Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Telperion" data-source="post: 1530829" data-attributes="member: 15711">The first thing to do is have a talk with your DM and specify your Code of Conduct as clearly as possible. In any Good campaign where there are paladin characters I consider this very important. It keeps things flowing smoothly and everyone is on the same page. If there is an unclear case then the paladin can usually go ask advice from a cleric. It's what they are there for, after all.In this case it is a judgment call really. This all depends on how your DM handles Code of Conduct and local law. In a rough city like this the law is something like: the strong do as they please and the weak whimper as they can. I'll give my interpretation of the standard Code of Conduct as presented in the PHB 3.5 on page 44. Your DM may or may not disagree, and it is his right to do so...A paladin is supposed to follow and uphold whatever local laws abide in any given area, and therefore "respect legitimate authority". If, however, the paladin sees the law / legitimate authority itself as Evil, then he cannot follow the standards, because he would be breaking other parts of the Code of Conduct. If this sort of a case comes up it is the duty of a paladin to dispence justice in a place where there is no existing law, or fight against a system that isn't just from his point of view.While dispensing justice a paladin is forced to make judgment calls, which may or may not be correct when viewed with hindsight. It is likely that a paladin will make mistakes, but he shouldn't be stripped of his paladinhood because of a misjudgment. Rather, he should learn from it and make reparations where possible, if he deems his own actions as unsuitable when the matter is studied afterwards. This is a learning progress, and a low-level paladin isn't expected to know everything. I would, however, suggest taking Knowledge (law) or Knowledge (religion), and asking the DM's opinion on these things (via the die roll) in the future.Okay, and now to the present case. As a DM I would have been okay with the breaking of the thug's sword arm and keeping the wizard unconscious and tied up. What I wouldn't have accepted was leaving the pair of the tied up in an alley where anyone could happen by and then do what they wanted with the helpless thug and wizard. Especially the wizard should have been handled better, because a stabilized character is not out of trouble yet. If he had negative hitpoints, then he can still die without ever waking up. Other than that I have no quelms with the situation as you presented it. Sometimes a paladin needs to be the hand that delivers judgment and punishment if there is no one else to do it. Better him that someone else whose ethics and morals aren't suited for the job. Watch out though: there are plenty of paladin's who have traveled down this road before your character. It's a tricky path and quite a few have lost their way...</blockquote>

Verification