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<blockquote data-quote="Lord Pendragon" data-source="post: 568008" data-attributes="member: 707">Dragonblade did a good job of describing what I think a paladin would do in the given situation.As to the debate, I think that too many DMs believe a paladin has to be some sort of lawyer.&nbsp; From the PHB, pg. 89:Note the parts about hating to see the guilty go unpunished and fighting evil without mercy.Just because a paladin is lawful does not mean he needs to respect and follow every law.&nbsp; Nor does it mean he has to withhold his smite because there is a sheriff's office nearby, or the lich cries out &quot;spare me!&quot;In D&amp;D evil is evil, and must be destroyed.&nbsp; A paladin is not a lawyer to wade through the laws of the land, he is the Holy Sword of God, placed on earth to smite the Hand of Darkness.Of course, this doesn't mean he's stupid, nor does it mean he'll go around smiting everyone who detects as evil (the Detect Evil ability itself allows for degrees of evil, after all.)&nbsp; But if the paladin decides a foe is evil, and if he has the opportunity to destroy that foe, he takes it.&nbsp; It's what he was born for.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Lord Pendragon, post: 568008, member: 707"] Dragonblade did a good job of describing what I think a paladin would do in the given situation. As to the debate, I think that too many DMs believe a paladin has to be some sort of lawyer. From the PHB, pg. 89:Note the parts about hating to see the guilty go unpunished and fighting evil [i]without mercy[/i]. Just because a paladin is lawful does not mean he needs to respect and follow every law. Nor does it mean he has to withhold his smite because there is a sheriff's office nearby, or the lich cries out "spare me!" In D&D evil is evil, and must be destroyed. A paladin is not a lawyer to wade through the laws of the land, he is the Holy Sword of God, placed on earth to smite the Hand of Darkness. Of course, this doesn't mean he's stupid, nor does it mean he'll go around smiting everyone who detects as evil (the [i]Detect Evil[/i] ability itself allows for degrees of evil, after all.) But if the paladin decides a foe is evil, and if he has the opportunity to destroy that foe, he takes it. It's what he was born for. [/QUOTE]

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