Can a Lawful Good character be flexible and fun to play?

[Grok]

I'm fairly new to the rpg world, and I've never played a Lawful Good character before, but I'm considering starting a paladin for a Carrion Crown game. I like the paladin, but every time I've seen someone play a LG character they seem to act like mindless evil-smiting drones.

Ex: If it's evil I must smite it, regardless of mission or weighing what the greater evil might be. There are no gray areas. All responses are dictated clearly by my alignment. Evil must be destroyed, good must be upheld. I can't punch someone in the face if I get angry, unless they are evil. I can't have any desires or goals beyond destroying evil.

I just feel like if I play a Paladin, the alignment sucks out all of the flavor and personality that a character could have.

I've considered combining other classes or choosing a prestige class with similar abilities and flavors, but I really like the paladin. It's just the dang alignment that feels like a roadblock to having a good time with the character. Someone convince me that I've just never seen a LG character played right. Examples would be helpful.

 

[Holy Bovine]

I'm fairly new to the rpg world, and I've never played a Lawful Good character before, but I'm considering starting a paladin for a Carrion Crown game. I like the paladin, but every time I've seen someone play a LG character they seem to act like mindless evil-smiting drones.

Ex: If it's evil I must smite it, regardless of mission or weighing what the greater evil might be. There are no gray areas. All responses are dictated clearly by my alignment. Evil must be destroyed, good must be upheld. I can't punch someone in the face if I get angry, unless they are evil. I can't have any desires or goals beyond destroying evil.

I just feel like if I play a Paladin, the alignment sucks out all of the flavor and personality that a character could have.

I've considered combining other classes or choosing a prestige class with similar abilities and flavors, but I really like the paladin. It's just the dang alignment that feels like a roadblock to having a good time with the character. Someone convince me that I've just never seen a LG character played right. Examples would be helpful.

The best advice I can give you is to talk to your DM and find out how he interprets the LG alignment. The examples you give are most often dictated by a DM's style and/or an overly strict interpretation of the LG alignment and the Paladin's code. Define what that code is if you must have hard and fast rules to use in game but keep it broad and open enough to allow some kind of variety in dealing with different situations. Far too often DMs put paladin players in unwinnable situations where every choice leads to an alignment violation and the DM is often congratulating himself on his "clever" moral quandary. These are the problem DMs to avoid if you can and at least avoid playing any kind of moralistic character if you have to suffer their rule.

 

[Kvantum]

I'm fairly new to the rpg world, and I've never played a Lawful Good character before, but I'm considering starting a paladin for a Carrion Crown game. I like the paladin, but every time I've seen someone play a LG character they seem to act like mindless evil-smiting drones.

Ex: If it's evil I must smite it, regardless of mission or weighing what the greater evil might be. There are no gray areas. All responses are dictated clearly by my alignment. Evil must be destroyed, good must be upheld. I can't punch someone in the face if I get angry, unless they are evil. I can't have any desires or goals beyond destroying evil.

I just feel like if I play a Paladin, the alignment sucks out all of the flavor and personality that a character could have.

I've considered combining other classes or choosing a prestige class with similar abilities and flavors, but I really like the paladin. It's just the dang alignment that feels like a roadblock to having a good time with the character. Someone convince me that I've just never seen a LG character played right. Examples would be helpful.

It really sounds like you've been dealing with a bunch of LAWFUL good (Awful Good?) paladins, not the lawful GOOD that they're supposed (?) to be. As far as I've ever seen it (and GM'd it), unless you're playing a Paladin of a LN deity (Abadar, for example), the Law is a tool to achieve the Good, but the goal, the result you're shooting for through your character's actions, is the Good. Law is just the best means to an end, not the end in and of itself.

There are allowances that can be made for less than ethical behavior, and maybe even for tolerating less than moral behavior in others, without resulting in a fall for the paladin. (Particularly if one makes a point of role-playing the character's great discomfort with such non-LG actions - theft is a bad thing, but stealing from the BBEG to stop him from calling down a zombie horde to assault a town is the lesser of two evils, or at least the lesser of two transgressions, and as long as you reflect that internal debate and uncertainty, I wouldn't think any GM should penalize a paladin character.)

But a lot of that is personal opinion, and I love both playing and GMing for paladins, provided the player or GM is on the same page I am.

 

[pawsplay]

There is nothing about being Lawful or Good that implies dichotomous, black-and-white thinking. In fact, since Lawful characters are so concerned with consistency, they must deal with considerable gray areas in many situations that other characters might finesse. A paladin's code is very demanding, but it need not be unthinking. Mind you, paladins are a special case in that they may be called by duty to do some smiting, but that doesn't define them as a being. In fact, they're more fun if the way of the palading really costs them something.

Being LG is an alignment; think of the paladin as someone whose job is to be Good in a lawful fashion to their utmost, in much the same way a physician's job is to heal the sick.

 

[kcmopd1913]

Our gaming group actually put together a code for Paladin's, maybe it can be useful to you. Now as for any LG characters, talk to your DM, but like I said maybe this will help for Paladins.

"The Paladins code is by no means an oath that one accepts lightly. To be a Paladin is to exhibit the best qualities in men, and display none of their weaknesses. Many men try, but cannot live up to the ideals of the code and as such falter. All Paladins adhere to said code without regret or remorse. There are many knights in the world, many noble men. But very few of these are Paladins. Paladins are shining beacons of hope, in an otherwise dark world. They are both feared and respected by their enemies, precisely because they alone adhere to this unwavering code. This code shall be adhered to at all times even if doing so leads to your death.
• Faith: Serve always the true lord your god. Keep faith in your beliefs, for faith roots you and gives you hope against the despair that human failings, and the darkness of the world create. Paladins apply their faith to all aspects of their life. In addition to assisting their church, they freely lend aid to others, and take it as an opportunity to spread the good will that their faith has given them. Men often lose hope, and Paladins aspire to instill hope and goodwill to all.
• Hope: Bring light and hope to all parts of the world. Seek out evil in all of its forms, stand before it, and vanquish it without pause or remorse. Paladins are the sword of the gods. Without question they are both hated and feared by all who fear the powers of good. In most cases Paladins are the primary targets when involved in a confrontation with evil, even more so then clerics. This is because the Paladins unending thirst to destroy evil, is widely known.
• Defense: Seek always to defend the weak, your liege, your nation, your family, and those to whom you believe worthy of your loyalty. Paladins will always protect those they see as innocent or weak, friends, family, or those they serve. If a Paladin were to come upon a burning building and hear screams inside, he would without pause or thought of his own well being, charge into the building and attempt to help its occupants.
• Loyalty: Be known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by. There are many places where compromise is expected; loyalty is not amongst them. Paladins are always loyal to those they associate with. If a friend was captured and taken to a castle to be tortured for information, the friend need not worry, for it is understood that the Paladin will do all in his power to find and rescue him.
• Prowess: Seek excellence in all endeavors expected of a knight, martial and otherwise, seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than in personal accomplishment. Paladins seek to be excellent in all that they do. If a Paladin uses a sword, he attempts to master the sword. Every day he will train or engage in warfare, and it is likely will never stop in that endeavor, until of course he cannot find an equal in that skill. This is true with any pursuit be it weapon play, or dancing. For this reason, Paladins choose their activities wisely.
• Justice: Seek always the path of 'right', unencumbered by bias or personal interest. Recognize that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered by humanity and mercy. If the 'right' you see agrees with others, and you seek it out without bending to the temptation for expediency, then you will earn renown beyond measure. Paladins uphold the law, and seek to ensure others do the same. A Paladin will only intentionally break a law, if he deems the law to be unjust, and even then he would rather seek to change the law then to break it outright.
• Courage: Always speak the truth, and have the strength to take the side of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedient lie. Seek the truth whenever possible, but remember to temper justice with mercy, or the pure truth can bring grief. Paladins do not lie. Paladins seek truth in all aspects of their life. They will not abide liers, and will often not wish to associate themselves with those that do.
• Courtesy: At all times be courteous to women, for they hold the power to breathe life into the world, and should be respected for such a gift. Paladins will always be respectful of women. Even if said woman is an enemy.
• Humility: Be humble before others, especially superiors. Be not boastful. Value first the contributions of others; do not boast of your own accomplishments, let others do this for you. Tell the deeds of others before your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds. Paladins do not undertake dangerous assignments for the glory. They leave the glory to be had by others.
• Largesse: Be generous in so far as your resources allow; largesse used in this way counters gluttony. It also makes the path of mercy easier to discern when a difficult decision of justice is required. Paladins are very generous with their worldly possessions. Money, clothing, food, all are given to those in need. Many Paladins are remembered for their seemingly unending generosity.
• Nobility: Seek great stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a knight, realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of striving towards them ennobles the spirit, growing the character from dust towards the heavens. Nobility also has the tendency to influence others, offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of rightness. Paladins view nobility not as a birthright, but as something that each man must earn. Aspiring to greatness lifts the spirit. Paladins act in a matter befitting the best of nobility at all times.
• Mercy: Show mercy to defeated enemies. Mercy is not for the weak. It takes the strongest of men to refrain from killing a foe, and such strength does not go unnoticed. When an enemy falls and cowers before a Paladin, the Paladin will grant him mercy, and not take his life. Instead he will take all power from the enemy, ensuring he can do no more harm. In many cases this implies returning the foe to civilization to serve trial. The outcome of which is not the Paladins concern.
• Franchise: Seek to emulate this code as sincerely as possible, not for the reason of personal gain but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with these qualities. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure then you will be well remembered for your quality and virtue. Not only will the Paladin live by the words of this code (or the letters of the law), he will also strive unendingly to live by its ideals (the spirit of the law). Paladins hope to die in service of the powers of good, so that their death is remembered, and inspires others to rise up and take their place against the forces of darkness."

 

[R-Hero]

Ex: If it's evil I must smite it, regardless of mission or weighing what the greater evil might be.

The rulebooks even say that a paladin can work with evil to stop a greater threat. Think of it as a cop going undercover...

There are no gray areas. All responses are dictated clearly by my alignment. Evil must be destroyed, good must be upheld.

As a paladin there are FEW grey areas but you can uphold your ideals without killing everything in sight.
Stabbing is not the only answer. (although there are many on the boards that will disagree with this...)

I can't punch someone in the face if I get angry, unless they are evil

You are looking at this a little backward.
Ex: Chaotic Neutral drunken npc pushes down 99 y/o great grandmother to steal her coppers = a face punching

Most Evil murdering slave trader is at the bar minding his own business. You can't just walk up to him and start something just he glows like the Batsignal when evil is detected (unless you have proof of his activities, even then its probably a law enforcement issue)

I can't have any desires or goals beyond destroying evil.

The ultimate goal for a paladin is the rescue of souls from evil. You can't convert the heathens to goodness it they are dead...

I mostly play a paladin and I always have fun doing it. Every now and then there is a hangup on the rules, but that is why it is called role playing.


I've also played with Dm's that would warn me if they thought actions would not be paladin like. They have never tried to trick me into becoming a fallen paladin. (a very rat-bastard Dm move if you ask me)

Even if your character gets out of sorts with his deity because his actions were the only way out of a bad situation, you can always try to atone later.
(Yay, sidequest with more Exp and Gold)

 

[Grok]

Thanks for the examples!

 

[Herobizkit]

Check this link out... gives examples of Lawful Good in action:

Lawful Good - Television Tropes & Idioms

And this one puts all of the collected D&D descriptions of Lawful Good through the editions... REALLY helps with understanding alignments in general.

The Alignment System - Lawful Good

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Thanks for the examples!

Here's another little thing that people* tend to forget.

In your normal, D&D-esque setting, your Paladin is a human from the Prime Material plane (e.g., "normal reality"). Your character's body and soul are, therefore, formed of a mish-mash of all the various planar energies that make up creation (earth, fire, water, air, good, evil, law, chaos, positive, negative, etc.).

You are not a [Lawful] [Good] Archon from Mount Celestia. You are not totally made up of the stuff of Law and Good. You are not intrinsicly perfect and pure.

But that's probably what you're striving towards.

So, you'll have character traits, or habits, or what-have-you, that are not perfectly Paladinic. Maybe you struggle with them; maybe they give you moments of doubt; maybe you've learned to accept some of them, to work on them later. There are a range of interesting character decisions to make here. So, let the attempt to reach perfection be part of your story - that's always seemed, to me, to be the more interesting story.

But don't let your DM tell you that such things automatically make you into a fallen paladin; if your DM is going to play that way, I'd stay away from the class entirely.

* Some people ...

 

[Alexanderone]

I think song an silence summed paladins up well when it described how rogues and bards feel about them. Impressive, friendly, pretty and free handed with the healing and not to mentioned generous with their share of the treasure.
paladins are motivated by the compassion to do good the players handbook even says so.
quintessential paladin from mongoose publishing is a good book to get.