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Message: <blockquote data-quote="El Mahdi" data-source="post: 5395119" data-attributes="member: 59506">No it's not. The overiding theme is to be a Champion of Good; as both a Defender of Good, and as an Example of Good. As per the PHB, a Paladin needs to have "The compassion to pursue good, the will to uphold law, and the power to defeat evil...", as well as "the purity and devotion that it takes to walk the paladins path...". That would mean the attributes of a D&D Paladin, by the book, are:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Compassion (things like Mercy...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Pursue Good (that means endeavor to do the right thing...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Will (Strength, Courage, Faith)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Law (Justice)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Defeat Evil (also Strength)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Purity (prostitutes...drugs...I don't think so)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Devotion (Faith, Steadfastness, Sacrifice)</li> </ul>Punish or prosecute Evil: Yes.Kill a helpless opponent: No. Be an example of Good: Yes.Destroy Evil by any means possible: No. Defend against and fight Evil while endeavoring to be the paragon of Charity, Chastity, Faith, Honor, Honesty, Virtue, Morality, and Mercy: unequivocally Yes. This is the very definition of both a classical D&D Paladin, and a historical Chivalrous Knight. Doesn't mean it can't be played differently, and there obviously needs to be allowances/considerations made for being in a non-Christian setting (as most D&D worlds are polytheistic) - but if it is played differently than the above, then it's no longer a Standard Paladin. In such a case, the class and it's code should be houseruled/changed, and most definitely agreed upon before play. But, although not killing a helpless enemy is within the spirit of the above code, I do not agree that a coup de grace is an evil act. I believe it falls under the virtue of Mercy, and at least has historical precedence (if not in-game precedence). Not killing a defenseless foe most specifically referred to not killing an unarmed opponent, or an opponent that has surrendered or stated/showed their intention to not fight. A Goblin that was fighting just before being knocked unconcsious, is first: A MONSTER; and second: an opponent that has shown their intention to fight, has fought, and is a fair target to kill. More than okay for a Paladin or a Knight, let alone any other class (such as the OP's LN Druid).  Dude! You must have had some serious conflict with a past DM or DM's. That sucks. I feel for you.  Even though some of the things you mentioned (sexual activity, prostitutes, drugs) aren't explicitly mentioned in the code, they are within the spirit of it. Also, the code in the PHB isn't an explicit code, but a very general one, and general on purpose (so as to allow each DM/player/gaming group to decide for themselves what they want it to mean within each individual game). However, the classical definition of a Paladin does not allow the things you mentioned. First of all, historically there is no such thing as a Paladin (as a specific class). The term Paladin was initially used as a name for Roland's, and then later Charlemagne's, trusted peers (of which some weren't even Knights; one was a Dane more akin to a Barbarian, and another was actually a Sorcerer). However, in Late Medieval literature, the term Paladin came to describe one who was a particularly Chivalrous Knight. A Knight was simply a very well trained warrior specialized in both mounted and unmounted warfare, and usually a noble...period. A Paladin was a true Defender of the Faith and Chivalrous Knight. The D&D Paladin is based upon a combination of the Chivalrous Knight and the Monastic Knight (Templars, Hospitalers, etc.). The Code of Chivalry includes the attributes of:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Strength</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Courage</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Justice</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mercy</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Charity</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Faith</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Humility</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chastity</li> </ul>It wasn't a secular thing, but a thing derived from the Christian Church. It was adherence to Medieval Christian Values. Chastity didn't mean celibacy, but sex outside of the bonds of marriage is not adhering to Medieval Christian values or the Code of Chivalry (of which this restriction is part of the motivation behind the concept of "Courtly Love"). The vows of a Monastic Knight however were much more restrictive. A Monastic Knight, in all but their use as Warriors, were no different than Christian Monks. They swore Vows of:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Celibacy (no sex, period)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Poverty (no money, property, noble title, and no ownership of any material goods - weapons, armor, and horses were property of the order itself)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Obedience (obedience to God, their Order, and the Pope).</li> </ul>So, historically, to be a Paladin one would have to at the least, adhere to the Chivalric Code, and possibly even swear Monastic Vows. Even adhering only to the lesser code (the Chivalric Code), prostitutes, drugs, and killing a helpless enemy would be violations of the Paladins Ethos. (Even drinking to get drunk would be against these values. Drinking alcohol, such as wine and beer, in and of itself was okay. Drinking to get drunk was not.) So, the Spirit of a D&D Paladin, is that of a Chivalrous Medieval European Knight or Monastic Knight. And No, people are not inserting restrictions that aren't there.  However, I don't understand the magnitude of your reaction after reading what I posted. Especially as the point of what I was saying was this:  That sounds to me to be exactly what you say you want...unless what you want is simply a Warrior imbued with Divine Might, that basically does whatever he wants...</blockquote>

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