does paladin alignment correspond to gods'?

[Venger]

If I worship Tyr as a paladin, do I need to have an alignment one step within LG? given that Tyr was one of the norse gods, it doesn't seem like a huge stretch to say one of his acolytes could be played as something other than LN/NG/LG

[tyckspoon]

Strictly RAW, Paladins must be LG. No other alignment is permitted, and the god they follow is irrelevant. If you do not want to be LG, consider looking at the variant Paladins in Unearthed Arcana (Paladin of Freedom is the CG version) or one of the other Holy Warrior/Warrior of a Cause-type classes that are not as restricted in how they can act.

[Logic]

If you are playing a Paladin, aren't you Lawful Good as well?

I think I fail to see what your question is.

[crimsonqueen]

If I worship Tyr as a paladin, do I need to have an alignment one step within LG? given that Tyr was one of the norse gods, it doesn't seem like a huge stretch to say one of his acolytes could be played as something other than LN/NG/LG

Normal Paladin's are always Lawful good. But there are variants that can Be Lawful Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Evil but no they do not correspond with gods they worship like clerics.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Also, paladins are not chosen by gods. They are chosen by a universal force, if anything. They may choose to serve gods (see: paladin orders), but it is in the same way that Druids can choose to worship Ehlonna or Obad-Hai. They are not tied to them. It's hard to justify a paladin worshipping Hextor, though, unless it's a double-worship thing with Heironeous as well.

[HunterOfJello]

No. They do not correspond to whichever god they worship. Some gods that do not give clerical divine magic to LG character will still condone paladins though. The goddess Tymora from Forgotten Realms doesn't have any LG clerics, but does have a sect of LG paladins within her church.


Note: There are the variant paladins from UA, but I've never seen those mentioned in pretty much anything ever.

[Vanzanze]

In my campaign world, while clerics (and other holy types) are still required to be within one step of their chosen deity in terms of alignment, paladins MUST be the same alignment as their deity, and I simply adjust all of the law/chaos/good/evil axes to match.

All deities have paladins.

[KillianHawkeye]

In my campaign world, while clerics (and other holy types) are still required to be within one step of their chosen deity in terms of alignment, paladins MUST be the same alignment as their deity, and I simply adjust all of the law/chaos/good/evil axes to match.

All deities have paladins.

I think this was what D&D 4E did as well.

[Duke of Urrel]

Part of your answer may come from considering what kind of a god Tyr is to you and, perhaps more importantly, to your DM.

According to Wikipedia, Tyr is the god of Law, the Althing (the conference of tribal lords), Justice, the Sky, and heroic glory. It may be that Tyr is the most Lawful god in Asgard. So there may be no conflict between Tyr and a Lawful-Good alignment.

Interestingly, Tyr's Old English name, Tiw, is the origin of "Tuesday" (Tiw's Day). But maybe you already knew that.

[ericgrau]

In a campaign that sadly ended I was playing a half-illithid LG paladin of C'thulu. He sought dark knowledge but relied on a phylactery of faithfulness (at will: "Does this go against my alignment?") to keep himself in check.

[docnessuno]

half-illithid LG paladin of C'thulu.

You.. just... broke... my... mind...

[Dusk Eclipse]

You.. just... broke... my... mind...

... I would guess that was the point of such thing.

[TuggyNE]

You.. just... broke... my... mind...

Broken minds make tender brains!

[Novawurmson]

In Golarion (PF campaign world), Asmodeus has Paladins. Yes, the Lawful Evil Lord of Hell...has paladins. He's pretty much the incarnation of law, so it makes some sense.