Neutral Good

Neutral good means doing what is good and right without bias for or against order.

A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them.

Neutral good characters excel at seeing both sides of a situation, and they use this ability to inform their actions, doing what they believe will produce the most good. These characters seek balance and harmony in their dealings with others; they know to avoid conversations leading to heated topics, and keep their responses to the middle of the road. They understand the value of nature, and realize that expanding civilization into the wilderness is not always the most appropriate thing to do. Because of their ability to see all facets of a situation, neutral good characters can sometimes have difficulty in choosing a side between other good beings. For this reason, others may label them as wishy-washy or not capable of serious conviction.

Dealing with other characters aligned along the lawful-chaotic axis can also be challenging, especially in mixed-alignment adventuring groups. The neutral good characters will not always agree with the lawful good characters’ meticulous need to plan their actions, control others, or prevent others from disobeying laws that interfere with the party’s goals—sometimes less-than-honest tactics are necessary, after all. Conversely, neutral good characters might find chaotic good characters a little on the uncontrollable side, not liking the wild bent of their ideas or actions. Too much freedom of thought and action, they believe, just makes one irresponsible.

Neutral good characters can see both sides of the lawful-chaotic axis, understanding that some choices are indeed better for all, and others are better for individuals. Because supporting either extreme on the axis does not motivate them, neutral good characters are often considered the “true good” alignment. They seek to do the most good in the world to make it a better place and to help others when possible. Neither anarchy nor the need for strict order concerns them. Neutral good characters support laws that benefit all, but have no qualms about ignoring unjust laws or tyrannical rulers.

Neutral good characters give great consideration to their actions before deeming them correct; some neutral good characters find it unfathomable that others cannot see their viewpoint as the most sensible.

Opportunities and Allies

Neutral good is an alignment common to the druid class, who must select any neutral alignment. Neutral good serves as an effective alignment for most any class, except the monk and paladin, who must be lawful.

Exploration and Preservation: Neutral frontier lands can hold significant interest for characters of this alignment. This is a great stepping-stone for characters wanting to do good, preserve beautiful works of art and history, and make names for themselves.

Peace, Redemption, and Refuge: Neutral good characters might find hotbeds of chaos ripe for intervention in the form of redemption and mediation.

Philosophies

Neutral good characters vary widely, especially in terms of their zeal for their beliefs. Some may be fanatical examples of the alignment, while others apply these ideals more loosely in their lives. They find slavery, whether legal or not, abhorrent, and may make it their goal to destroy such institutions wherever they find them. The following examples showcase just a few of the possible approaches to this alignment.

Healers

Healers value life, seeing beauty and good in all living creatures. Healers offer their curative powers to those in need, regardless of their patients’ alignment, believing it’s their duty to use their skills and magic to maintain the purity of life itself. As life is all-important to them, they take oaths never to do harm to others or to take lives; when forced to fight, they protect themselves, but tend to employ abilities that hamper or entrap their enemies rather than killing them outright. After all, every being’s life is important to the universe, and the loss of any soul is a true tragedy to healers. If you are a healer, you:

• Value life above all else.
• Use your curative knowledge and abilities to heal the sick and wounded.
• Fight defensively, and only to capture or weaken opponents.

Code: You seek to maintain the life and health of others, and do not take others’ lives.

Mediators

It is not possible for all members of a community to have their way; life is all about compromise, and mediators specialize in steering rational individuals to agreeable terms and favorable outcomes. When things go badly or they must deal with hostile people, mediators do not rashly pull their weapons on others, but instead offer alternative options for resolution through diplomacy or intimidation. Of course, many creatures lack enlightenment, and thus don’t accept compromise. When words fall on deaf ears, mediators resort to weapons to win the day.

If you are a mediator, you:

• Value balance and peaceful, beneficial resolutions.
• Are motivated by the desire to keep the peace and diffuse conflict.
• Attempt to use your wisdom and charisma when dealing with non-evil creatures.

Code: When conflict arises between reasonable creatures of either axis of your alignment, you offer your diplomatic skills to accomplish compromise or agreement.

Redeemers

Redeemers believe that with a few exceptions, most beings are capable of goodness. Beings not following the path of light need only be given a chance to renounce their wayward behavior and be enlightened to the true path of goodness, thus allowing them to redeem their souls and atone for their vile deeds. Redeemers believe in patience, knowing old habits are hard to break. Of course, those who refuse proffered redemption opportunities must not be allowed to continue along their destructive paths, so redeemers must permanently prevent them from doing further harm. If you are a redeemer, you:

• Value life and are patient.
• Are motivated to bring others into the light, believing they deserve a second chance.
• Are willing to kill those who refuse redemption.

Code: The lost can be returned to the light if given the chance; you must offer it and show them the way.