D&D 5E roleplaying the Oath of the Ancients

[SirAntoine]

1. Determine how the person is being controlled.
2. Break said control.
3. Immediately destroy the cursed item.
4. Help the survivor recover.

I couldn't have said it any better.

 

[pukunui]

Re: the PC with the cursed dagger. That PC also happens to be a shadow monk who recently formed a pact with Asmodeus and now likes to employ the darkness + Devil's Sight trick. How would a Ancients paladin feel about adventuring with such a darkness-loving character? Would s/he turn a blind eye to some of it in the name of the greater good insofar as the other character is working towards the same goal of stopping Kyuss' annihilation of the world?

 

[Voort]

How would a Ancients paladin feel about adventuring with such a darkness-loving character? Would s/he turn a blind eye to some of it in the name of the greater good insofar as the other character is working towards the same goal of stopping Kyuss' annihilation of the world?

The Ancients' vows do not necessarily mean light as a literal light source. The duty speaks of the light of hope, the light of joy, and being a beacon against despair. That said, a demonic pact is a truly foul affront to the light, and such a warlock would certainly be watched closely for signs of corruption. I can see a 'greater-evil' argument working, but it depends a lot on the individuals involved.

 

[pukunui]

Fair enough. Thanks.

It could be kind of fun to go with a Melisandre-like creepy take on the whole dark vs light dichotomy. "The night is dark and full of terrors" and all that. If I'm able to convince the DM to let me have the elfshadow summoning property on my moonblade, that'd tie in nicely with Mel's "shadows are servants of the light" schtick too.

 

[pukunui]

While I realize on an intellectual level that an Ancients paladin needn't be a tree-hugging vegetarian, I can't seem to shake that impression out of my mind. I suppose one might take inspiration from the American Indian way of life - eg. You take only what you need, be it animal or plant.

I imagine an Ancients paladin would disapprove of hunting for sport.

What if an Ancients paladin finds herself in a situation requiring deception and subterfuge and is faced with things that go against her oath, yet to act would be to blow her cover (and possibly that of her allies)? Would she have to just suffer in silence? I am put in mind of the phrase "don't hide your light under a basket", which would seem to be something an Ancients paladin would say, and yet it seems like in a situation like this, that's exactly what she would have to do.

By way of example, say the paladin and her allies are forced to play nice to an obviously evil lord who delights in animal cruelty and that sort of thing. How would the paladin react in a situation like that without giving the game away? Would she even be able to do that, or would her oath compel her to act in a forthright way to defend the animals or whatever? Would she just privately vow to make up for the creatures' suffering in some small way that doesn't involve directly confronting the cause of the suffering?

 

[SirAntoine]

The paladin needs to honor his or her oath no matter what. The best thing would be break off from the rest of the party, letting them know how you want to proceed.

 

[Joe Liker]

For whatever reason, people often feel compelled to define paladins in terms of what they wouldn't or shouldn't do, and that's unfortunate. That's why I always hated them in previous editions, and why I love them in 5e. It's all open to interpretation now, and each paladin's player can express the tenets in a way that makes sense to him or her.

Saying "No paladin would ever do that" makes no more sense than saying "No Boy Scout would ever do that." Obviously, any paladin could very well do just about anything. As long as they generally try to uphold the spirit of the oath, there's a very broad spectrum of possible reactions to a given situation.

Furthermore, since the 5e paladin's power comes as much from the strength of his/her own convictions as from a higher power, the threat of reprisal for minor infractions is fairly limited. Unless they do something truly unspeakable, I'd overlook most offenses, assuming they express some level of contrition.

In the case of the Oath of the Ancients, serious offenses would include willful destruction of works of art, needless destruction of life, giving in to despair, and acts of flagrant cowardice. Other than that, you may honor your oath in any number of ways, as you the player see fit.

 

[SirAntoine]

The paladin's oath is the defining aspect of a paladin in 5E. Sticking to it is basically the whole show.

 

[pukunui]

The paladin needs to honor his or her oath no matter what. The best thing would be break off from the rest of the party, letting them know how you want to proceed.

So I should refuse to participate in the adventure?

For whatever reason, people often feel compelled to define paladins in terms of what they wouldn't or shouldn't do, and that's unfortunate. That's why I always hated them in previous editions, and why I love them in 5e. It's all open to interpretation now, and each paladin's player can express the tenets in a way that makes sense to him or her.

Saying "No paladin would ever do that" makes no more sense than saying "No Boy Scout would ever do that." Obviously, any paladin could very well do just about anything. As long as they generally try to uphold the spirit of the oath, there's a very broad spectrum of possible reactions to a given situation.

Furthermore, since the 5e paladin's power comes as much from the strength of his/her own convictions as from a higher power, the threat of reprisal for minor infractions is fairly limited. Unless they do something truly unspeakable, I'd overlook most offenses, assuming they express some level of contrition.

Yeah, I get that. I think I'm more just trying to get my head around how the Oath of the Ancients differs from the traditional paladin vows (aka the Oath of Devotion). Upholding the spirit of the Oath of the Ancients is very much what I'm interested in doing, as the letter is rather vague.

In the case of the Oath of the Ancients, serious offenses would include willful destruction of works of art, needless destruction of life, giving in to despair, and acts of flagrant cowardice. Other than that, you may honor your oath in any number of ways, as you the player see fit.

That helps a bit. Thanks.

The paladin's oath is the defining aspect of a paladin in 5E. Sticking to it is basically the whole show.

Sure, but how you go about doing that is open to interpretation.

 

[SirAntoine]

So I should refuse to participate in the adventure?

You shouldn't have to not play, of course, but the paladin shouldn't participate in anything that contradicts his or her oath. In practice, you should have a back-up PC to play if you would rather play the same adventure with the other players, and the DM should be prepared to let you go off alone with your paladin if you make that decision. Your solo adventure needs to be just as important.