Tips for playing a Paladin

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Here's a nice example of how to play a Paladin:

Lawful Good apparently IS Lawful Stupid...

Enjoy!

 

I don't thinking taking them out with a bow would be un-LG.

 

Miko gives them a fighting chance...what a nice paladin! And it's not as though the ogres are doing anything evil or unlawful.

 

Like deciding if theft is chaotic or evil. While with poor people who need every penny they have this is pretty obviously evil, I can fancy arguments for both versions when it comes to stealing from rich people. To me, it feels evil, but I can imagine an RPG thief being compassionate and giving his life for a stranger or some such.

Actually, I've come up with a fairly comprehensive system for alignment, dividing things into property and persons.

A mugger is CN. He usually doesn't want to kill you or hurt you... he just wants your money (property). A murderer or a rapist is NE... they don't particularly care about your property, but they want to damage the person (of course, specific examples can make change that, but we're just talking about someone who kills to kill, not as part of something larger.

Property is expanded beyond moveable goods to include ideas. A lawful person cares about the rules and norms of society, and follows them within their moral limitations... a LG person isn't going to free slaves from unwilling owners in a society that allows slavery, but he will treat them well, and may attempt to use legal means to accquire and free them. On the other hand, a CG person will have no problem freeing slaves without their owners permission... he only cares about the Good of his goals, not the fact that it robs people of their lawful property.

True Neutral, in this case, is a relatively selfish person... he's not so selfish that he'll screw you over to get ahead... but he will screw you over to save himself. He's not going to steal wantonly, but not paying his taxes, or neglecting to mention an error in his favor? That's something else. He won't hurt you if you aren't going to hurt him. He is, in short, the "man on the street"... someone who likes good and law, but is willing to dispense with them if necessary (but not at the drop of a hat).

 

I was just wondering MrNexx, how is a neutarl good person then? Something in between?

 

A neutral good person does what is best for people. Usually, they will follow the law, because that's the easiest way to get it done... it's hard to do good if you're constantly having to answer for illegalities. But they're not above taking blatantly illegal actions for good purposes.

In the slavery example, a NG person will buy slaves, and may even continue to own them, but they'll be servants more than true slaves. He also probably realizes that suddenly freeing a large number of slaves will result in a lot of problems. However, if there came an opprotunity to help an escaping slave, he'd often take it, even if it was illegal.

To use American historical terms, CG is John Brown's intention... free the slaves and damn the cost. LG would be William Lloyd Garrison... constantly writing to change opinions, and working through legal societal channels to overthrow slavery. NG would be the jayhawkers of Kansas... they opposed slavery, and moved to Kansas to keep it free by legal means (through voting), but many were also active in the Underground Railroad, essentially smuggling people's property out of the country because it was right.

 

Paladin is my favourite class - and reading this thread really makes me want to go and create an in-depth character I can play for a long time.

Back to the sketching!..