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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dragonblade" data-source="post: 571571" data-attributes="member: 2804">Well, "helpless prisoners" is an interesting term full of all sorts of imagery that implies the paladin is just some self-righteous bully on a power trip.Its easy to say that killing helpless people or prisoners is wrong but lets put it in context.If the paladin walks into the town dungeon and starts slitting the throats of the local drunks that would be different than if the paladin captured some unrepentant necromancer cultist who continuously screams that one day it will be the paladin's friends who are bent over the altar to the dark gods.Both may be "helpless prisoners" but the situation is completely different.  In one case the paladin is perfectly justified in slitting the throat of the prisoner.  In the other he is not.This goes back to my original offhand comment about morality being objective rather than absolute or relative.  In other words the morality of a situation and thus the paladin's response to it fully depends on an objective appraisal of the situation itself.In my opinion the Lawful and Good compenents of the paladin's alignment don't conflict with each other.  They complement each other.  The paladin is lawful in that he supports and believes in his code.  He believes that an ordered society in accordance with his deity is the best way to achieve the most good for the most people.  But common sense would say where following the law ceases to be good, the paladin will no longer follow it.Conversely CG is the belief that the most good for the most people can be achieved simply by leaving people alone to live their life as they see fit as long as what they do doesn't interfere with or harm others.  Laws are often an unnecessary burden on the freedoms of the individual.Although I do like your imagery of the doomed hero.  In fact such paladins exist in my world.  Although it isn't their soul which is in danger so much as their mortal life.  Since such paladins often crusade alone, deep into unknown and dangerous territory, some never to return or be heard from again.</blockquote>

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