Herein I describe details of my ongoing campaigns, discuss the D&D game, and talk about other issues in gaming that I find relevant. I am not very fond of 4th edition, having played it once and found it too WoWish. Consequently most of my articles will reference 3.5 and previous editions.
The Way a Paladin Oughta Be
Posted 18th August 2008 at 07:26 AM by airwalkrr
As Jarrett has taken the helm of our semi-weekly D&D session, I have stepped again into the role of a paladin in our new party. Now let me take a moment to explain the way I see roleplaying. The way I see it, there are three approaches. The first is simple. Your only speech is out of character and the only guiding principles for character development are those that are convenient. The second is more complex. You play what you know. If you have a knack for behaving like a scoundrel and speaking in thieves' cant you usually play rogues and seldom deviate from the path. Or if you have a penchant for grandiose language and eclectic eccentricities you play wizards. The final type of roleplaying is perhaps the most challenging of them all, selecting a character personality at random or on a whim and attempting to portray the character as well as possible. While this third attempt may not be a stimulating exercise in creativity since the ideas are rarely your own (unless of course you like to devise your own Table of Personality Traits), it is an extraordinary exercise in versatility, one that I enjoy very much. Hence, I have played back-talking barbarians, wise-cracking wizards, ruthless rogues, conscientious clerics, bombastic bards, and yes, pious paladins.
My last true effort at playing a paladin was cut short as he died an heroic death that was probably unnecessary. The only way my DM at the time offered to allow him to be raised was by an avatar of Loki; I smelled a terrible plot hook coming on and I didn't bite, choosing to roll up a new character instead. I have been itching to take a crack at the task again ever since and this changing of the DM chairs has allowed me to do so. One of the reasons I wanted to try the paladin again is because I was such a miserable one last time. I didn't fall from grace or anything like that (although every good paladin experience should come with at least an impending threat of such once in a while). But my character was not very commanding. I had a very difficult time taking charge of the role and playing him like the leader he should have been. If I had been Michael Keaton and roleplaying had been acting, it would have been the Multiplicity of my career; a terrible part and a jarring performance all in one.
Well now I am playing a paladin again and it feels good to be the beacon of light in a dungeon of darkness. (I used that line during the session too and no one noticed. How dare they!) Things have gone well so far. I feel like I am doing a pretty good job of living up to the paladin's code while still being a bit realistic. My character isn't necessarily a paragon of virtue; he has his flaws. But rather than your garden variety holier-than-thou persona, I have chosen a slightly different route. He is prideful to be sure, and has his share of vaingloriousness, but his true weakness is inability to accept anything less than full leadership of the party. So far, he has asserted himself as the de facto commander, pushing the party on and directing them in combat. But he has already made some unpopular decisions, such as deciding to return a magical sword we discovered to the family of its previous owner (privileged information he possessed by virtue of his impressive Knowledge (nobility and royalty) check). If the party should turn against him for any reason, it will be a great challenge indeed for him to remain with them as anything but their leader. If they insist on him stepping down, or something as abhorrent as democratic processes, which we all know are very unLawful things, then it could turn ugly.
I am looking forward to how this works out. However, I do look to be off on a good foot. For now, the party is at least listening to my paladin, even if they do roll their eyes at every other word.
I would like to move that "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s be designated the most annoying song in the world to have stuck in your head while blogging and that it should be stricken from the collective consciousness. All in favor?
My last true effort at playing a paladin was cut short as he died an heroic death that was probably unnecessary. The only way my DM at the time offered to allow him to be raised was by an avatar of Loki; I smelled a terrible plot hook coming on and I didn't bite, choosing to roll up a new character instead. I have been itching to take a crack at the task again ever since and this changing of the DM chairs has allowed me to do so. One of the reasons I wanted to try the paladin again is because I was such a miserable one last time. I didn't fall from grace or anything like that (although every good paladin experience should come with at least an impending threat of such once in a while). But my character was not very commanding. I had a very difficult time taking charge of the role and playing him like the leader he should have been. If I had been Michael Keaton and roleplaying had been acting, it would have been the Multiplicity of my career; a terrible part and a jarring performance all in one.
Well now I am playing a paladin again and it feels good to be the beacon of light in a dungeon of darkness. (I used that line during the session too and no one noticed. How dare they!) Things have gone well so far. I feel like I am doing a pretty good job of living up to the paladin's code while still being a bit realistic. My character isn't necessarily a paragon of virtue; he has his flaws. But rather than your garden variety holier-than-thou persona, I have chosen a slightly different route. He is prideful to be sure, and has his share of vaingloriousness, but his true weakness is inability to accept anything less than full leadership of the party. So far, he has asserted himself as the de facto commander, pushing the party on and directing them in combat. But he has already made some unpopular decisions, such as deciding to return a magical sword we discovered to the family of its previous owner (privileged information he possessed by virtue of his impressive Knowledge (nobility and royalty) check). If the party should turn against him for any reason, it will be a great challenge indeed for him to remain with them as anything but their leader. If they insist on him stepping down, or something as abhorrent as democratic processes, which we all know are very unLawful things, then it could turn ugly.
I am looking forward to how this works out. However, I do look to be off on a good foot. For now, the party is at least listening to my paladin, even if they do roll their eyes at every other word.
I would like to move that "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s be designated the most annoying song in the world to have stuck in your head while blogging and that it should be stricken from the collective consciousness. All in favor?
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