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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 67168" data-attributes="member: 2067">What the...What's with all the people here saying that "their code" is such-and-such, or that a paladin needs "a code"...The Paladin, as the PH says, has a code...It's printed right there in the class description. It's a vague code, but it's still a code. I would make a paladin PC use this code unless it was a variant paladin.....So I just guess I don't understand about a paladin needing a "my code," because, for the most part, there is only one code and it is meant to be followed by all paladins, and it's in the PH.Not that I'm against it...it's just that I find it strange that people allow variant paladin codes when one already exists that kinda enforces a LG attitude.And the LG alignment isn't very restrictive. Nowhere does it say an LG person has to act with honor or defend the innocent to his dying breath or pursue the fight against evil or even be looking out for the common good.In general terms, LG is someone who likes some sort of order and coherence to life, and wants good things to happen to as many people as possible. It doesn't mean they can't be sneaky or deceptive or lie.A Paladin's Code basically enforces that....and I think that, in the case of lying, it is the spirit that matters, not the letter. Saying something that's true that isn't honest is perverting the intention of the rule.First of all, a paladin, according to the PH, isn't specifically restricted from lying. Fib away, if you think it would make the fight against evil better. They're evil. They don't *deserve* the truth. In the same way, being sneaky is okay, as long as you're furthering the cause of good for it.Of course, the Paladin's Code would probably stop you from attacking an enemy that isn't evil without warning first...no ambushes, but you can avoid being noticed, if you'd like. Hitting somebody when they can't see you isn't very honorable.A Paladin, IMC, could take a vow of honesty. It would mean, yeah, when asked about his business, he would have to be truthful and say "I'm here to find the source of evil," or something. He has to be honest (which is different from not lying).Of course, he could also say: "I'll tell you if you beat me in a duel with swords. My friends here will stand aside, but will interviene to ensure my safety, and I am a Paladin, so you can trust my word that they will not harm you. Defeat me in a duel with swords, and you will have proved that you are trustworthy enough to tell. Otherwise, take my word as a Paladin that I shall not endanger your village or the people within it on this journey into it."Why should a Paladin want to devieve, be tricky, anyway? They are fighting the Good Fight. Hiding that is not letting the true glory of Goodness shine through, and they may feel shamed, at the least.Of course, according to the PH, this isn't even a problem, since Paladins can lie all they want and still retain their powers...as long as it doesn't reach the "dishonorable" point (like, lying for your own gain as opposed to the good of everyone).</blockquote>

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