Paladins and Self Preservation

[Quasqueton]

To create another paladin thread. . .

Say a paladin is confronted alone by possibly or probably or definitely overwhelming force. What would you say to the paladin fleeing?

Quasqueton

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I'd say he was entirely sensible, unless he'd previously stated that refusal to leave the field of battle until victorious was part of his paladin code.

Standing, fighting and dying against an overwhelming force doesn't promote the advance of Good or Law, unless by doing so he allows others to flee. Example - a Paladin fighting a horde of enemies to allow a village to evacuate is noble, self sacrificing and perfectly in character. I'd penalise a paladin that ran away in that situation. However, if he merely runs across an enemy army or similar and chooses to flee the field of battle, that'd be fine.

 

[sellars]

Jesus saves ... and takes half damage



Sorry, I just stole that from a signature


seriously, I think paladins would soon be extinct if they really fought any evil that they encounter to the death. So I think that a paladin does not need to throw away his life if he knows there is still a lot of good to be done by him. This should be the reason to back away from a fight. Not something like fear of death or defeat.

so, it's ok, but only if he does it tobe more usefull in the world

 

[Haradim]

'Wisely chosen'

Little is gained by needlessly dying. Even in the case of serving as rear guard for evacuees, a Paladin should try to pull out when he can. A living Paladin is generally of far more use to the world than a tale of a dead one.

 

[Hand of Evil]

What's his code? It all comes down to his code, if it says he will defend the helpless, he better be the last man out. If it says he will obey the commands of higher ups and he was commanded to hold at all cost, he could be in trouble.

More information needed.

 

[the Jester]

Under most circumstances, fleeing from a superior force is acceptable.

However, it is not acceptable for a paladin to flee a challenge that he's accepted. Nor is it acceptable for him to flee an enemy if doing so would violate his orders, e.g. a paladin with a military unit ordered to fight to the last man to hold a bridge. Nor would it be acceptable for him to flee if doing so would result in the deaths of innocents- sometimes the paladin must sacrifice himself in order to save others.

 

[apsuman]

Under most circumstances, fleeing from a superior force is acceptable.

However, it is not acceptable for a paladin to flee a challenge that he's accepted.

Where does this idea come from? More specifically, if the paladin is getting his butt whupped up on good, where is the harm in retreat? (caveat: there are no innocents that will get the wrath of the bad guy if the paladin retreats).

 

[Zappo]

Where does this idea come from? More specifically, if the paladin is getting his butt whupped up on good, where is the harm in retreat? (caveat: there are no innocents that will get the wrath of the bad guy if the paladin retreats).

The harm is that he accepted the challenge and knew the risk; fleeing under these conditions is dishonorable by most definitions, since it undermines chivalry. It's not a matter of good or evil, harm or innocents. A paladin isn't only good, he's also lawful.

 

[the Jester]

Where does this idea come from? More specifically, if the paladin is getting his butt whupped up on good, where is the harm in retreat? (caveat: there are no innocents that will get the wrath of the bad guy if the paladin retreats).

If he has accepted the challenge, he must accept the consequences of defeat.

He may yield and ask for mercy, if his personal sense of honor allows it.

 

[Umbran]

A paladin who has a code that says, "Must never retreat from any confrontation" is soon going to be dead. Paladin-quality folks are rare, and the Powers that Be are not so dumb as to throw away some of their best material for no purpose.

Also, a code that says, "Must never retreat" removes much of the player's ability to role-play, as it removes too many decisions form the player's hands. A proper paladin code is written so that the player must make hard choices, not so that he has no choice at all.

But, back to the question- would a higher purpose be served by facing this foe and losing? One that's worth the paladin's life? If so, then the paladin may well stay and get his butt whupped - there's nothing better than a good heroic death.