D&D 5E roleplaying the Oath of the Ancients

Hi folks,

I'm looking at playing a NG paladin who's taken the Oath of the Ancients. I really like the sound of the oath's tenets, but I'm not entirely sure how I would go about applying them to my character's actions in-game. In case you haven't got your book handy, they are:

• Kindle the Light. Through your acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair.
  
• Shelter the Light. Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren.
  
• Preserve Your Own Light. Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you can't preserve it in the world.
  
• Be the Light. Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of your joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.

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If you were playing a character following these tenets, how would you have them act? What sorts of things would you have them do (or not do), both in combat and in social situations?

Would your PC always offer their opponents the opportunity to surrender instead of fighting to the death, or would it depend on the type of creature? Is a human always worthy of mercy? Is an orc worthy of mercy? Is a demon ever worthy of mercy?

What would your PC's thoughts be on mind control (charm person, etc)? On breaking and entering? On haggling for a discount? On giving alms to the poor? On obeying unjust laws? On assassination and poisoning? On lies and deceit?

What if your PC's teammates are a bunch of murder hobos? Would your PC admonish them and try to reform them or turn a blind eye? Or would they merely try to lead by example?

Please be as specific as possible. Thanks!


Cheers,
Jonathan


EDIT: Does anyone else get a surfer dude or hippy vibe from this oath? I keep thinking of Bill and Ted or Oddball from Kelly's Heroes. Unikitty from The Lego Movie too.

I'd play him like Pope Francis (the current Pope). If Pope Francis were 25, could wield a sword, and could cast spells. Or like the current Dalai Lama. Both those dudes seem like people who love life and love others and try to show it. They also don't seem to get too beat down by bad stuff that happens.

To answer your questions -
1. Yes to surrender. At least, I'd accept surrender but offering it to every Orc, Goblin, and Kobold that came along - probably not.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. Yes. Although killing a demon may actually be the merciful thing to release it from its evil torment.
5. Mind Control is probably wrong. I say probably because temporary magical mind control... might be good if it was to keep someone from harm. "These are not the droids you are looking for..."
6. Breaking and entering to save someone? Definitely.
7. Haggling. Sure. Haggling may even be a GOOD thing in a culture that expects it.
8. Giving alms. Absolutely. But it would likely be more often through the church of the paladin.
9. Assassination and poisoning. I'd say no
10.Lies and deceit. Acceptable. I can think of many instances where lies and deception aren't wrong. Were Han, Luke, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Chewbacca evil for conning their way into Princess Leia's prison cell?
11. Amoral murder hobos would be a hard bunch to game with. If leading by example failed and you still stuck around with them you're just being a dupe. Lead by example, but if the example doesn't work you'd likely have to part ways.

The Half-Gnoll Oath of the Ancients Paladin at my table is the son of a human druid and a Gnoll Aasimar. So he us a sort of druidic paladin. He is cheerful, naive (only 16 years old), and will strike with a vengeance if his friends or innocents are hurt.

If someone asks for mercy, be willing to give it, but don't be stupid. Don't kill a helpless foe.

Actions are not necessarily important, motivation behind the actions is. Acting with bad motivation will extinguish the light within and break your oath.

pukunui said:

EDIT: Does anyone else get a surfer dude or hippy vibe from this oath? I keep thinking of Bill and Ted or Oddball from Kelly's Heroes. Unikitty from The Lego Movie too.

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I'd actually compare it to The Flash, especially from the Justice League cartoons. Fight the bad guys, do the right thing, and always have a quip or punchline.

[MENTION=6785802]guachi[/MENTION] and [MENTION=6776887]Tormyr[/MENTION]: Thanks guys! That definitely helps.

Voort said:

I'd actually compare it to The Flash, especially from the Justice League cartoons. Fight the bad guys, do the right thing, and always have a quip or punchline.

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I have to admit that I'm not particularly familiar with the Flash. How about we use Jedi instead? Maybe Qui-Gon Jinn? Obi-Wan and Yoda seem like Devotion types, while Mace is most definitely a Vengeance sort ("He's too dangerous to leave alive!"). Anakin, meanwhile, is very much an Oathbreaker ...

pukunui said:

Is a human always worthy of mercy? Is an orc worthy of mercy? Is a demon ever worthy of mercy?

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Good questions!

The Oath of the Ancients applies to some of these questions, and is irrelevant to others. How you feel about justice vs. law depends more on whether you're Lawful or Chaotic.

Mercy is explicitly related to the light of hope. A human foe *who surrenders* should get mercy in almost all situations; but that doesn't always mean trust - you might tie them up, in place of killing them outright, if you're not willing to accept their parole. (Parole, in military usage, is more or less an agreement between honorable enemies.) If the normal action would be killing them, then *anything less* is mercy.

An orc... well, on one hand they're mostly evil to the bone, but if it will run away and not bother you or your friends, then I'd say let it go.

A devil? Maybe you could drive it from the material plane rather than kill it, but under what circumstances (and with what motives) could it stay on the Material without doing harm and blight?

"Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren."
If other PCs are rendering life barren - for example, if they see a pack of wolves, and decide to go kill it just for the XP and the furs - then an Oath of Ancients paladin is oath-bound to stop those PCs. You give your PC allies a warning, and if they fail to heed it, then you defend those wolves or die trying.

If this kind of situation arises, then I recommend both an in-character conversation, and an out-of-character conversation. (If the other players don't want these kinds of in-character issue, then your choice to play a paladin, and their choice to play murderhobos, are an issue for the group as a whole.)

Charity comes under "kindness" as well as hope. If you see someone who's down on their luck, and you can help them keep trying to pull their life together, then helping that person is absolutely an act in support of the light of hope. (If you were multi-classed as Druid, you would cast Goodberry with all your unused slots before every long rest, to give them away as food for the hungry.)

The oath does not specifically call for YOU to add to beauty in the world, but if you sing, or if you paint a pretty picture on your shield, then you are enjoying beauty as well as adding to it. Notice if anyone around you is an entertainer or artisan (as background). Bards are not always entertainers; sometimes they're just casters whose magic happens via music; if there's a bard in the party, see what roleplay emerges.

Mind control, breaking and entering, assassination and poisoning, lies and deceit: with known, declared enemies, if you've warned them and they still destroy light and beauty, well, bring it on by any means necessary. But all of those methods raise issues of trust. Normally, people need to be able to trust each other, especially their neighbors, and also peaceful travellers. The more everyone needs to be on guard against charms, lies, poison, etc., the less they can let their light shine openly. Don't use such methods casually, or recklessly.

Yes, these values have a fair bit in common with some versions of hippyism. Also with some specific religious traditions, which can be a touchy topic.

[MENTION=6786839]Riley37[/MENTION]: Good stuff. Thanks!


EDIT: BTW, I feel I should admit that I was getting a surfer dude/hippy vibe more from a paraphrasing of the oath's tenets that I found on the Giant in the Playground forums rather than the tenets themselves. Here it is if you're interested:

1. Be kind yo, and fight against sadness
2. Find places where people are cool dudes and shield them from the bogus ones
3. Keep real chill and awesome, can't spread coolness without being cool yourself, dude
4. inspire others to be real cool and chill and thus spread the coolness

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In other words: "Be excellent to each other."

pukunui said:

I have to admit that I'm not particularly familiar with the Flash. How about we use Jedi instead? Maybe Qui-Gon Jinn? Obi-Wan and Yoda seem like Devotion types, while Mace is most definitely a Vengeance sort ("He's too dangerous to leave alive!"). Anakin, meanwhile, is very much an Oathbreaker ...

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Yes, Qui-Gon Jinn. To quote the movie:

Obi-Wan: Do not defy the council, Master, not again.
Qui-Gon Jinn: I shall do what I must, Obi-Wan.

After all, the biggest difference between Devotion and the Ancients is that Ancients have no oath of Duty. Their only obligation is to the Light.

Excellent. I shall study my Qui-Gon to help me get into the zone.

guachi said:

I'd play him like Pope Francis (the current Pope). If Pope Francis were 25, could wield a sword, and could cast spells. Or like the current Dalai Lama. Both those dudes seem like people who love life and love others and try to show it. They also don't seem to get too beat down by bad stuff that happens.

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I doubt you're aware, but Pope Francis is very much a "Do the red, Say the Black" kind of guy... (I'm only really aware of this because My dad is a retired RC deacon... a Catholic clergyman. And so I keep up on it. HH Francis is very much LG, even tho the media coverage makes him out to be NG or even CG... He's waging a one-man war on Hypocrisy in the Vatican... On the other hand, he IS a divine right absolute monarch of a micronation with a budget larger than many much larger nations, so he gets to make the laws as well, in addition to heading one of the larger religious organizations on the planet. Getting the Curia to obey them... well... )

For Neutral Good, his public media portrayal's not a bad fit, but it's not a true picture of the current approach. He's engaged in a struggle to root out hypocrisy in the Vatican Curia, and has quietly retired several bishops noted for bending the rules. And, unlike the prior two popes, he's much more rigorous about what vestments and what liturgical options are in use in his presence. (And I approve of all of this... but it's all very much LG.)