Darren Onyx
Fallen
DISCLAIMER: This guide was written by a friend and posted on another board late 2015. With his permission I have posted his guide here for you all to see and read. It is written primarily for Dungeons and Dragons however it can be applied to any type of RP experience. I hope you enjoy and, as he says in the actual guide, feel free to provide feedback and share it around the internet for other RPers to see.
“I started my life with a single absolute: that the world was mine to shape in the image of my highest values and never to be given up to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle.”
― John Galt, Atlas Shrugged
1. Introduction
I am here to tell you that chaotic evil is far broader in scope than that. One can break the rules in ten times as many ways as one can uphold them, and that results in a wide variety of characters, motivations, and attitudes that have the potential to define a CE entity. You aren’t just some mindless engine of destruction and misery, you are a thinking individual who has looked at the world and said “I don’t like the way things work.” Chaotic Evil is all about rebellion, defying the norms of law and good because you see them as obstacles or even vices in some way. You actively circumvent the order of what is with your actions, not just of civilization but also of morality. You hold your own moral code, distinct from everyone else’s, and in the end your results will likely justify your means. Now tell me, doesn’t that sound enticing enough to at least attempt?
“A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are poorly organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him. The demented sorcerer pursuing mad schemes of vengeance and havoc is chaotic evil.”
I cannot provide a better argument for why you should not listen to them.
What they define as chaotic evil is narrow, contrived, and will likely be a pox on whatever game you try to play. Not every CE character is an aggressive idiot who just destroys everything, and in fact very few good examples of the alignment actually meet these expectations. Instead, I propose these alternate criteria:
Apathy/Disdain for the rules: The first and most obvious part of “Chaotic Evil” is the chaos, a philosophy that typically entails going against the grain and not playing by the of society. You don’t give one iota about what sort of regulations that you should be following or what others perceive as typical behavior. You follow your own intuitions and inclines wherever they may lead you and won’t take orders unless you genuinely feel that you have something to gain from following them. Chaotic characters are free spirits, deciding for themselves what should be done in any given situation. this of course means that chaotic evil characters emphasize self-determination as well, only with more of a mean streak than a kindly one. Chaotic Evil characters value their own freedom greatly, more often than not, and when suppressed in any way will do everything in their power to shrug it off.
Little regard for others’ well-being: Sometimes, bad things must happen to good people if others are to prosper. There are some ambitions and processes for which respecting your fellows must come second to getting the job done. In fact, there are some duties you’ll likely perform that mandate some innocent people getting hurt. Some may feed some sort of twisted hunger, some may kill foes because they believe that their quarry cannot be made to see the truth, some may incite destruction so that the world takes notice of the problems facing it, while still others may deal in the misery of others because they know of no other way to live. Regardless, understand that this by no means is an excuse to murder everyone you meet under the pretenses of roleplaying. If you are going to commit horrible acts, there should be some reason for it (even if that reason is only “to show how little the world really cares”). Nonetheless, chaotic evil means that a few bodies buried in the foundations may be a necessity for building the structure.
Enemy of the established order: Let’s face it, not even angels are perfect. If they were, no mortal would ever be anything other than lawful good. The fact that you aren’t speaks volumes about the way the campaign world works, because it validates alternate perspectives and invalidates the idea of objective morality in a way that makes people ask questions. Law and Good are in the end nothing but constructs, and you are the philosophical engineer who is pointing out the flaws (intentionally or not). Society cannot evolve without protest and questioning, and so long as CE creatures exist those two things will always exist. Be sure to make clear to the world what you think is wrong with Law and Good and why they should change, because it is then that they start taking you seriously. Nobody has ever changed the world just by doing what they were told, and everything is open to scrutiny and reinterpretation. That’s where you come in.
Beholden to nothing: A vital thing to remember about chaotic evil is that you are never obligated to act in a specific way. Lockstep descriptions that define your actions are for goody-two-shoes alignments, and if you wanted to be confined into a specific set of norms you would play one of them. Do whatever the nine hells you want, even if it ends up benefitting law or good in some minute way. Heck, not even the ends you seek have to be awful. I understand that some patron deities might disapprove if you don’t live up to their expectations or actively undermine them (We’ll get to that later), but you should also remember that evil (and chaotic evil) has many faces, and that on some level all of their actions have desired results and purposes, some of which may be lawful or good (just look at Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy, which arguably advocates what D&D would dub chaos and evil to promote law and good). Not every action you do should be some horrible act, because an essential element of chaos is choice. You can still fight other evil or even chaotic evil figures if they are a threat to your values, and you likewise shouldn't ever feel obligated to indulge in instances of cruelty and debauchery if such actions serve no purpose. What you care about is your own business, and nobody has the right to tell you how to think, act, or play.
Just like everybody else: This is the most important point that I will make in this guide: being Chaotic Evil does not make you fundamentally different from every other creature in the game. You can still be intelligent, you can still have moral codes, and you can still behave rationally and methodically in pursuit of your goals. What makes you stand out is what those goals are and what you are willing to do to accomplish them. Others may look on you as some sort of inhuman monstrosity (a stigma reinforced by those detect alignment spells) and will likely shun you in some manner, but never let them forget that you are just as sentient as they are, and that you most often have the same emotions and concerns that they do, you just act upon them differently. And y’know what, sometimes the chaotic evil decision can be a very rational or even ethically sound one. Don’t ever get lumped into stereotypes, because you are an individual and likely have some reason or another for opposing the typical moral standards. You can be a nihilistic genius who sees the trappings of objective good as self-destructive, or perhaps you can be an everyday rebel who sees the law hurting people and wants to take justice into his own hands by punishing those (advertently or not) responsible.
Djur: Also known as the beast. A Djur character is essentially a feral animal, often with minimal intelligence. They don’t think about much beyond their present obstacle or their next meal, and are apathetic to most anything beyond that. Generally their low intelligence can be exploited to control them, which is good because a wiser master keeping it on the leash is one of the few things that can keep a Djur from dusting everything in its path. This umbrella also encompasses “Chaotic Stupid” characters like Thog, who rarely think for themselves and ceaselessly follow another. More often than not, this type of character is a burden for the party, as it winds up being as much of a hazard to allies as it does to enemies (there’s a reason why nobody likes playing with a frenzied berserker). This archetype should generally reserved for monsters (which the PCs should generally be able to outsmart), although there are times when a particularly interesting and thought-provoking Djur can be created, the most notable being Transformations and Legendary Beasts. Transformations are a popular idea in culture because they demonstrate the potential for almost anyone to devolve into a psychotic beast, and integrating that into your game as a trait of a normally trustworthy NPC (or even PC if your group is into that) can certainly rachet up the tension. Legendary Beasts, on the other hand, are immensely powerful monstrosities that thrive very much upon buildup. High-level PCs may be able to take it on eventually, but the destruction that would occur in the fight would be catastrophic, giving most anyone pause about putting so many lives at risk. They don't even have to be that big, a small but very dangerous entity (think Akira) could be pulled off to the same effect. The most important thing to remember about Legendary Beasts, though, is that they should remain shrouded in mystery, with PCs hearing about their exploits primarily through secondary (and heck, sometimes unreliable) sources. The idea of the monster is just as scary as the real thing, if not moreso (I mean, think about how horrifying the tarrasque is when you read about it compared to when you fight it). As a DM, Djurs should be deployed sparingly and strategically, because they are very much a matter of “all or nothing” in terms of appeal.
Varelse: This type of character is harder to explain, and that is exactly what makes it so darn memorable in the villain seat. The idea behind a varelse (title taken from Orson Scott Card’s amazing Speaker for the Dead) is that they are so strange and/or insane that their actions are wholly incomprehensible from a human standpoint. They perform deeds whose patterns and ideas seem perfectly logical to them, but their reasoning is beyond even the most insightful mortals. They certainly aren’t stupid, but mentally they are on a level the likes of which we cannot understand and are forced to declare crazy. Demons, Aberrations, Elder Gods and many other irrational and reality-defying entities fall into this category, most often used to make a point about how little we are capable of comprehending about the universe. True psychopaths who do mad things for reasons that nobody understands also fall into this category, as there is little hope in trying to reason with them. Varelse are the things that man was not meant to know, and which we have no choice but to fight. Trying to apply reason to them is a lost cause, and them trying to explain their reasoning to you is just as futile. They themselves may not even know what makes them so darn crazy. Naturally, they end up only recruiting followers that are just as crazy as they are or who are under some form of control. The premise itself is very postmodern in nature, representing how much is simply beyond the realms of science and reason to touch. As such, Varelse should be used to inspire a feeling of dread in the players about how much is possible in their campaign world. Placing one in a position of power (either civilly or just by force) ups the effectiveness dramatically, as here you wind up having an unpredictable and incredibly potent foe that the players have no choice but to fear (because the wimpy nutballs can be shut up. The strong ones people wind up listening to). Varelse as player characters are a bit more difficult to pull off, on the other hand, and usually wind up having to be treated like Djur in a typical party. However, if their insanity offers bizarre flashes of insight or connection to the plot in some way, then things can get interesting (imagine an insane character who holds crucial secrets to stopping a major disaster). Varelse are unnerving, and that is their greatest advantage. Utilize it well and it holds plenty of potential.
Broken: This is the saddest and probably the most realistic interpretation of chaotic evil out there: the person who has to commit atrocities just to get by in the world. This could be because they are forced to crime because it’s the only way to put food on the table, or perhaps because they have grown up surrounded by violence and feel that they must participate in it because that is the only way they know. Some even may have what they feel to be their whole lives taken from them and are forced by fate or by their emotions to act as an engine of desolation for the rest of the world. Many broken will likely be reluctant or at least skeptical in their actions, and may even end up out of control when placed under stress. Although playing a character like this may end up to be kind of a downer and won’t usually be suited for light-hearted adventures, a psychological or dark fantasy adventure benefits greatly from individuals who have gone too mad to accept a life devoid of horror and cruelty. This type of character also encompasses a lot of the feral monster races who live on the edges of society, such as the orcs, goblins, and gnolls that are so commonly used as generic enemies. Deep down, every one of them is a reasoning intelligent creature, driven by their terrible circumstances to become what are little more than beasts. Think about that next time a roving band just decides to crash a caravan and you can see how effective and interesting a well-applied broken character (or even entire race) can be.
Jerk: It’s characters like this that give this alignment a bad name. These are the types of characters that just hurt people because they like hurting people and don’t have much of a personality beyond “I want to make others miserable because why not?” If a character is accurately described in this passage, some fleshing-out is likely in order. Consider building up the motivations and backstory enough so that they actually have some solid reasoning behind what they do and why they do it (generally this leads to them becoming broken or ravager characters, sorta like Biff in Back to the Future II). If somebody is very careful this archetype can be pulled off to create a competently interesting character, and a jerk can certainly fun in a self-aware lighthearted campaign (Xykon is unliving proof of that), but in most cases I frown upon this archetype’s use.
Aggro-Individualist: This arose out of a conversation with one my players whose character fit very squarely into the “jerk” archetype. The long discussion slowly built up a backstory for the character, whose motivations were wholly dedicated to protecting his individual rights and whose personal moral code gave him the conviction to stomp out anything he saw as a threat to his freedom. Such a prospect might not seem too bad, but this isn’t just any guy who values his individuality. An Aggro-Indi is the kind of person who sees most any act of oversight or control as a significant threat, and will violently lash out in what he believes to be self-defense. He doesn’t care about whom or what gets damaged, just so long as he himself can exercise what he believes to be his gods-given rights. What differentiates an aggro-indi from the jerk is a sense of justice, a need to stand for individual rights and protect the world from the forces of law that may consciously or unconsciously harm it (the good side of chaos, if I do say so myself). They don’t go after anyone who isn’t perceived as a threat to their sovereignty or person, and will sometimes give a deal of respect to those who don’t cross them. Overall, I find that this makes for a fun and topical character, and can be utilized and made interesting in a few different ways.
Experimentalist: There comes a time in anybody's life where it no longer seems fulfilling. Man is motivated always to seek new frontiers and test his abilities to a greater degree. In some cases, that pursuit can lead to some utterly messed-up deeds. From the aesthetic who celebrates the beauty of destruction by making cities his canvas to the scholar who indulges in dangerous forbidden rituals to the master strategist who seeks a uniquely capable and intelligent prey to match his abilities against, Experimentalists are always individuals who sit on the cutting edge of their craft and dare to make artistic leaps in the name of their own curiosity (Bloody art for art’s sake, if you will). Placing their own illustrative desires above the safety and security of anyone around them, they strike at the world to see just how much they can do or just what might happen if they were to shake something most others don’t dare look upon. After all, he’s ahead of his time, and those who stand in their way are simply afraid of progress. Characters of this archetype will often showboat, and frequently want to let their quarries know that they have been surpassed. Honor and respect don’t typically mesh with chaotic evil, but Experimentalists will sometimes hold to these tenants to pump up the sheer thrill of the hunt. They want to prove something to the world and to themselves, after all, and if they don’t get any satisfaction or information from their misdeeds it will all have been for naught. Things get particularly interesting when an experimentalist reaches a point where he feels he cannot overcome, and is forced to deal with the possibility of his own limitations. This is a concept I highly advise players and DMs to explore when implementing an experimentalist in their campaign. At the end of the day, this archetype works well as both heroes and villains, because experimentalists are most often calculating and methodical and won’t do anything crazy they don’t feel they can learn from. However, if they feel that something is worth their time, everyone else had better beware.
Cruel Teacher: Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote that all crime is on some level a form of protest, and Cruel Teachers exemplify this concept. They are often about giving the world pause as to what its morals are and why it works the way it does by means of doing terrible things that are on some level justifiable or rational. A Cruel Teacher is often grandiose in scope and well aware of the fact that what they are doing is evil and breaks the rules, and that is precisely why they do it. Many of them may not wholly support the skullduggery they are performing, but they go through with it so that their actions may influence events for the better. This is the type of character that would murder a village full of people to get a country's population angry at their king for not stepping in, or who would rise to the top of a government and exploit its powers to make sure that something is done about it. They manufacture brutal spectacles specifically with the intent of getting people to question their beliefs about the world, most notably law and good, and when they are successful all of society ripples at the consequences of their actions. This archetype is particularly prominent amongst casting characters, whose trained mental faculties imply an awareness of the world’s problems as well as a motivation to turn it upside-down. This is certainly an archetype that requires a lot of development in order for it to be utilized effectively, but when it pays off… well, there’s a reason that many of cinema’s most iconic characters fall into this archetype.
Radical: If you want to create a CE villain, this is the archetype that I most recommend. The Radical is an individual who is immensely dedicated to a cause and will do everything in his power to carry it out regardless of the costs. He will overcome any obstacle and fell any foe to get what he wants, and even if the ending is lawful or good the warpath he blazed getting to it will likely cancel out any altruism he may have originally had. Few of these characters view their actions as evil (or chaotic, for that matter), and will fight tooth and nail to justify their actions in some way, shape, or form. Many will proclaim their unfettered dedication to law or good while taking a dump on their most basic tenets. This works so well for villains because it not only makes them believable but also energizes the world around them with dedication. Terrifyingly, we are very ready to accept madness as a norm in society, and only rarely are we willing to acknowledge that a friend or ally has gone too far or is pushing for something that may well be self-destructive. This factor ends up propagating support for radicals, and so every other faction has little choice but to match them in their absolute lunacy to combat their influence (often becoming just as bad). There is nothing that chaos loves more than watching reason and order dissolve, and that is exactly what Radicalism does. Extremists exist among all alignments, but Radicals are unique in their willingness to trample everything (including what they allegedly defend) to get what they want exactly how they want it. When a particularly intelligent or charismatic one steps up to the plate, the world WILL take notice, and shortly after will begin to spiral out of control. Their sheer conviction is a gateway to many other powers, and a radical can definitely emerge as an organized or potent threat while still acting like chaos incarnate. In fact, radicals' perverse views of justice are often the direct cause of titanic power buildups and the subsequent arms races that are bound to follow. As a GM, remember that a radical’s ultimate power sits in his influence, and that such authority should be nearly untouchable if he’s to be considered a threat. The radical himself may eventually be defeated, but his zeal may yet live on, and others will soon take up the position of their deceased master. Some radicals may go as far as to kill themselves for their cause, furthering it in the process rather than killing it off. That is what makes them great villains: immortality that goes far beyond the flesh. In terms of PCs, this archetype is very open, enabling characters that can mesh well with the party (a guy has to protect his good name) while also standing out and going a little nuts. You are willing to do anything to accomplish your goals regardless of what they entail, so don’t be afraid to break your own rules any time such necessity occurs to you.
Behemoth: They go by a variety of names: pirates, gangsters, avengers, and too many more to count. But they all share some common traits. Behemoths are the types of characters whose world and survival necessities are messed up beyond recognition and who have to do horrible things to stay alive. The difference between them and Broken is that Behemoths OWN IT! They take pride in their terrifying reputation, and use it to spread their influence. They seek to climb to the top of the midden heap, because if your circumstances are as awful as they are you may as well dominate them. They are the kings and queens of the world’s underbelly, whom its other residents either look up to or seek to take down. They will gladly shout from the rooftops how many people they killed, and how many more they would if some idiot were to cross their path. Authority figures know their names and fear them. A Behemoth often reflects some sort of brokenness in their position or life, one that in theory could be solved by proper application of law or good. However, it is because such action is not taken that behemoths will take to the seas/streets/wherever they may go to make known the falsehoods of the world by imposing them on others. They defy society while at the same time exploiting it, preying upon its vulnerabilities to survive while actively striking fear the hearts of all that oppose them. Interestingly, behemoths are not always bad people. On the contrary, their tendency towards affability (a crew has to be acquired somehow) can make them a benefactor in their own community. Be it via friendship or fear, a behemoth is always a power player in whatever world they roam, and will make his plights known to the world as they share in his fate. Definitely my number one choice of CE PC archetype and a phenomenal option for GMs as well.
Because it’s all I know: Sometimes, a person who has seen a great deal of violence in their life feels that they have no other option but to perpetuate the cycle, taking to destruction and violence simply because that is the only thing that gets them through the day. Others may not trust you, so in some cases you’ll have to fight or kill just so you can get your dinner or home. You aren’t so much the aggressor as the victim, forced to brutal means because that is what survival entails in your mind. It’s sad, but not much can really be done about with your world and mind in the state that it is.
Because it has to be done: This answer will usually entail one of two things: that you are chaotic evil because you feel your cause needs that sort of extra push or because you understand that chaotic evil actions have to be taken to make the world work properly. Either way, your intentions are not likely entirely anarchic or destructive, and in many ways may be altruistic in motive. You are willing to forfeit your own soul so that you can benefit others in some way, and will likely be willing to forfeit some other lives in the process. In the end, my actions will be justified by the providence your successors may reap.
Because that is what this world deserves: Our universe is a cruel, messed-up place, and it’s high time that it gets a heaping serving of vigilante justice. It’s high time that somebody did something about all the troubles in the world and punished its wickedness at all costs. I strike out against all of your misplaced optimism and hope for societal betterment, because in the end we are all just animals who hide behind trappings of civility. No more of that! We all must be shown how pitiful we are. Scary, I know, but the truth is seldom peaceful.
Because you could never understand: There are certain experiences that do things to people, transforming them in ways that make no sense whatsoever to sane folk. Their reasoning becomes distorted, and while they in their mind have perfect justification for demented behavior it ends up being relatable to nobody. Even in a world where divinations can reveal most any piece of objective information, some motives are just beyond comprehending. A paladin may detect evil, but can never see the process that led to its genesis. Such is your fate, to walk a world where you are utterly and totally alone in your pursuit.
Because good/law is wrong: Things really start turning when you invoke this argument, because it has an uneasy amount of truth to it. Think about all of the times that a paladin has fallen for something that anyone but a fanatical white knight would consider reasonable. If that is the way things happen in this universe, then it is high-time that somebody took a stand against the angels and declared “you’re no better than the rest of us!” You arm yourself with reason as a shield against the holy/axiomatic champions that would make you conform and critique as your sword by which you bring them low.
Because I don’t need a reason: I like to call this the “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown” answer, because this answer really sells the lack of reason inherent to this alignment. You can’t find an answer, and you frankly don’t need one. Screw logic, screw morals, screw every conception that you have about reality and basic decency. I stand here as a living embodiment of everything that you think is wrong and I am not going to justify such activity for you. Go ahead, lock me up, kill me, do whatever you want. Just remember that I existed and I chose of my own free will to be the way I am.
Victory by Any Means Necessary: You may have scruples, but when push comes to shove those things can easily be set aside. What matters most of all is results, and if you have to strangle a small child or eliminate a country to complete them SO WHAT? This mentality is raw unbridled CE because there is nothing tying you down in your pursuit of the greater goal. What matter for you is results, and even if those results don’t make you a terrible person the sheer unquestioning zeal with which you pursue them may well. Pay close attention to just what you are willing to do in order to get the job done, because there is always, always the risk of going too far and winding up here.
Honorless and Ruthless: Fair play? Common Decency? What are those? I fight to win, regardless of what happens in the meantime. Chaotic Evil combatants will likely employ every weapon in their arsenal in a fight, ranging from stealth to poison to just plain physical superiority. A fair fight to them is rarely worth fighting (combat-focused experimentalists are an exception to this rule), and no tactic is expected to be below them. In addition, if one spares you, it is not because he has any honorable obligation to do so, but because he simply doesn’t have interest in killing you. Scruples about behavior are nonexistent and any restraint employed is meant for practical or emotionally fulfilling purposes only. These guys ain’t knights.
Extreme Brutality: If deliberately causing pain to others is considered an evil act, then there are some types of violence that will typically send you straight to the abyss. By extreme brutality, I mean that a character goes far beyond defeating a foe and begins doing things to them that make the rest of the party back away slowly. This can be done either to simply indulge in your demented hunger or to make a point (sometimes to the victim, sometimes to others who may be watching), and in most cases this kind of action is self-explanatory when it comes up in-game (i.e. when a character slowly mutilates a foe and then shoves their face in the air repeatedly so that anyone scrying on them gets a good idea of what happened). Even when it only occurs on certain hated foes, cruelty for the sake of cruelty is often viewed as a warrant for shifting to CE.
Fighting the Norm/Resisting Authority: As I have mentioned before, a major role that chaotic evil plays in the universe is pointing out that the Lawful Good emperors of the world have no clothes. Traditional morals and the way people often perceive them can be horrifically corrupt and sometimes dangerous, and that’s where you come in (if lying is a flawed act, then why does every “good” leader tell his followers that everything is going to be all right?). Challenging the world and fighting the power aggressively is CE simply because it makes Law and Good the enemies, and if you see angels as the opposition then the rest of the world will have little choice but to label you a demon. This is one of the alignment system’s biggest faults, but that’s what makes playing CE so interesting.
Out for yourself at the expense of others: Reckless endangerment of your allies is by most accounts evil (one of the few “insta-fall” paladin tenants that I agree with), and doing so on the grounds that the tide turns against you seems rather chaotic to me. It stands to that logic that screwing number two to save number one sits fairly comfortably in this alignment. You have no obligation to help your allies, or anybody else for that matter. Your own goals are priority number one, and anyone who gets in their way or has no role in them is completely expendable. You may save and protect allies if you so wish, but that can be for selfish reasons. The fact that you aren’t obligated to, however, means that you may not be trusted. It may well be in your interest to play along, but never forget what you are really in it all for.
Committed to a Deadly End: Mass devastation is, no matter how you slice it, pretty darn evil. At the same time, however, there come instances where some serious brutality needs to be carried out. When you need to fulfill such goals, the whole world will be out to stop you, but that just means that they’ll be making your job easier by coming right at you. Fight on, for those who oppose you do not know the truth of your actions, and if they did would thank you. You have little time to waste on everybody, so going straight to action is seemingly the only option when the truth won’t come easily to most. Be it the end of all things or the complete eradication of a civilization or way of life, remember that if it has be done and that there is no other way, the CE label is a small price to pay.
Involvement with Demons: Okay, this is sort of a cheap one, but if you are working with anything Demonic or otherwise abyss-dwelling, you wind up being chaotic evil (Malconvokers are the exception due to some weird fine print). Quite frankly, you would have to be either incredibly desperate or sort of insane to trust these things (that or you have a specific purpose that abso-posi-tivo-lutely must be fulfilled). They don’t follow any sort of rules or honor code and their sheer alienness ends up making them a hazard to everybody else around them. Yet at the same time, that sort of power may be the kick that you feel is needed to do something. Selling your soul can have some powerful perks (as a certain Kobold has taught us), and it makes sense that someone very committed or working towards a very messy end would toss a coin into the abyss once and awhile. Demons are by no means necessary to CE, but the anarchy they throw into the equation can always make walking the limbo of sanity more interesting.
NOT Kicking Puppies: I cannot stress this enough. It is a bad, BAD idea to make a Chaotic Evil character simply for the intent of abusing innocent creatures with no greater purpose. CE means you are doing bad things for a purpose (even if that purpose is just raw unbridled madness), and there is no real goal that going out of your way to kick puppies will ever accomplish. Society will not be challenged, traditional morals will remain unaffected, and you will gain no information or benefit from going nuts on puppies. If you want to keep the impact of your destructive actions, make every single one count, or the effect will be wasted. Stupid violence for the sake of stupid violence is just that: stupid.
Lawful Good: If Roy Greenhilt has taught us one thing, it is that Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil do not necessarily need to be opposed on all fronts. In fact, LG characters will often be the first ones to try and help redeem CE ones. Unfortunately, far too often these result in failure, as the rift between the two groups is simply too great. Lawful Stupids will likely just smite them on sight, but what a smart LG should often do is listen to what CE characters have to say. Communication is frequently an issue between the two groups, and perhaps exchange is just what needs to happen for law and good to, in the end, succeed.
Neutral Good: Similar to LG characters, NG characters sometimes see CE as redeemable, working with them for the latter party’s good as much as their own. They won’t often try and control them like LG characters do, but will likely make an effort to either keep them from doing harm or even channel the chaos to a good end. However, in some cases it would make sense for a NG character to aggressively destroy chaotic evil, particularly when it poses a very large-scale threat. In any case, NG can view CE as either an enemy or an ally, and like LG will usually put their faith in eventual redemption.
Chaotic Good: Chaotic good will almost always look down upon chaotic evil, seeing themselves as better than their counterparts in most all ways. Compromise usually isn’t in a CG’s playbook, so in many ways the exchange between two opposing chaotic parties can be far more destructive than a match between LG and CE or between CG and LE. Chaotic Goods will think that they understand the world better than Chaotic Evils, but whether that is true is up for interpretation. Fights between these two alignments happen often due to the lack of scruples, and that’s where things get particularly fun as well as messy.
Lawful Neutral: Seeing chaotic evil as a validation for their ordered efforts, LN characters will often crusade particularly fervently against CE. However, for them it is not so much the danger they cause as the peace that they disrupt. Rebellion and emotional volatility, both defining traits of chaotic evil, are seen as the most dangerous aspects of the alignment to LN, and in some cases the fight may become so fervent to keep them down that a lapse to Lawful Evil may well occur. In some cases a LN character may become so desperate to fight that they wind up becoming the very Chaotic Evil they sought to destroy (which is considered a win for the mad guys).
True Neutral: What can I really say about this alignment? A true neutral character will often be the ones standing on the sidelines as the Chaotic Evil hordes rampage on by, afraid to fight back unless they personally are threatened. TN characters are in many ways the most vulnerable to becoming CE, because they themselves stand for nothing and will fall for most anything if it is forced upon them fervently enough. This alignment is by far the most common among weak NPCs, which is why so many Chaotic Evils choose to prey upon them for potential recruits to the dark causes. When a CE character looks upon a TN one, he sees one thing: opportunity.
Chaotic Neutral: CNs see themselves as similar in many ways to CEs, but pride themselves on their superior restraint and (allegedly) understanding of the universe. They don’t want to hurt people, they just want to be free, and view CEs as giving them a bad name. This is primarily because the line between the alignments is so darn blurred in many circles, and many CNs will try to act more good when they see a CE. Alternatively, many Chaotic Neutral characters fall to Chaotic Evil when the world simply becomes too much for them and they feel that extreme methods have to be take for their freedom to persevere (somebody please implement a corrupted protean into their game. I would love to see how that goes).
Lawful Evil: Don’t ever think that the alignment ultimately opposing chaotic evil is lawful good, because that honor falls to LG’s evil counterpart. Lawful evil is about order at all costs, and that mentality springs directly from the fact that chaotic evil is a powerful and dangerous force. It doesn’t matter who suffers under your control, because it is certainly better than suffering under a foe’s untempered brutality. In almost every mythology and work of fiction, lawful evil exists to fight the forces of chaotic evil, and if a LE character won’t kill them they will subjugate and utilize their less lockstep counterparts.
Neutral Evil: To Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil is, just like most other alignments, little more than a nuisance. NE just cares about the ends, not about order or freedom or any of that nonsense. However, the NEs that do have opinions on CE are afraid of it, seeing it as going simply too far into the realm of crazy for their goals to be sustainable. The two alignments won’t get along the best, but have no particular animosity towards each other and won’t usually come to blows over scruples.
Chaotic Evil: Follow your own cause, anybody else’s isn’t worth your attention unless it’s a threat. Just because two characters share this alignment does not mean that the two of them will get along. In fact, it usually means the exact opposite. Chaotic Evil characters are often highly dedicated and highly individualistic, and that doesn’t really mesh well with a bunch of other people who are the same thing yet focus on different goals. CE vs CE is a common battle, and proof that alignment and allegiance are two very different things.
The Stranger, by Albert Camus. Another story about an unrepentant criminal and social outcast, filled to the brim with his curious musings about life and its values.
Absolutely anything involving the Joker, because he embodies this alignment in more ways than I can ever list.
Pretty much everything else I used for quotes or images is quality in terms of good material. They are as follows:
Atlas Shrugged
A Clockwork Orange
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Othello
Chrono Trigger
Alice in Wonderland
Grand Theft Auto IV
Back to the Future III
Akira
The Most Dangerous Game
Batman: The Killing Joke
Dr. Strangelove: Or how I learned to stop fearing and love the Bomb
N.W.A
Watchmena
Fight Club
Final Fantasy VI
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Feel free to recommend others.
Input is, as always, appreciated.
No Limits, No Regrets: A guide to the Chaotic Evil alignment
“I started my life with a single absolute: that the world was mine to shape in the image of my highest values and never to be given up to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle.”
― John Galt, Atlas Shrugged
1. Introduction
Chaotic Evil is often looked down upon by players and GMs alike, primarily because the concept itself spits in the face of what most consider to be logical. It's common to hear things like "CE is reserved for psychopaths too crazy/dumb to do anything else" or "Chaotic Evil means you don't really have any goals or values besides killing stuff. Just play CN or LE instead."I am here to tell you that chaotic evil is far broader in scope than that. One can break the rules in ten times as many ways as one can uphold them, and that results in a wide variety of characters, motivations, and attitudes that have the potential to define a CE entity. You aren’t just some mindless engine of destruction and misery, you are a thinking individual who has looked at the world and said “I don’t like the way things work.” Chaotic Evil is all about rebellion, defying the norms of law and good because you see them as obstacles or even vices in some way. You actively circumvent the order of what is with your actions, not just of civilization but also of morality. You hold your own moral code, distinct from everyone else’s, and in the end your results will likely justify your means. Now tell me, doesn’t that sound enticing enough to at least attempt?
2. What is Chaotic Evil?
The Player’s Handbook from 3.5 describes Chaotic Evil as follows:“A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are poorly organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him. The demented sorcerer pursuing mad schemes of vengeance and havoc is chaotic evil.”
I cannot provide a better argument for why you should not listen to them.
What they define as chaotic evil is narrow, contrived, and will likely be a pox on whatever game you try to play. Not every CE character is an aggressive idiot who just destroys everything, and in fact very few good examples of the alignment actually meet these expectations. Instead, I propose these alternate criteria:
Apathy/Disdain for the rules: The first and most obvious part of “Chaotic Evil” is the chaos, a philosophy that typically entails going against the grain and not playing by the of society. You don’t give one iota about what sort of regulations that you should be following or what others perceive as typical behavior. You follow your own intuitions and inclines wherever they may lead you and won’t take orders unless you genuinely feel that you have something to gain from following them. Chaotic characters are free spirits, deciding for themselves what should be done in any given situation. this of course means that chaotic evil characters emphasize self-determination as well, only with more of a mean streak than a kindly one. Chaotic Evil characters value their own freedom greatly, more often than not, and when suppressed in any way will do everything in their power to shrug it off.
Little regard for others’ well-being: Sometimes, bad things must happen to good people if others are to prosper. There are some ambitions and processes for which respecting your fellows must come second to getting the job done. In fact, there are some duties you’ll likely perform that mandate some innocent people getting hurt. Some may feed some sort of twisted hunger, some may kill foes because they believe that their quarry cannot be made to see the truth, some may incite destruction so that the world takes notice of the problems facing it, while still others may deal in the misery of others because they know of no other way to live. Regardless, understand that this by no means is an excuse to murder everyone you meet under the pretenses of roleplaying. If you are going to commit horrible acts, there should be some reason for it (even if that reason is only “to show how little the world really cares”). Nonetheless, chaotic evil means that a few bodies buried in the foundations may be a necessity for building the structure.
Enemy of the established order: Let’s face it, not even angels are perfect. If they were, no mortal would ever be anything other than lawful good. The fact that you aren’t speaks volumes about the way the campaign world works, because it validates alternate perspectives and invalidates the idea of objective morality in a way that makes people ask questions. Law and Good are in the end nothing but constructs, and you are the philosophical engineer who is pointing out the flaws (intentionally or not). Society cannot evolve without protest and questioning, and so long as CE creatures exist those two things will always exist. Be sure to make clear to the world what you think is wrong with Law and Good and why they should change, because it is then that they start taking you seriously. Nobody has ever changed the world just by doing what they were told, and everything is open to scrutiny and reinterpretation. That’s where you come in.
Beholden to nothing: A vital thing to remember about chaotic evil is that you are never obligated to act in a specific way. Lockstep descriptions that define your actions are for goody-two-shoes alignments, and if you wanted to be confined into a specific set of norms you would play one of them. Do whatever the nine hells you want, even if it ends up benefitting law or good in some minute way. Heck, not even the ends you seek have to be awful. I understand that some patron deities might disapprove if you don’t live up to their expectations or actively undermine them (We’ll get to that later), but you should also remember that evil (and chaotic evil) has many faces, and that on some level all of their actions have desired results and purposes, some of which may be lawful or good (just look at Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy, which arguably advocates what D&D would dub chaos and evil to promote law and good). Not every action you do should be some horrible act, because an essential element of chaos is choice. You can still fight other evil or even chaotic evil figures if they are a threat to your values, and you likewise shouldn't ever feel obligated to indulge in instances of cruelty and debauchery if such actions serve no purpose. What you care about is your own business, and nobody has the right to tell you how to think, act, or play.
Just like everybody else: This is the most important point that I will make in this guide: being Chaotic Evil does not make you fundamentally different from every other creature in the game. You can still be intelligent, you can still have moral codes, and you can still behave rationally and methodically in pursuit of your goals. What makes you stand out is what those goals are and what you are willing to do to accomplish them. Others may look on you as some sort of inhuman monstrosity (a stigma reinforced by those detect alignment spells) and will likely shun you in some manner, but never let them forget that you are just as sentient as they are, and that you most often have the same emotions and concerns that they do, you just act upon them differently. And y’know what, sometimes the chaotic evil decision can be a very rational or even ethically sound one. Don’t ever get lumped into stereotypes, because you are an individual and likely have some reason or another for opposing the typical moral standards. You can be a nihilistic genius who sees the trappings of objective good as self-destructive, or perhaps you can be an everyday rebel who sees the law hurting people and wants to take justice into his own hands by punishing those (advertently or not) responsible.
3. Archetypes of Chaotic Evil
As mentioned before, there is far more to chaotic evil than just “I like destroying stuff grrr/hahaha!” Characters of this alignment can have a wide variety of worldviews, motives, and morals (or lack thereof). It’s just as possible for a destructive character to be intelligent, wise, or charismatic in the same way that a Neutral Good or Lawful Neutral character can be. The following character archetypes below are the most common “mannequins” on which a fleshed-out chaotic evil character tend to be constructed, and offer varying levels of roleplaying viability and interest.Djur: Also known as the beast. A Djur character is essentially a feral animal, often with minimal intelligence. They don’t think about much beyond their present obstacle or their next meal, and are apathetic to most anything beyond that. Generally their low intelligence can be exploited to control them, which is good because a wiser master keeping it on the leash is one of the few things that can keep a Djur from dusting everything in its path. This umbrella also encompasses “Chaotic Stupid” characters like Thog, who rarely think for themselves and ceaselessly follow another. More often than not, this type of character is a burden for the party, as it winds up being as much of a hazard to allies as it does to enemies (there’s a reason why nobody likes playing with a frenzied berserker). This archetype should generally reserved for monsters (which the PCs should generally be able to outsmart), although there are times when a particularly interesting and thought-provoking Djur can be created, the most notable being Transformations and Legendary Beasts. Transformations are a popular idea in culture because they demonstrate the potential for almost anyone to devolve into a psychotic beast, and integrating that into your game as a trait of a normally trustworthy NPC (or even PC if your group is into that) can certainly rachet up the tension. Legendary Beasts, on the other hand, are immensely powerful monstrosities that thrive very much upon buildup. High-level PCs may be able to take it on eventually, but the destruction that would occur in the fight would be catastrophic, giving most anyone pause about putting so many lives at risk. They don't even have to be that big, a small but very dangerous entity (think Akira) could be pulled off to the same effect. The most important thing to remember about Legendary Beasts, though, is that they should remain shrouded in mystery, with PCs hearing about their exploits primarily through secondary (and heck, sometimes unreliable) sources. The idea of the monster is just as scary as the real thing, if not moreso (I mean, think about how horrifying the tarrasque is when you read about it compared to when you fight it). As a DM, Djurs should be deployed sparingly and strategically, because they are very much a matter of “all or nothing” in terms of appeal.
Varelse: This type of character is harder to explain, and that is exactly what makes it so darn memorable in the villain seat. The idea behind a varelse (title taken from Orson Scott Card’s amazing Speaker for the Dead) is that they are so strange and/or insane that their actions are wholly incomprehensible from a human standpoint. They perform deeds whose patterns and ideas seem perfectly logical to them, but their reasoning is beyond even the most insightful mortals. They certainly aren’t stupid, but mentally they are on a level the likes of which we cannot understand and are forced to declare crazy. Demons, Aberrations, Elder Gods and many other irrational and reality-defying entities fall into this category, most often used to make a point about how little we are capable of comprehending about the universe. True psychopaths who do mad things for reasons that nobody understands also fall into this category, as there is little hope in trying to reason with them. Varelse are the things that man was not meant to know, and which we have no choice but to fight. Trying to apply reason to them is a lost cause, and them trying to explain their reasoning to you is just as futile. They themselves may not even know what makes them so darn crazy. Naturally, they end up only recruiting followers that are just as crazy as they are or who are under some form of control. The premise itself is very postmodern in nature, representing how much is simply beyond the realms of science and reason to touch. As such, Varelse should be used to inspire a feeling of dread in the players about how much is possible in their campaign world. Placing one in a position of power (either civilly or just by force) ups the effectiveness dramatically, as here you wind up having an unpredictable and incredibly potent foe that the players have no choice but to fear (because the wimpy nutballs can be shut up. The strong ones people wind up listening to). Varelse as player characters are a bit more difficult to pull off, on the other hand, and usually wind up having to be treated like Djur in a typical party. However, if their insanity offers bizarre flashes of insight or connection to the plot in some way, then things can get interesting (imagine an insane character who holds crucial secrets to stopping a major disaster). Varelse are unnerving, and that is their greatest advantage. Utilize it well and it holds plenty of potential.
Broken: This is the saddest and probably the most realistic interpretation of chaotic evil out there: the person who has to commit atrocities just to get by in the world. This could be because they are forced to crime because it’s the only way to put food on the table, or perhaps because they have grown up surrounded by violence and feel that they must participate in it because that is the only way they know. Some even may have what they feel to be their whole lives taken from them and are forced by fate or by their emotions to act as an engine of desolation for the rest of the world. Many broken will likely be reluctant or at least skeptical in their actions, and may even end up out of control when placed under stress. Although playing a character like this may end up to be kind of a downer and won’t usually be suited for light-hearted adventures, a psychological or dark fantasy adventure benefits greatly from individuals who have gone too mad to accept a life devoid of horror and cruelty. This type of character also encompasses a lot of the feral monster races who live on the edges of society, such as the orcs, goblins, and gnolls that are so commonly used as generic enemies. Deep down, every one of them is a reasoning intelligent creature, driven by their terrible circumstances to become what are little more than beasts. Think about that next time a roving band just decides to crash a caravan and you can see how effective and interesting a well-applied broken character (or even entire race) can be.
Jerk: It’s characters like this that give this alignment a bad name. These are the types of characters that just hurt people because they like hurting people and don’t have much of a personality beyond “I want to make others miserable because why not?” If a character is accurately described in this passage, some fleshing-out is likely in order. Consider building up the motivations and backstory enough so that they actually have some solid reasoning behind what they do and why they do it (generally this leads to them becoming broken or ravager characters, sorta like Biff in Back to the Future II). If somebody is very careful this archetype can be pulled off to create a competently interesting character, and a jerk can certainly fun in a self-aware lighthearted campaign (Xykon is unliving proof of that), but in most cases I frown upon this archetype’s use.
Aggro-Individualist: This arose out of a conversation with one my players whose character fit very squarely into the “jerk” archetype. The long discussion slowly built up a backstory for the character, whose motivations were wholly dedicated to protecting his individual rights and whose personal moral code gave him the conviction to stomp out anything he saw as a threat to his freedom. Such a prospect might not seem too bad, but this isn’t just any guy who values his individuality. An Aggro-Indi is the kind of person who sees most any act of oversight or control as a significant threat, and will violently lash out in what he believes to be self-defense. He doesn’t care about whom or what gets damaged, just so long as he himself can exercise what he believes to be his gods-given rights. What differentiates an aggro-indi from the jerk is a sense of justice, a need to stand for individual rights and protect the world from the forces of law that may consciously or unconsciously harm it (the good side of chaos, if I do say so myself). They don’t go after anyone who isn’t perceived as a threat to their sovereignty or person, and will sometimes give a deal of respect to those who don’t cross them. Overall, I find that this makes for a fun and topical character, and can be utilized and made interesting in a few different ways.
Experimentalist: There comes a time in anybody's life where it no longer seems fulfilling. Man is motivated always to seek new frontiers and test his abilities to a greater degree. In some cases, that pursuit can lead to some utterly messed-up deeds. From the aesthetic who celebrates the beauty of destruction by making cities his canvas to the scholar who indulges in dangerous forbidden rituals to the master strategist who seeks a uniquely capable and intelligent prey to match his abilities against, Experimentalists are always individuals who sit on the cutting edge of their craft and dare to make artistic leaps in the name of their own curiosity (Bloody art for art’s sake, if you will). Placing their own illustrative desires above the safety and security of anyone around them, they strike at the world to see just how much they can do or just what might happen if they were to shake something most others don’t dare look upon. After all, he’s ahead of his time, and those who stand in their way are simply afraid of progress. Characters of this archetype will often showboat, and frequently want to let their quarries know that they have been surpassed. Honor and respect don’t typically mesh with chaotic evil, but Experimentalists will sometimes hold to these tenants to pump up the sheer thrill of the hunt. They want to prove something to the world and to themselves, after all, and if they don’t get any satisfaction or information from their misdeeds it will all have been for naught. Things get particularly interesting when an experimentalist reaches a point where he feels he cannot overcome, and is forced to deal with the possibility of his own limitations. This is a concept I highly advise players and DMs to explore when implementing an experimentalist in their campaign. At the end of the day, this archetype works well as both heroes and villains, because experimentalists are most often calculating and methodical and won’t do anything crazy they don’t feel they can learn from. However, if they feel that something is worth their time, everyone else had better beware.
Cruel Teacher: Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote that all crime is on some level a form of protest, and Cruel Teachers exemplify this concept. They are often about giving the world pause as to what its morals are and why it works the way it does by means of doing terrible things that are on some level justifiable or rational. A Cruel Teacher is often grandiose in scope and well aware of the fact that what they are doing is evil and breaks the rules, and that is precisely why they do it. Many of them may not wholly support the skullduggery they are performing, but they go through with it so that their actions may influence events for the better. This is the type of character that would murder a village full of people to get a country's population angry at their king for not stepping in, or who would rise to the top of a government and exploit its powers to make sure that something is done about it. They manufacture brutal spectacles specifically with the intent of getting people to question their beliefs about the world, most notably law and good, and when they are successful all of society ripples at the consequences of their actions. This archetype is particularly prominent amongst casting characters, whose trained mental faculties imply an awareness of the world’s problems as well as a motivation to turn it upside-down. This is certainly an archetype that requires a lot of development in order for it to be utilized effectively, but when it pays off… well, there’s a reason that many of cinema’s most iconic characters fall into this archetype.
Radical: If you want to create a CE villain, this is the archetype that I most recommend. The Radical is an individual who is immensely dedicated to a cause and will do everything in his power to carry it out regardless of the costs. He will overcome any obstacle and fell any foe to get what he wants, and even if the ending is lawful or good the warpath he blazed getting to it will likely cancel out any altruism he may have originally had. Few of these characters view their actions as evil (or chaotic, for that matter), and will fight tooth and nail to justify their actions in some way, shape, or form. Many will proclaim their unfettered dedication to law or good while taking a dump on their most basic tenets. This works so well for villains because it not only makes them believable but also energizes the world around them with dedication. Terrifyingly, we are very ready to accept madness as a norm in society, and only rarely are we willing to acknowledge that a friend or ally has gone too far or is pushing for something that may well be self-destructive. This factor ends up propagating support for radicals, and so every other faction has little choice but to match them in their absolute lunacy to combat their influence (often becoming just as bad). There is nothing that chaos loves more than watching reason and order dissolve, and that is exactly what Radicalism does. Extremists exist among all alignments, but Radicals are unique in their willingness to trample everything (including what they allegedly defend) to get what they want exactly how they want it. When a particularly intelligent or charismatic one steps up to the plate, the world WILL take notice, and shortly after will begin to spiral out of control. Their sheer conviction is a gateway to many other powers, and a radical can definitely emerge as an organized or potent threat while still acting like chaos incarnate. In fact, radicals' perverse views of justice are often the direct cause of titanic power buildups and the subsequent arms races that are bound to follow. As a GM, remember that a radical’s ultimate power sits in his influence, and that such authority should be nearly untouchable if he’s to be considered a threat. The radical himself may eventually be defeated, but his zeal may yet live on, and others will soon take up the position of their deceased master. Some radicals may go as far as to kill themselves for their cause, furthering it in the process rather than killing it off. That is what makes them great villains: immortality that goes far beyond the flesh. In terms of PCs, this archetype is very open, enabling characters that can mesh well with the party (a guy has to protect his good name) while also standing out and going a little nuts. You are willing to do anything to accomplish your goals regardless of what they entail, so don’t be afraid to break your own rules any time such necessity occurs to you.
Behemoth: They go by a variety of names: pirates, gangsters, avengers, and too many more to count. But they all share some common traits. Behemoths are the types of characters whose world and survival necessities are messed up beyond recognition and who have to do horrible things to stay alive. The difference between them and Broken is that Behemoths OWN IT! They take pride in their terrifying reputation, and use it to spread their influence. They seek to climb to the top of the midden heap, because if your circumstances are as awful as they are you may as well dominate them. They are the kings and queens of the world’s underbelly, whom its other residents either look up to or seek to take down. They will gladly shout from the rooftops how many people they killed, and how many more they would if some idiot were to cross their path. Authority figures know their names and fear them. A Behemoth often reflects some sort of brokenness in their position or life, one that in theory could be solved by proper application of law or good. However, it is because such action is not taken that behemoths will take to the seas/streets/wherever they may go to make known the falsehoods of the world by imposing them on others. They defy society while at the same time exploiting it, preying upon its vulnerabilities to survive while actively striking fear the hearts of all that oppose them. Interestingly, behemoths are not always bad people. On the contrary, their tendency towards affability (a crew has to be acquired somehow) can make them a benefactor in their own community. Be it via friendship or fear, a behemoth is always a power player in whatever world they roam, and will make his plights known to the world as they share in his fate. Definitely my number one choice of CE PC archetype and a phenomenal option for GMs as well.
4. Motivation: Why do you want to be Chaotic Evil?
Every character should have some sort of motivation or purpose in their life, or should at least be searching for one. Chaotic Evil is a direct rebellion against what is considered to be well and good in the world, which means it is especially necessary for a player or DM to justify why their character sits in this alignment. There are many possible answers, and below I’ve outined some of the most prominent and interesting ones. Again, don’t feel like you have to hold to these, but be sure that you come up with some path for your character.Because it’s all I know: Sometimes, a person who has seen a great deal of violence in their life feels that they have no other option but to perpetuate the cycle, taking to destruction and violence simply because that is the only thing that gets them through the day. Others may not trust you, so in some cases you’ll have to fight or kill just so you can get your dinner or home. You aren’t so much the aggressor as the victim, forced to brutal means because that is what survival entails in your mind. It’s sad, but not much can really be done about with your world and mind in the state that it is.
Because it has to be done: This answer will usually entail one of two things: that you are chaotic evil because you feel your cause needs that sort of extra push or because you understand that chaotic evil actions have to be taken to make the world work properly. Either way, your intentions are not likely entirely anarchic or destructive, and in many ways may be altruistic in motive. You are willing to forfeit your own soul so that you can benefit others in some way, and will likely be willing to forfeit some other lives in the process. In the end, my actions will be justified by the providence your successors may reap.
Because that is what this world deserves: Our universe is a cruel, messed-up place, and it’s high time that it gets a heaping serving of vigilante justice. It’s high time that somebody did something about all the troubles in the world and punished its wickedness at all costs. I strike out against all of your misplaced optimism and hope for societal betterment, because in the end we are all just animals who hide behind trappings of civility. No more of that! We all must be shown how pitiful we are. Scary, I know, but the truth is seldom peaceful.
Because you could never understand: There are certain experiences that do things to people, transforming them in ways that make no sense whatsoever to sane folk. Their reasoning becomes distorted, and while they in their mind have perfect justification for demented behavior it ends up being relatable to nobody. Even in a world where divinations can reveal most any piece of objective information, some motives are just beyond comprehending. A paladin may detect evil, but can never see the process that led to its genesis. Such is your fate, to walk a world where you are utterly and totally alone in your pursuit.
Because good/law is wrong: Things really start turning when you invoke this argument, because it has an uneasy amount of truth to it. Think about all of the times that a paladin has fallen for something that anyone but a fanatical white knight would consider reasonable. If that is the way things happen in this universe, then it is high-time that somebody took a stand against the angels and declared “you’re no better than the rest of us!” You arm yourself with reason as a shield against the holy/axiomatic champions that would make you conform and critique as your sword by which you bring them low.
Because I don’t need a reason: I like to call this the “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown” answer, because this answer really sells the lack of reason inherent to this alignment. You can’t find an answer, and you frankly don’t need one. Screw logic, screw morals, screw every conception that you have about reality and basic decency. I stand here as a living embodiment of everything that you think is wrong and I am not going to justify such activity for you. Go ahead, lock me up, kill me, do whatever you want. Just remember that I existed and I chose of my own free will to be the way I am.
5. What makes one Chaotic Evil
Now that we’ve gone through so much of what chaotic evil is, it’s time we reflect on some of the things that make someone chaotic evil. What are some of the actions and motives that turn them to this alignment, or some of the aspects of the character that make somebody look at them and say “you’re Chaotic Evil”? Though some of these can be argued, behaviors as outlined below typically show up in CE characters, and exhibiting them will push you towards it in the books of most DMs. Victory by Any Means Necessary: You may have scruples, but when push comes to shove those things can easily be set aside. What matters most of all is results, and if you have to strangle a small child or eliminate a country to complete them SO WHAT? This mentality is raw unbridled CE because there is nothing tying you down in your pursuit of the greater goal. What matter for you is results, and even if those results don’t make you a terrible person the sheer unquestioning zeal with which you pursue them may well. Pay close attention to just what you are willing to do in order to get the job done, because there is always, always the risk of going too far and winding up here.
Honorless and Ruthless: Fair play? Common Decency? What are those? I fight to win, regardless of what happens in the meantime. Chaotic Evil combatants will likely employ every weapon in their arsenal in a fight, ranging from stealth to poison to just plain physical superiority. A fair fight to them is rarely worth fighting (combat-focused experimentalists are an exception to this rule), and no tactic is expected to be below them. In addition, if one spares you, it is not because he has any honorable obligation to do so, but because he simply doesn’t have interest in killing you. Scruples about behavior are nonexistent and any restraint employed is meant for practical or emotionally fulfilling purposes only. These guys ain’t knights.
Extreme Brutality: If deliberately causing pain to others is considered an evil act, then there are some types of violence that will typically send you straight to the abyss. By extreme brutality, I mean that a character goes far beyond defeating a foe and begins doing things to them that make the rest of the party back away slowly. This can be done either to simply indulge in your demented hunger or to make a point (sometimes to the victim, sometimes to others who may be watching), and in most cases this kind of action is self-explanatory when it comes up in-game (i.e. when a character slowly mutilates a foe and then shoves their face in the air repeatedly so that anyone scrying on them gets a good idea of what happened). Even when it only occurs on certain hated foes, cruelty for the sake of cruelty is often viewed as a warrant for shifting to CE.
Fighting the Norm/Resisting Authority: As I have mentioned before, a major role that chaotic evil plays in the universe is pointing out that the Lawful Good emperors of the world have no clothes. Traditional morals and the way people often perceive them can be horrifically corrupt and sometimes dangerous, and that’s where you come in (if lying is a flawed act, then why does every “good” leader tell his followers that everything is going to be all right?). Challenging the world and fighting the power aggressively is CE simply because it makes Law and Good the enemies, and if you see angels as the opposition then the rest of the world will have little choice but to label you a demon. This is one of the alignment system’s biggest faults, but that’s what makes playing CE so interesting.
Out for yourself at the expense of others: Reckless endangerment of your allies is by most accounts evil (one of the few “insta-fall” paladin tenants that I agree with), and doing so on the grounds that the tide turns against you seems rather chaotic to me. It stands to that logic that screwing number two to save number one sits fairly comfortably in this alignment. You have no obligation to help your allies, or anybody else for that matter. Your own goals are priority number one, and anyone who gets in their way or has no role in them is completely expendable. You may save and protect allies if you so wish, but that can be for selfish reasons. The fact that you aren’t obligated to, however, means that you may not be trusted. It may well be in your interest to play along, but never forget what you are really in it all for.
Committed to a Deadly End: Mass devastation is, no matter how you slice it, pretty darn evil. At the same time, however, there come instances where some serious brutality needs to be carried out. When you need to fulfill such goals, the whole world will be out to stop you, but that just means that they’ll be making your job easier by coming right at you. Fight on, for those who oppose you do not know the truth of your actions, and if they did would thank you. You have little time to waste on everybody, so going straight to action is seemingly the only option when the truth won’t come easily to most. Be it the end of all things or the complete eradication of a civilization or way of life, remember that if it has be done and that there is no other way, the CE label is a small price to pay.
Involvement with Demons: Okay, this is sort of a cheap one, but if you are working with anything Demonic or otherwise abyss-dwelling, you wind up being chaotic evil (Malconvokers are the exception due to some weird fine print). Quite frankly, you would have to be either incredibly desperate or sort of insane to trust these things (that or you have a specific purpose that abso-posi-tivo-lutely must be fulfilled). They don’t follow any sort of rules or honor code and their sheer alienness ends up making them a hazard to everybody else around them. Yet at the same time, that sort of power may be the kick that you feel is needed to do something. Selling your soul can have some powerful perks (as a certain Kobold has taught us), and it makes sense that someone very committed or working towards a very messy end would toss a coin into the abyss once and awhile. Demons are by no means necessary to CE, but the anarchy they throw into the equation can always make walking the limbo of sanity more interesting.
NOT Kicking Puppies: I cannot stress this enough. It is a bad, BAD idea to make a Chaotic Evil character simply for the intent of abusing innocent creatures with no greater purpose. CE means you are doing bad things for a purpose (even if that purpose is just raw unbridled madness), and there is no real goal that going out of your way to kick puppies will ever accomplish. Society will not be challenged, traditional morals will remain unaffected, and you will gain no information or benefit from going nuts on puppies. If you want to keep the impact of your destructive actions, make every single one count, or the effect will be wasted. Stupid violence for the sake of stupid violence is just that: stupid.
6. How other Alignments respond to Chaotic Evil
The interactions between law, chaos, good, and evil can be varied and multifaceted depending on the personal views of each party involved. However, there are some typical behaviors that other alignments express when confronted with a Chaotic Evil individual, and while these are no means the end-all-be-all of character romance they should often be consideredLawful Good: If Roy Greenhilt has taught us one thing, it is that Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil do not necessarily need to be opposed on all fronts. In fact, LG characters will often be the first ones to try and help redeem CE ones. Unfortunately, far too often these result in failure, as the rift between the two groups is simply too great. Lawful Stupids will likely just smite them on sight, but what a smart LG should often do is listen to what CE characters have to say. Communication is frequently an issue between the two groups, and perhaps exchange is just what needs to happen for law and good to, in the end, succeed.
Neutral Good: Similar to LG characters, NG characters sometimes see CE as redeemable, working with them for the latter party’s good as much as their own. They won’t often try and control them like LG characters do, but will likely make an effort to either keep them from doing harm or even channel the chaos to a good end. However, in some cases it would make sense for a NG character to aggressively destroy chaotic evil, particularly when it poses a very large-scale threat. In any case, NG can view CE as either an enemy or an ally, and like LG will usually put their faith in eventual redemption.
Chaotic Good: Chaotic good will almost always look down upon chaotic evil, seeing themselves as better than their counterparts in most all ways. Compromise usually isn’t in a CG’s playbook, so in many ways the exchange between two opposing chaotic parties can be far more destructive than a match between LG and CE or between CG and LE. Chaotic Goods will think that they understand the world better than Chaotic Evils, but whether that is true is up for interpretation. Fights between these two alignments happen often due to the lack of scruples, and that’s where things get particularly fun as well as messy.
Lawful Neutral: Seeing chaotic evil as a validation for their ordered efforts, LN characters will often crusade particularly fervently against CE. However, for them it is not so much the danger they cause as the peace that they disrupt. Rebellion and emotional volatility, both defining traits of chaotic evil, are seen as the most dangerous aspects of the alignment to LN, and in some cases the fight may become so fervent to keep them down that a lapse to Lawful Evil may well occur. In some cases a LN character may become so desperate to fight that they wind up becoming the very Chaotic Evil they sought to destroy (which is considered a win for the mad guys).
True Neutral: What can I really say about this alignment? A true neutral character will often be the ones standing on the sidelines as the Chaotic Evil hordes rampage on by, afraid to fight back unless they personally are threatened. TN characters are in many ways the most vulnerable to becoming CE, because they themselves stand for nothing and will fall for most anything if it is forced upon them fervently enough. This alignment is by far the most common among weak NPCs, which is why so many Chaotic Evils choose to prey upon them for potential recruits to the dark causes. When a CE character looks upon a TN one, he sees one thing: opportunity.
Chaotic Neutral: CNs see themselves as similar in many ways to CEs, but pride themselves on their superior restraint and (allegedly) understanding of the universe. They don’t want to hurt people, they just want to be free, and view CEs as giving them a bad name. This is primarily because the line between the alignments is so darn blurred in many circles, and many CNs will try to act more good when they see a CE. Alternatively, many Chaotic Neutral characters fall to Chaotic Evil when the world simply becomes too much for them and they feel that extreme methods have to be take for their freedom to persevere (somebody please implement a corrupted protean into their game. I would love to see how that goes).
Lawful Evil: Don’t ever think that the alignment ultimately opposing chaotic evil is lawful good, because that honor falls to LG’s evil counterpart. Lawful evil is about order at all costs, and that mentality springs directly from the fact that chaotic evil is a powerful and dangerous force. It doesn’t matter who suffers under your control, because it is certainly better than suffering under a foe’s untempered brutality. In almost every mythology and work of fiction, lawful evil exists to fight the forces of chaotic evil, and if a LE character won’t kill them they will subjugate and utilize their less lockstep counterparts.
Neutral Evil: To Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil is, just like most other alignments, little more than a nuisance. NE just cares about the ends, not about order or freedom or any of that nonsense. However, the NEs that do have opinions on CE are afraid of it, seeing it as going simply too far into the realm of crazy for their goals to be sustainable. The two alignments won’t get along the best, but have no particular animosity towards each other and won’t usually come to blows over scruples.
Chaotic Evil: Follow your own cause, anybody else’s isn’t worth your attention unless it’s a threat. Just because two characters share this alignment does not mean that the two of them will get along. In fact, it usually means the exact opposite. Chaotic Evil characters are often highly dedicated and highly individualistic, and that doesn’t really mesh well with a bunch of other people who are the same thing yet focus on different goals. CE vs CE is a common battle, and proof that alignment and allegiance are two very different things.
7. Great Sources/Examples of Chaotic Evil
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a meticulous character study of a somewhat rational killer, delving into his motivations for why he murders two innocent people in cold blood. This is my number one recommendation on the subject.The Stranger, by Albert Camus. Another story about an unrepentant criminal and social outcast, filled to the brim with his curious musings about life and its values.
Absolutely anything involving the Joker, because he embodies this alignment in more ways than I can ever list.
Pretty much everything else I used for quotes or images is quality in terms of good material. They are as follows:
Atlas Shrugged
A Clockwork Orange
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Othello
Chrono Trigger
Alice in Wonderland
Grand Theft Auto IV
Back to the Future III
Akira
The Most Dangerous Game
Batman: The Killing Joke
Dr. Strangelove: Or how I learned to stop fearing and love the Bomb
N.W.A
Watchmena
Fight Club
Final Fantasy VI
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Feel free to recommend others.
Input is, as always, appreciated.
