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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bran Blackbyrd" data-source="post: 1567186" data-attributes="member: 1710">And how do you know that? You don't. We simply don't know enough about the game in question to make statements so surely.This is the problem with people that ask the boards for a decision or opinion on their situation; they never give enough details.And that's just insane.I don't see where paladins have to respect local authority, and you don't even know if there are local authorities in this case, or if they aren't perhaps corrupt like the molester. Once again, we just don't have enough info to be setting answers in stone the way you seem to be.Also, it sounds like some people have a bad case of "1st/2nd edition-itis". The symptoms of this sickness include mistaking the Lawful alignment for meaning that the PC always obeys the law. This is overly simplistic and was cast aside years ago. Lawful characters abide by a set of rules. Those rules might be the local law, but they are far more likely to be the character's own personal code of ethics, or a code of chivalry, or the precepts of their religion, or simply "don't go against the family". Most paladin's will abide by a combination of their own personal code of conduct and the expectations/goals of their religion. Not all paladins even have patron deities, in which case their own code of conduct is the only law they have to answer to (in regard to losing their powers).Now a paladin wouldn't go out of his way to flout local authority, but he's not going to hamstring himself for it either. Conflicts with secular authority would be regrettable, but not a cause for atonement.That the man's back was to the paladin when he struck is of little consequence. Might does not make right, so why would the paladin engage in a contest of strength and skill with a guilty perp?"Have at thee rapist! If you win you must be in the right, though I do not wish it so. I'd execute you since you're obviously guilty, but honor requires that I give your molesting ass a fair shot."What the $%*#?Fighting an obviously guilty perp for the sake of honor or fairness or whatever only sullies the paladin. He isn't supposed to be equal to purveyors of evil, he's above them, so treating them as worthy opponents is just wrong-headed.And before anyone says it, because I know they will; beheading an evildoer caught unawares does not mean he's sinking to their level, it means he's simply not recognizing the evildoer as being worthy of such niceties.FYI: Honor is often neither good nor evil, but rather a product of the ego. It might be lawful, if you are bound to a code of honor and follow it, but honor codes are followed by evil and good alike, and sometimes the "honorable" thing to do according to that code, is misguided and silly. Certainly putting a child at risk for the sake of not tarnishing his honor would be selfish and careless.In my opinion it was a righteous kill. The only thing that was unfortunate is that he hastily killed the man without finding out whether the brute was acting alone. If the local authorities are just and aren't soft on molesters, they should see things the paladin's way and then suggest that he turns such mundane criminals over to them, instead of his sword arm in the future. If the locals are mostly evil, he should try to get the hell out of there with the girl.Either way, I think he should see to it that the girl is cared for, and if that means she has to come along with him until he can find suitable guardians for her, so be it.Just remember, this could all be an elaborate ruse designed to saddle him with a succubus, a polymorphed evil wizard or other foul creature in the guise of a child in need. The counterfeit child could then encourage this rash behavior, slowly leading the paladin to "the dark side"."Strike him down with your anger and your path to the Dark Side will be complete!"Note: Without more information, all of the above is speculation. If such information has been furnished in the later posts, I apologize, but I haven't the time to go through all 21 pages of posts right now! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!    :eek:"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":eek:" /></blockquote>

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