2023’s Game of the Year,Baldur’s Gate 3, continues to be immensely popular. This is in part down to their varied characters and in part down to their faithful translation ofDungeons and Dragonsmechanics, lore, and atmosphere into a video game format. OneDnDmechanic that they don’t transfer, at least mechanically, is alignment.
Alignment inDnDdetermines where a character sits regarding order versus chaos and good versus evil, and it can be so useful that it is often transferred onto other franchise characters. Characters who don’t have a strong leaning between order and chaos, and who walk the line between selfishness and selflessness, can be considered True Neutral.
10Zanner Toobin
Can Both Create And Destroy The Sinister Steel Watch
The leader of the Gondians in Baldur’s Gate is a good example of the average true neutral character. They have no problem following orders when it is required of them, but are also happy to stage a revolution if the situation turns in their favor.
They can also show greatHeroismand selflessness at times, but they do initially create the Steel Watch that terrorizes Baldur’s Gate under Gortash’s rule. While it is under duress as the lives of their loved ones are threatened, it takes interference from the player for the Gondians, under Zanner Toobin’s lead, to show their more heroic side.
9Oskar Fevras
Taboo Love Affair But Far From Sinister
This artist also walksthe fine line of true neutral. While typically a renowned man of convention, he breaks some societal taboos by engaging in a sort of love affair with both an esteemed lady and a common girl.
While he can be very selfish at times, particularly regarding his love affair, his status, and his own well-being, he is hardly an evil fellow. However foolish his methods (consorting with a mummy lord is hardly typical), he seeks to right old wrongs and even makes players a lovely painting should they help him with his unfortunate predicament in act three.
8Lady Jannath
Terse Noble But Loyal To Her New Husband
It is only fair that Oskar’s newlywed wife, Lady Jannath, also makes this list. Perhaps it’s what makes their relationship tick. Lady Jannath is a noble lady and her butler does make an attempt to save face for her but, should players persist in entering her house, which they quickly find to be haunted, Lady Jannath doesn’t waste any time recruiting players to help her possessed husband.
This is in spite of how cruel the possessed Oskar is being, showing her somewhat selfless, or at least loyal, nature. Although she can also be terse and doesn’t exactly pride herself on being a hero, she simply wants all the fuss dealt with.
7Mirkon
Timid Member Of Mol’s Gang
This tiefling childis one of Mol’s crew in the Druid Grove. While this might make him lean slightly towards the chaotic end of the scale, as Mol’s gang doesn’t exactly operate in the eyes of the law, Mirkon doesn’t seem to engage in any of the shadier practices.
Whether this is his choice or not is unclear, but he does seem to be a gentler soul, even writing a story for the players should they save him from a harpy’s clutches. Despite his desire to be a hero, his timid nature can lead him to be more self-preserving at times.
6Silfy
Unwillingly Helps Her Brother To Swindle People
Another of Mol’s kids, Silfy is the sister of Mattis, a much more chaotic neutral character. While she shows she isn’t above illegal activities, helping her brother to rob people, she clearly sees her actions as wrong.
If caught by the player, she bursts into tears and states that she can’t steal anymore. While these could be tears at being caught and fear of what may happen to her as a result, they also suggest a sense of morality in Silfy that her brother doesn’t seem to share.
5Rolan
Walks A Line Between Selfish And Selfless
This tiefling is initially found in the Druid’s Grove, engaged in a heated debate with his siblings. While they want to stay andhelp the fellow tieflingsin a battle against the goblins, Rolan wants to abandon them, in favor of pursuing his apprenticeship in Baldur’s Gate.
While this shows his sometimes self-serving nature, he can also be quite heroic and selfless at times, facing the Shadow Curse to rescue his siblings and turning on his master, Lorroakan, in act three when he finds out about the Nightsong.
4Nocturne
Values Lifelong Friendship Over Her Evil Goddess’s Teachings
As a devout follower of Shar, it would be understandable for the tiefling, Nocturne, to be neutral evil like her goddess. However, Nocturne shows much more of a tendency towards good than her fellow Sharrans. The prime example of this is if Shadowheart, the party’s Shar worshiper, uncovers her true past as a Selunite, betrays Shar, and saves her parents.
Nocturne is the only character who doesn’t turn on Shadowheart, valuing their old friendship over Shar’s decree. Still, as lovable as Nocturne is, her role as a dedicated Sharran means she still tortures innocents on the regular.
3Jaheira
Truly Balanced Druidic Leader
The Harper companion character,Jaheira, was true neutral in both previousBaldur’s Gategames, and it seems fair to say that this is consistent withBaldur’s Gate 3. Despite having a leadership role that she undertakes with pride, Jaheira has the same respect for chaos as most druids, maintaining a friendship with chaotic characters like Minsc.
While she is very heroic at times, she can also make less glorious decisions in favor of the correct tactical decision, such as her threats against the player when they first meet, or abandoning Minsc when the cult of the Absolute got their hands on him.
2Shadowheart
Can Be Swayed To Walk A Path Of Good Or Evil
Making it onto the same list as her friend, Nocturne, is the cleric companion character, Shadowheart. Out of all the player characters, her alignment is perhaps one of the most changeable. Becoming a Dark Justiciar to Shar puts her closer to lawful evil.
But betraying Shar andsaving her Selunite parentsmakes her neutral, if not chaotic, good. Since the player can influence Shadowheart either way, it feels safe to put her as a relatively neutral character, at least at the beginning of the story.
1Tav
Blank Vessel For The Players' Whims
In that vein, it only makes sense that the player-created character, Tav, starts as a true neutral character. Known in the community as ‘Tav’ due to the default name,the player-created characteris an empty vessel for players to make their own choices and decisions.
Whether they try their best to be an upstanding citizen or break as many laws as possible, and whether they do as much harm or as much good as possible, or whether they continue to walk that middle line, Tav at least starts out as a truly neutral blank slate.
