Paladins in Sunless Citadel (UPDATE)

[Trainz]

OK...

There's been lots of bits and bytes spent on the matter, and last night we finally resumed our game (IMC).

SPOILERS

My Paladin had a conversation with the other PC's, telling them that I just can't let the white dragon grow, and I feel obliged to go dispatch it. However, I also told them that since we previously had an agreement with the kobolds, that I felt I must approach the matter with diplomacy with Yusdrail.

I also showed the players OOC the current thread (7 pages long) about this question, and they where quite simply stuned.

So, we arrive in front of Yusdrail. For good measure, I detect evil and everything glows, except Meepo (which the DM decided to make neutral). I tell Yusdrail that I ask her to give me the white dragon, explaining that I believe it will grow to enslave them at best, and eat them at worst. She laughs at this, and the debate continues between me and her...

...until the druid has enough. "Enough talking, lets dance" he says while summoning flames to his hands, which he hurls at Yusdrail... I was like a deer in the headlights. Soon enough a huge melee starts, with much blood and near TPK's (I have rarely rolled so low, as the rest of the team. The DM was quite content with rolling his usual 20's).

All the time, Meepo was attacking us, and while blocking with my shield and swinging at the kobolds, I was yelling "NOT HIM ! SPARE HIM ! HE CAN BE REDEEMED !". I don't know why, but the players humored me and knocked him uncounscious.

We finally dispatch Yusdrail (3rd level NPC sorcerors can be very nasty behind a meat sield), and tie Meepo up. We go kill the white dragon, which didn't arrange my relationship with Meepo, and after much exploring, we end up on a bunch of non-threatening kobolds (old, infants, eggs...).

The druid looks at me with a contemptuous grin and says "Must you dispatch these filthy evil beasts as well ? We don't know, they might grow to become ruthless tirants that will one day destroy civilisation as we know it !". Disgusted, and doing my best to ignore the druid, I tell Meepo to take them and flee to the surface.

Maybe Meepo's influence will tame those kobolds, we don't know...

We finished yesterday's game in the goblin lair, the DM looking at the description of the room we where about to go in, looking at his watch (an hour game time left), and says:"We don't have enough time to complete the next fight, so we stop here for tonight."...

Why do I have such a sense of dread about our next game ?

 

[Arravis]

So... do you feel your character did the right thing? How do you feel about the outcome?

 

[Trainz]

So... do you feel your character did the right thing? How do you feel about the outcome?

Well, I do think I did the right thing.

But one thing that we (ENWorlders) mostly failed to consider, and that had a huge impact in my game, was the other PC's, and how they react to a Paladin's decisions.

It was very interesting and fun.

Yes, you guys heard me, playing a Paladin's moral dilemmas can be FUN !

 

[Rel]

Yes, you guys heard me, playing a Paladin's moral dilemmas can be FUN !

Well you're just not doing it right then, are you? Personally, I won't rest until my game is composed solely of angst. And only the angstyest angst at that. Angst so angsty that I feel angst just thinking about it.

Or maybe we'll just kill another pile of orcs and not worry about it.

I can never decide.




(glad you had fun)

 

[AnthonyJ]

Hm..ponder the moral value of the druid's activities. A proper paladin really should be careful about his allies, particularly those who would attack in the middle of a truce (note: this is probably more of a law/chaos problem than a good/evil problem).

 

[S'mon]

Trainz - sounds like a fun game, I think you played your Paladin well, too!

 

[Trainz]

Thanks S'mon !



As for AnthonyS Druid concern... it did go through my brain when it happened, but the PLAYERS (not the PC's) where starting to be annoyed with the situation and just wanted to move on, so I didn't push it.



I guess sometimes you just need to get things moving, right ?

 

[AnthonyJ]

About the druid -- fair enough. Not all players find the process of diplomatic wrangling with the monsters interesting.

Side point for GMs out there: what experience would you give out for successfully negotiating a treaty between kobolds and townspeople? What about making sure the dragon didn't create later problems? By my reading of the rules, it looks like doing both of those things should probably count as overcoming the encounter, and give the same xp as killing them all. How would other people feel about that?

 

[Trainz]

I totally agree with you, but my DM has a hard time thinking outside the box. We only get XP for critters directly defeated (killed, captured, fleeing).

 

[LuYangShih]

Technically, you could argue the Druid would be just as interested in killing the Dragon as the Paladin. I seem to recall that Druids generally despise creatures like Dragons, considering them a taint upon nature. Sounds like a good game, and a nice resolution. Depending on how responsible your Paladin is, (and how long the DM allows time to flow between adventures) you might want to check on Meepo and the other Kobolds before you leave the area.