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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nifft" data-source="post: 1164990" data-attributes="member: 6562">No. My view is that a Paladin should fight Evil with all the tools at his disposal.Diplomacy is a great tool -- Paladins get it as a class skill for a reason. (Note that Fiends also use Diplomacy. It's not a "morally better" tool, it's just a less direct tool.)Strength of arms are another tool, and Paladins get that for a reason too. There are times when Evil stands revealed, and it is a Paladin's sacred duty to Smite the Hell out of it. Insane priests of Evil gods who threaten innocent villages are smite-worthy.Not all cases are so clear-cut. When the case is clear-cut, the Paladin should not be afraid to lay the smack down.I'll use some examples:- Bandits on the Road assault the Paladin's caravan: diplomacy first, offer to duel the leader second (self-sacrifice), then he tries to drive them off by force (killing them if necessary).- Dispater offers to send some help to a Paladin who's going to fight Demogorgon. The Paladin refuses, and goes it alone (but does not necessarily slay the messenger).- Dark Bards invade a town, killing and immitating important figures. The Paladin discovers their trickery and slays them one by one, tracking down those who flee. -- NPS: IMC, the fact that Paladins cannot lie makes people tend to trust them, so most people cut them a lot of slack. At a trial, a Paladin's word is as good as the invention of videotape.</blockquote>