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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Peni Griffin" data-source="post: 3675782" data-attributes="member: 50322">An awful lot of Bluff is just projecting an image; something paladins do every day to inspire confidence in their allies and cow their adversaries.  An awful lot of evil is simple cowardice - you don't have confidence enough to use good methods.  As a reformed rogue, this guy understands this in his bones.  He also understands that 90% of social reality is conviction.  Any given mode of government or authority is nothing more than a mass hallucination; somebody who realizes this can manipulate the hallucination.  So your rogue-paladin has chosen the paladin code as his hallucination, is aware that he has, and is equally aware that other people can't distinguish between the map and the territory.  So he uses that knowledge to inspire confidence, create hope in situations that look hopeless, sow doubt among his foes, and shape reality to his will, which is the will of the god/cause/whatever.  Is it a lie to take on insurmountable odds with a grin?  Is it deception to declare:  "We will be merciful in victory" when you don't know for a fact you'll be victorious?  Play it right and give this guy a high wisdom, and get your DM enthusiastic about it, and you'll have a fine time.</blockquote>