Can a paladin worship a non-good god?
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
If you're using the UA variant Paladins, then definitely yes.
If you're using Core D&D, then it really is up to the DM. I'd say yes if it was a LN God. But anything beyond that...doesn't seem to work right
If you're using Core D&D, then it really is up to the DM. I'd say yes if it was a LN God. But anything beyond that...doesn't seem to work right
Emirikol
Adventurer
Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
I was just reading the description for paladin and they can worship whole pantheons, but just can't perform evil (or chaotic acts). So, technically, they could worship any god that doesn't require them to act in an evil way. So an evil god of knowledge, such as Vecna would work, because he doesn't make you do anything. He just exists right?
jh
CrimsonTemplar
First Post
I've seen Paladins of Wee Jas, so it would seem that the one step away rule for Clerics applies to Paladins as well.
Brother Shatterstone
Dark Moderator of PbP
To be realistic yes there should be divine warriors, aka paladins, for every deity... but it’s not “written” out as such. If you read the core books enough there is talk of this and the backguard is proof of it. (Sort of)
Dragon 311 and 313 has information for the other 8 alignment paladins. Of course if you want to go super technical or super in depth no to deities represent the same thing. Two gods of the same alignment say one represents love, and the other represents the forest and or nature should not have the same cookie cutter divine warrior simply because of alignment.
I recommend you look at the Book of Righteous and to the lesser extent the Unholy Warrior’s Handbook. (Both books are 3.0 but their updates are relatively easy to apply.)
Dragon 311 and 313 has information for the other 8 alignment paladins. Of course if you want to go super technical or super in depth no to deities represent the same thing. Two gods of the same alignment say one represents love, and the other represents the forest and or nature should not have the same cookie cutter divine warrior simply because of alignment.
I recommend you look at the Book of Righteous and to the lesser extent the Unholy Warrior’s Handbook. (Both books are 3.0 but their updates are relatively easy to apply.)
I would use the one step rule also, just as clerics. The question that comes into play is "Would the god grant this follower powers?". If a true neutral god would not grant a LG paladin powers because he would tip the scales of neutrality, then I would say no the paladin cant worship that God. However, in my world, the active gods/goddesses have percieved different alignments, and races for certain ones, than their real ones. They aren't drastic aligment differences, just one step like my god of tactics and warfare is truly LN but there are the very few that believe he is LG in his ways, based off of stories about him going to war with evilish legions. God's retain their god status by having worshipers in my world. So a true nuetral god of plants and animals would grant a LG paladin powers, as long as the paladin is worship a precieved good image of the god; its beneficial to both the god and the paladin. Thus the "ng" god of plants and animals would be one step from LG, even though the god is truly N. It truly lies up to the DM though, paladins have it pretty hard tho IMO so I try to take it easy on them.
Sejs
First Post
Yes, they can.
Remember, a paladin doesn't have to be a member of a church to get their abilities, though many are. As long as the paladin maintains his own lawful good and honorable standing, then he can attend whatever services he so desires. Of course, that being said not all gods or faiths would really uh.. fit.. for a paladin. St Cuthbert, Wee Jas? No problems there. Obad-Hai? Bit wonky but doable. Nerull, Hextor... uh... no.
Though thru proper background anything's possible I suppose. To use the FR setting as an example, it could be doable in theory to have a paladin that was born and raised in Zhentil Keep, as a Banite, and has since moved on to nicer, more socially acceptable things. But he still knows his way around the Banite faith like it's the back of his hand, and he could still claim to be a Bane worshipper... just non-practicing. More of an Ex-Banite, getting his paladin stuff from another source.
Remember, a paladin doesn't have to be a member of a church to get their abilities, though many are. As long as the paladin maintains his own lawful good and honorable standing, then he can attend whatever services he so desires. Of course, that being said not all gods or faiths would really uh.. fit.. for a paladin. St Cuthbert, Wee Jas? No problems there. Obad-Hai? Bit wonky but doable. Nerull, Hextor... uh... no.
Though thru proper background anything's possible I suppose. To use the FR setting as an example, it could be doable in theory to have a paladin that was born and raised in Zhentil Keep, as a Banite, and has since moved on to nicer, more socially acceptable things. But he still knows his way around the Banite faith like it's the back of his hand, and he could still claim to be a Bane worshipper... just non-practicing. More of an Ex-Banite, getting his paladin stuff from another source.
Epametheus
First Post
Paladins could be of a LN diety, though working with the LE priests of one's god's would be weird -- it's against the code to work with evil people, yet these particular evil people work for the same god that the pally does...
As I DM, I'd simply treat this as an exception to the code, but needing to deal with this would probably make a paladinbot's head explode.
As I DM, I'd simply treat this as an exception to the code, but needing to deal with this would probably make a paladinbot's head explode.
Altamont Ravenard
Explorer
Wouldn't the paladin need to stay within 1 step of the god's alignment, if he wants to cast spells?
AR
AR
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