Would you allow this paladin in your game? (new fiction added 11/11/08)

[FarosKalin]

I completely agree with you on the Sir Cedric debate! although i am curious? does it say in the paladine description that they have to be chaste?

 

[FarosKalin]

lets just say hes a fighter, who likes helping ppl and fighting evil. otherwise, hes a normal fighter.

 

[Rackhir]

I completely agree with you on the Sir Cedric debate! although i am curious? does it say in the paladine description that they have to be chaste?

It doesn't, but Sir Galahad (of King Arthur's tales) who's one of the main sources for the paladin class, was chaste. So that plus the general attitude of "sex is bad" combined with the "lawful uptight" paradigm many people subscribe to leads many people to assume that sex is forbidden.

 

[BBQLord]

You aren't chosen by a diety. You are chosen by goodness.
Read the PHB. Dieties aren't required no faith in them.
First sentence in religion: just devote yourself to righteousness.

I'm sorry if I was unclear. I meant to copy your use of the words 'chosen and called'. So, to clarify:

"Do you need faith to be chosen and called by goodness?"
If so, what kind of faith and does Cedric qualify? Why?
If not, why do you think it is not necessary? What are the prerequisites to being chosen and called? Could 'goodness' theoretically call and choose an Evil or Neutral person to become a paladin? I'm not particularly interested in a short answer but more in the reasoning/thinking behind the answer.

 

[Starbuck_II]

I'm sorry if I was unclear. I meant to copy your use of the words 'chosen and called'. So, to clarify:

"Do you need faith to be chosen and called by goodness?"
If so, what kind of faith and does Cedric qualify? Why?
If not, why do you think it is not necessary? What are the prerequisites to being chosen and called? Could 'goodness' theoretically call and choose an Evil or Neutral person to become a paladin? I'm not particularly interested in a short answer but more in the reasoning/thinking behind the answer.

No, I don't see faith as required.
It isn't required because faith is believing in something that can't be proven fully but yet you know is true.
Paladins have knowledge that Goodness exists (it did choose them): why should they have to have faith as well.
You can have Faith +knowledge, or just faith, or just Knowledge.

The prerequisites to being called is Goodness needs someone. Anyone so they chose those who they think might make a good hero (no matter how small a hero; even extras are needed).
Every single being has that potential even those evil. But many are unlikely to take the call even good.
Because it is hard being a Paladin (kinda MAD, I joke).
So Goodness chooses those most likely even if they currently are a bad position or alignment (cleans slate clean for this chose; just personality/attitude is considered).

To be chosen is a self thing: you chose to follow the call.
An evil person called will likely not be chosen, but rarely could happen (which would require a change of heart in alignment terms to be LG).

Same for a neutral called: he feels the burning in his bosom that he should do something, but something holds him back from being chosen.
He might have family troubles: sister sick, etc. He feels he must stay at home.

But each might put off the call now and later take it up to be chosen (as PHB mentions).
So Cedric could easily have been a neutral guy that for some reason just decided: "Yeah, heck, yeah I'll do it!"
He still has his old drinking troubles, but he tries and in trying he maintains his Code (though one could argue alcohol is a poison, heh).

 

[haakon1]

Nice job, Shilsen. If I were in charge of Cedric's country, I'd do a Speak With Dead to see if he's be willing to come back, then have a Raise Dead done to see if his god will permit it.

 

[Gregg]

It all depends on what the Paladin's code is. One of my players is a CE Paladin that has made multiple deals with demons to get powerful weapons to initiate a revenge killing on a CN Ranger. None of these things is against his code of conduct.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Hah! First poster in this thread for 1.5 YEARS, and the thread icon shows up on my browser as flaming ("hot topic"?). That's awesome.

 

[knightofround]

Hey, I'm not complaining =) Forgot all about this thread...good stuff

 

[Orius]

And Cedric keeps going, unbelievable.