D&D 5E Odd character creations

[dewderino]

I'm currently trying to come up with a character that's fun for me to play. I'd like to build a paladin but the group has a ne rogue assassin which prevents this from happening. So I'm looking to mix it up some. Currently getting ideas pooled up. How well would a Halfling Stone foot battlerager work?

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I'd like to build a paladin but the group has a ne rogue assassin which prevents this from happening.

Nonsense.

Play a compatibly aligned paladin sworn to an oath of vengeance, or an oathbreaker if your DM isn't overly-restrictive of that option because it is in the DMG instead of the PHB.

 

[Rhogar_Rarr]

There's nothing stopping you from making a paladin. Paladin's have no alignment restriction. There's no reason a paladin can't play in the same party as a rogue assassin. Unless, it goes against your personal beliefs or the GM's rules. Personally, I think paladins are a lot of fun, so I'd say go for it. Although, being a Halfling barbarian sounds amusing in its own right. Play whatever you think is fun.

 

[Sunseeker]

How is the guy neutral evil? I mean, is he a ruthless killer? Is he out for himself? Does he murder babies? Being out for yourself isn't incompatible with a paladin, paladins don't report people for being greedy. In fact the only rules to being a paladin are laid out under your subclass, your "code". But if you want to play a lawful person who turns in the party rogue for breaking the law, well, this is why I typically don't allow evil players.

 

[El Mahdi]

I'd like to build a paladin but the group has a ne rogue assassin which prevents this from happening.

Why does this prevent you playing a Paladin?

First, just because you - the player - know that this other player's character is a neutral evil assassin, doesn't mean that your character knows.

And to be honest, if anybody in your group knows the character is an assassin, or the player (as their character) is telling the other characters they're an assassin, then they aren't a very good assassin. Besides, it's the responsibility of the assassin's player to maintain a reason to work with the group, rather than just kill them all.

Second, just because your Paladin is lawful good, doesn't mean they don't realize that evil does exists in the world, that evil is impossible to eliminate, and that it must be tolerated to a certain extent. Besides, actions speak louder than alignment. In other words, it's not necessary for the Paladin to have issues with the assassin character just because they are evil, but only if they observe the assassin performing evil acts. Even then, the world isn't so black and white. The Paladin may be black and white, but they know the world isn't.

Fiction has examples of Good and Evil - or Lawful and non-Lawful - coexisting and even working together (at least as far as fictional characters can be categorized by alignment - an usually tricky and ambiguous endeavor).

Think: Odo and Quark (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder (Justified)
Dumbledore and Snipe (Harry Potter)

Besides, you could always play it as your Paladin character is trying to convert the assassin character back to the side of Good - through example and mentorship rather than heavy handedness.

Remember that the Paladin's alignment and code is for the Paladin - not for the rest of the world. It's how the Paladin has chosen to live, and not necessarily a view that they're trying to force upon the world.



*And have some xp to get rid of that silver bar.

 

[dewderino]

I want a LG paladin which won't fly. And my DM is convinced that even an oath of vengeance will still cause issues

 

[dewderino]

I understand that I can make a paladin work. But it's simply not worth argument with my DM. So I'm looking for a different direction

 

[Rhogar_Rarr]

Then go for a halfling barbarian. Hit 'em low and hit 'em hard.

 

[dmnqwk]

I have to say I disagree that Odo and Quark is a good example. Quark is absolutely NOT evil when compared to his culture, he is a veritable paragon at times and most often shows compassion and kindness. Compared to other Ferengi he is bordering on Chaotic Good, though I'm not sure how to translate it as an acceptable premise when inside the Federation (one major flaw with alignments is using a universal system across multiple demographics) As for Odo, he comes from a race of Neutral Evil beings but he himself is Lawful Neutral, or Neutral Good depending on which time period you are working with (Odo has a strong moral code that originally lives by, but eventually finds love and changes to the point wherein he finds it repulsive to work for the Cardassians anymore and errs far more towards Good over Law, pushing him into the Lawful Neutral realm.

On topic though, I am finding the alignment system can be a lot tougher now that I'm much older to really appreciate where people may or may not fall. A Neutral Evil Assassin is basically one step removed from a mass murderer - they must enjoy killing immensely and love the legal opportunity to go about it. If you wish to be a Paladin, you would need to ensure you have no problem with killing (which some paladins may not enjoy, those who prefer mercy) as a minimum in trying to get along. You could choose to play a Paladin who likes retribution (the vengeance line) or maybe ancients (you'd end up having a daily moral conflict if he goes after innocent people, so you'd need to spend your time trying to temper his action).

Party conflict is perfectly acceptable provided you remember if you feel it necessary to impose your will on the party and get mad if they refuse, you're probably best to re-roll.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I understand that I can make a paladin work. But it's simply not worth argument with my DM. So I'm looking for a different direction

If the character you want to play is a character your DM will argue against you playing, then the "different direction" you would be most wise to take is toward another DM.