DM Q&A: The Perfect Paladin

[marredwolf]

Im trying to play a borderline paladin. i'd like to know how far i can push the paladin rp and still stay a paladin. As a human, id consider myself flawed to beging with, but how flawed can i be? I was thinking of a drunk paladin, tho he has that flaw he does not cross over any other boundaries while intoxicated. hell, he might be a bit too honest.IS being a drunk enough to get you kicked out of the plaindhood? i'd also like to know how often i should tithe. I can think of him wanting to save some gold in order to improve his fighting skills with some gear. i might even imply that the tithe should be going to a young paladin anyway. And finally, .is witholding or outright lying about your chosen faith in order to infiltrate or learn more about other adventurers, is accemptable, meaning : can i operate in disguise, in the shadows. Can i at keep my identiy a secret or must i always confess to it?

[Munroe]

It's very hard to push the paladin code on FRC and still be a paladin. Being a drunk has potential, but I'd say it depends on whether it interferes with his ability to do his paladin duties.

Not just must a paladin be Lawful Good, a paladin must follow the paladin's Code of Conduct, and limited the types of people with whom s/he associates.

The Code of Conduct and the associates rule,from Player's Handbook 3.5e (page 44):

Code of Conduct: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits an evil act. Additionally, a paladin's code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents.
Associates: While she may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, a paladin will never knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.

So the big issue here is what can a paladin do and still act with honor? The rule calls out lying and cheating as both being failures to act with honor.

While it could be argued that withholding your faith is a lie of omission, it could also be argued that declining to answer an inquiry isn't an omission but a refusal to say, which isn't the same thing. Failure to disclose your character's faith is not the same as lying about it though. Lying about the character's faith would be problematic for a paladin, without question. Failing to disclose faith when it wasn't asked is a bit more gray.

So can you walk around as a paladin in disguise? I'd say it's possible, as long as nobody questions your character, but once they start asking questions he'd need to answer truthfully. How much leeway is allowed is largely going to depend on how the DM interprets the rules and RP at the time. When you're trying to push the border, and the border is open to interpretation, you're going to see different interpretations among the staff. Paladin isn't really something I'd encourage fringe play with.

There are no set rules on when or how much a paladin must tithe on FRC. The tithing system is entirely voluntary.

[TheRedMage]

A good rule of play is you can be a normal guy/ woman, and you don't have to be a zealot. You're a knight of the church, but you could treat it as your job and not your character identity.

[Fenix]

Jul 27, 2015 12:33:28 GMT -5 TheRedMage said:

A good rule of play is you can be a normal guy/ woman, and you don't have to be a zealot. You're a knight of the church, but you could treat it as your job and not your character identity.

This. I use this fir Fenix very often.