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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Darklance" data-source="post: 158576" data-attributes="member: 289">ANOTHER!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Role-Playing a True Neutral Character The alignment of True Neutral is perhaps the most difficult one to roleplay properly, and is definitely one of the most unpopular alignments of all. Although the average roleplayer tends not to play evil characters, it is far more common to see these than to see a purely Neutral character. Many players seem to regard this alignment as "too undefined" or "wishy-washy", and state that the PHB definition of the character is singularly unhelpful. This problem is somewhat compounded by the fact that the definition of true Neutral has changed between 2E and 3E. However, not only is True Neutral a viable character alignment, but it is an often desirable choice, considering the way many D&D characters are roleplayed. In this article, I shall discuss the change in the definition of True Neutral from 2E to 3E, reasons why True Neutral PCs & NPCs should be more prevalent in most campaigns, ways in which True Neutral characters can be run, provide a list of sample True Neutral characters for the available character classes to illustrate my points, & lastly, make a couple of suggestions about how to run other True Neutral characters & why they can be especially satisfying to roleplay. Attention, children! Class is in session! True Neutral between 2E & 3E:The basic definition of Neutral is one who is neither predominantly good or evil. In 2E, a LN character was one who followed external laws & traditions, irrespective of whether they were good or evil, while a CN character followed his own whims, without leaning towards good or evil acts. True Neutral characters could be of three kinds. He could: (1) follow his own personal code (as separate from the CN's whims, which lays emphasis on randomness, not order), irrespective of whether it had good/evil ends (although too much of one would lead to alignment changes), (2) he could actively choose neutrality, eschewing good/evil, or (3) he could have a lack of commitment towards good/evil. In 3E, however, the choice and following of a personal code became part of the alignment of Lawful Neutral. This shift distinctly lowered the number of variations open to True Neutral characters, and served to confuse many roleplayers. Even now, months after the new edition came out, discussions on these message boards argue about the difference between Lawful Neutral & True Neutral, based on the choice of a personal code. While I doubt my suggestion will serve to significantly affect the debate, the fact remains that the PHB distinctly states that it is a LN character who "may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard", not True Neutral. What True Neutral can be, however, is the following… True Neutral as the most 'realistic' and common alignment:True Neutral as a philosophical choice is admittedly a difficult approach to run. Perhaps the best historical example of a True Neutral character is the Buddha. Running a character who is completely divorced from good/evil (by choice) is difficult, as well as raising a simple question: Why would he be an adventurer? Hence, while it is possible to run a True Neutral character who has made a strong philosophical commitment to be so, it is not easy. What is easy, however, is to run one who is True Neutral simply because he is not anything else. The PHB (Table 6-1, pg. 88) states that True Neutral is the most common alignment for human beings. And this does not mean that the number of evil & good humans, and lawful & chaotic humans, tends to balance out. The average human being is True Neutral in alignment. Think of all the real people you know. Would you actually define most of them as truly matching one of the other 8 alignments? Probably the strongest instinct of all is that of survival, and this works against a strong commitment towards either good or evil. Being consistently good, in the active manner in which it is used in D&D definitions, is simply unprofitable for most humans. How many people go out of their way regularly to help others (emphasis on "regularly")? Far less than many would like to believe. Similarly, how many people consistently commit evil acts? Being consistently evil is a dangerous thing to be, simply because of what happens when people realise what you have been doing. Simply by eschewing both good & evil for the most part, the average human being achieves a True Neutral alignment. To illustrate this example, let's take a quintessential human being, say a New York cab driver. Is he truly good or evil even once in an entire day? Maybe he waits to let an old lady cross the street, maybe he cuts in front of another cab to get a fare, maybe he buys a couple of sweets for his neighbour's kid, maybe he is rude to his wife. And that's it. Good or evil - not likely. In D&D terms, when your characters enter a town, they are surrounded by True Neutral characters. The town guard at the gate, the boy pulling his sister's pigtails in the street, the shopkeeper, the innkeeper, the ostler - none of them have enough of a commitment to good/evil to have any other kind of alignment. Now admittedly D&D player characters usually have more of a commitment towards good/evil than your run-of-the-mill NPC. After all, many D&D PCs are heroes, and to achieve that status involves a certain degree of commitment to certain ends. However, for many characters, this commitment is neither consistent nor rigorous enough to avoid balancing itself out into True Neutral. Take the average dungeon-crawling adventurer, for example. He is primarily interested in obtaining wealth & treasure for himself (a Neutral aim), and does so by slaughtering "monsters" who have not actively attacked him (an Evil act), but which could be a danger to people dwelling nearby, whom he indirectly is protecting (a Good act). He usually does so by the most expedient means (Neutral), choosing neither particularly good or evil means (no poison, no single combat, etc.). Overall, simply because his actions do not lean too greatly towards any extremes, he achieves a True Neutral alignment. Taking a slightly more specific example, let's look at the WotC module "The Sunless Citadel" (warning: some spoilers ahead). Most parties entering the Citadel will seek to destroy the Gulthias Tree, Belak, the twig blights, & rescue (if possible) the supplicants. These are undoubtedly all Good acts. But, in the process, they will attack and kill various kobolds & goblins, who were dwelling in the Citadel without harming anyone outside it. These are arguably evil acts. And they serve to balance each other enough so as to lean towards an alignment of True Neutrality. In short, most D&D campaigns already contain PCs & NPCs who are predominantly True Neutral, but are often not defined as such. It is simply the definition of the alignment which is somewhat unclear, and leads to players being unwilling to choose it. Although True Neutral is the one alignment which is defined more by what it is not, than what it is, it is also one of the easiest alignments to play, by virtue of the fact that it is most likely the alignment which approximates to the player's real one (if there is any such). In order to show some of the variation which is possible in playing True Neutral characters, what follows is a list of such characters from the various classes…True Neutral character samples:Note that some classes cannot be True Neutral at all, namely the Monk & Paladin. As for the others, some are more easily True Neutral than others, e.g. the Bard & the Druid. There is no reason, however, why others cannot be so, and here is an example from each of the 9 available classes: BarbarianGrom (half-orc bbn) is an orphan. He travels the world, seeking to make his fortune through his greataxe. Partly due to his orcish heritage, he has a tendency to fly into bestial rages when thwarted in any way. Recognising that this aspect of his does not show to good advantage in urban areas, he has become an adventurer, exploring ruins and dangerous places where his barbarian abilities can be an asset. When travelling with others, he goes out of his way to behave somewhat consistently and in as genteel a manner as possible, trying to win the approval which is often denied him due to his racial heritage. His actions (when not raging) are usually mediated not by their moral implications, but by how they affect how his companions perceive him. This, combined with the fine line he draws between his raging barbarian self and the character he wishes to portray of being a valued and trustworthy companion, serves to make him a True Neutral, albeit a very dynamic and interesting one. BardAlan (half-elf brd) is an itinerant member of the bardic college of Oakdale. Rarely staying at the college proper, he travels around the nearby areas, collecting tales and stories of adventure. Alan tends to join adventuring parties and accompany them in the hope of obtaining first-hand experience of new adventures, which he can turn into tales. In the party, he functions almost purely in a supporting role, aiding his companions in their endeavours, whatever they be, without leading them in any specific direction. Alan's role is purely to accompany and immortalise in verse and song, not to judge and moralise. In fact, the more outrageous the exploit or the adventure, the better for him. Whatever wealth he receives as his share is a bonus to him, but it is not his aim in any way. Neither is any fame which may come his way by virtue of his share in the party's deeds, since the only fame he wants is as a bard. Interested only in collecting more tales for his repertoire, Alan is True Neutral in approach and execution. ClericMago (human clr of Boccob) is a seeker after knowledge. Worshipping a distant and inscrutable deity, he is extremely self-reliant, depending on little divine guidance and support other than the spells he is granted daily. In keeping with his interest in finding the lost secrets of magic, he has chosen the domains of Magic & Knowledge. Mago is an adventurer because it gives him a chance of discovering great magical items, lost ages ago and buried in some forgotten treasure hoard. This interest is not the result of a desire for power gained by wielding powerful magic, but an insatiable curiosity about its nature and its workings. While Mago is neither an altruist, nor an overly selfish individual, he is willing to put himself through great pains to find a lost artifact, and may use somewhat (if only mildly) unsavoury ends to obtain such an item. This kind of morally neutral approach to his goals makes Mago a True Neutral, in keeping with the god he serves. DruidTishar (human druid) is a young druid, recently having struck out on her own after years of apprenticeship. Born to a pair of druid parents, she has been raised to be a druid, with no thought of any other occupation. Surrounded by nature from her infancy, Tishar is wiser than her years, having inculcated many of the harsh lessons which Mother Nature has for her offspring. She has seen the various aspects of nature, whether kind & benevolent, or harsh & merciless. Tishar realises, better than many philosophers & sages, that it takes all kinds to make a world, and sincerely believes that all things (good & evil) have their place in the great game of existence. Realising that she lacks any exposure to life outside the purely rural (or wild), she adventures so as to learn more about the world around her, and the races which inhabit it. Since the aim of this sojourn is the finding of knowledge, Tishar tends to avoid making moral judgments about what she encounters. While not a hedonist in any way, she is extremely interested in new experiences, though she does react somewhat dispassionately to them. Her somewhat academic interest in all things makes Tishar a True Neutral in perception & deed. FighterConrade (human ftr) was born into a family of serfs. Having seen his parents toiling daily in the fields of their lord's manor, he swore that he would never end up in such a situation, and ran away from home at an early age. Strong and agile from childhood, he joined the local military. Although he quickly gained a great deal of combat experience, Conrade realised that he would never be rich enough this way to buy his parents' freedom, which he always planned to do. Becoming an adventurer, he searches for the one big haul, where he can gain enough money to obtain his intended end. Some of his companions see him as greedy & combat-hungry, without realising the reasons behind these traits. Unencumbered by moral constraints, Conrade remains focussed on his quest, thus achieving a True Neutral alignment. RangerRurik (dwarf rgr) is a caver, skilled at battle in the dwarven tunnels. Unlike his human & elven equivalents, who live and dwell in the wilderness above, he was trained to fight the enemies of dwarvenkind in caverns far from the sun. Originally a miner, Rurik was working on a newly-found seam when he & his team were ambushed by a band of goblins. Some of them were killed (including his best friend), while Rurik's left hand was severed. The resulting deformity and the loss of his friend bred a great hatred for all goblinoids, and Rurik became a caver, wielding axe and spike (he has one grafted to the stump of his left hand) in an unending campaign against his chosen enemies. In continuing this crusade, he has become an adventurer, specialising in dungeon-delving, where his skills are most useful. While he has a rough sense of fair play (since losing that would lower him to his enemies' level), Rurik believes that most actions are justifiable if used to defeat his enemies. This makes him a True Neutral, although tending somewhat towards chaos. RogueGarret (halfling rog) is apparently the quintessential halfling, looking for the biggest haul possible. What many do not realise, however, is that Garret is not interested in wealth so much as in the thrill of the adventure. For Garret, entering a king's locked treasure room to steal a single gold piece is infinitely more satisfying than pickpocketing a half-blind old merchant of a pouch of rubies. In fact, he has often passed up perfectly simple opportunities to obtain great wealth, doing so simply because they were perfectly easy. One of his favourite tricks is to break into a building famous for its security, burgle it thoroughly, and distribute the stolen items all over the establishment, in places far from their original. Similarly, while adventuring, Garret's primary interest is in encountering greater challenges. If he picks a lock or disarms a trap, it is not so much to protect his comrades, but to see if he can. Garret is a True Neutral, seeking nothing other than the ultimate thrill & challenge. SorcerorRoywyn (gnome sor) was born into a gnome family cursed with the rare humourless gnome as its patriarch. Stern, unbending, and hopelessly serious, her grandfather ruled the roost with an iron (if somewhat small & chubby) fist. Roywyn had numerous run-ins with him, especially since she disagreed completely with his assertion that females should be subservient to males in all ways. Eventually, the disagreement between the two threatened to erupt, especially when Roywyn started discovering her latent sorcerous powers. Her parents quickly bundled her off to a distant aunt's house. This "upbringing" served to give her a chip on her shoulder, which she has not lost to this day. Currently she adventures for two reasons - to amass enough treasure to return home & rub it in her grandfather's face, and to prove to herself that she can do anything a male can, although even better. A strong streak of native caution wars against her constant desire to prove herself, and leads to some interesting actions on her part. Focussed more on an internal conflict than the external ones she & her companions find themselves in, Roywyn remains a True Neutral, albeit one quite capable of bubbling over at some time. WizardQuarion (elven wiz) is the sort of elf who gives others a bad name. Supercilious, fastidious, intellectually (& otherwise) snobbish, & completely convinced of the superiority of all things elven, he is as irritating an elf as possible. The only reason his companions keep him around is due to his undoubted excellence as a mage. However, when they face his daily barrage of comments of how "any elf would …" do whatever they do better, & watch him scowling when he has to step in a puddle, many of them wonder why they put up with him. Nobody knows why it is that he chooses to adventure with them, & Quarion isn't saying. Although he is a deadly aid to them in combat, he is equally painful out of it. Completely self-absorbed, Quarion cares neither to help, nor to hurt, anyone he meets (except in self-defence, of course). Barely interested enough in the external world to interact with it, Quarion remains a True Neutral. True Neutral character summation: One of the most interesting things in playing a True Neutral character, as evidenced by some of the sample characters I’ve mentioned here, is the fact that many of them have an internal conflict. If a True Neutral character is so not due to a philosophical viewpoint (as few are), then it is likely that he is so because there are internal struggles which balance out lawful/chaotic & good/evil tendencies. Sometimes it is an extremely dynamic struggle, as in the case of Grom, the sample barbarian, who must reconcile his chaotic barbarian impulses & the consistent, reliable lawful side he wishes to project to his companions. And sometimes it can be a subtle one, such as in Tishar (sample druid), who must reconcile her great interest in the world with an unwillingness to either control or be controlled by it. This conflict in True Neutral characters makes them useful for both player and DM. For any player interested in roleplaying and developing a “realistic” character, one with internal conflicts is far more interesting to develop than one whose conflicts are only external. And for a DM, internal conflicts are a wonderful hook to use in driving a campaign forward. Suppose a character like Mago has an opportunity to find a wondrous magical artifact, but at the cost of one of his companions’ lives. Will he, or won’t he? Not even the DM can truly say, but placing the player/character in such a situation is sure to drive the campaign forward, often in unexpected and rewarding directions. Statutory Warning: True Neutral characters are quite difficult to roleplay, & shouldn’t be created if you expect to run a very roleplaying-light campaign. In such a campaign, they are sure to lack much motivation, and might very easily run afoul of alignment problems, at the least. In creating a True Neutral character, it is always better to pick a strong motivator of some kind (else why is he adventuring?), but one which leans neither towards good/evil, nor law/chaos. And after that, the campaign setting is your oyster. Have fun!</blockquote>

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