- This article is about the alignment. For limited edition game box, see limited edition.
Chaotic evil is one of the nine alignments that represent a creature's general moral and personal attitudes.
The Destroyer[]
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.
These characters are the bane of all that is good and organized. Chaotic evil characters are motivated by the desire for personal gain and pleasure. They see absolutely nothing wrong with taking whatever they want by whatever means possible. Laws and governments are the tools of weaklings unable to fend for themselves. The strong have the right to take what they want, and the weak are there to be exploited.
Thankfully, their plans are haphazard, and any groups they join or form 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.
As an example, a sorcerer pursuing capricious schemes of vengeance and havoc without long-term plans or organized methods is chaotic evil. Chaotic evil is sometimes called "demonic", because demons are the epitome of chaotic evil.
Chaotic evil is the alignment which represents the destruction not only of beauty and life but also of the order on which beauty and life depend. It also the most unstable and destructive form of chaos or evil (compare and contrast with lawful good), due to losing ones self to impulse and desire.
Chaotic evil does not mean "chaotic stupid". A chaotic evil character does not HAVE to commit an evil act at every opportunity; and since he is self-serving, he will generally not do so when it is not in his best interests--unless he is too impulsive to think ahead that far.
The Infinite Layers of the Abyss (of the Lower Planes) embodies this concept.
Fictional Examples[]
- The Reavers (Firefly)
- Bellatrix Lestrange (Harry Potter)
- The Joker (Batman)
- Alex (A Clockwork Orange)
- Belkar Bitterleaf and Xykon (Order of the Stick), the former a protagonist and the latter being the villain
- Jason (Friday the Thirteenth)
- Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street)