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Message: <blockquote data-quote="That Darn DM" data-source="post: 5477407" data-attributes="member: 6671049">From the book of Exalted Deeds (A 3.X core rule book on the nature of good).MERCYFor good characters who devote their lives to hunting and exterminatingthe forces of evil, evil’s most seductive lure may be theabandonment of mercy. Mercy means giving quarter to enemieswho surrender and treating criminals and prisoners with compassionand even kindness. It is, in effect, the good doctrine ofrespect for life taken to its logical extreme—respecting andhonoring even the life of one’s enemy. In a world full of enemieswho show no respect for life whatsoever, it can be extremelytempting to treat foes as they have treated others, to exactrevenge for slain comrades and innocents, to offer no quarterand become merciless.A good character must not succumb to that trap. Good charactersmust offer mercy and accept surrender no matter howmany times villains might betray that kindness or escape fromcaptivity to continue their evil deeds. If a foe surrenders, a goodcharacter is bound to accept the surrender, bind the prisoner,and treat him as kindly as possible. (See Mercy, Prisoners, andRedemption in Chapter 2 for more about the proper treatmentof prisoners.)In general, it’s a good idea for the DM to make sure that theplayers aren’t punished unnecessarily for showing mercy toopponents. If every prisoner schemes to betray the party andlater escapes from prison, the players quickly come to realizethat showing mercy simply isn’t worth it. It’s fine for thesefrustrations to arise once in a while, but if they happen every time,the players will rightly give up in frustration.FORGIVENESSClosely tied to mercy, forgiveness is still a separate act. Mercymeans respecting the life of an enemy, treating him like a beingworthy of kindness. Forgiveness is an act of faith, a willingnessto believe that even the vilest evildoer is capable of change.Good characters are not enjoined to “forgive and forget” everytime someone harms them. At the simplest level, forgivenessmeans abdicating one’s right to vengeance. On a deeper level, ifan evil character makes an effort to repent, turn away from evil,and lead a better life, a good character is called upon to encouragethe reformed villain, let the past be past, and not to hold thecharacter’s evil deeds against her.Forgiveness is essential to redemption. If those she hasharmed refuse to forgive her, a character seeking to turn awayfrom evil faces nothing but hatred and resentment from thosewho should be her new allies. Isolated from both her formerallies and her former enemies, she nurses resentment andquickly slides back into her evil ways. By extending forgivenessto those who ask it, good characters actively spread good, bothby encouraging those who are trying to turn away from evil andby demonstrating to evildoers that the path of redemption ispossible. You are right, they do define it clearly.</blockquote>

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