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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 1969685" data-attributes="member: 63">I, however, am fine with bluffing paladins.  I don't consider lying a chaotic or evil act.  Lying to pin the blame on someone who didn't do the crime is evil, and lying to avoid getting caught when you break the law is chaotic, sure.  But lying so you can get into an enemy's camp and fight the main villain is fine and heroic.  So is telling the peasant that you're someone you're not because you've been falsely accused and you don't want to cause the man trouble.In this case, you lie so you can put someone at ease, or avoid unnecessary violence.  That's a good thing, in my opinion.  Sure, you could fight your way into camp and probably die, in which case you were stupid and should never have been chosen by God to be a holy warrior.  Or you could spend an hour trying to convince the peasant that, yes, the prince actually is an evil doppelganger, and that you know it looks bad that you tried to kill him, but if he considers all the facts rationally he'll see that it's best to trust you.  But then you're wasting time that would be better used saving the day from the evil doppelganger.A thought experiment came up among some gamers I don't typically game with.  I thought it was a stupid question, but they thought it was vitally important:"You are a paladin, days away from any kind of help.  You're at the stronghold of a villainous lich who is performing a ritual that will kill thousands of people.  You've managed to fight your way through his bodyguards and defenses, and now you're just outside his chamber where he's performing the ritual.  He's in a trance, and so has been unaware of your presence.  You could sneak up and destroy him safely, or you could announce your presence honorably, and take your chances being killed by him.  If you die, no one else will be able to stop his ritual, and many more will die.  As a paladin, would you have to atone if you snuck up on him and killed him with surprise?"Or, as I rephrased it:"If a paladin finds a vampire sleeping in his coffin during the daylight, does he have to wait until nightfall to stake him?"</blockquote>

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