Many Dungeons & Dragons players (rookies and seasoned veterans alike) can sometimes find playing lawful characters a bit restrictive. Role-playing as an honorable hero with a strict moral compass and the highest regard for laws, always saving damsels, slaying dragons, and protecting the common folk while feeling superior to everyone else sounds a bit tiring to me. If you got bored by the time you finished that sentence, but still want to be the good guy, maybe you should consider a Chaotic Good alignment for your next character.
This alignment is perfect for rebels and unconventional thinkers who value freedom over everything else in life. Chaotic Good characters do the right thing, just in ways that society might deem unusual or unorthodox, so even though they are usually very heroic, their atypical methods make them take a backseat to the standard (lawful) good guys. The fact that they’re not the most obvious choice for a protagonist and that their methods are a bit flawed makes them even more fun to play (at least in my humble opinion).
Chaotic Good Characters in Pop Culture
In case you’re still not sure what kind of person I’m talking about, let’s go through a few examples from movies and tv shows.
You can encounter many Chaotic Good characters in the Harry Potter universe, but I’m going to mention only a few here. Our favorite mischievous Weasley twins, Fred and George are perfect examples of this alignment. They are always pulling pranks on their family and friends and getting in trouble in school, but they are also a vital part of Dumbledore’s Army and always help Harry as best as they can.
Luna Lovegood is another Hogwarts student who is considered Chaotic Good. Most people that meet her consider her an oddball and an outcast,
The last, but definitely not least of our Hogwarts bunch is Sirius Black. As an original member of the Order of the Phoenix, he was always fighting for the good in the world, but he was also a big believer in personal freedoms. When you add a system that betrayed and wrongfully imprisoned him, you get a perfect representation of Chaotic Good.
There are many fictional vigilantes that fall under this category too. Robin Hood, who robs the rich to give to the poor, and Green Arrow, a DC hero who is trying to protect his city from evil, just to mention a few.
The Hulk would also be considered Chaotic Good. I mean what screams chaotic more than a hero who smashes evildoers out of his way (and also maybe a few buildings as collateral damage)? His intentions are pure, but his execution is a bit unusual.
Han Solo is a good representation of this alignment on screen. He has an extreme distaste for authority and seems to only care about money, but is actually good-intentioned and ready to fight for justice. While we’re on the topic of spaceship captains, it would be a complete waste not to mention Serenity’s Malcolm Reynolds (from Firefly). He hates the Alliance, has no regard for the law, and is a thief and smuggler, but isn’t a bad person. He serves as a sort of modern Robin Hood who refuses to steal from the ones who truly need it, is an incredibly good person, and will always try to do the right thing.
From Lawful to Chaotic Good
In order to truly clarify the difference between all three good alignments – Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic, let’s see how three different characters with these respective alignments would react to a specific situation.
Let’s pretend that a member of the party was wrongfully accused of a crime and ended up in a jail cell. A Lawful Good character would probably try his best to get him out in the most “legal” way possible by paying his fine, talking to the jailer or even pleading his case with the judge. If he is unsuccessful, he might even be inclined to let him serve the jail sentence because of the high regard he has for the word of law and those who uphold it.
On the other hand, a Chaotic Good person would probably sneer at those attempts and stealthily break the ally out of prison during the night. With their obvious disdain for authority and sometimes unhinged behavior, they wouldn’t even hesitate to commit a crime if it means doing what was right.
A Neutral Good creature would most likely represent the middle ground between these two. I believe they would sit down and think about the best course of action. In my opinion, they would try to go the legal route, but if that didn’t play out, you best believe they would bring a set of lock picks as soon as the sun came down. For Neutral Good characters, the most important thing is that the person is out of prison, but they don’t have any obvious (dis)regard for laws.
Chaotic Good, Neutral, and Evil Characters
Okay, we figured out how good people would react, but what about the three chaotic alignments? Would they do something different from each other?
Let’s use the same situation from the previous section – ally in prison. I already mentioned that a Chaotic Good character would, in my opinion, do anything to help his friend, but what about Chaotic Neutral and Chaotic Evil ones?
A Chaotic Evil character would do the exact opposite from the good one – do anything to land someone in even more trouble. Whether it was framing someone for more crimes or finding incriminating evidence and presenting it to the authorities, he would do anything just to accomplish his evil goals.
The Chaotic Neutral one though, that’s a very different story. This alignment is considered by many to be the wild cards since they don’t care whether the outcome is good or evil, just if it suits them or not. So your guess on what they would do is as good as mine. But if I had to guess, they wouldn’t even bother.
Classes That Are a Good Fit
Chaotic Good is one of the most popular alignments for DnD players since you still get the option of being one of the good guys but on your own terms. Its versatility is the exact reason why I believe it fits (more or less) with almost every one of the standard classes offered to players in the Player’s Handbook.
For example, a barbarian hero is perfect for your character who understands that you’ve got to break a few eggs to make an omelette. Your character can kick ass in the name of good and do things your lawful party members might shy away from any day of the week.
Also, since freedom is usually linked with creativity and expression, why not try a bard? This class is already thought of as the most chaotic one in all of DnD 5e, so make the most of it – make up your own raps that accompany spells or smash people over the head with your instrument, just have fun.
Since clerics’ alignment matches one of his deities, they are a rare class that works well with most if not all of the standard alignments. A Chaotic Good deity is usually fond of a bit of trickery but is still a force of good, so why not make your cleric a good-intentioned prankster? The same reasoning goes for a monk too, their alignment just has to match their deity.
If you’re planning on playing a mercenary, soldier, or sailor, then I believe a lawful alignment might be better suited for a fighter character, but a more chaotic alignment might work well too. A freedom fighter who would do anything to bring the corrupt, tyrannical system down? Sounds like a plot of a good dystopian book to me!
Also, even though rogues have a bad rap for being pickpockets, burglars, and criminals, they can actually be Chaotic Good too. Think Robin Hood or Bilbo Baggins.
Lastly, if you wish to play a spellcasting class, one subclass of sorcerers always carries a bit of chaos in them – Wild Magic sorcerers whose magic is followed by unexpected side effects. I don’t know about you, but that just screams chaos to me.
Wizards can also have any alignment, good and evil alike and a warlock’s alignment matches their patron’s. Rangers usually live in the wilderness and don’t believe in the rules of civilized society that much, so it makes sense for them to behave a bit chaotically to typical city folk.
The only class that I don’t see fitting perfectly (although it sure can be managed) are druids, nature’s protectors, who are usually neutral since their job is to help uphold the balance and order in their habitats.
Best Backgrounds for a Chaotic Good Character
Similarly to classes, there are some backgrounds that just work better with a Chaotic Good character than others. I’m going to name a few that caught my eye but feel free to choose whichever is the best fit for you (even if it’s not mentioned here).
Even though it doesn’t sound that good and may be a bit scammy, a Charlatan background can be worked into your chaotic character. It works great for a socially adept free-spirited character who does perform a bit of trickery but later gives away that money to people who truly need it. Think of a Robin Hood equivalent who uses his wits instead of a bow and arrow.
The Entertainer background, which is the bread and butter for bards in DnD 5e, also goes swimmingly with this alignment.
A Folk Hero, although a great fit for a Lawful alignment can go great with a Chaotic one too. A small-town blacksmith or farmer turned unlikely hero fighting for freedom against the land’s biggest tyrants? Sign me up, already sounds like an action-adventure blockbuster!
Lastly, an Outlander who spent most of his life in the wilderness, far away from any remnants of civilization probably doesn’t have much regard for the rules and regulations of civilized society. So I think that this background is a good fit for a bit of a wild card (pun intended).
The Dos and Don’ts of Chaotic Good
There are many common myths and misconceptions about every standard alignment and they can sometimes stand in the way of people truly understanding them. So let’s go through a couple of the most frequently googled questions about Chaotic Good and try to clear a few things up.
Can Paladins Be Chaotic Good?
Yes, they can. There used to be a rule in DnD that members of this class had to be Lawful Good, but it’s not in place anymore. Although predominantly good (with the exception of the Oathbreaker subclass), paladins can be lawful, neutral, and chaotic.
Can Villains Be Chaotic Good?
I can’t see proper villains being good people, so in general, I would say no, but I do believe it is possible to make some sort of Chaotic Good anti-hero in DnD 5e. Although technically good, anti-heroes can commit some morally gray actions.
