Alignment Issues for a Paladin

[jollyninja]

nowhere does it say that your holy symbol has to be a masterwork. All it has to be is a symbol of your faith to your god. I once had a cleric of bane use a set of manicles as his holy symbol when he had his taken away by local law enforcement. he spent his time in prison scraping the symbol of bane into the outside of his manicles. find a simple object that reflects the nature of your god, make a show for the DM as you perform some sort of prayer to your god begging him to accept the simple object as a symbol of your faith. and explain to your god why you think it is siutable. if he is not a bastard, he will let you use it at least temporarily, it could even become your personal holy symbol, my cleric used the manacles until level 15 after that city that imprisoned him was part of his kingdom he had the crown crafted into a symbol more fitting his new station.

 

[Don]

Well, considering the DM is role-playing the god that the Paladin serves, it's perfectly okay for him to assert a ruling.

Exactly. Like I said: context matters. If the paladin's god says it's bad, then it's bad.

 

[Quickbeam]

Excellent situation. Beyond the very solid suggestions related to making a knowledge check/asking the DM, here's my input...

First, as a number of previous posts suggest, you could fashion your own holy symbol in a brief ceremony. Whether you choose to purchase a more splendid symbol in the future, or use the one you've crafted in perpetuity isn't important.

If none of the aforementioned suggestions solve your dilemma, then I would "borrow" a symbol from the cemetery. Even if your DM indicates that your deity is unhappy with this action afterwards, it appears to be the lesser of two evils from your description. You could make some apologetic declaration while removing the holy symbol, and then accept whatever penance your god deems necessary for acting unlawfully. IMO, though, this presents an awesome roleplaying opportunity. After crushing the Necromancer and his/her minions (assuming you prevail instead of perish ) locate the family of the person's grave you damaged. Tell them how their loved one's death and burial site have helped to defeat the evil overrunning the town, and how he/she assisted in the work of _______ (insert deity here). Use this situation to your ultimate benefit.