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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gothmog" data-source="post: 2862527" data-attributes="member: 317">In my games, the paladins who do find evil items are instructed to bring the item back to their church for study and possibly destruction.  This includes both items and spellbooks.  The reasoning goes like this: if evil forces are using potent magical items and/or evil spells, the church needs to know about it and get it out of circulation.  Items are likely to be destroyed after they have been researched and determined to only be trouble, wheras most spellbooks and evil tomes will be kept in a repository or vault in the church for future reference (plus this allows for me as the rat-bastard DM to have priests become corrupted by "forbidden knowledge or items" and cause more trouble later!  <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" /> ).  IMC, the church does compensate the paladin and PCs by offering preferential treatment if it is needed (healing, restoration), information, and might offer the party blessed or holy items in compensation.  However, if there is no way to get the item or book in question back to the church, the paladin is expected to destroy it rather than let it fall into other hands.  While he won't get compensated for it (at least in a monetary sense), he and his church know they have hindered the foes of his faith.  Selling evil items on the market just isn't an option- for one thing people are VERY superstitious and fearful of evil magic items/spells, not to mention its highly illegal and carries a stiff penalty.  So that leaves only the black market for selling evil items, and most paladins (and even adventurers of good and neurtral alignments) should be hesitant to deal with the criminal underworld in that case.The idea that the paladin should compensate the party for lost loot seems EXTREMELY meta-gamey to me, and while some people would be fine with that, it seems like a really odd notion to me.  Its likely with a paladin or cleric in the group, the other PCs benefit from his abilities and powers (remove disease, laying of hands, spells) and are most likely not charged for them.  So if the group benefits from the paladin/cleric's abilities, why should they stick it to the PC in question when he asks for something in return?</blockquote>

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