The Paladin killed someone...what to do?

[Johnnie Freedom!]

To you and me it's evil, but I'm sure someone somewhere will disagree.
Take this point to any philosophy department in any university and see what answers you get about clearly defined good and evil. Every person has a different idea of what right and wrong are; everyone has a different definition of good and evil, sometimes the same person at the same time. I have no idea who is right . . . .

dude, you're scary. Remind me never to hire you as a babysitter.

:\

 

[ThirdWizard]

I would condence everything to a different question: would we be having this thread if it had been a Kobold instead of a Halfling?

Remember all those goblin baby threads?

Anyway, I consider it the same. IMC you can't kill a kobold and expect "But he was an evil monster!" to get you anywhere. The game is set in Sigil, though, so that might have something to do with it.

Last time PCs in my game killed a monster "because it was evil" I told them straight out it was an evil act, and it started a war that killed thousands.

EDIT
And as for the debate on what is good and evil in real life, please be careful before a mod comes around and decides you've taken it too far... It's a good thread, no sense in getting it closed.

 

[billd91]

There's nothing righteous about vengence.

Tell that to the priests of St. Cuthbert or Trithereon.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Ah yes - it devolves into the ol' Moral Relativism fallacy.

I wish people would stop proclaiming it like it's truth when it comes to the interaction between D&D and the real world.

 

[Arravis]

I just don't see the point of bringing real-world morality into a discussion of D&D.

 

[Sebastian Francis]

dude, you're scary. Remind me never to hire you as a babysitter.

:\

While I agree that the moral relativism of folks like Arravis is indeed a bit frightening, keep in mind that it's all just academic masturbation. It's the kind of thing they spout off in philosophy classes that have no contact with the real world. But if you put a dude like Arravis in any situation where a moral choice is involved, he will probably do the right thing, as will most folks.

So I think he's safe to hire as a babysitter.

Most of us have been to university (I suspect) and most of us have gone through the "there is no good or evil" phase. it's something you outgrow as you become more fully human, more fully real.

"Without God, anything is permissable. Without moral absolutes, anything is likely."

Dostoevsky.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I would condence everything to a different question: would we be having this thread if it had been a Kobold instead of a Halfling?

If not, we're holding the Paladin to a different standard whether the evildoer is from a 'cute' race or not. Paladins should not be racists, but oppose and punish evil in all it's forms.

Because my hunch is that if this sort power-yoinking and hindsight was applied to all Paladin kills accross the board, the class would be unusable. And still, what the gods expect from a Paladin shouldn't be affected by the evildoers race.

Oh, and the subject of mercy: why don't the god show some to the Paladin? Especially if he don't deserve it ..

Well for me if the halfling detected as evil then the Paladin is justified in killing him, though since it would have been easy to hold him for the local constable that would be preferred. Since Kobalds are evil...well you know where this leads.

 

[Dr. Screampunk]

While I agree that the moral relativism of folks like Arravis is indeed a bit frightening, keep in mind that it's all just academic masturbation. It's the kind of thing they spout off in philosophy classes that have no contact with the real world. . . . Most of us have been to university (I suspect) and most of us have gone through the "there is no good or evil" phase. it's something you outgrow as you become more fully human, more fully real.

Agreed. (Did you go to my university or something? )

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Tell that to the priests of St. Cuthbert or Trithereon.

No doubt. Nothing like some sweet vengence to a cleric of the cudgel.

 

[Arravis]

So I think he's safe to hire as a babysitter.

*sigh*
My point was not to bring up moral relativism, or to bring up my own ethical values. It was simply to keep things on target. D&D and the paladin's code within.

To relieve the fears of those that now seem to think I'm some sort of maniac...
Yes, I have my own set of beliefs as to what is right and wrong.
There, feel better?

Now, can we get back to the freakin' subject?