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<blockquote data-quote="Balesir" data-source="post: 6126284" data-attributes="member: 27160">I think this skirts the core of the problem, for me: &quot;good&quot; (and &quot;evil&quot;, for that matter) is not an action or an event - it's an ideal. As in a hazy, indistinct but (in the case of &quot;good&quot;) shining something that we try to emulate, to aspire to, rather than to do or use.In most - maybe even all - religions, the god(s) do(es) not decide what good is or isn't, (s)he/it/they can merely see it far more clearly than mortals ever will. It is surpassing knowledge of good, not control over it, that makes a divinity a &quot;moral authority&quot;.For a character with a &quot;code&quot;, I can see a few options:- Make your premise &quot;I can be good just by following this code&quot;; more or less doomed, it's abundantly clear that a code alone does not a good person make.- &quot;I can be good despite following this code&quot;; a bit odd, in the context of how we normally think about paladins, but I could see it working as a premise, even or especially if breaking the code brought punishment. Following the code is not an end in itself in this case, so punishment for breaking it (in the sense that it represents some sort of &quot;deal&quot;) might be required, but that wouldn't apply to all potential characters.- &quot;I am good; the code is just a simplification of the precepts upon which my life is based&quot;; what I normally think of the paladin as being, can work fine with the player being the arbiter of &quot;the precepts&quot;. If the GM is the arbiter of the precepts, then either the player is not actually playing the character, there is something metaphysical that means the character is living a lie or the situation is simply misconceived.Anyone got any more?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Balesir, post: 6126284, member: 27160"] I think this skirts the core of the problem, for me: "good" (and "evil", for that matter) is not an action or an event - it's an ideal. As in a hazy, indistinct but (in the case of "good") shining something that we try to emulate, to aspire to, rather than to do or use. In most - maybe even all - religions, the god(s) do(es) not decide what good is or isn't, (s)he/it/they can merely see it far more clearly than mortals ever will. It is surpassing knowledge of good, not control over it, that makes a divinity a "moral authority". For a character with a "code", I can see a few options: - Make your premise "I can be good just by following this code"; more or less doomed, it's abundantly clear that a code alone does not a good person make. - "I can be good [B]despite[/B] following this code"; a bit odd, in the context of how we normally think about paladins, but I could see it working as a premise, even or especially if breaking the code brought punishment. Following the code is not an end in itself in this case, so punishment for breaking it (in the sense that it represents some sort of "deal") might be required, but that wouldn't apply to all potential characters. - "I am good; the code is just a simplification of the precepts upon which my life is based"; what I normally think of the paladin as being, can work fine with the player being the arbiter of "the precepts". If the GM is the arbiter of the precepts, then either the player is not actually playing the character, there is something metaphysical that means the character is living a lie or the situation is simply misconceived. Anyone got any more? [/QUOTE]

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