The gameplay benefits of being chaotic

[Singbird]

I realized that I never play a chaotic very far into the game. Basically, if I start out neutral, I might go from neutral to chaotic while killing monsters, eating undead or pickpocketing, but once I've got my training from Yergius I usually convert back to neutral and stay there. If I start out lawful I usually stay lawful, just because it's nice to be crowned lawful and to me getting to L+ from chaotic or even neutral seems quite difficult. If I start out chaotic, I convert to neutral in Dwarftown at the latest.

The above is because to me chaotics don't seem to enjoy any significant gameplay benefits, except maybe that it's easy to stay chaotic at least until the later game. So are there any significant benefits you get from being chaotic? I'm talking specifically gameplay ones, not plot ones like "you need to be chaotic to receive this special item you need for an ultra ending". Lawfuls for example get less corruptions as I understand. Neutrals can get 4 scrolls of chaos resistance from the dwarven mystic. Chaotics get more corruption (maybe a benefit if you're comfortable playing like that)... What else?

Do you think chaotics have enough benefits or should there be more? What could they be? Or is it better that some alignment is more a role-player's choice?

One idea I was juggling is that Kherab should actually be hostile towards you if you don't have a high enough standing with a chaotic god or if you're not corrupted enough or something. It doesn't make much sense that a paragon of Order can just go and clear his stash.

[Spellweaver]

1. It's easy to keep chaotic alignment. They don't need to worry while gravedigging/killing some special character. Necromancers that use slaves frequently have almost no way to be of another alignment.
2. It's possible to do OCG endoing without switching from chaotic.
3. Chaotics have far easier time acquiring (pre)crownings and crownings.
I often keep chaotic alignment for a long time to acquire precrownings and dig both graveyards, then switch.
The hardest alignment is actually neutral. The hardest crownings. The easiest to lose it. Need to be corrupted when entering ChAoS.

[_Ln_]

Played an OCG recently and had so much fun with all-game C (actually C- for about 80% of the game).
Dig graves, kill Glod for anvil, slaughter hordes of blink dogs, ravage Blup's mom in darkness with AoTME, kill Blup with hunring arrows to get his corpse, smash a bit of Terinyo and tiny girl wielding cute dog corpse, kill about 10 Eternal Guardians to get to lvl50. You should try that.
My only regret is that I chatted with Khelly, not killed him. So stupid.

Several things should be RFE'd IMHO.
First a corruption innovation which gives +1 to St,To and Ma for every 2/3/4 corruptions for chaotic/neutral/lawful chars. Personally I think that these should be removed from lawfuls completely and reduced for neutrals.

Second one - you should be able to get greater black unicorn quest directly, as white unicorn may screw you over if you are chaotic (actually, I didn't even try that during the OCG).

[Stingray1]

Wrt Kherab, it doesn't help his wishes if he is hostile towards the PC.

As listed by you and others chaotics do have a lot of advantaged, mostly corruption and being 'allowed' to rob shops and sacrifice any lifeform(except valuable ones in the ChAoS plan). They also get 5 guaranteed altars.

The starting chaotic races and class are also some of your stronger ones, so the advantages definately outweigh the downsides.

[grobblewobble]

kill about 10 Eternal Guardians to get to lvl50.

imo the only real advantage of being C

[anon123]

I'll try to be as unbiased as possible

Disadvantages:

• You have to be careful when dealing with altars.
• You can't receive anything from the dwarven mystic.
• You can't receive the corrupted glade's location from Yrruir (which you need if you want to receive PoGAs for killing her).
• Extra background corruption.
• Bad ending for the PC's further life, if you do a regular win.

Advantages:

• You can do whatever the hell you want, without worrying about switching alignments and/or losing favor with your deity.
• You can sacrifice anyone and anything.

The above list does not apply to Chaos Knights, which are a special case.

The advantages open possibilities that are limited for the other two alignments (pickpocketing, robbing graves and shops, easier piety) and largely make up for the shortcomings. That flexibility is why I prefer being chaotic: it makes the game more relaxed and fun for me. I only switch temporarily to reap the benefits limited to a different alignment.