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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pentius" data-source="post: 5688441" data-attributes="member: 6676736">I don't think a behavior restriction, like a paladin's code(hereafter called a roleplaying restriction) is comparable to a purely numbers restriction, such as a d4 hit die(hereafter referred to as a mechanical description).  Here's why.The d4 hit die, the lack of armor, these are pretty much going to always be a drawback.  Rare indeed is the D&D campaign that features no element of mortal peril.The paladin's code, though?  How much of a drawback that is depends wildly on the campaign, the adventure and the DM himself.  It isn't hard to imagine a  session, an adventure, or even a campaign where things are straight forward do-good, save the day, and the paladin's player is never even really tempted to break his code.  Maybe the DM is lenient about the code, or maybe he just isn't putting anything other than stark black and white decisions on the board.  But if the paladin's code never gets in the way of what the player wanted to do anyway, it isn't really restricting him, is it?  In which case it is not balancing him against anything.  Inherent in the idea of the restrictions as balance is that the player is going to want to do certain things, but abstain, for his code(the character might not want to, but the player might).  On the other end of the spectrum, a DM who is so inclined can pretty much make a paladin fall at will.  The amount by which a d4 is a drawback is fairly predictable, but a roleplaying restriction?  Not so much. Ah, but by assassinating the few key figures in order to get policy changed, the assassin has, in effect, saved hundreds of lives.  Both the paladin and the assassin had the same goal, but the assassin put aside his pride, and achieved it with minimal loss of life.  The paladin, on the other hand, gets hundreds or thousands of young men killed in a holy war.  He leaves hundred of families to grieve over sons that will never return home.  He exposes thousands of innocent people to the horror of war.  And for what?  His own honor and pride?  How selfish.</blockquote>

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