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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BSF" data-source="post: 1548978" data-attributes="member: 13098">The reason Paladins don't attack Evil things on sight has to do with the *Lawful* aspect of their alignment rather than the *Good*.  Is the Paladin lawfully empowered to administer justice in this way?  Is this a society modeled off of feudal Europe?  If so, the Paladin might be authorized to defend himself.  If the Paladin serves the local Lord, the Paladin might be authorized to defend others.  If the Paladin has been granted the privelige of High Justice, then the Paladin might be authorized to administer a final solution to an Evil problem.  One reason that Paladins might not Smite on Sight is because they do not have a lawful reason to do so.  And yes, you can appeal that a God (if the Paladin has one, they don't need to have one, but they can) has a higher authority than the local lord.  Sure, that might be the case, depending on your game.  Does your Paladin have any Compassion?  You see, Paladins are pretty Good generally.  They gain Divine powers from being Lawful, and Good.  That is a pretty serious gift, when you think about it.  Lay on Hand and Remove Disease aren't there solely to help the Paladin out.  Those abilities aren't even to simply help out your adventurering companions.  Those abilities can help those that are less fortunate.  The lonely old widower that came down with TB in his ramshackle farm near the edge of town is slowly dying.  The Paladin has it in his power to help this old man.  Whether it is to cure the cough so he can care for the crops, or even if it is to ease that pain so the old man can die in his sleep and move on to his reward in the afterlife, the Paladin can help this man.  What about the little boy that fell out of a tree?  Lay on Hands and he feels a bit better.  As Good people, a Paladin can express great Compassion.  Most of the world cannot live up to a Paladin's standards.  While that knowledge can breed arrogance, one of those standards should be more Compassion for fellow beings than others show as well.  The Paladin sees a guy in the forest who detects as Evil.  Should he Smite on Sight?  Would he be stupid not to?  After all, he hasn't seen the guy do anything Evil.  Surely, this guy is just hiding his acts from the Paladin, so the Paladin is morally obligated to strike first, right?  Otherwise, the Paladin is perpetuating the Good is Dumb mindset.  Or, should the Paladin sit down and talk with the guy?  Maybe, tell him that he can see that his heart is troubled and he needs to come clean of what is bothering him.  Maybe encourage a path of right and clean, honest living.  Maybe that Compassion will help save a soul and gain a friend.  Both of these are possibilities on why a Paladin might not Smite on Sight.  It all depends on the situation, and the personality of the Paladin.  There really isn't a quick and easy answer to your question, because the question is still relatively generic.  I can sit her all day and think of reasons why the Paladin should act in one manner, or another.  But, ultimately, I tend to think of people that stride the land looking for people that are different and immediately trying to kill them as striding the road toward Tyranny and Evil.  Actually, I have always thought it would be an interesting RP experience to start off with a Paladin that was kind and Good.  Then, the Paladin starts becoming more and more convinced of his own surety and power.  He has Divine Powers and nobody else does!  He _knows_ that he is always right.  In fact, he cannot be wrong.  The, to take that arrogance and start taking it one step further, then further, then further.  To intentionally have the Paladin Fall from Grace through blind arrogance.  It could be an interesting story.  But, that is a bit of a hijack for the topic.  My answer to the original question is a qualified "Maybe".  You haven't provided enough information.  It is all situational and there will be circumstances where any answer is potentially acceptable.</blockquote>

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