FireLance
Legend
Paladin players,
Are you sick and tired of arguing with your DM over how a paladin is supposed to act? Do you live in fear that you are going to lose your abilities? Are your fellow party members annoyed because your code imposes restrictions on them without any reward? If so, Firelance's Moral Dilemma Resolution Mechanic might be for you!
Firelance's Moral Dilemma Resolution Mechanic is a simple, objective way of determining whether your paladin successfully overcomes the moral dilemmas placed before him, gives him an advantage when dealing with them, and rewards him and the party for doing so.
Firelance's Moral Dilemma Resolution Mechanic is based on the d20 trap resolution system. Just as the DM doesn't ask the rogue player which fiddly bit he presses to disarm a poison needle trap, he won’t ask you how to act in a moral dilemma. Just roll your d20, add modifiers and determine success or failure. It's that simple, and since moral dilemmas now have CRs, you earn XP, too!
Analyzing a moral dilemma is the equivalent of Searching for a trap, except that you use the Sense Motive skill. A 1st-level paladin gets the Moral Dilemma Analysis ability, which enables him to analyze moral dilemmas with a Sense Motive DC of higher than 20. Resolving a moral dilemma is the equivalent of disarming a trap, except that you use the Knowledge (Religion) skill. At 3rd level, a paladin also gains the Conviction ability which gives him a +1 bonus on Will saves to avoid the ill effects of a moral dilemma. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 9th level, and so on.
A few moral dilemmas of varying CRs are indicated below. They are presented in abstract form only. The DM is encouraged to add the details as necessary, e.g. whether to attack an evil creature in the wilderness, whether it is right to kill orc babies, whether to decapitate a child molester, etc. Moral dilemmas can affect any character, not just paladins. If a moral dilemma is not successfully analyzed and resolved, the target must make succeed at a Will saving throw or suffer a penalty. The effects of a moral dilemma are permanent until removed by an atonement spell. The effects of moral dilemmas with a CR of 3 or less can also be removed by a remove curse spell. As with traps, the party earns XP for encountering a moral dilemma, regardless of whether it is resolved.
CR 1 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 26, Knowledge (Religion) DC 26, -2 decrease to Charisma (minimum 1), DC 11 Will save negates.
CR 1 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 26, Knowledge (Religion) DC 26, -1 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, DC 11 Will save negates.
CR 2 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 27, Knowledge (Religion) DC 27, -4 decrease to Charisma (minimum 1), DC 13 Will save negates.
CR 2 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 27, Knowledge (Religion) DC 27, -2 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, DC 13 Will save negates.
CR 3 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 28, Knowledge (Religion) DC 28, -6 decrease to Charisma (minimum 1), DC 14 Will save negates.
CR 3 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 28, Knowledge (Religion) DC 28, -4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, DC 14 Will save negates.
CR 3 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 28, Knowledge (Religion) DC 28, Each turn, the target has a 50% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action, DC 14 Will save negates.
CR 4 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 29, Knowledge (Religion) DC 29, the target functions as if he had gained 4 negative levels (but he does not actually gain negative levels, and does not die if he has 4 or less actual levels), DC 16 Will save negates.
CR 5 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 30, Knowledge (Religion) DC 30, the target loses all class abilities, DC 17 Will save negates.
CR 7 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 32, Knowledge (Religion) DC 32, the target suffers from a continuous confusion effect, as the spell, DC 19 Will save negates.
The CR of a moral dilemma can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the Sense Motive DC, the Knowledge (Religion) DC or the Will save DC. The CR of the moral dilemma increases or decreases by 1 for every five points that each of these is increased or decreased. These adjustments should not reduce any of the DCs to less than 10 or the CR to less than 1.
Are you sick and tired of arguing with your DM over how a paladin is supposed to act? Do you live in fear that you are going to lose your abilities? Are your fellow party members annoyed because your code imposes restrictions on them without any reward? If so, Firelance's Moral Dilemma Resolution Mechanic might be for you!
Firelance's Moral Dilemma Resolution Mechanic is a simple, objective way of determining whether your paladin successfully overcomes the moral dilemmas placed before him, gives him an advantage when dealing with them, and rewards him and the party for doing so.
Firelance's Moral Dilemma Resolution Mechanic is based on the d20 trap resolution system. Just as the DM doesn't ask the rogue player which fiddly bit he presses to disarm a poison needle trap, he won’t ask you how to act in a moral dilemma. Just roll your d20, add modifiers and determine success or failure. It's that simple, and since moral dilemmas now have CRs, you earn XP, too!
Analyzing a moral dilemma is the equivalent of Searching for a trap, except that you use the Sense Motive skill. A 1st-level paladin gets the Moral Dilemma Analysis ability, which enables him to analyze moral dilemmas with a Sense Motive DC of higher than 20. Resolving a moral dilemma is the equivalent of disarming a trap, except that you use the Knowledge (Religion) skill. At 3rd level, a paladin also gains the Conviction ability which gives him a +1 bonus on Will saves to avoid the ill effects of a moral dilemma. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 9th level, and so on.
A few moral dilemmas of varying CRs are indicated below. They are presented in abstract form only. The DM is encouraged to add the details as necessary, e.g. whether to attack an evil creature in the wilderness, whether it is right to kill orc babies, whether to decapitate a child molester, etc. Moral dilemmas can affect any character, not just paladins. If a moral dilemma is not successfully analyzed and resolved, the target must make succeed at a Will saving throw or suffer a penalty. The effects of a moral dilemma are permanent until removed by an atonement spell. The effects of moral dilemmas with a CR of 3 or less can also be removed by a remove curse spell. As with traps, the party earns XP for encountering a moral dilemma, regardless of whether it is resolved.
CR 1 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 26, Knowledge (Religion) DC 26, -2 decrease to Charisma (minimum 1), DC 11 Will save negates.
CR 1 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 26, Knowledge (Religion) DC 26, -1 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, DC 11 Will save negates.
CR 2 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 27, Knowledge (Religion) DC 27, -4 decrease to Charisma (minimum 1), DC 13 Will save negates.
CR 2 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 27, Knowledge (Religion) DC 27, -2 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, DC 13 Will save negates.
CR 3 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 28, Knowledge (Religion) DC 28, -6 decrease to Charisma (minimum 1), DC 14 Will save negates.
CR 3 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 28, Knowledge (Religion) DC 28, -4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks, DC 14 Will save negates.
CR 3 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 28, Knowledge (Religion) DC 28, Each turn, the target has a 50% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action, DC 14 Will save negates.
CR 4 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 29, Knowledge (Religion) DC 29, the target functions as if he had gained 4 negative levels (but he does not actually gain negative levels, and does not die if he has 4 or less actual levels), DC 16 Will save negates.
CR 5 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 30, Knowledge (Religion) DC 30, the target loses all class abilities, DC 17 Will save negates.
CR 7 Moral Dilemma: Sense Motive DC 32, Knowledge (Religion) DC 32, the target suffers from a continuous confusion effect, as the spell, DC 19 Will save negates.
The CR of a moral dilemma can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the Sense Motive DC, the Knowledge (Religion) DC or the Will save DC. The CR of the moral dilemma increases or decreases by 1 for every five points that each of these is increased or decreased. These adjustments should not reduce any of the DCs to less than 10 or the CR to less than 1.
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