How To Play A Paladin Correctly.

[fusangite]

As I finished watching Smallville tonight, I decided that we're really getting it wrong when it comes to Paladins. The fact is that every pure good hero has, in the past 20 years, been converted into an angsty, guilt-ridden tortured soul. I think a lot of our problem with Paladins is that we're basing them on old-style comic book heroes and sanitized modern re-tellings of medieval epics.

I've decided that the next time I play a Paladin, I'll play him like David Boreanaz's Angel -- utterly celibate, filled with guilt and self-loathing, capable of humour and monomaniacally focused on doing good.

 

[reapersaurus]

Dragonblade -
you are obviously unaware of what SHARK has posted on these boards thru the years, or you are only concentrating on what you want to remember.

You also are obviously a fan of his approach, so let's save our breath.

 

[Kemrain]

**Cough** Jedi **Cough**.

- Kemrain the **cough cough cough**.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Doing the proper actions...

**Cough** Jedi **Cough**.

- Kemrain the **cough cough cough**.

(Here, have a cough drop)

OKay...a reminder to all...playing a paladin has many interpretations by each individual, so in the end...it will only matter to the person that plays or channel this set persona. This discussion has raged across boards like nobody business and I even witness a all out flaming of talkers when opnions went south, and it was closed...and this took place at the WOTC boards in the Class forums. It was insane, just insane.

Playing is paladin, is a step by step for old and rew players alike...anyone can write a guide, but it comes down to the person who illustrating the personality directly, sure, the DM has to keep an eye on their actions, that is a given...but the roleplaying is left to the player.

You can draw upon your own life to help you flesh out the trials of doing one, or you can let the universe help out in small amounts.

All experiences are different, so my advice...go through the mistakes, learn what it takes to be a paladin and after that, take all the life lessons and apply to the next one you play, life is the greatest teacher... there is none better than that.

And yes...size does not matter....

 

[tonym]

...(snip)...D&D Paladins are NOT like Punisher.
If that is your preferred style of play, you should make a alternate class to fit it better.

I'm not a DM; I'm a player. As a Player, I like the option of running a LG paladin the way 'I' want to run him--the way I see a LG Paladin acting.

Some DMs, though, want their players to run paladins the way 'they' would run 'their' paladins. This wouldn't be much fun for me. I like 'roleplaying' and 'being creative' and 'making decisions.' If my paladin MUST be a stereotype, with him acting exactly like every other paladin in any given situation, then forget it. I'll run a LG Fighter, or something else.

Don't get me wrong: A Paladin Code is nifty...but only as long as it is flexible in plenty of areas, allowing for a diversity of paladin personalities. Shark's code had enough flexibilty. I would not be detererd from running a paladin in a campaign that used his code.

When all paladins in a campaign are forced to behave in the same way in every situation, then I gotta ask, Where's the Roleplaying? Heck, why even show up for the game? Just have the DM draw a flow-chart on a piece of paper which says what the paladin MUST do in any given situation, staple the flowchart to your character sheet, leave it on the table and stay home.




Tony

 

[Truth Seeker]

I'm not a DM; I'm a player. As a Player, I like the option of running a LG paladin the way 'I' want to run him--the way I see a LG Paladin acting.

Some DMs, though, want their players to run paladins the way 'they' would run 'their' paladins. This wouldn't be much fun for me. I like 'roleplaying' and 'being creative' and 'making decisions.' If my paladin MUST be a stereotype, with him acting exactly like every other paladin in any given situation, then forget it. I'll run a LG Fighter, or something else.

Don't get me wrong: A Paladin Code is nifty...but only as long as it is flexible in plenty of areas, allowing for a diversity of paladin personalities. Shark's code had enough flexibilty. I would not be detererd from running a paladin in a campaign that used his code.

When all paladins in a campaign are forced to behave in the same way in every situation, then I gotta ask, Where's the Roleplaying? Heck, why even show up for the game? Just have the DM draw a flow-chart on a piece of paper which says what the paladin MUST do in any given situation, staple the flowchart to your character sheet, leave it on the table and stay home.




Tony

HEAR...HEAR.....
HEAR...HEAR.....

 

[Elf Witch]

I'm not a DM; I'm a player. As a Player, I like the option of running a LG paladin the way 'I' want to run him--the way I see a LG Paladin acting.

Some DMs, though, want their players to run paladins the way 'they' would run 'their' paladins. This wouldn't be much fun for me. I like 'roleplaying' and 'being creative' and 'making decisions.' If my paladin MUST be a stereotype, with him acting exactly like every other paladin in any given situation, then forget it. I'll run a LG Fighter, or something else.

Don't get me wrong: A Paladin Code is nifty...but only as long as it is flexible in plenty of areas, allowing for a diversity of paladin personalities. Shark's code had enough flexibilty. I would not be detererd from running a paladin in a campaign that used his code.

When all paladins in a campaign are forced to behave in the same way in every situation, then I gotta ask, Where's the Roleplaying? Heck, why even show up for the game? Just have the DM draw a flow-chart on a piece of paper which says what the paladin MUST do in any given situation, staple the flowchart to your character sheet, leave it on the table and stay home.




Tony

The player and the DM should both sit down and talk about what is expected from a paladin what the code is. This is a game and it is supposed to be fun for both the player and the DM. If the game is a homebrew with homebrew Gods then yeah I think that the DM should have a lot of say on how you play the paladin and what would fly, as a player in that case maybe you need to tailor your concept a little.

What it all comes down to his having fun. If a player just wants to play the paladin as detect evil on everything and everything that pings as evil gets smited then so be it. It won't do any good to keep taking his powers away to try and teach him a different style of play. All it will do is cause frustration on everyone in the game. So it comes down to either just letting it go or if it drives you crazy enough consider finding different players to play who role play more.