What is your paladin's personal code?

[neg]

I am making my first 3.5 Paladin for an upcoming Dawnforge campaign.

Having not played a Paladin in quite some time I wanted to see what kind of conduct codes and rules you as a player or as a DM have crafted.

For those not familiar with Dawnforge it is a world at the height of its Golden Age. Legends are being made and PC's can change and shape the world for years to come. It takes Epic level play to another level, if you get there!

Any useful links to codes would be most helpful. Feel free to post. Suggestions for codes are welcome as well.

And let's not let this spiral down to the usual paladin controversy...thanks for the feedback.

-neg

 

[sledged]

Kill them all, and take their stuff.

 

[Philip]

I don't believe in a 'general' Paladin code. Below is a personal code I wrote down to assist the role-playing of my Paladin/Sorcerer

Mercy: Offer opponents a chance to surrender. Use non-lethal force and incapacitating spells where convenient and not endangering allies.
Martyrdom: If the only reasonable option to save the life of a party member(s) is to sacrifice one-self, do so.

Devotion: Repeatedly show gratitude to Heironeous for winning battles, accomplishing difficult things, and surviving dangerous ordeals. Regularly call out his name when casting spells or attacking. Pray each morning.

Honour: Do not lie to others. Only deceive others if it is the only viable alternative to save friends.

Valour: When possible and convenient to do so, enter melee with longsword. Melee does not have to be the optimal choice, but companions must not suffer substantial risks because Maeril chooses combat over spells.

Charity: Always give up a sum of the gains a local church that is good to the common people (in this case St. Cuthbert) and use another part to start initiatives to help the poor.

Friendship: Share things with friends and assist them when possible. Be nice to them and to Snaggle. Respect that they are different, be mild in the rejection of their ways unless clearly evil or unlawful.

 

[neg]

Well yes...

Well yes....killing them would solve the conduct code issue ....but seriously....

-neg

 

[maddman75]

My world has a variety of paladin orders, each with their own code. Some examples

Order of the Silver Chapel
These knights are dedicated to Auros the Great, and seek to serve him in all things. They act as the arm of the Holy Church, striking down evil and threats to Enoch wherever they arise. Knights of the Silver Chapel are among the holiest of Knights.
Code
• Always obey the edicts of Auros
• Defend the innocent
• Punish the wicked
• Never allow undead or demons to flourish when it is within your power to destroy them
• Serve as an example to others
• Remain honest in all your dealings
• Defend the Holy Church from all assaults




Order of the Helm
The Order of the Helm is among the most humble of knights. They are dedicated to healing the sick and protecting the pilgrims and worshippers of Auros. They are charged with protecting those who cannot protect themselves and to give whatever aid they can. Though they participate in Tournament, they generally give all their winnings to charity.
• Protect the weak and care for the sick.
• See that the worshippers of Mighty Auros can reach his holy places safely.
• Obey the orders of your superiors and honor all the edicts of Auros.
• Do not hoard wealth. Any excess money shall go to help the poor and sick



Order of the Rose
The Order of the Rose is perhaps the least militant of the Orders. They seek to attain the ideal of the romantic knight. In addition to training as a warrior, they learn gentlemanly skills such as dancing, poetry, and literature. Scorned by some as fops, these men are still warriors and when their favored lady is threatened they are nothing to be scorned.
Code
• Defend the honor of ladies
• Always speak softly and deliberately.
• Always speak the truth.
• Never let an insult or blow go unreturned.
• Never allow harm to come to your favored lady.

 

[DragonLancer]

This is what I came up with for a campaign I was going to run.


The Knights Code.

Uphold the code at all times. Your honour is your life. Without it you have nothing.

You are defender of the kingdom. You are protector of nobleman and commoner alike. It is your duty to protect the innocent, the frail, and those who cannot defend themselves.

Never lie to, nor dishonour those to whom you hold respect whether liege, commander, or serf.

Perform only good deeds, but know that one may skirt the borders of shadow on occasion in order to perform such tasks.

The fate of many is more important that the fate of one.

Your duty lies to your liege, your land, your deity, and then to family & friends.

Honour is your sword, wear it with pride. Be noble, just, honest and respectful. Do not abuse your position nor your status as a knight. Your words and deeds speak for more than just yourself.

Respect your opponent, but do not fight dishonourably in order to defeat him. Treat your enemy as you would have him treat you.

Be respectful of the dead, whether friend or foe. Disturb neither without good reason.

Do not judge a man by his race or appearance. Just as evil can wear a pleasant face, so the opposite is true of good.

Not every crime requires harsh judgement. Temper your actions with wisdom.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Kill them all, and take their stuff.

Dude! You have to roleplay! This is a roleplaying game! You gotta shout "BLASPHEMER" before you kill them and take their stuff. Read the rules man.

 

[Ao the Overkitty]

It has never really been written out. I play the type of Paladin that confuses the DM and occasionally annoys the other players. Some of it is restrictions because he is a noble and a representive of his family. Most are because that is just who he is.

This is not a code for most paladins to follow, but here it is in no real order of importance.

Beliefs: I will not hold any other person but myself to my code or beliefs. Everyone has a right to choose their own actions and paths. But I will not follow another's lead on a path I believe to be wrong and will inform them to the reasons of my absence. I will seek to bring to proper justice a person who has broken the laws of our kingdom and seek incarceration for their crimes.

Mercy & Killing: Life is sacred. I will never take a humanoid life, opting to subdue even if it angers others. I will try my best to take as few animal lives as possible, since their nature is to hunt and they may have cubs to take care of. I will never strike a celestial until I have exhausted all possibilities of a nonviolent solution. Even then, I will only strike to subdue. Demons and Devils shall receive no mercy, but I will not be the aggressor in the fight. Undead are an abomination and should be destroyed, unless it will cause several political repercussions for the family. If it is the choice between destroying an obviously dangerous undead and political repercussions, I will destroy the creature and take full responsibility for my actions, trying to smooth out the problems. Since one cannot successfully subdue a creature with regenerative capabilities, I will strike to kill if they leave me no choice. I will not participate in a fight if I believe we are in the wrong and in which a comrade was the aggressor.

Truth: I will always tell the truth, for it is unbecoming of a man of my station to lie. When dealing with touchy political situations, I will either not be the speaker for my family, do my best to avoid topics of secrecy, or flat out tell them I cannot answer such questions.

Aid: I will render aid to anyone that needs it, so long as such actions will not lead me to break the laws of my kingdom. I will do my within the letter of the law to help them, however and I will work with the system to remove unjust laws.

Alignment: Alignment means nothing in this world of shades of gray. An evil man can be trusted as much as a good man. Either can betray a trust for their cause. I will be wary of those strongly devoted to their cause, for they are the easiest to convince to do the greatest evil. I will not forget that a clan of Paladins slaughtered mine fifty years ago because they were told we were devil worshippers. Trust can only be based upon a person's beliefs and the strength of those beliefs.

Money & Power: I will not seek power, for it is a corruptor. I will only seek to hone my abilities to protect others. I will be as little of a drain on the family's resources as possible. I will take only what I specifically need and use it for the protection of our clan and what is right.

I think that is all of it. Whew! That took a while to post and word.

 

[Klaus]

What was the Old Code from Dragonheart like? I can't seem to remember all verses of it, only "His word speaks only the truth"...

 

[kolikeos]

Kill them all, and take their stuff.

thats the sapirit!