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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elf Witch" data-source="post: 3314372" data-attributes="member: 9037">Not in DnD evil is a real and tangible thing. Not an abstract as it is in our world where we base decisions of law on guilt or innocence not good vs evil.A paladin's duty is to deal with evil. Either by reforming it, or making sure it cannot contiune to do its deeds. And that is accomplished by either some kind of prison or death. Nowhere in the PHB does it say which path the paladin must choose.We are going around and around on this historical morality. I never said that you should play with a complete historical mindset. What I said was that the game does not easily support playing with a modern mindset.It needs to have both. If you do not use some historical mindset then a lot of pCs actions are unlawful and evil.Killing unarmed prisoners evil , looting and plundering their bodies unlawful, a paladin detecting evil without a warrant or permission of some kind from the person unlawful. Forcing criminals into slavery like in the Kingdom of Kalamar unlawful and most likely evil.Executing  criminals in some modern countries is considered evil and unlawful.Cutting off a thieves hand wow could you imagine the outcry over that.Slaying goblins and kobolds because they are in a dungeon and you want what they have would get the adventures brought up on charges not to mention getting the ire up of the people for the ethical treatment of goblins.You are saying that paladins are not based on an idolized version of historical knights but on fictional knights. You are splitting hairs there because fictional knights are based on idolized versions of historical knights.Poul Anderson who I meet with and talked with when he was guest of honor at a local SF con that I helped run was a history buff. Both he and his wife were involved with the SCA. He based the character in Three Hearts and three Lions on real knight orders from the medieval times. Sure it is not a totally historical accurate version but then he practiced the philosophy of the SCA which is the middle ages as they should have been.Which is how I view most DnD games as an idolized version of the middle ages.</blockquote>

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