Reasons for a paladin to fall . . . with a twist

[Gothic_Demon]

I'm not usually in agreement with Lord Pendragon on much but he's clearly in the right here. The D&D alignment system is premised on the same moral structure as Star Trek: whenever there appears to be a choice between saving a small group or individual and protecting a much larger group, or, indeed, the whole universe, the choice is false. The meta-god that runs the Star Trek universe and the D&D alignment system does not permit there to ever be a choice in which sacrificing a small group or individual is a necessary evil to achieve a greater good. The alignment system is clear evidence of this because it is resolutely blind to any distinction between goals and strategies, means and ends.

Despite the fact that this looks a little like a disagreement, this is my point exactly. It's not about killing the little girl, or allowing yourself to die in her place, but rather the Paladin must make the difficult decision to try and do something about it, regardless of the cost to himself. That means not sacrificing himself or the little girl.

Just like Captain Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard, any true hero in the D&D universe knows that in any situation in which he must choose between saving the universe and saving an innocent child, one of three things must be true:
(a) the only way to truly save the universe is to save the innocent child first;
(b) the child will be miraculously saved/ressurrected as a result of saving the universe;
(c) either the impending destruction of the universe or the impending destruction of the child is an illusion.

Or as I've always preferred it: "If that's the only way to save us all, we don't deserve saving."

 

[Seonaid]

Little thread?.......

you mean the paladin thread that just won't die?

My thoughts exactly . . .