Post/Author/DateTime	Post
FabulousRex 04-28-05, 09:24 PM	Hey all, first time posting on this particular board for me! Anyhow, I have a good 4th lvl Valenar Elf Scout in the Eberron campaign we're running. His alignment is CN, and he primarily uses a bow backed up with a Scimitar, Morningstar, and some daggers. I've been focusing on his optimization up to this point, but now I need to really flesh out his backround, and figured this board (and the Eberron board) could help me out. His name is Unen Kelles, and he forsook his patron ancestor because he personally didn't want to be in the clergy (a cleric). His punishment for such blasphemy was military duty as an un-mounted Scout. Is being forced to walk or hitch rides as big a negative for Valenar Elves as I think it is? Would Scouts be given as much honor and respect as Rangers or Wizards in a typical Valenar War Clan? Also, I'm having trouble with how Unen became detached from his war clan. My initial feeling is desertion. Fits well with a CN alignment I feel, but kinda cowardly for a Valenar of any alignment. Perhaps he led a scouting party into a trap that he saw coming, but neglected to mention, then made a hasty escape? That way his clan thinks he's dead, and he'ld be free to pursue any adventuring that he wanted. Eberron is new for all of us in the gaming group. The DM is experienced in FR, about 10+ years of FR, and can't help me make sense of such an odd Elven charecter.
Kintara 04-29-05, 04:43 AM	Hmm, personally I like the idea of a character that simply could never feel the connection to "his ancestors" that everyone else seems to proclaim. Perhaps he's too worldly, or maybe not worldly enough. Perhaps he was born into the culture, but doesn't feel the glory of his warrior legacy. I could see a character like that simply leaving on rather mutual terms with his clan. He's just a black sheep that they're glad they don't have to worry about, and your character is just glad he doesn't have to try to find something in himself that he doesn't have. As for the non-mounted thing, perhaps he feels too strong a connection to animals that he feels that riding them is coercive and distasteful. He's not spiritual enough to be a Druid, but is perhaps simply idealistic about nature.
Ashianyl 04-29-05, 09:41 AM	As a CN character, it's not a matter of what other people think. Your character is selfish and couldn't care less what the Valenar wants, as he demonstrated by rejecting his ancestors. If desserting suits you, you would do it in an instant. Act like a selfish jerk. You really don't need to justify to anyone what your intentions are. It's what CN is all about. Although, having said all that, do remember that D&D is a group game... and too much selfish behaviour could put you at odds with the rest of your party and lead to undesireable results. :)
Kintara 04-29-05, 01:53 PM	I don't agree about that necessarily, Ashianyl. Chaotic Neutral doesn't mean selfish, necessarily. Neutral characters have lots of reasons for being Neutral, and Chaotic characters as well. A Chaotic character might be cynical about society, or simply never believed much in it in the first place. Perhaps he's just comfortable breaking the law, selfishly or not.
FabulousRex 04-29-05, 03:15 PM	I actually took the vantage point of Philisophical Chaos. We have alot of Lawful people in the party, LE Warlock, LE Necromancer/Cleric, LN Monk, and a LN Dwarf Fighter. I do indeed act like a jerk sometimes just to unnerve these law-abiders, but mostly I act chaoticly so as to balance the universe. Without Chaos, there can be no change, no innovation, and no way to define Law. The Dwarf and Monk particularly dislike those notions, but it's been fun. As for the specific RP, I think I'll stick with the 'leading into a trap' story. That's so Unen won't have any worries about his former clan hunting him down. However, if he does run into former Clanmates, it could get interesting, and I know the DM would love to do something like that. However, that's the fun of Role Playing!
Ashianyl 04-30-05, 02:31 AM	I don't agree about that necessarily, Ashianyl. Chaotic Neutral doesn't mean selfish, necessarily. Neutral characters have lots of reasons for being Neutral, and Chaotic characters as well. A Chaotic character might be cynical about society, or simply never believed much in it in the first place. Perhaps he's just comfortable breaking the law, selfishly or not. Being cynical of society and not believing in the system are signs of selfishness. If you are part of society yet refuse to conform because it doesn't suit you, you are selfish for your own reasons. Anyway, I would not debate on this since it is just a difference of opinion, and opinions are a dime and a dozen. So I will leave you with the SRD's take on CN. :) Chaotic Neutral, “Free Spirit”: A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it. Chaotic neutral is the best alignment you can be because it represents true freedom from both society’s restrictions and a do-gooder’s zeal.