ashtrails
2018-12-17, 11:37 AM
After more than one year playing an Oath of Redemption Paladin, I thought I’d share my experience on the subject (and would love to hear yours).
As a disclaimer, this applies to a ‘functional’ group of characters that are more (anti)heroes than villains and / or who WANT character dynamics and some roleplay.
There have been threads about this, but I still feel there are a few gaps to fill, especially from a more fundamental perspective of what the Oath of Redemption could mean and how to embody it.
If that does or does not gel well with your respective party is of course very subjective, but maybe my take on it is able to eliminate some doubts or spark ideas, so here you go:
With this Oath, you often see that it’s perceived as a similar-but-not-similar and more annoying form of a Devotion Paladin or that it’s weird to have a pacifist warrior type as an option who constantly hinders party progress with too much talky-stuff or has to bend and ignore their tenets to even fit into a party, all the while having a martial repertoire that’s cleary made for ass-kicking.
Peace: Violence is a weapon of last resort. Diplomacy and understanding are the paths to long lasting peace.
I think this is the Oath characteristic that puts off most people and that evokes the image of the Jedi Ambassador, Tranquility Monk mimic or armored Hippie.
It’s important to put ‘Peace’ into context with your setting, or D&D and the world’s mindset in general. In a world where violence is a dominant form of problem solving, where monsters, demons, deities and resurrection magic are real, being in favor of peace or even a pacifist, needs a completely different perspective than we, with a modern mindset might have.
Even with this tenet in mind, I never really doubted that a Redemption Paladin would use violence in a world like this and likewise wouldn’t scorn their companions for doing so. To a certain point.
One of the most valuable experiences I made was that ‘Last Resort’ does not need to translate to ‘Trying everything else first’. Talking first is reasonable in some cases, but keeping in mind how the world works, how flawed it is and how deeply ingrained violence is into everyone else, I had to accept that this was nothing I could handle with a crowbar.
In the context of a martial world, not being violent sometimes simply translates to: Do not attack first. Do not use violence to get what you want. Do not kill those who deserve mercy. Do not cause further violence through your violence. And most importantly: Understand the consequences of violence and mitigate the damage as much as you possibly can afterwards.
The Oath of Redemption is much more about ‘trauma care’ and being aware of the actions of yourself and others, not following your tenets to the letter to keep YOUR armor clean and shiny, earning brownie points with the universe or a deity. It’s one of the few Oaths that isn’t stuck in it’s own self-righteous arse this way, as a matter of fact. It is a particular outward force, yet not invasive if played in a certain way.
To me, seeing the concept like this was really helpful, because it does a much better job at selling the Oath than assuming you are the idiot who spoils all the fun combat encounters and sparing every villain you come across as the Oath’s main ‘appeal’.
Your goal is redeeming people. That includes those on the path of evil, the misguided, your party and yourself. Though here’s the important part to actually play this in a satisfying way for me:
Redemption Tenets are strongly interwoven. The key to Peace is of course Patience and Wisdom. You are the judge of when one is too far down the path or even simpler, when to bleed / radiate your Oath onto those around you.
You can decide when it is a good time to be a shining example for them, or show them how things can be handled differently, or when to chew them out when they made a terrible mistake they gotta atone for. But there are also times you just have to keep everyone alive and well and accept them as who they are for now.
You’re a redeemer and redemption is neither easy, nor pleasant most of the time and you don’t have to be either. Patience is your greatest virtue, both mechanically and in terms of party synergy.
An example: If you tell people who murdered bandits / monsters for a living for the last decades that the life they’ve chosen is wrong, they’ll think you’re nuts (again: world context is important); and rightly so.
If your party kills, you don’t have to abandon or lecture them and you certainly do not break your tenets when not intervening (in most cases).
Your goal is a long term goal.
The world is flawed. So are your friends, so are you.
If they kill, find out why. Show them, not tell them, why other people deserve to be redeemed and accept their judgement, when they think and act otherwise. There will be another chance for them. There always will be. That’s what your very Oath is about, right?
On a more personal note, I’d like to share what made this Oath so appealing in the first place.
I always liked paladins as a roleplaying concept but here's why this one was a perfect new spin for me:
To be clear, the other Oaths are cool as well.
As a Devotion Paladin, you protect the innocent from evil and walk down dark and dirty roads, untarnished and your honor unbroken till your last day as a paladin.
The Oath of the Ancients drives back the darkness and preserves the shining light of hope for you and those around you.
The Crown stands as a bastion of loyalty and safeguards civilization against those who would undo it.
Vengeance punishes the wicked without doubt or hesitation and settles the score for those greatly wronged.
Conquest… well ironically, it’s weirdly similar to Redemption on some level. Though instead of diplomacy and understanding, you put your mighty armored boot unto the throats of the misguided groveling in the dust beneath you, telling them ‘Be good, or else…’
Reading this, the recurring motifs struck me. Every other Oath (apart from maybe conquest) is reactive. They protect, they punish, they preserve, they stand against a force they have accepted as part of existence. They react to incidents of evil and combat it where it reaches their sphere of influence.
As an Oath of Redemption Paladin you shoulder a task that will clearly exceed your human capabilities and very likely your lifetime. You, by default, cannot completely accomplish what your tenets dictate and you take that Oath nonetheless, because you believe that at some point, the world can mend without you.
All paladins are a beacon in the dread of night who promise you: you will be safe from the things in this horrible darkness as long as we are around.
As an Oath of Redemption Paladin, your promise is that you will make the night end. For good.
Other paladins are beacons.
You are the dawn.
As a disclaimer, this applies to a ‘functional’ group of characters that are more (anti)heroes than villains and / or who WANT character dynamics and some roleplay.
There have been threads about this, but I still feel there are a few gaps to fill, especially from a more fundamental perspective of what the Oath of Redemption could mean and how to embody it.
If that does or does not gel well with your respective party is of course very subjective, but maybe my take on it is able to eliminate some doubts or spark ideas, so here you go:
With this Oath, you often see that it’s perceived as a similar-but-not-similar and more annoying form of a Devotion Paladin or that it’s weird to have a pacifist warrior type as an option who constantly hinders party progress with too much talky-stuff or has to bend and ignore their tenets to even fit into a party, all the while having a martial repertoire that’s cleary made for ass-kicking.
Peace: Violence is a weapon of last resort. Diplomacy and understanding are the paths to long lasting peace.
I think this is the Oath characteristic that puts off most people and that evokes the image of the Jedi Ambassador, Tranquility Monk mimic or armored Hippie.
It’s important to put ‘Peace’ into context with your setting, or D&D and the world’s mindset in general. In a world where violence is a dominant form of problem solving, where monsters, demons, deities and resurrection magic are real, being in favor of peace or even a pacifist, needs a completely different perspective than we, with a modern mindset might have.
Even with this tenet in mind, I never really doubted that a Redemption Paladin would use violence in a world like this and likewise wouldn’t scorn their companions for doing so. To a certain point.
One of the most valuable experiences I made was that ‘Last Resort’ does not need to translate to ‘Trying everything else first’. Talking first is reasonable in some cases, but keeping in mind how the world works, how flawed it is and how deeply ingrained violence is into everyone else, I had to accept that this was nothing I could handle with a crowbar.
In the context of a martial world, not being violent sometimes simply translates to: Do not attack first. Do not use violence to get what you want. Do not kill those who deserve mercy. Do not cause further violence through your violence. And most importantly: Understand the consequences of violence and mitigate the damage as much as you possibly can afterwards.
The Oath of Redemption is much more about ‘trauma care’ and being aware of the actions of yourself and others, not following your tenets to the letter to keep YOUR armor clean and shiny, earning brownie points with the universe or a deity. It’s one of the few Oaths that isn’t stuck in it’s own self-righteous arse this way, as a matter of fact. It is a particular outward force, yet not invasive if played in a certain way.
To me, seeing the concept like this was really helpful, because it does a much better job at selling the Oath than assuming you are the idiot who spoils all the fun combat encounters and sparing every villain you come across as the Oath’s main ‘appeal’.
Your goal is redeeming people. That includes those on the path of evil, the misguided, your party and yourself. Though here’s the important part to actually play this in a satisfying way for me:
Redemption Tenets are strongly interwoven. The key to Peace is of course Patience and Wisdom. You are the judge of when one is too far down the path or even simpler, when to bleed / radiate your Oath onto those around you.
You can decide when it is a good time to be a shining example for them, or show them how things can be handled differently, or when to chew them out when they made a terrible mistake they gotta atone for. But there are also times you just have to keep everyone alive and well and accept them as who they are for now.
You’re a redeemer and redemption is neither easy, nor pleasant most of the time and you don’t have to be either. Patience is your greatest virtue, both mechanically and in terms of party synergy.
An example: If you tell people who murdered bandits / monsters for a living for the last decades that the life they’ve chosen is wrong, they’ll think you’re nuts (again: world context is important); and rightly so.
If your party kills, you don’t have to abandon or lecture them and you certainly do not break your tenets when not intervening (in most cases).
Your goal is a long term goal.
The world is flawed. So are your friends, so are you.
If they kill, find out why. Show them, not tell them, why other people deserve to be redeemed and accept their judgement, when they think and act otherwise. There will be another chance for them. There always will be. That’s what your very Oath is about, right?
On a more personal note, I’d like to share what made this Oath so appealing in the first place.
I always liked paladins as a roleplaying concept but here's why this one was a perfect new spin for me:
To be clear, the other Oaths are cool as well.
As a Devotion Paladin, you protect the innocent from evil and walk down dark and dirty roads, untarnished and your honor unbroken till your last day as a paladin.
The Oath of the Ancients drives back the darkness and preserves the shining light of hope for you and those around you.
The Crown stands as a bastion of loyalty and safeguards civilization against those who would undo it.
Vengeance punishes the wicked without doubt or hesitation and settles the score for those greatly wronged.
Conquest… well ironically, it’s weirdly similar to Redemption on some level. Though instead of diplomacy and understanding, you put your mighty armored boot unto the throats of the misguided groveling in the dust beneath you, telling them ‘Be good, or else…’
Reading this, the recurring motifs struck me. Every other Oath (apart from maybe conquest) is reactive. They protect, they punish, they preserve, they stand against a force they have accepted as part of existence. They react to incidents of evil and combat it where it reaches their sphere of influence.
As an Oath of Redemption Paladin you shoulder a task that will clearly exceed your human capabilities and very likely your lifetime. You, by default, cannot completely accomplish what your tenets dictate and you take that Oath nonetheless, because you believe that at some point, the world can mend without you.
All paladins are a beacon in the dread of night who promise you: you will be safe from the things in this horrible darkness as long as we are around.
As an Oath of Redemption Paladin, your promise is that you will make the night end. For good.
Other paladins are beacons.
You are the dawn.