Your favorite paladin

[waterpenguin43]

I choose Lien, she has Razor, is wise amd calm(*cough* *Miko*), isn't unrealistically powerful (*cough* *O-Chul) and has a companion which detracts from the "Sharks are bad" stereotype. Who's yours?

[Sanguine]

O-Chul I'm not crazy fanatical about it like some members but I think he is everything a paladin should be(and rarely are).

[The Dark Fiddler]

*Your [/spelling nazi]

Miko. Because everyone else hates her.

[Zerg Cookie]

I vote for Hinjo

[Berserk Monk]

Gotta go with O-Chul. Best paladin EVER!!!

[Captain Alien]

O-Chul because he knows what does being a paladin mean. And he is a real paladin. A badass one.

[Thanatosia]

O-chul, he's realy not as over the top as some people have made him out to be, he's just got a lot of hps.

[Bad Situation]

Soon gets my vote. His facial hair is a powerful thing.

[Gift Jeraff]

1. O-Chul
2. Lien
3. Miko

I just don't like Hinjo all that much. I don't hate him or anything, I just find nothing appealing about him.

[Auron]

1. O-Chul - He essentially embodies a paladin. Helpful and kind to those who are Good/Neutral and fearsome to those who choose evil.
2. Soon - because of how awesome the throne room sequence was.

[mr.fizzypop]

My personal favorite is the hilarious Dwarf Paladin (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0415.html), seen chased by a rust monster.

[PsychoPat]

Mine is Shojo, ok, he's not really a paladin, but he serves the twelve gods as much as another paladin because he didn't lost his blue cape. I prefer him because he was a playing a senile old man, but was in fact a great intelligent ruler.

[Cracklord]

Soon Kim.
O-Cul is a close second.

[Cire II]

Mines Hinjo,his mount is a giant wolf!!And he has a cool sword.

[Turkish Delight]

Miko, for being such a wonderful attack on the holier-than-thou, detect-evil-smite-evil-call-it-a-day school of paladinhood and all of it's logical consequences. I love it when a GM is able to turn a Good aligned character into an effective and detestable villain.

[Mauve Shirt]

O-Chul, definitely.

[Flyingfox]

Lien. Who doesn't like a Bad-ass woman with a shark and an awesome haircut?

[Katana_Geldar]

Sir Francois, Elan's old master. Roy totally would have strangled Elan for what he did, methinks.

[TerrickTerran]

Miko followed by Lien.

[Goosefarble]

Ah yes, Lien. I'd forgotten about Lien. She is pretty badass, if I do say so myself. She definitely seems the most human of all the Paladins, but O-chul and MITD's conversations are unequalled by any. Definitely not Miko, though. Tell you, I couldn't've been happier than when she bit the bucket.

...I mean kicked.

[Berserk Monk]

Soon Kim.
O-Cul is a close second.

O-Cul? Does he adventure with Ray and Shinjo? Also, I want Kim now, not soon.

[Cracklord]

O-Chul then.
You know, it's poor taste to make fun of my latent dyslexia.

Soon Kim remains the best, because he has Gengis Khans facial hair and is named after Sun Tzu (The last one may not be true, but if so it remains an awesome coincidence).

[Berserk Monk]

O-Chul then.
You know, it's poor taste to make fun of my latent dyslexia.

Soon Kim remains the best, because he has Gengis Khans facial hair and is named after Sun Tzu (The last one may not be true, but if so it remains an awesome coincidence).

Sorry. Didn't know you had dyslexia. I just thought you were one of the careless people on this forum that posts things in a hurry and doesn't spellcheck.

As for the facial hair, I believe the more popular term is a "Fu Manchu."

And while we are on the topic, who do you think is the physically stronger warrior: Soon Kim or O-Chul?

[Sanguine]

And while we are on the topic, who do you think is the physically stronger warrior: Soon Kim or O-Chul?

Overall physical Stats? Just Strength? Only Strength and Con? Does BAB get factored in?

[Cracklord]

I am fairly sure Soon is (was) Epic but O-Chul is still alive. Assuming Soon is in his prime and at his peak, and so is O-Chul, then my money is on the founder of the order. O-Chuls strength is that he never gives up. Soon has never had too, he is strong enough to crush Xykon without a scratch.

Soon is far more powerful, but that's not O-Chul's attraction anyway. Soon, in O-Chul's situation, would never be taken prisoner, and would be too dangerous to keep alive even if he was. The awesome thing about O-Chul is he is not exceptional, he is overshaowed by his captors, but he never gives up, never stops fighting. He's that awesome.

And while The Insidious Dr Fu Manchu does characterise that facial hair, Soon seems to have more in common with the Khan then him (not really, but I like Genghis Khan better).

[Ted The Bug]

Hmm...I gotta say Hinjo, but O-Chul is a very close second.

[Calmness]

I liked Miko.

[dps]

Thanh. Mostly just to be contrarian. :smallbiggrin:

[Scarlet Knight]

Hinjo justs beats out O-Chul, but I have a hard time expalining why. I guess he has a kindness to him I wish all leaders had.

[Vemynal]

Ochul and Lien tie for me (really looking forward to any parts they might have in the comic together)

[Berserk Monk]

Overall physical Stats? Just Strength? Only Strength and Con? Does BAB get factored in?

In a hypothetical fight in which both people were alive, had all their gear, and suffered the loss of no abilities from attacking a good player, who would win?

[Kish]

In a hypothetical fight in which both people were alive, had all their gear, and suffered the loss of no abilities from attacking a good player, who would win?
The epic one.

[Berserk Monk]

The epic one.

Epic as in epic level (Soon Kim) or epic as in he is the physical manifestation of the idea of epic (O-Chul)?

[Kish]

You know, I like O-Chul well enough that I'm not bothered by all the Chuck Norris jokes with O-Chul's name plugged in, which is a great deal more than I can say for the same jokes with Chuck Norris' name in them. However, that doesn't mean I'm inclined to make such jokes myself.

The epic one, as opposed to the mid-level one, would win if they fought, which they never would. Be nearly as one-sided as Xykon vs. unspliced Vaarsuvius.

Edit: Scratch the last sentence. Xykon is built to kill wizards; fighting other paladins is likely to be the last thing Soon ever worried about. It would be plenty one-sided, but not comparable to Xykon vs. unspliced Vaarsuvius.

[JonestheSpy]

Big Ears the goblin. Because it's a lot more impressive to uphold the paladin's code when you can't kick Chuck Norris's ass.

[factotum]

I'd go with O-Chul. I don't agree he's perfect, but he behaves exactly how a paladin should. Miko would never have spoken to the MitD the way O-Chul did--you get the feeling that O-Chul would have been able to talk his way out of that situation in the border guard tower, rather than resorting to Slash! Slash! Slash!.

[mistformsquirrl]

This is a really tough one imo >.<;

I'd say O-Chul, but Lien and Hinjo are tied and juuuuust behind him. Miko... guh... I really wanted to like her; but didn't <x.x>;

[Itamarcu]

1. Lien. Shark? Awsome haircut? Cool spear? She wins.
2. O-Chul, because the MitD thing.
3.Definatly Miko. I don't understand: WHY do you all hate her?!?

[Capt. Sardonic]

Ochul and Lien tie for me (really looking forward to any parts they might have in the comic together)

I'll second that.

[squidbreath]

Miko! She was hilarious.

[Meg]

Hinjo, because he's everything a paladin should be. Brave, kind-hearted, intelligent, and noble.

Wow. I sound like I'm in love with him or something.

[Optimystik]

I liked Thanh, and I hope we get some badassery concerning him and Team Peregrine at some point.

[Andore Mordre]

Lien.

She spears hobgoblins like fish.

[Expeditious]

1. Hinjo
2. O-Chul
3. Lien

It's almost a tie between Hinjo and O-Chul, but in the end, Hinjo wins. He has huge responsibility on his shoulders, and he's doing his best in the situation. O-Chul, on the other hand, kicks epic butt.

[aberratio ictus]

1. O-Chul
2. Miko
3. Thanh

[OITS]

Lien... because she and Durkon are such a sweet couple.

[David Argall]

*Your [/spelling nazi]

Miko. Because everyone else hates her.

As the later postings show, not everybody hates her. Indeed, she is arguably the best character in the comic, and the other paladins pretty much are just cardboard, slices of nobility and virtue of no interest. Much better to have guarding your back and nearby, but boring to read about.

[Dark Faun]

Miko, definitely. She's the most human to me with her flaws and vices and I love tragic heroes.

[Warren Dew]

1. Miko
2. Soon - as competent as Miko, but with a less interesting character
3. Lien - insufficiently zealous for a paladin

[Optimystik]

As the later postings show, not everybody hates her. Indeed, she is arguably the best character in the comic, and the other paladins pretty much are just cardboard, slices of nobility and virtue of no interest. Much better to have guarding your back and nearby, but boring to read about.

I present the opposite view: she was easily the most one-dimensional, single-minded paladin in the strip. Her "depth" comes from the paradox that she was allowed to continue as a paladin as long as she did despite doing nothing to exemplify the spirit and nobility that such an office entails.

I've seen Hinjo, O-Chul and Lien faced with hard choices in the comic, but not Miko. Or rather, she breezed through everything that should have been a hard choice with her "the gods will it" and "slash slash slash!" mentality.

[Purple_cloack]

O-Chul. He is my idealistic paladin, a true hero. He knows what the situation needs, is not narrow-minded but still, very realistic. I like him.

[onasuma]

SoD spoiler
The paladin that kills red cloaks baby sister. That pally had some talent.

[Trai]

I'm not a crazy fan like most people are, but I like O-Chul a lot just because of the bond between him and MitD. Them playing Go together was sweet. I almost got a little teary at "Mr. Stiffly!... Mr. Stiffly!... O-CHUL!"

[Athaniar]

I'll have to say Miko, a perfect example of the knight templar archetype, and at the same time a character tragically driven to extreme measures by deceivers and other uncooperative people.

Also, she's hot.

[woodenbandman]

O-Chul. Because he knows how to be a paladin right. I will embody him if I ever play a paladin. Heck, I even base some of my barbarians off of O-Chul.

[Mugen Nightgale]

O-Chul and Hinjo
They embody two of the most important aspect of the paladin class. O-Chul as the honorable hero who puts himself in danger with no fear of pain or death with uber resistance granted by the gods. And Hinjo as the kinda and wise leader charismatic and strong willed.

I don't like to see paladins with mortal flaws like Miko. The class itself is not very mortal. The paladin is a champion to god. A banner of Law and Good. Specially good. Very tricky to play with IMO.

[Elfin]

1.O-chul- The perfect paladin.
2.Miko- Great character.
3-Hinjo- Just for Argent, Hinjo makes #3.
4-Lien- Not the best, but Razor is a nice touch.
5-Soon- Rather bland.

[rangermania]

Soon should be the one even Miko doesn't question him...

[Berserk Monk]

Should Miko even be allowed as an option in this thread? She fell so hard she left cracks in the floor.

[golentan]

I'm going to go with the Rule of O'Cool.

O'Chul is a decent person first and foremost, and a warrior on behalf of other decent people second if that makes sense. The fact he evidently has multiclassed between fighter, paladin, and badass doesn't hurt. But I can't think of a situation where he was ever unnecessarily cruel. Of course, he's maybe suffering from Warf Effect in my eyes (constant hype, but has he ever won a single fight?) but I still find him awesome.

[Cracklord]

Lien... because she and Durkon are such a sweet couple.

Damn right. It is a mind like yours that belongs in the crack pairings thread. Come, let us preach this pairing together!

[paddyfool]

Likes:

Tier 1: O-Chul. I've rooted for him like no-one else in the comic ever since the acid shark escape scene. Not quite sure what that says about me...
Tier 2: Hinjo, Soon, Thanh and Lien. In that general order, although I like all about the same.

Dislikes:

Only Miko

[jogiff]

As a character, definitely Miko.

As a person, probably O-Chul. But honestly, I think I'd probably get along with Miko in real life too.

[Berserk Monk]

I'm going to go with the Rule of O'Cool.

O'Chul is a decent person first and foremost, and a warrior on behalf of other decent people second if that makes sense. The fact he evidently has multiclassed between fighter, paladin, and badass doesn't hurt. But I can't think of a situation where he was ever unnecessarily cruel. Of course, he's maybe suffering from Warf Effect in my eyes (constant hype, but has he ever won a single fight?) but I still find him awesome.

Ha! O'Cool! I see what you did there.

And as for him winning a fight:

Kills a hobgoblin with a swing of his leg while bound. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0542.html)

Nearly kills Red Cloak (he harms him enough for Red Cloak to know he needs to get outta there) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0655.html)

Kill Jynx with one attack. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0656.html)

[Expeditious]

I almost got a little teary at "Mr. Stiffly!... Mr. Stiffly!... O-CHUL!"

Oh yes, that is a really awesome and touching scene. One of the greatest moments in the whole series.

Be that as it may, my favorite pally is still Hinjo.

[Grifthin]

O-chul, He's not the strongest, nor the smartest or the best at anything. But by the gods did he go through hell and back 1 save at a time. He even apolagised to Belkar. He's everything a paladin should be.

[MrPig]

Big Ears the goblin. Because it's a lot more impressive to uphold the paladin's code when you can't kick Chuck Norris's ass.

I'll have to agree with this. Big Ears makes a fine paladin.

[petersohn]

For the character, Miko. I'd really like to see what happens to her at the afterlife.

For paladin, O-chul. While Hinjo is a good paladin, O-chul is everything a paladin has to be. The only thing he lacks is charisma (which, apparently Hinjo has plenty). Soon is among my favourites, too. But somehow I don't really like Lien. I don't hate her, but she doesn't come up to me either as a really good paladin or a really interesting person.

I like Big Ears too.

[Dienekes]

There is only O-Chul.

Though Miko is a close second (What, I like villains)

[Surrealistik]

O-chul, the de facto Norris of OotS

[golentan]

Ha! O'Cool! I see what you did there.

And as for him winning a fight:

Kills a hobgoblin with a swing of his leg while bound. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0542.html)

Nearly kills Red Cloak (he harms him enough for Red Cloak to know he needs to get outta there) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0655.html)

Kill Jynx with one attack. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0656.html)

Okay, so he's caused some grievous bodily harm while losing.

And yeah, Big Ears is pretty cool. As is THAC0. Though that whole strip (while good) is a bit too far on the "izing" side of my moral compass. Most of the main characters don't fall into that fallacy, but the plot itself feels contrived for that end.

[fangthane]

#1 - Karrak, the Palindromic Paladin (one of my AD&D characters from way back, named for a TRS-80 CoCo game)
#2 - Richard Boone. G'head, look it up. :smallbiggrin:

(Hey, I'm not the one who failed to qualify this as "your favourite paladin in the world of OotS") :)

[Optimystik]

If we're doing favorite paladin ever, I have to say Arthas :smallwink:

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I like the Bandana Paladin. He even got a line!

[Kish]

Favorite paladin ever, not just in OotS? Wow, I have an answer.

Odo. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

[Stormlock]

Well, what are we using as a definition of paladin then? Anyone lawful good with a penchant for kicking ass? I'd sort of figure they at least have to have magical abilities and probably worship some sort of god.

Though, discarding that, Maxim from Lufia 2 takes my vote. The saving of Parcelyte was epic.

[Carisbourg]

If it's OotS then Hinjo, he's in charge, and he takes responsibility for everything. Plus, he's the only one we see expressing sadness at evil.

Outside OotS: Roland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland) this is the fellow who first got the title Paladin. Plus how bad-ass do you have to be if your name means "One who is famous throughout the land" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland#Orlando)

[Cracklord]

It could be argued just about anyone is a paladin if they exist in a world with no clear alignment restrictions.
Outside of Oots, I would have to go with Solomon Kane, a grimfaced, fiery puritan created through combining Abraham Van Hellsing and Clint Eastwood, invented by Robert E Howard.
Why? Because he is badass, does what is right, and is awesome.

[Blue Ghost]

I would go with Lien, for the same reasons as the first poster. Plus water is just my element.

[Dizcorp]

I like them all; they're paladins played in the different styles that players might bring.

No, no, hear me out.

Miko: SLASH SLASH SLASH, no compromise, no surrender, very very LAWFUL, not very GOOD.

O-Chul: Unrelenting, steely opponent of evil, even in the face of death.

Hinjo: Wise and learned paladin-king with charisma bonuses to boot. Perhaps even more GOOD than LAWFUL.

Lien: More laid-back, the "provincial" paladin clearly from fishermen's stock. Probable love interest for Hinjo.

Soon: "...the dude with the Fu Manchu packs a wallop." - ancestor, embodies the paladin creed, and even comes back from the dead for one last gasp.

Glad Miko's dead though; the story moved on better without her :)

[Ozymandias9]

This is a hard choice. Hinjo's fairly interesting: examining the balancing act of someone who is both playing the Knight Valiant and the Ruler is a insightful proposition.

But at the end, I have to say Miko.

From a both a literary and meta-gaming perspective, Miko is the most well crafted tool we've seen the Giant use. She raises a lot of questions about the idea of a paladin actually is, and how it fits into the quasi-historical context of the D&D RPG. If we were talking about an actual game, this is the paladin character it would be least fun to play at a table with. It's also the paladin character that draws the greatest attention to the dissonance between the morality of the bi-axial alignment system and modern western morality.

Ironically, she's also the paladin who most realistically represents the historical roots of the class. The actual word "Paladin" is taken from the Palantine Hill, the seat of the imperial palace in Rome. The word itself first comes into use in reference to Charlemagne's 12 warrior peers (I highly recommend reading the Song of Roland), who were held to be the finest warriors in his empire.

But many ideas central to the Paladin we see in D&D (and other "medieval" RPGs) bear much stronger semblance to medieval orders like the Knights Hospitaler and the Knights Templar. Perhaps the most prominent commonality of these orders is their shared origins: they all started in the Crusades.

When we look at a the idea of a paladin in an RPG, it can be easy to forget that the idea behind the class was forged in a set of wars that was as much about xenophobia as religion; as much zeal as piety. Miko reminds us of what we would expect most Paladins to look like through the lens of historical realism (or even through the lens of other societies with similar conflicts). And she reminds us that that idea is more than a bit uncomfortable.

[JT Jag]

O-Chul then.
You know, it's poor taste to make fun of my latent dyslexia.

Soon Kim remains the best, because he has Gengis Khans facial hair and is named after Sun Tzu (The last one may not be true, but if so it remains an awesome coincidence).I'm sorry about your lysdexia.

[Scarlet Knight]

When we look at a the idea of a paladin in an RPG, it can be easy to forget that the idea behind the class was forged in a set of wars that was as much about xenophobia as religion; as much zeal as piety. Miko reminds us of what we would expect most Paladins to look like through the lens of historical realism (or even through the lens of other societies with similar conflicts). And she reminds us that that idea is more than a bit uncomfortable.

I prefer to look at the paladin in a more romantic way: that of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.

Arthur's ideal was "Might for Right, not Might Makes Right".

He discovered in the end how Lawful doesn't always blend with Good. His knights were flawed by pride, lust, envy, and other sins, as men often are. But his ideal was still worth striving for; even if you had to be a Galahad to achieve it.

This is why I prefer Hinjo, because while all the paladins in the plot line (Miko, O-Chul, Lien) have strong qualities, Hinjo seems to embody Good foremost.

[mescaLEO]

Daigo, cause each time he's seen in the comic, there's a joke behind him :smallbiggrin:

[Cracklord]

I always see them as Pope Leo the Great sort of guy. Preaches, believes the holy words, good an honourable and righteous to a fault, teaches about pacifism and doing unto others, even turns the other cheek, but when the cause is right, he puts down his book, picks up a sword and then you'd best get out of his way.
And if we're doing real figures, then it's Pope Leo for sure, as he made Atilla turn around by talking to him for an hour. He converted the guy who called himself 'The scourge of God,' who dreamed of destroying civilisation. How's that?

[MoonBeam]

For me, it's a nameless paladin wearing bandanna over his head A.K.A. Bandanna Paladin.

If you have forgotten, look at 448 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0448.html), 3rd panel in 2nd strip. He's saying: "I'll hold them off, you get to the throne."

[Kish]

Daigo, cause each time he's seen in the comic, there's a joke behind him :smallbiggrin:
He's not a paladin, y'know.

[mescaLEO]

He's not a paladin, y'know.

Damn, right!
Ok, then O-Chul! :smalltongue:

[someonenonotyou]

Miko she is my favroite charature she the only paladin with own smiley :miko:

[Blackjackg]

Paladin with a Bandanna. (Page 2, Panel 3 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0448.html)).

Just because you're lawful good doesn't mean you can't be bad-ass AND fashionable, too.

EDIT: In truth, that's only half-serious. Really, it has to be O-Chul because this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0547.html) scene (IMHO) is the best the Giant ever wrote.

[Haarkla]

Miko. She is so unwavering in her dedication to the cause of good.

[Dark Faun]

To be fair, Miko seems to be more fighting against Evil than fighting for Good... :smallwink:

[Callista]

Miko, for being such a wonderful attack on the holier-than-thou, detect-evil-smite-evil-call-it-a-day school of paladinhood and all of it's logical consequences. I love it when a GM is able to turn a Good aligned character into an effective and detestable villain.Ditto. O-Chul runs a close second.

[Tannhaeuser]

I have to double-second Carisbourg. I like Hinjo, I guess, because I like ruling princes, and I like his other choice because, yup, he is the original paladin, the one closest to the original meaning, Companion of the Emperor ((Palatinus="Man of the Imperial Palace" <Palatium="House on the Palatine Hill"<colles Palatinus="hill devoted to the God/Goddess of shepherds"<Pales="god/goddess (Pales's sex was uncertain, like Vaarsuvius's) of shepherds"), and because I just like his character in his eponymous Chanson.

Oh, and Fangthane? I didn't have to look Richard Boone up. He was my mother's favorite Paladin, too, though I remembered him better as Hec Ramsey.

« Dieu ! que le son du Cor est triste au fond des bois ! »

[Tira-chan]

I would have to say that, from the perspective of a writer, Miko is my favorite of the paladins. Why? She is from the start arrogant, unlikeable, and somewhat one-dimensional; she evolves into a fanatical villian; and yet, at the end of her life, she still manages to evoke very powerful emotions. It takes some great writing to make a character like that, and I respect the Giant even more for it.

Plus, my Miko shirt is great for starting debates with people.

[Optimystik]

I just want to clarify something.

I love Miko as a character. Everything that people have been saying about her presence in the story - evoking powerful emotions from start to finish; unswervingly dedicated to smiting... well, what she thought was evil; beautifully flawed but willing to try; all of that is 100% truth.

She was a horrible paladin - the worst in the entire story. She should have fallen, or at least been given a reality check, long before rending Shojo in 'twain. However, she was not, and I blame a lot of that on the 12 gods and Shojo, with the rest going straight to her own doorstep. Even after she did get her much needed evaluation (too late for Shojo), she was still convinced that her divine punishment was nothing but an aberration. She didn't learn a single lesson from start to finish, and didn't even repent on her deathbed. The story moved around her, but she remained frozen in time.

In summary: phenomenal character, lousy paragon of good and justice.

[Roderick_BR]

Hinjo and O-Chul as favourites. The Giant wrote them as true paladins are, and in some different areas. Hinjo needs to care for his people, and is constantly reminded by everyone that he shouldn't just go attacking monsters head-on, but need to lead his people. A hard thing for a paladin thirst for justice.
O-Chul is just badassery and unbreakable conviction.

I would put Lien next, as she's as badass as Hinjo and O-Chul, but maybe she just had more "stage time" than others paladins.

Then there's Miko. I actually like her story, as it's tragic and full of meaning, and shows what happens when a paladin goes bad.

[Drakevarg]

For me, O-Chul represents the virtues of the Warrior-Paladin, while Hinjo represents the virtues of the Paladin-King. I'd want O-Chul at my back in battle, but I'd seek Hinjo's leadership.

[Felixaar]

O-chul, mainly because I love that aging warrior feel. I like the rest of the Paladins though, including a certain forlorn soft spot for Miko. She could use a hug.