Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kristivas" data-source="post: 3139657" data-attributes="member: 34179">Wow.First off, yes.. playing a paladin is a bit harder than playing a LG character of another class.  Other LG characters can, rarely, bend or even break the rules.  Paladins don't have this luxury.  Though, I don't make it stupidly hard, either.Frankthedm said it best:I've pretty much been doing that in my games for a long time (without the glowing and whatnot, but that's awesome too!).  A paladin's course of action was determined by HOW evil the person the person 'pingged' as.  I'll give three examples of denizens in a tavern.Shifty Barkeep - This guy runs the tavern.  He is a very selfish man, and cuts costs.  He'll water down ale, serve 'questionable' meat (not to the point it'll make someone sick, but just enough to be yuck), and shortchange if he can get away with.  Though he smiles when folk are talking to him, all he cares about is their money and is disgusted by the populace in general.Suave Bard - On stage, singing a merry tune with a smile that could charm your Mother, this guy's morals aren't nearly as clean as his appearance.  There's only one thing on this performer's mind, and you can tell every time he looks over at your girlfriend.  When they come willingly, fine.  If they don't, a little slip of powder into their drink will do.  If they resist in a more private spot, things might get a little rough, though never to the point of murder.  He leaves town once the angry father's start looking for him.The Guy in the Corner - This guy sits alone, drinking.  There's a special kind of desperation in his eyes.  Why?  Because in his basement, a young boy is chained to the walls.  Unspeakable acts, such as murder and worse, occur here.Of those three, all who radiate evil, the last two would be deserving of the blade.  The paladin wouldn't deal harsh justice to the barkeep, but he also wouldn't pay for services at his establishment to support his behavior.  The bard, perhaps he would try and either arrest him or deal with him in a less-than-public setting.  Jerking him off the stage would be acceptable, but splitting him in half in the middle of the tavern wouldn't be.  As for the third scumbag, he radiates an evil so profound that the paladin cannot contain it within himself to sit by and let the foul villain draw more breath.Now, does he know exactly what they've done?  No, paladins aren't telepathic.  Yet, the aura of their evil is as profound as their deeds.There are questions of mortal law.  It was against the law to jerk the Guy in the Corner up out of his seat and spill his entrails on the floor.  In the game in which the happened, the paladin stood trail for it and was almost hanged.  However, due to investigation on behalf of the party, the boy in the guy's basement was found before he starved to death.  (yes, I used that tavern in a game to test out a paladin).Part of a paladin's code is to respect legitimate authority.  It make things a bit easier, I've changed it to:  Respect legitimate authority, unless it interferes with the will of god (whichever god the paladin's using).  That doesn't always make it easier for the paladin in game, though.  If they're not careful, they can be jailed (or executed) for murder.Now, the tricky part is the bandits example and prisoners.  With the bandits, it all boils down to how evil they are.  If they're robbing folk on the roads, they're harming innocents.  Even moreso if they're killing people who resist.  There's no need to drag them back to town and to the church for spellcastings.  Dispense justice as needed to the real evil ones and punish the others.As for prisoners, I guess they fall into two types.  Those that surrender and those that are overcome/knocked out.  If the ones that are knocked out are killed for the greater good (or convenience, as long as they're evil.  I don't like to bog down the party) then it's all good.  People surrendering are another matter entirely.  If a foe surrenders to a paladin and the paladin accepts, then I would count it as bad to slit the guy's throat after he was manacled.I hope all this helps a little.  I used to hate the paladin class, mostly because a former friend of mine played the Lawful Stupid version.  After trying it myself and reading more into how it should be done, I became more of a fan.Oh, and no..  killing the baby goblin would be evil.  As would clubbing it with subdual damage.  You just don't strike infants.</blockquote>

Verification