The moderators of this subreddit explain that chaotic good is a character that "values freedom, for herself and others, and views the welfare of all as her business. She cannot tolerate cruelty or intimidation, and works to dismantle hierarchy and domination.”
Like stealing another person's underfed dog in order to save its life. Or dressing up as the Grim Reaper to remind people that there's still a pandemic going on. These are only a few examples of how this community does the right thing with little regard for laws and regulations.
One of the subreddit's main symbols -- its name -- is a clear reminder of a popular fantasy tabletop role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons (commonly abbreviated as D&D or DnD). As the title suggests, it's a magical world of over 300 creatures like giants, dragons, warlocks, dwarves and many more.
First published in 1974, D&D has long been part of popular culture and still remains one of the best-selling games in the US. During its forty years of history, the developers have created captivating board and video games, also novels written by its fantasy authors.
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As stated in their official website, “The core of D&D is storytelling. You and your friends tell a story together, guiding your heroes through quests for treasure, battles with deadly foes, daring rescues, courtly intrigue, and much more.“ In short, one player, the Dungeon Master, facilitates the game, controls the monsters and narrates the story. Others develop the characters and improvise on how they react to the story.
It's a great place to be anyone you want to be. Not to mention a perfect environment to discuss the concept of good and evil. Dungeons and Dragons even has an alignment system to help you create your little fantasy creatures. It also helps you categorize your character from an ethical and moral point of view.
In the original version, players were allowed to choose among three alignments: lawful, chaotic and neutral but since then it has evolved into nine alignments (and a 10th option for creatures operating on instinct, not moral decision-making).
You've guessed it, Chaotic Good is one of these alignments. In the official player's handbook, its even got a nickname—Rebel. These type of "creatures act as their conscience directs, with little regard for what others expect. Copper dragons, many elves, and unicorns are chaotic good“, as is stated in D&D's basic rules.
To get an idea of what such a character would look like, we could imagine a modern-day Robin Hood. Rebelling against authority as a way to protect the poor from poverty and suffering is one of his key traits. On top of that, he believes that the only way to do good is to dismantle the hierarchy and he can never be tied down to any organization.
Well, supernatural beings and fantasy worlds aside, we all know that it feels good to do good. The concept of “good“ might be thought of as something worth having or doing and enhances the life of those who possess it. But as the moderators of r/chaoticgood say, good is a relative term.
