[Poll] How does the possibility of paladins losing their powers improve your game?

[FireLance]

The frequent threads on whether such-and-such a paladin has done something to lose his powers have started to make me think that the possibility of paladins losing their powers is more trouble than it's worth, especially if it doesn't add anything but arguments to the game. What do you think? Does the possibility of paladins losing their powers improve your game in any way? If not, should we get rid of it?

 

[DM_Matt]

Well, clearly paladins are super-duper-overpowered and thus need that extra power to be balanced by the fact that they are just high-hp warriors sometimes. Also, as many have argued, every god in dnd is secretly Catholic, as is everyone who plays a Paladin, so they must understand how vital and fulfilling the need to constantly confess and repent your sins is. Not only is it a good way to greatly impinge on the freeodm of your players and characters to have their own religios outlooks, its a great way to impose your moral and political views on them as well, since the DM is the final arbiter of what is good and evil. Finally, its just plain fun to put characters into situations where no matter what they do, their character is screwed. Not dead, thats too easy. Leave that for the Tomb of Horrors. Its far more fun to just make them stink royally and amazingly unfun to play.



Seriously though, it has a place on the margins. A paladin still dictates a GENERAL character type, but if the player is going around having his pally commit evil deeds willy-nilly, there is a far more serious problem with the player's ability to role-play than power-stripping is going to solve.

 

[Kyravahne]

The DM needs to work out with the player what constitutes appropriate behavior.
Most Paladins are going to get into fights, but do they tithe, show courtesy, pray regularly, aid the sick, - basically do they do they take on the roleplay responsibility associated with paladinhood. That I think is the real question. Is the palyer playing a paladin or a fighter witha bunch of cool abilities?

 

[Voadam]

The DM needs to work out with the player what constitutes appropriate behavior.
Most Paladins are going to get into fights, but do they tithe, show courtesy, pray regularly, aid the sick, - basically do they do they take on the roleplay responsibility associated with paladinhood. That I think is the real question. Is the palyer playing a paladin or a fighter witha bunch of cool abilities?

None of which is required by the code and a paladin won't lose his powers under RAW for failing to do these things.

 

[Li Shenron]

It improves the game, because it sometimes forces to forsake decisions which would make their life easier, which means that they are compelled to find another way to solve the story plot or encounter.

It also improves the game because generally speaking it restores some focus and importance to a character behaviour (i.e. roleplay) which cannot just be put down in numbers.

BTW, your poll is a bit loaded: why did you put "not improve the game" together with "shouldn't have more restrictions than clerics"? It's misleading, because I agree that clerics should (and already do) have more restrictions than paladins. First because if the cleric loses her spell, she's left with less to do than a paladin losing all her abilities; second because clerics are usually compelled to pursue a more narrow agenda than paladins (who just pursue "good" in general).

 

[lukelightning]

Since Paladins are not mechanically more powerful than other classes (and arguably weaker than a cleric) they shouldn't have this Achilles' Heel that is in place.

p.s. I don't really care for paladins anyways.

 

[wuyanei]

In-game restrictions should have in-game benefits. A paladin should be more trusted, respected, and generally have greater authority and sway over (good and lawful) NPCs, especially the commoners, *in-game* because it is widely known that all paladins follow a certain code. That *balances* the restriction of having to follow a code of conduct.

 

[Crothian]

Any character that has powers handed to them by a god be it a Paladin, Ranger, Cleric or Druid....has the possibility of them being taken away.

 

[DragonLancer]

I went for the first option. Its always been part of the concept of the paladin class that they walk a narrow path, and its a roleplay path. Heroic gaming.

 

[Zappo]

Other: noone is playing a Paladin, and noone has for a good while, so I don't care. They are conceptually interesting, but mechanically boring. My players tend to play fighter/clerics instead.