Do you use an explicitly stated paladin code?

[Elf Witch]

I work with the player to make a code that fits their god and the way they view what their paladin's role is supposed to be.

I had a paladin once who believed in redeeming evil so we wrote the code thay way and I house ruled smite evil to do subdual damage.

 

[Trench]

I don't go with an implicit one people think should be there, only the explicit one that is. And given that it is open to interpretation, I am very generous in how I let my players play paladins and interpret the code. Mechanical supernatural evil can taint them causing loss of good powers, but their codes are mostly self imposed (both players who played paladins in my games loved the code aspect of the class) and players do not accidentally fall in my game losing their powers based on how I feel they are acting honor wise.

I agree with this. The player should never be "tricked" into losing their paladin status. The player should know full well that their actions will result in being fallen and if they want to do so based upon character development, then that's all well and good and could make for a good story.

 

[sckeener]

The moment someone plays a paladin I will work with that player to define their code.

I do that with all cavaliers. Paladins, Blackguards, Holy Warriors (other alignments) all have codes....if they don't then they are fighters in my game.

 

[Sejs]

I work with the player, and the code isn't rigid or strictly stated.


Basically it all boils down to one overarching principle: Be a shining example of a Good Guy. That's the only tenet a paladin has to live up to, under my watch. They can have a great deal of freedom in how they operate so long as they keep to that standard.

As long as they keep being a Good Guy, they're golden.
When they start being just a Guy they get a subtle reminder of their purpose to help them get back on track.
When they start being a Bad Guy, they fall.

 

[DragonLancer]

I don't really need one. Paladins IMC are more Arthurian Knights rather than holy warriors. It's a tad more open than the usual D&D paladin.

 

[Arkhandus]

I haven't had any paladins in the games I've played or DMed, for some odd reason, except for one or two way back when. Only one I remember was in Emiricol's Bandora campaign, but the paladin was basically the group's leader and all, so we were all kinda going along with him and behaving ourselves enough to avoid problems with him.

Me, I tend to make different or more expressly defined paladin codes, based on the paladin's religion or knightly order. For my Rhunaria campaign I have two or three short paladin codes defined, for different orders (IIRC I have the halfling paladin code, the dwarven paladin code, and the Rizan human paladin code kinda defined but not quite finished, and the Gilden paladin code kinda worked on).

Hrm...this is what I have on my computer right now for the first two. Two notes: dwarves in Rhunaria are based more on Romans than on Vikings; and Rhunarian halflings call themselves Keth, and other races just call them halflings because of their size.

Dwarven Paladins - Praetorian Sentinels
[sblock]Oath of the Archknight
This solemn oath I make, in service to the mighty and venerable Exarch of Ur-Dalechron,
To show obeisance to the Praetor and the Archon, to the Demiarch and Prelates,
To show courage in the face of danger, never cowardice, never weakness,
To show respect before my peers, to all those above and all those below me,
To show sincerity in my words and my deeds, never duplicity, never falsehood,
To show honor through my actions, my speech, my goals, and my lifepath,
To show mercy to those who ask it, never cruelty, never indifference,
To show duty towards the people of Ur-Dalechron and allies in need,
To show loyalty to my leaders and the Exarch above all else, never betrayal, never hesitation,
To show compliance with all written laws not held by those at war with Ur-Dalechron.[/sblock]

Halfling Paladins - Vale Protectors
[sblock]Covenant of the Keth Protectorate
To the great spirit Keth I voweth, that this covenant bindeth me until rebirth;
That I shalt serve the needs of all goodly Keth, in all things that others cannot do forthwith;
That I doth protect all peoples from evil deeds, without hesitation or reservation;
That I shalt offer healing and counsel to those whom needeth it, except those whom would abuse it;
That I doth keepeth the secrets of the Keth and guard them forevermore, for the sake of our people;
That I shalt converse only in truth and sincerity, fouling not mine speech with falsehoods or epithets;
That I doth dispense mercy to all those who ask it, justice to the unrepentant, and generosity to the needy;
That I shalt liveth by and uphold the laws of the Keth and no others, abiding no foreign mandate;
That I doth live to protect and serve others, never to throweth my life away without just cause.[/sblock]

 

[ruleslawyer]

Yes. But, for that matter, I also discuss with my players what constitutes LG, NG, and CG behavior (I usually don't have to worry about the others), since I'm well aware that alignment is something that involves a large set of assumptions that had bloody well better be held in common by the players and the DM for moral issues to be handled smoothly.

 

[Goblyn]

I haven't seen any paladins having difficulty with the code, whether I was a player or a DM. Variant interpretations are easier to reconcile in a face-to-face setting.