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8BitNinja
2016-03-04, 10:07 AM
Just a short while ago, I made a thread about heroes.

But then I said to myself "you know what, let's make a thread about holy knights of virtue and honor who defend the faith, the weak, and the oppressed, what would you call those?" Then I looked in the mirror and saw a Paladin, and I remembered "Oh, those are called Paladins, I remember now, that's why I trained since I was 6 at the local church to fight and call upon divine guidance to help me" :smallsmile:

I don't want to brag, because humility is a virtue, but Paladins are pretty cool, post anything you want pertaining to the Holy Knights of Virtue and Justice here

CovertCobalt
2016-03-04, 11:30 AM
In a 4e campaign I GMed some time ago, one of my PC's was an Eladrin Paladin of Corellon, god of Arcane magic, Beauty, and the Fey. His name has since been lost to the ages, but his greatest deed lives on to this day, passed on from game to game when my gaming buddies and I reminisce.

The PC party was facing down a group of Vecna Cultists in a grand Art Museum in the capitol city of a Roman-ish human empire. Somehow, they had managed to unleash a gigantic flesh golem abomination, covered in still-sentient undead heads of the cult's victims, screaming for mercy. The Paladin faced the beast down alone, while the rest of the party attempted to stop the cultists from stealing an immensely powerful piece of magical artwork. With barely any hp left and no uses of Lay on Hands left, he managed to score a massive critical hit on the thing, which I decided was Corellon granting him extra strength since he was protecting something both Arcane and Beautiful.

Basically, the Eladrin Paladin cut a 12-foot tall flesh abomination in half with a single stroke and made it burst into holy silver flames, complete obliterating it. The remaining cult members immediately surrendered.

Pex
2016-03-04, 01:14 PM
Playing a 2E human paladin in the U1/U2/U3 Salt Marsh module. It was cool the pseudodragon chose to adopt me due to my virtuousness instead of the elf rogue who first befriended it. I've had in character issues with that rogue. It was nice to win one.

What was even better was when it was time to confront the Lizardmen. Salt Marsh and the Lizardmen normally got along fine but there was concern when we discovered the Lizardmen had a relationship with the pirates we defeated. The Lizardman on board the ship just departed when we fought the pirates. We were just going to investigate what was going on. I was very insistent that the Lizardmen were not our enemy. Technically speaking we would be in error entering their domain and they would naturally defend themselves. We must not cause them injury while trying to find a way to communicate. The party agreed. When we approached and entered the Lizardmen cave naturally they attacked as we couldn't understand each other and they felt threatened. The party did only subdual damage. Spells cast just incapacitated. We did not do any true hit point damage and killed no one. When finally we found a Lizardman who could speak Common I immediately dropped my weapon, told the party to do the same, and surrendered to plead our case. That we did not injure any Lizardman helped a long way when speaking to their king. We learned of their trouble with the Sahuagin and agreed to help. We befriended the Lizardmen. I felt like a True Paladin that day.

8BitNinja
2016-03-04, 01:36 PM
Right now, I have an unplayed character whose name is Steven Lightblade, a human Paladin of Heironeous, his story is that he is the son of a nobleman who is a Paladin and his mother is a Cleric. Steve was sent off to learn to become a Paladin at age 6 and wishes to join The Holy Order of the Unyielding Light, an order of Paladins, by the time he is 25 (current age). He has a dream that seems to be a divine message that a cult worshiping Hextor has arisen and the Cleric living nearby hands me some money and a horse (named Henry) and I set off to a local town, where I will meet future party members when I finally get to play with this character

I would love to join any game with this character, as long as most if not all of the party is good aligned

TheYell
2016-03-04, 03:26 PM
Right now I am Markos Theophilos, a Holy Fist of Iomedae- a paladin / monk PF brew who hews to the paladin code. Currently we're playing Wrath of the Righteous.

Keltest
2016-03-04, 03:35 PM
First edition elf paladin named Keltest (clever, huh). Boldly championed the cause of righteousness, only to be foully turned to stone fighting against a cursed Drow while trying to rescue a princess (seriously). My party broke off my arm to continue to wield my blade against him. We got captured anyway, and I was un-petrified by the Drow so I could be sacrificed to Lolth to bring her into the world.

Fortunately, things didn't go as planned, we all escaped and I got my arm back. And two levels! yay for happy endings!

wumpus
2016-03-04, 03:40 PM
There was this paladin in the party, and he didn't try to take over the entire party to suit his whims. Yay paladin!
- Agree with Rich on paladins. But he does make great NPC paladins.

Inevitability
2016-03-04, 03:47 PM
I played a paladin once. Kethoth the White, servant of an order of healing and health. He travelled north to a war-torn continent to find his sister (who'd gone missing on a pilgrimage a few years before) and relieve those who suffered from the war.

After encountering two decent-enough people, he travelled the continent with them. With them, Kethoth fought corrupt soldiers, healed injured citizens, and slowly uncovered more information about his sister's whereabouts. His allies were less-than-virtuous, but Kethoth stuck with them. After all, they needed someone to keep them from falling in with the wrong crowd.

On one of their adventures, Kethoth and his allies had seized a magical floathing vehicle, armed with a weapon able to shoot a stream of bullets (think magitech helicopter). They had landed it a few days' travel from a major city (the vehicle was associated with an enemy nation), and Kethoth's friends had gone off to buy supplies while Kethoth stayed with the vehicle.

The paladin never learned what had gone wrong, but his allies returned three days early, chased by a few dozen mounted warriors. They quickly entered their vehicle and took off. The paladin was confused, but his questions went unanswered. Then, he saw one of his 'allies' aim the weapon at the pursuing squad.

The sight of a f(r)iend willing to kill dozens of people, even though they could no longer harm him shocked Kethoth. Why did no one object? This wasn't right!

Before he knew it, the paladin dragged his friend away from the weapon, screaming angrily. Why? Why did he think it was okay to slaughter all those people? Kethoth's questions were never answered, for his 'friends' drew weapons and attacked.

The ensuing fight was brief, but violent. Kethoth's eyes were filled with tears as he struck down the rogue with a divinely-powered blow and turned to face his other adversary. His foe, clearly outmatched, tried to climb down the vehicle's ladder. Kethoth begged his friend to return, commanded his foe to surrender, threatened to cut the rope, but to no avail.

And so, Kethoth the White, champion of Purity and Goodness, cut the rope.

8BitNinja
2016-03-04, 06:47 PM
There was this paladin in the party, and he didn't try to take over the entire party to suit his whims. Yay paladin!
- Agree with Rich on paladins. But he does make great NPC paladins.

What does Mr. Burlew believe about Paladins?


Right now I am Markos Theophilos, a Holy Fist of Iomedae- a paladin / monk PF brew who hews to the paladin code. Currently we're playing Wrath of the Righteous.

Nice name, if I remember my Greek correctly, your last name literally means "friend of God"

Keltest
2016-03-04, 07:05 PM
What does Mr. Burlew believe about Paladins?

That Miko is the worst way to play a paladin, and that O-chul is the better way. And I agree. The world needs more O-chul.

Sam113097
2016-03-04, 09:30 PM
The first game I ever GMed involved a sun paladin named Tye. He had the worst luck of any player I have ever seen. I wasn't trying to kill the character, he just kept putting himself in bad positions through a combination of bad rolls and poor planning. Highlights include:

Knocked himself out trying to swing from a ship's mast
Fell overboard in full armor
Walked right underneath a lurking giant crab
Ended up fighting an Orc berserker 1-on-1 in an arena
Was thrown through a column by a troll
Fell off a wall during an attempted stealth mission
Got separated from the party in a ghoul-infested cave
Tried to fight a bullette alone while 2nd level

Somehow, thanks to the help of the rest of the party, and many, many uses of Lay On Hands, he survived the entire game.

8BitNinja
2016-03-04, 11:09 PM
That Miko is the worst way to play a paladin, and that O-chul is the better way. And I agree. The world needs more O-chul.

I agree, Miko is a disgrace to Paladins, and O-Chul is one of the best Paladins


The first game I ever GMed involved a sun paladin named Tye. He had the worst luck of any player I have ever seen. I wasn't trying to kill the character, he just kept putting himself in bad positions through a combination of bad rolls and poor planning. Highlights include:

Knocked himself out trying to swing from a ship's mast
Fell overboard in full armor
Walked right underneath a lurking giant crab
Ended up fighting an Orc berserker 1-on-1 in an arena
Was thrown through a column by a troll
Fell off a wall during an attempted stealth mission
Got separated from the party in a ghoul-infested cave
Tried to fight a bullette alone while 2nd level

Somehow, thanks to the help of the rest of the party, and many, many uses of Lay On Hands, he survived the entire game.

His new name is Tye the Invincible, and also...

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9b/ca/50/9bca50d2d3ef074b9efbf8ba78da5b75.jpg

TheYell
2016-03-04, 11:27 PM
Yes that is the Greek meaning. Of course the gang I'm with makes a production of it.
"I am Markos Theophilos"
"...WHAT?"

So I said I got tired of them botching it and I wrote it out. With the Greek alphabet.

ImNotTrevor
2016-03-05, 11:38 AM
I have been hoping to be a player in an Apocalypse World campaign as a guy I call Errant.

There is no Paladin class in Apocalypse World (except maybe the Touchstone if you really stretch your definition of Paladin) so Errant would be a class called The Faceless.

The Faceless operates by having a mask that hides their face, and by being big scary ragemonsters that hurt and dissapoint everyone they care about.

"But INT," you say, "That is not paladinlike!"

That is the point.

You see, Errant found his mask in an old dilapidated building that had apparently been called a "Mus um o ine Ar."

Within its walls, he found his real face. What happened to be a bucket helmet from the era of the crusades. Alongside it, he found some dusty skeletons and a big, leather-bound book called The Whole Bibble.

Errant can't read well, but he does his best with the Whole Bibble, and basically figures out that everyone should know about this God guy, because he seems like a tough guy worth having as the leader of all the gangs and hardholds ever.

Basically, Errant would be the worst paladin/crusader ever. He would be flat-out wrong in basically all his beliefs, and use them basically as a reason behind the searing, constant rage that fills his life. It certainly has nothing to do with his past, no sir. He is a Ragemonster in the name of the Whole Bibble.

This character is meant to be... sorta funny? In reality I planned to play him as the kind of humor where you either laugh or cry about it, and laughing is easier. Nothing about Errant would scream "hurr durr I am funny Bibble Angry Guy," but rather "I am in constant emotional torment and something in this book gives me a way to externalize the pain. It just happens to be kind of funny."

He's definitely a high-level RP sort of character and I look forward to playing him with the group I have. It's the only group where I would be comfortable doing so, because the subject matter can be abrasive and playing that character would actually be kind of exhausting for me. But I still want to try, you know?

And no, it's not angsty pain. Errant will spend virtually no time sitting in corners and crying. If Errant is crying, it will be while squeezing the breath out of someone who has touched upon that pain without proper precaution. It will be while beating someone to death with their own arms, screaming in rage for what he has lost and can never regain. It is why he wears the mask. His face is too soft, too weepy to express the steel structure around his soul.

Yeah. He would be a very emotionally intense character to play.

Reltzik
2016-03-05, 08:30 PM
See, my paladin started off nice and new with bright ideals, limitless compassion, shiny gear, and that fresh new-character-sheet smell.

By level 5 he went jaded and cynical about the world, the gear is all scuffed and dented, and the character sheets smell like the potato chip grease that stained them at level 2.

I guess you can say that my paladin's depreciated.

.....

*flees*

Florian
2016-03-06, 06:24 AM
Ah, Paladins, the good times!

Some years ago, I had fun playing Ser Andrej, a rather young nobleman hailing from Brevoy, a country famed for its swordplay and with nobility a bit overly fixated on dueling.

Your typical nobleman of that country, Ser Andrej was intelligent, charming, witty, well trained in the social arts and also a bit of a minstrel, along with being a master of the dueling sword und formally trained in military history and tactics.
He enjoyed fancy clothing, a good chelaxian red, having fun with the wenches, wooing some rich traders daughters with bouts of singing moonlight ballads and showing of in duels.

All the while, he was a staunch believer in the doctrine of Abadar, that civilization should be advanced, trade free, bandits and brigands rooted out and put to the sword and the wilderness tamed. Being young, he just heard some romanticized legends of the Paladins of Aroden of old, how they conducted their business and took an interest in this, trying a bit to emulate some of the old virtues. But, alas, to no avail. Full Plate and Horse, never, no style there.

That really was fun.

Quiver
2016-03-06, 07:41 AM
So... I'm currently playing my FIRST EVER GAME of Pathfinder. And the character I create to inaugurate this auspicious occasion?

A Paladin.
Specifically, a half-elf Paladin of Shelyn, since they don't seem very common.

I admit, I'm still trying to feel the character out (and worrying I'm doing it wrong all the time), but I feel like a Paladin has potential to tell one of the most interesting stories in a group, so I'm excited to see what happens with her.

I'm currently playing her as an 'All-Loving Hero' and 'Wide-Eyed Idealist', the type of person who just wants everyone to get along, man, with a fascination for other cultures and "art"... by which she means " pretty much anything that someone uses as a mode of expression".

So... I figure her development will be fun to write.

ReaderAt2046
2016-03-06, 12:15 PM
A few great Paladin stories I heard elsewhere:

A Noble Death (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?150139-A-Noble-Death&highlight=paladin)

How A Paladin Does An Intimidate Check: (https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Powder_Keg_of_Justice)

Bet You Didn't Think A Former Opium Addict Could Be An Awesome Paladin: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17889926&postcount=44) (second story).

Pex
2016-03-06, 01:49 PM
How A Paladin Does An Intimidate Check: (https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Powder_Keg_of_Justice)


APPLAUSE!
:smallcool:

IntelectPaladin
2016-03-06, 03:09 PM
Seriously? I go all-out, I finally open up, I choose to finally enter the forums..And this happens.
The thread i choose to open up in is left destitute, alone, to rot. I should've figured. Let me go ahead an re-post my lastest addition to that thread.

I may as well reveal a bit more of Jev's career.

Here's a tale about how I handled the "level limit" Of the shop.
I had to level down often to stay in the shop.
Here's the first time,
as well as the story of what happened beforehand.

So. Basically, The shop rules stated that you couldn't become too high of a level.
(And as you might imagine, Playing the same character for a year tends to pad your exp total.)
Since I wanted to continue visiting at the time, I once again took drastic action.

I let jev be leveled down, losing various abilities that had to be re-gained, etc.
(Not the best idea, I know, But I was doing too well, I thought.) Anyways,
I had to follow this level-down process three times. The D.M. was kind enough to let me explain why.

So,Here's "Level down I"
It had been right after the orcish fortress. And evidently, Exploding glowing eyes syndrome was spreading.
The town mayor, Who up until a few weeks ago had been a saint, Had been basically looting the taxes.
When we stopped to investigate why he didn't pay us,
He ran outside and drew his sword, as well as spells in the other hand.
(Not the usual town mayor, as far as i know, But he wasn't exactly in control of himself.)

Now, Pretty much everyone wanted to kill him. I had wanted to save the town from the possibility
of a mayoral nuke, But then something happen that started both the hate,
and my attempts to use ingenuity for the good guys.
The mayor, For a moment, Regained control and threw his sword down towards me. That act alone changed my intent, goals, and what i felt needed to be done in an instant.

I distinctly remember a conversation with the D.M. at the time:
Leech-player:"Wait, why didn't you pick up the sword?"
Me: I'm don't want to kill him.
D.M.: But you were trying to a minute ago.
Me: That was before i saw a chance to save him."
So, Basically, the mayor was beginning to go nuclear from the damage,
And that would've been bad because A: the town was filled with people, and B: There was a major battle happening, With a few more glow-eyes showing up around the town, being dealt with by guards and clerics.

So before he go off, I did what may arguably be the first stupid decision I had ever made.
I took town the mayour with a flying tackle, and healed him, yelling (In-game) for another teammate to go grab
some of the town ministers, clerics, etc, while I held him down.

At that, the mayor roared, and tried to get up.
I took damage for keeping him down, But I managed for long enough that a party member came back with the towns' highest-ranking priest in-tow. The priest got whatever was controlling him out of him, But let us know that it escaped.
At this point the battle had been won, and we all got rewards, prizes, etc.
And while everyone else was starting a new adventure next week, (Hence the need for a level-down,)
I decided to wrap it all up. In-game, it was a day after the battle. Various hunting parties of clerics, paladins, etc were being sent out to find that escaped thing, And Jev led one of them.
We'd tracked it to a seaside-cliff, Where it had been attempting to call up a portal to get home.

So, Here's the hard bit. I found it, alone, and managed to cause an explosion. And then, the inevitable happened.
The explosion had been strong enough to knock Jev right off of the 30-ft cliff.
In the moment, Jev decided to use to use his bedroll to protect his head from the fall.
To my surprise, It worked..But I was at 8- and bleeding out.
If it hadn't been for Jev's warg mount tracking him down and shouting for help, It would've been the end.
(What, you didn't know that wargs could speak?)

As things stood, It took the healers several weeks.
During that time, A home was granted by a particularly thankful mayor,
And my warg had actually been offered a job with the local watch. (Don't ask me about that one, I don't know why either.)
All in all, Daggerford was Jev's official home, at this point.


And thus ends another tale of Jev the paladin.
I hope you've enjoyed it, and thank you for reading this, Have a nice day of things!
Or turn a bad day into a good one by staying in bed. It can't be bad if you don't start it, right?
Well, So much for that.
Good luck with this new thread.

8BitNinja
2016-03-06, 11:58 PM
Seriously? I go all-out, I finally open up, I choose to finally enter the forums..And this happens.
The thread i choose to open up in is left destitute, alone, to rot. I should've figured. Let me go ahead an re-post my lastest addition to that thread.

I may as well reveal a bit more of Jev's career.

Here's a tale about how I handled the "level limit" Of the shop.
I had to level down often to stay in the shop.
Here's the first time,
as well as the story of what happened beforehand.

So. Basically, The shop rules stated that you couldn't become too high of a level.
(And as you might imagine, Playing the same character for a year tends to pad your exp total.)
Since I wanted to continue visiting at the time, I once again took drastic action.

I let jev be leveled down, losing various abilities that had to be re-gained, etc.
(Not the best idea, I know, But I was doing too well, I thought.) Anyways,
I had to follow this level-down process three times. The D.M. was kind enough to let me explain why.

So,Here's "Level down I"
It had been right after the orcish fortress. And evidently, Exploding glowing eyes syndrome was spreading.
The town mayor, Who up until a few weeks ago had been a saint, Had been basically looting the taxes.
When we stopped to investigate why he didn't pay us,
He ran outside and drew his sword, as well as spells in the other hand.
(Not the usual town mayor, as far as i know, But he wasn't exactly in control of himself.)

Now, Pretty much everyone wanted to kill him. I had wanted to save the town from the possibility
of a mayoral nuke, But then something happen that started both the hate,
and my attempts to use ingenuity for the good guys.
The mayor, For a moment, Regained control and threw his sword down towards me. That act alone changed my intent, goals, and what i felt needed to be done in an instant.

I distinctly remember a conversation with the D.M. at the time:
Leech-player:"Wait, why didn't you pick up the sword?"
Me: I'm don't want to kill him.
D.M.: But you were trying to a minute ago.
Me: That was before i saw a chance to save him."
So, Basically, the mayor was beginning to go nuclear from the damage,
And that would've been bad because A: the town was filled with people, and B: There was a major battle happening, With a few more glow-eyes showing up around the town, being dealt with by guards and clerics.

So before he go off, I did what may arguably be the first stupid decision I had ever made.
I took town the mayour with a flying tackle, and healed him, yelling (In-game) for another teammate to go grab
some of the town ministers, clerics, etc, while I held him down.

At that, the mayor roared, and tried to get up.
I took damage for keeping him down, But I managed for long enough that a party member came back with the towns' highest-ranking priest in-tow. The priest got whatever was controlling him out of him, But let us know that it escaped.
At this point the battle had been won, and we all got rewards, prizes, etc.
And while everyone else was starting a new adventure next week, (Hence the need for a level-down,)
I decided to wrap it all up. In-game, it was a day after the battle. Various hunting parties of clerics, paladins, etc were being sent out to find that escaped thing, And Jev led one of them.
We'd tracked it to a seaside-cliff, Where it had been attempting to call up a portal to get home.

So, Here's the hard bit. I found it, alone, and managed to cause an explosion. And then, the inevitable happened.
The explosion had been strong enough to knock Jev right off of the 30-ft cliff.
In the moment, Jev decided to use to use his bedroll to protect his head from the fall.
To my surprise, It worked..But I was at 8- and bleeding out.
If it hadn't been for Jev's warg mount tracking him down and shouting for help, It would've been the end.
(What, you didn't know that wargs could speak?)

As things stood, It took the healers several weeks.
During that time, A home was granted by a particularly thankful mayor,
And my warg had actually been offered a job with the local watch. (Don't ask me about that one, I don't know why either.)
All in all, Daggerford was Jev's official home, at this point.


And thus ends another tale of Jev the paladin.
I hope you've enjoyed it, and thank you for reading this, Have a nice day of things!
Or turn a bad day into a good one by staying in bed. It can't be bad if you don't start it, right?
Well, So much for that.
Good luck with this new thread.

If this is the thread you mean by the one you wish to open up in, the thread is still alive

If you mean another one, I don't know

Bohandas
2016-03-07, 12:56 AM
I had a paladin character in the Temple of Elemental Evil videogame one time

Also, Murlynd's my second favorite Greyhawk deity.

ThinkMinty
2016-03-07, 09:44 AM
I had a paladin character in the Temple of Elemental Evil videogame one time

Also, Murlynd's my second favorite Greyhawk deity.

Who's your favorite Greyhawk deity? I honestly only know of Myrlynd (as far as the deities go) from that setting 'cuz I was born in the '90's.

8BitNinja
2016-03-07, 09:44 AM
I always thought Paladins were cool. I always wanted to be a cool fighter for the cause of good

When I say fighter, I don't mean the class archetype, I mean "one who fights"

Lawleepawpz
2016-03-07, 07:40 PM
I've an unplayed Paladin as well; Valeyn Barech, Paladin of Athena. 1200 word backstory, counting an originally written code.
Son of a general, mother dead and younger brother, trained as a musician, ran away to be a mercenary and was chosen by his goddess before marrying a nymph.




Incidentally, as a DM I love Paladins most of all. They can be motivated for anything, and I feel they are a good excuse to explore the fact that in a world of objective morality, morality is more subjective than ever. Celestial a can be Neo-Nazis, demons can make more sense than anyone else, and a devil can find purchase in any room. Paladins provide the "human factor" that allows a paragon of virtue to actually exist in the cesspool that my D&D worlds tend to be.

8BitNinja
2016-03-07, 07:49 PM
Incidentally, as a DM I love Paladins most of all. They can be motivated for anything, and I feel they are a good excuse to explore the fact that in a world of objective morality, morality is more subjective than ever. Celestial a can be Neo-Nazis, demons can make more sense than anyone else, and a devil can find purchase in any room. Paladins provide the "human factor" that allows a paragon of virtue to actually exist in the cesspool that my D&D worlds tend to be.

Personally, I believe that the morals of this world are black and white, so the Paladin for me is the one who, in a world where evil seems like a more powerful force, steps up and is a light to the world, becoming a paragon, but in the end, a standard to live by.

Bohandas
2016-03-07, 08:18 PM
Who's your favorite Greyhawk deity? I honestly only know of Myrlynd (as far as the deities go) from that setting 'cuz I was born in the '90's.

Zagyg the mad mage

8BitNinja
2016-03-07, 11:53 PM
There should be a Paladin appreciation day, I know too many Paladins who get too much flak

Snark Knight
2016-03-08, 01:11 AM
I've got a paladin rolling around in my head right now. With all of the dark and gritty anti-heroes, I like the idea of an unabashed, straight-up good guy. It takes real courage to keep from giving in to bitter cynicism, and I think the paladin archetype is somehow necessary for our myths to inspire us into being better than we might give ourselves credit for being.

8BitNinja
2016-03-08, 01:25 PM
I think the paladin archetype is somehow necessary for our myths to inspire us into being better than we might give ourselves credit for being.

Paladins were real, look it up

Keltest
2016-03-08, 03:14 PM
Paladins were real, look it up

I think it would be more accurate to say that the archtype has historical basis. The real paladins were certainly not the same as D&D paladins.

Florian
2016-03-08, 04:56 PM
I think it would be more accurate to say that the archtype has historical basis. The real paladins were certainly not the same as D&D paladins.

The core of the archetype can certainly stay intact. What you talk about s context and that has been changed.

Snark Knight
2016-03-08, 06:13 PM
Sorry to cause a controversy; perhaps I should clarify what I meant by paladin-archetype.
To me, the paladin-archetype is the hero who is both mighty and morally unimpeachable. When the darkness is overwhelming, the paladin is the one leading the charge. When part of a team, the paladin-archetype is the backbone, the moral center around which the other heroes coalesce; he is the one to convince the gritty anti-hero that all is not lost, that there is still good worth fighting for in the world; he is the conscience of the team, who not only leads, but inspires.
Should a teammate find himself in serious conflict with the paladin, they should not feel irritation, but shame that such an unambiguously good character has felt the need to take a stand against them.
Think Captain America, for instance. He doesn'the channel divine power, but he is, basically, a paladin-archetype character. If you find yourself in a fight against him, that should give you reason to pause and re-think your actions.
I hope this helped clarify what I meant.

Fable Wright
2016-03-08, 06:28 PM
There should be a Paladin appreciation day, I know too many Paladins who get too much flak

No. There really shouldn't.

The point of a Paladin is to Do The Right Thing. It's not about glory, it's not about being appreciated, it's not about convincing others. A self-congratulatory Paladin thread is promoting all the wrong things about Paladins. It puts the emphasis on being the hero, as opposed to putting the emphasis on work left to do. This leads to people playing Miko. The best Paladin I've seen was, simply, a Good Person. They didn't judge the party necromancer harshly, or ask them to stop. They didn't seek glory, and they were in fact a baker most of the time. They just quietly encouraged people to be the best they could be.

Then there's the story of A Noble Death (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?150139-A-Noble-Death), as linked above. Didn't seek glory, didn't bask in the appreciation of his peers after getting saved, just went and did the Right Thing the moment he had a direction. This is the style of O-Chul. This is how a Paladin should be played.

The point of a Paladin is not to be appreciated, and if they are, most certainly not by other Paladins. It's to keep on trucking, with the knowledge that they can do better. Heck, the best Paladins are the ones that don't realize that they're Paladins; ones who congratulate themselves for their status are little better than fighters with egos. Sure, they can do great things and inspire people, but they do very little to advance capital-G Good. You can only do that by quietly being an example, letting people know that they don't have to be a great warrior and have a strict code of honor to be a better person. So far, this:


There was this paladin in the party, and he didn't try to take over the entire party to suit his whims. Yay paladin!
- Agree with Rich on paladins. But he does make great NPC paladins.

Has been the best paladin in the thread. Followed by Pex's. There is no glory in being a Paladin. Nor should there be.

8BitNinja
2016-03-08, 07:32 PM
No. There really shouldn't.

The point of a Paladin is to Do The Right Thing. It's not about glory, it's not about being appreciated, it's not about convincing others. A self-congratulatory Paladin thread is promoting all the wrong things about Paladins. It puts the emphasis on being the hero, as opposed to putting the emphasis on work left to do. This leads to people playing Miko. The best Paladin I've seen was, simply, a Good Person. They didn't judge the party necromancer harshly, or ask them to stop. They didn't seek glory, and they were in fact a baker most of the time. They just quietly encouraged people to be the best they could be.

Then there's the story of A Noble Death (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?150139-A-Noble-Death), as linked above. Didn't seek glory, didn't bask in the appreciation of his peers after getting saved, just went and did the Right Thing the moment he had a direction. This is the style of O-Chul. This is how a Paladin should be played.

The point of a Paladin is not to be appreciated, and if they are, most certainly not by other Paladins. It's to keep on trucking, with the knowledge that they can do better. Heck, the best Paladins are the ones that don't realize that they're Paladins; ones who congratulate themselves for their status are little better than fighters with egos. Sure, they can do great things and inspire people, but they do very little to advance capital-G Good. You can only do that by quietly being an example, letting people know that they don't have to be a great warrior and have a strict code of honor to be a better person. So far, this:



Has been the best paladin in the thread. Followed by Pex's. There is no glory in being a Paladin. Nor should there be.

You're right. Besides, I never said I wanted to be a Paladin for glory anyway. Actually, I can be a Paladin in real life. No, I won't be able to devote my life to fighting undead, using holy magic to heal, or smiting evil, but I can do other things. I can stick to my faith, no matter what others say, or what the price may be. I can uphold a strict moral code and be a follower of the law. I can do good for people without the knowledge of others.

Maybe I was always trying to be a Paladin, before I knew what one was

I don't know what I was thinking when I said that Paladins should have an appreciation day

Cluedrew
2016-03-08, 09:45 PM
I understand where the Paladin appreciation day thing comes from. So many improperly done paladins. But at the same time there are so many well done paladins. Since "Nope, Paladin" and "I wish to roll intimidate" have come up I have another really odd paladin to through in. Ever read Tower of God? The main character Baan (I think I stopped reading when I couldn't find good translations) checks almost zero boxes for paladin imagery (or fighting style), but at the same time I think he is one because... part of what makes him so dangerous is he is so nice and honest that people who interact with him help him just because he... not charms them over, but he is so nice people have trouble going against time. Some times. What is it that you desire? Wealth? Power? Glory? Revenge? Or something that surpasses all others. Whatever it is, that is here. At the top of the tower. Tower of God.

IntelectPaladin
2016-03-08, 09:50 PM
The point of a Paladin is not to be appreciated, and if they are, most certainly not by other Paladins. It's to keep on trucking, with the knowledge that they can do better. Heck, the best Paladins are the ones that don't realize that they're Paladins; ones who congratulate themselves for their status are little better than fighters with egos. Sure, they can do great things and inspire people, but they do very little to advance capital-G Good. You can only do that by quietly being an example, letting people know that they don't have to be a great warrior and have a strict code of honor to be a better person.
.
This is the one quintessential statement I wholeheartedly agree with.
I cannot emphasize this enough.
Thank's for managing to get this out there!

8BitNinja
2016-03-08, 10:43 PM
I guess what I said wasn't so humble, trying to promote glory

I'm sorry fellow Paladins, I've been having a stressful time and haven't been thinking about what I've been saying.

I hope this doesn't count for expulsion from the Order of Paladins

Snark Knight
2016-03-09, 12:32 AM
Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. It's only natural, from the outside looking in, to want to bring attention to your favorite class or heroic archetype. No one is ever going to be perfect all the time; the key is to let the myth cultivate the moral character needed to do the right thing at the right time.
The lot of the paladin is, I think, one of doubt and scrupulous introspection, of near-constant philosophical inquiry into the nature of the ethical, even while bashing zombies. No one is expecting you, or anyone else, to be flawless.
Besides, I've heard that trying counts for a lot.

ThinkMinty
2016-03-09, 12:45 AM
This thread, among others, has me wanting to try playing a Paladin even though I'm pretty Chaotic on principle.

8BitNinja
2016-03-09, 01:00 AM
Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. It's only natural, from the outside looking in, to want to bring attention to your favorite class or heroic archetype. No one is ever going to be perfect all the time; the key is to let the myth cultivate the moral character needed to do the right thing at the right time.
The lot of the paladin is, I think, one of doubt and scrupulous introspection, of near-constant philosophical inquiry into the nature of the ethical, even while bashing zombies. No one is expecting you, or anyone else, to be flawless.
Besides, I've heard that trying counts for a lot.

Thanks for the words of encouragement

McNum
2016-03-09, 04:35 AM
I'm currently playing a Paladin in a 5e game on this very forum. She's not your typical Paladin, for one, she's a pony, and secondly, she's more of a baker and entertainer by trade. But I'm having a lot of fun trying to play up the Good side of a Paladin and be an example more than an avenger. She's going to be an Oath of the Ancients Paladin, with a focus on making others happy, and stopping those who cause misery.

Of course, "making others happy" is rather broad. I think so far her best moment was when our party came back to town after a monster hunt and had learned someone in town was controlling the monster, but finding out who without drawing attention to ourselves would be a problem. Because apparently, the bad guy was part of the town guard. So how do you accuse someone of murder by crocodile, when you're not entirely sure who it is, and accusing the wrong person would cause major trouble? You throw an improvised street party/singalong musical number in town square celebrating the death of the monster in song!

Everyone else will be happy to hear that the monster is dead, but if you're the bad guy, a spectacle like that is going to cause you to panic. And cue the natural 20. Not only did we flush out the guard captain as the pawn of a death cult, we got the guard to help us arrest him, and in an instant shifted the mood of the entire town from sad to overjoyed. Because part of the Paladin job description is to rekindle hope. Sometimes you slay the monster. Sometimes you stand against overwhelming odds. ...but sometimes, you're just the one telling everyone that things aren't as hopeless as they seem, and that good things do happen, even to them.

Playing a Paladin is fun. Playing a Paladin can also be difficult. Sometimes you need to break out the Smite. Other times you just need to be the one who cares and wants to listen. And to me, both are equally important. The stories everyone hear are those of great victories or big sacrifices. And those are important, they give hope. But the little stories, about others in pain or suffering loss, those matter, too. And if all a Paladin can be that day is a shoulder to cry on, then so be it. All the little Good adds up, too.

Satinavian
2016-03-09, 04:43 AM
The one paladin i played was a (3.5) pixie paladin. Good at heart, following a strict moral codes, but without any of the trappings of human feudal society. In fact, she was pretty naive and didn't know the human social rules and lacked understanding of a lot of the things happening there, being raised in some good aligned fairy society and assuming the behavior of the other fairies as "normal".

I never tried to force those fairy mores on the rest of the group. Instead i brought them into play by following them and by trying to make other people happy. And by assuming that every NPC and intelligent monster was inclined to do so and generally friendly and good at heart until proven otherwise.

It was a fun group which might have ended playing a lot more lighthearted than originally anticipated by the DM. I have never seen so many NPCs seen startled over friendlyness they didn't expect in any other campaign.

Yes, i know, it's only technically a paladin and not really the archetype as the "fighting for good" aspect was solidly placed behind the "being good" aspect and might even have been marginalized sometimes as the big struggle between good and evil was never a theme in the game and the DM prefered more shades-of-gray problems.




The other character i want to talk about is from the longest running D&D game i have played (again 3.5). The unfortunate thing is that he is not strictly a paladin. He started as fighter but simply grew into a person that could be a paladin. He was a fighter for good in a good sense, a figure people would look up to, who had a strict moral code (even without rule enforcement) and enough common sense to make that work in the party. Truly altruistic and a protector of those in need.
Somewhere during the campaign the player wanted to multiclass to paladin. Unfortunately (beside that being a terrible mechanical choice at the time), there was a rule in the paladin codex making it impossible : There were established evil party members. Pragmatic evil, loyal, helpful, interested in building a stable society to live in. There had never been problems before, in fact the other pillar of stability and common sense in this pretty big group was lawful evil.
In hindsight it would have been better to simply ditch the "can't associate with evil" rule, but instead we ended with some other multiclass options resulting in similar abilities to a paladin. Still, i think of this character as some honorary paladin as i have never seen a charater in play that was nearer to what this archetype was supposed to be.

goto124
2016-03-09, 09:04 AM
I'm currently playing a Paladin in a 5e game on this very forum. She's not your typical Paladin, for one, she's a pony, and secondly, she's more of a baker and entertainer by trade.

I've been reading those Campaign Quotes! Keep 'em coming, Paladin! :smallbiggrin:

8BitNinja
2016-03-09, 09:32 AM
This sums up a paladin :smalltongue:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKzEGGC8_0s

Bohandas
2016-03-09, 03:56 PM
Paladins were real, look it up

Well, there was a real knightly order with that name (IIRC they worked for Charlamagne) but that's about the extent of it really. It's the same case you have with ninjas really, there were stealth warriors called "ninjas" but they never flew around or turned into logs or were rivals of pirates (in fact, I read somewhere that some historians believe that the first practitioners of ninjitsu were pirates, operating out of the sea of japan, who learned martial arts in china and and later brought the practice to japan; the book I read that in was kind of cheap though and a bit sloppily written so I don't know how well researched it was).

EDIT:
Plus, Murlynd has at least as much in common with Paladin from Have Gun, Will Travel as he does with Charlamagne's paladins.

ThinkMinty
2016-03-09, 03:59 PM
Well, there was a real knightly order with that name (IIRC they worked for Charlamagne) but that's about the extent of it really. It's the same case you have with ninjas really, there were stealth warriors called "ninjas" but they never flew around or turned into logs or were rivals of pirates (in fact, I read somewhere that some historians believe that the first practitioners of ninjitsu were pirates, operating out of the sea of japan, who learned martial arts in china and and later brought the practice to japan; the book I read that in was kind of cheap though and a bit sloppily written so I don't know how well researched it was).

Ninjas used stage magic/prestidigitation rather than actual arcane magic. Misdirection, subterfuge, trickery, that kind of stuff.

The OG Paladins, the Roman ones for whom Charlemagne's Twelve Peers were named, were named after the hill on which they had emperor-sponsored official power, the Palatine Hill. They were all about official authority, the virtue stuff came into the mix in poems about knights in the middle ages.

Piedmon_Sama
2016-03-09, 04:47 PM
O Paladin
Stalwart and upright
Your builds allow for just heavy armor
But its pretty shine is bright

O Paladin
Master of Horse
You can't take it to the dungeon, of course
But if you fall, in goblin's attack
We've got a way to carry you back

O Paladin
Chivalrous and True
What would we do, without you?
When we're in hock for the things we stole
You save us with a diplo roll

It's good to know you
O Paladin true
Cuz everyone trusts a Paladin's retinue
So long as to put ranks in spot you do refuse
We'll be partners, through and through

8BitNinja
2016-03-09, 05:29 PM
O Paladin
Stalwart and upright
Your builds allow for just heavy armor
But its pretty shine is bright

O Paladin
Master of Horse
You can't take it to the dungeon, of course
But if you fall, in goblin's attack
We've got a way to carry you back

O Paladin
Chivalrous and True
What would we do, without you?
When we're in hock for the things we stole
You save us with a diplo roll

It's good to know you
O Paladin true
Cuz everyone trusts a Paladin's retinue
So long as to put ranks in spot you do refuse
We'll be partners, through and through

Beautiful, just beautiful


Ninjas used stage magic/prestidigitation rather than actual arcane magic. Misdirection, subterfuge, trickery, that kind of stuff.

Does a 300 Ultra Mag from 1000 yards away a ninja?

Because that's the 8 Bit Ninja way (Ninja version, not Paladin)

ReaderAt2046
2016-03-26, 03:06 PM
Dame Madeline from Rusty and Co still stands as one of the best examples of paladinhood I've ever read. While she has a lot of awesome moments, I think the one that most sums up why she's such a good example of a paladin is the last panel of this (http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-6-70/) page.

RazorChain
2016-03-26, 08:26 PM
Usually I'm not a paladin kind of a guy but sometimes it is fun to play something out of your element.

So I made a Paladin called Nightstar, he was orphaned at a young age and raised by an outcast dwarf. He decided on his name that during the night he would become the brightest star, to light the path, a symbol of hope in the darkness. I explained to my DM that even though he was Lawful he didn't care much about the law, only his convictions and his code of honor. Bad laws are often made by bad people.

And there I had a rock and roll, dirty Harryesque Paladin. He never berated, only inspired and always did the right thing, No matter what!

He used all his treasures to build an operate and orphanage, he made investments and ran charities. I remember at one time the group aquired a silver mine and he had just bought the others out of it and operated it, then the Dm had this rumor/event chart and rolled "the price of silver doubles" That made me grin.

His first priority was always the helpless, the wounded and those in need. While the rest of the group was "power looting" after fights he introduced himself to freed slaves/prisoners or people in need"I'm Nightstar and I'm here to rescue you/help you". The party bard finally caught on and started composing ballads so in the end people recognized the group. "Look here is Nightstar and his companions".

But his greatest deed was probably when he killed the dragon. We were about lvl 7 when we faced a dragon, a young one but still...
Nightstar had always refused to give up his axe which was his main weapon (axe and shield) because his dwarven adopted father had made it for him. This posed a problem for the DM when facing monster thad could only be harmed by magical weapns Nighstar was useless (almost)

So the party charged the Dragon and started to fight, Nighstar's axe didn't manage to pierce the scales of the dragon but that didn't stop him attacking. At last the dragon spewed his flame and the dwarven fighter and the halfling rouge went down. Nightstar had aquired a shield that protected him from the flames (half damage). At this crucial moment his axe broke from a forceful blow and Nighstar picked up his Dwarven friend's magical axe and redoubled his effort. The Mage and the Bard were still standing but were in bad shape, so Nighstar jumped on the dragon's back and started hacking at his head. The Dragon turned his head and prepared to spew more fire but Nighstar stuck his shield into the dragons's mouth, lodging it there. The dragon took flight and flew out of his lair trying to shake Nightstar off his back but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile Nightstar weakened the Dragon, blow after blow. Until finally the Dragon started to plummet to the ground. Nighstar jumped off and managed to entangle himself in some treebranches that helped slow his fall. His friends were sure suprised when he entered the cave dragging the dragons head with him.


This fight was such a series of incredible lucky rolls. Like when Nightstar was falling to the ground the GM said: "you need to roll a 20 or you'll go splat", he had warned me that when I was making ridiculous Strenght and Athletics rolls that maybe it was wise to let go. The Mage and the Bard had started to power loot the cave the moment Nightstar and the Dragon took off, they did not expect to see him again :smallsmile:

After this the Bard made a ballad and henceforth he became known as Nightstar the Dragonslayer...and even his partymembers never begrudged him that title. The Rogue exploited his friendship all the time when intimidating criminal scum "Don't you know who is my friend eh? Do you want to invoke the wrath of Nightstar the Dragonslayer? I thought not"

8BitNinja
2016-03-27, 10:26 PM
Wow, people are finally posting here again

ShadowFighter15
2016-03-31, 01:42 AM
Tried my hand at making a very un-paladin-like paladin when Wrath of the Righteous was announced. Had a chance to try her in one game but it's since died. Not gonna stop me using her again, but still.

On the surface, she seems a bit cliche; a demon-spawn tiefling of Chelish heritage (her parents were Chelish expatriates). Luciana Moretti is a worshipper of Lymnieris (http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Lymnieris) and has taken the time to really study the details of the various oaths and such she had to take as a paladin, or at least the parts pertaining towards more... amorous pursuits. What she found was that they lined up quite well with how she was already going about it - honesty, making sure not to lead them on about the relationship (unwittingly or not), not forcing them into something they're not comfortable with, taking the appropriate health precautions (pregnancy not being one of them since that requires a man, who don't quite meet her preferences) and so-on. Did mean she had to cut back on the flirty embellishments a bit, though.

Essentially she's a laid-back, somewhat snarky woman who'll flirt with just about any attractive lady she thinks would be interested. And who likes to flaunt what she's got when not having to wear armour. But despite all that, when it comes down to it, she is a paladin; whatever she does with her free time is always secondary to her duty. If she has to fight; gone are the eye-catching outfits replaced with armour, her long hair tied back in a practical tail, whatever eye she has for the female form disappears and she becomes all-business (or at least as all-business as, say, Lien). Well... maybe with the odd one-liner here and there. :smallcool:

Not the first paladin character I ever made but the one I enjoyed the most. That and I don't think I could pull off an O-Chul. Thankfully, though; I don't think I could pull off a Miko either.

8BitNinja
2016-03-31, 09:33 AM
Tried my hand at making a very un-paladin-like paladin when Wrath of the Righteous was announced. Had a chance to try her in one game but it's since died. Not gonna stop me using her again, but still.

On the surface, she seems a bit cliche; a demon-spawn tiefling of Chelish heritage (her parents were Chelish expatriates). Luciana Moretti is a worshipper of Lymnieris (http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Lymnieris) and has taken the time to really study the details of the various oaths and such she had to take as a paladin, or at least the parts pertaining towards more... amorous pursuits. What she found was that they lined up quite well with how she was already going about it - honesty, making sure not to lead them on about the relationship (unwittingly or not), not forcing them into something they're not comfortable with, taking the appropriate health precautions (pregnancy not being one of them since that requires a man, who don't quite meet her preferences) and so-on. Did mean she had to cut back on the flirty embellishments a bit, though.

Essentially she's a laid-back, somewhat snarky woman who'll flirt with just about any attractive lady she thinks would be interested. And who likes to flaunt what she's got when not having to wear armour. But despite all that, when it comes down to it, she is a paladin; whatever she does with her free time is always secondary to her duty. If she has to fight; gone are the eye-catching outfits replaced with armour, her long hair tied back in a practical tail, whatever eye she has for the female form disappears and she becomes all-business (or at least as all-business as, say, Lien). Well... maybe with the odd one-liner here and there. :smallcool:

Not the first paladin character I ever made but the one I enjoyed the most. That and I don't think I could pull off an O-Chul. Thankfully, though; I don't think I could pull off a Miko either.

If you have heard the song Peppermint Creams by NSP, that's also a very un-paladinlike paladin.

(I can't post it here due to language and references to sex)