinct pattern or prediliction to any one alignment, so CN is as good as any other.

Playing CN is easy as pie. You don't have to be purposfully random, or hell, really purposefully anything.

Whatever your gut says you should do in a given situation, go with it. Don't second guess yourself, just seat-of-your-pants everything and you'll be as Chaotic Neutral as all get out. Don't go out of your way to be anything, cruel, merciful, whatever. If you feel like being nice, be nice, if you feel like being a jerk, be a jerk. All you have to do is let each situation speak for itself, take it like it's new and fresh out of the bag, and wing it.

Bad Paper said:

If you drop this bit, your PC is no longer lawful. Also no longer evil. Otherwise, you're playing into your CN just fine by me. Be nice to the civilized people, but tolerate no control, either. Be the petulant teenager smoking behind the school.

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CN people can act any alignment but lawful, its why their sometimes called madmen, lunatics, or psychopaths.

CN people can act any alignment but lawful, its why their sometimes called madmen, lunatics, or psychopaths.

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Nah, CN people can act however they want, including lawfully - they just don't do it consistantly, every situation, all the time.

I have just started playing a Chaotic Good Warlock 1 in Eberron and am playing him as an adventurous thrillseeker. Game starts with our employer having us meet at an inn in Xen'drik. Gives us the MGuffinQuest while informing us that each of us are born special, but informs us that to work for him we have to simply leave the inn. At which time all of the locals start to attack us. I was able to leave because I didn't concentrate on attacking them. Normally, I would be very upset with him and have him brought up on multiple counts of attempted murder, but I just had my character have the attitude of "Good one! But I'm gonna get you back someday!"

Later on we are travelling through the jungle and we encounter a chasm that we need to cross. There are some vines that we could use to swing across. I decide to do this. Another party member tells me to first tie a rope around my waist in case I fall (which is something that I would normally do and advise others to do) and I say "Dude, you are sucking all of the cool out of this!" and just runs, jumps, grabs a vine, and makes it across. Luckily the dice followed through on my irresponsible action.

So far, I'm having fun. He's adventurous, exploratory, optimistic, and always seeking new thrills. In a word, Chaotic.

this is a great example of how the D&D alignment system has some holes.

Your character clearly has a clear sense of good and evil, right and wrong. He will not willingly allow someone who has done evil to go unpunished.

On the other hand he feels that sometimes it is necessary to do evil things to protect innocent people from the evil of others (killing the possessed cleric of Torm and the fleeing bandit are evil acts. Good people are supposed to believe in the ideas of mercy and redemption. A dead person cannot atone for what they have done.)

He does things to be a good person, like protecting others, without the need of reward but he uses evil means to accomplish these ends.

He is a basic anti-hero for whom the ends justify the means.

By the D&D alignment system, he must be morally neutral, nether good nor evil. I would say that he is also ethically neutral, neither lawful nor chaotic, because a chaotic person would have gone against the group and killed the ogre and would have already killed the cleric without waiting for the mayors approval. Were he chaotic, he would do what he felt needed to be done provided he thought he could survive it. Authority of others would not apply.

DC