Character with the biggest code of conduct ever?

[Morph Bark]

So looking over Exalted feats, Bloodline feats, classes with alignment restrictions, etcetera... I came to wonder how one could make a character with the most intricate ginormous code of conduct ever. So yeah, what build, through use of classes, PrCs, feats, templates and whatever else there is, would have such a massive code of conduct?

[tyckspoon]

An Exalted Paladin/Knight with all of the Vows would be a pretty good start, with a requirement to be absurdly good, shun all material wealth, and with completely ridiculous restrictions on what he is allowed to do to an opponent (IIRC, for example, Knights are not allowed to offer or take advantage of flanking or strike against a prone opponent.) Plus restrictions against.. whatever the heck it is the less-notable Vows tell you not to do. Drugs (with a definition that incidentally includes monsters poisoning you, I believe) and sex, I think.

[Ranos]

Give him every vow, a level in knight, a level in paladin, the Ordered Chaos feat, a level in paladin of freedom. Can't think of anything else right now.

A cleric level will also give him one god's dogma to follow. Now to find the most complicated dogma in the pantheon.

[Evard]

I haven't read all the vows but...

Make some personal ones that don't come from classes... :D yay for roleplay

>Vegan
>Must sleep on his stomach so that the Thunder God wont throw lightning at his belly button
>Must try to negotiate during the first round of battle to try and have no fighting take place
>Must break all vows once a month to keep them in perspective (the ones with strong wills will come back to their path)

[Optimystik]

>Vegan
>Must sleep on his stomach so that the Thunder God wont throw lightning at his belly button

Very good point, we can throw some Wu Jen in the build for Taboos.

Also, the Saint template.

[aivanther]

Give him every vow, a level in knight, a level in paladin, the Ordered Chaos feat, a level in paladin of freedom. Can't think of anything else right now.

A cleric level will also give him one god's dogma to follow. Now to find the most complicated dogma in the pantheon.

Can't do that, knights have to be lawful, and paladins of freedom have to be chaotic good, and ordered chaos doesn't make you chaotic simply not suffer from using chaotic items and taking abyssal heritor feats.

I'd go with everyone else: knight, vows, paladin. Samurai and monk both have some form "do this or lose it" abilities. Wu Jen's taboos would get restrictive as well. Apostle of Peace prohibits even armor. Risen Martyr (instant annihilation for any evil act).

I'm sure there's more but can't think of them off the top of my head.

[Evard]

Risen Martyr is an awesome class... They go out the best way :D

[Stompy]

Kensai, because nothing says oath like "do what this NPC says".

EDIT: and make that NPC cause code clashes at every turn. (hell, I believe Complete Warrior actually suggests that in the Kensai sidebar. )

EDIT2: If we can use 3.0 sources I think there were even more vows over there, including vow of silence.

[Greenish]

(IIRC, for example, Knights are not allowed to offer or take advantage of flanking or strike against a prone opponent.)

Knight's Code:

• Never use the flanking bonus (you can flank with someone else, the enemy can be flanked, but if you choose to benefit from the +2 to hit, you fall). Amusingly, you could still use Sneak Attack.
• Never attack flat-footed opponent. If your enemy is balancing with less than 5 ranks in Balance, you fall for attacking him.
• Never deal lethal damage to helpless foe. You can keep beating them as long as you want for nonlethal, though.

Samurai and monk both have some form "do this or lose it" abilities.

The only thing monks lose (by becoming non-lawful) is the ability to take more monk levels. Yes, falling as a monk is actually good for you.

[Edit]:

EDIT2: If we can use 3.0 sources I think there were even more vows over there, including vow of silence.

Buomman, racial vow of silence.

[Tinydwarfman]

Take a level in druid for extra kicks. If you don't mind falling as a paladin/druid.

So:
Buoman Saint Druid 1/Monk 1/Samurai 1/Paladin 1/Knight 1/Wu Gen 1/Kensai 1/Risen Martyr 1

With all of the vows. Missing anything?

[Greenish]

Take a level in druid for extra kicks. If you don't mind falling as a paladin/druid.

So:
Buoman Saint Druid 1/Monk 1/Samurai 1/Paladin 1/Knight 1/Wu Gen 1/Kensai 1/Risen Martyr 1

With all of the vows. Missing anything?

Incarnates. If you take Law Incarnate instead of paladin to that, it, doesn't fall straight away.

[aivanther]

The only thing monks lose (by becoming non-lawful) is the ability to take more monk levels. Yes, falling as a monk is actually good for you.

Yes, but we're only talking about constraints, not what happens if you fall.

After all, a Samurai gets better to after he falls and takes Ronin.

[Morph Bark]

Incarnates. If you take Law Incarnate instead of paladin to that, it, doesn't fall straight away.

Dump Druid and take Soulborn instead so you can still get the Vows?

[Stompy]

not really a vow, but if you take cleric with a god of "don't do this or I take away your powers", does that count?

[The Glyphstone]

That's DM adjuncation though - we're going for classes that have explicitly defined mechanical codes of conduct.

[Ranos]

Ordered chaos doesn't make you chaotic simply not suffer from using chaotic items and taking abyssal heritor feats.

Are you absolutely sure about that ? It says that any effects that are keyed to alignment work as if you were chaotic as well as your own alignment, then it goes on to say in the examples that you could take the Primordial Scion feat despite its chaotic alignment prerequisite. From that, I conclude that effect includes feat prerequisites. And from that, it's not too much of a leap to say that it includes class prerequisites.

So you could take potentially conflicting codes from a lawful class and a chaotic class. Maybe we could even make a character who can't act at all without breaking one of his codes.

[chiasaur11]

Man, by the end of this, the poor dope won't even be able to sneeze freely.

Continue.

[Morph Bark]

not really a vow, but if you take cleric with a god of "don't do this or I take away your powers", does that count?

If there are any gods who do this by standard (not just DMs ruling it), other than Good Gods saying "don't do Evil" or Chaotic Good Gods being against Lawfulness to a degree (since they allow Neutral Good clerics), sure.

[Ravens_cry]

If you add this class from a 3rd party developer for Pathfinder, they won't even be able to eat trail rations.

[Ranos]

Oh, I just remembered Oriental adventures samurai adds obedience to a lord and all the basic samurai things with honor above all. Dishonor means seppuku or disgrace and ronin status.

Shintao monk from the same books forbids the poor guy from eating meat, commiting murder or theft, marrying, causing unecessary violence, gluttony, drunkeness, accumulating wealth, or becoming involved in politics.

[erikun]

Healer has vows similar to the Druid.

Is there really any point in making a Paladin/Druid or something similar? A Paladin who has taken levels in Druid has already fallen and lost their powers, as has a LG Druid. There isn't a code of conduct anymore if you've already violated it and lost the benefits of the class.

[Critical]

Buomman as a race to have a vow of silence?

[Optimystik]

Buomman as a race to have a vow of silence?

That's a good one; I can't think of anyone else with a racial vow offhand.

Is there really any point in making a Paladin/Druid or something similar? A Paladin who has taken levels in Druid has already fallen and lost their powers, as has a LG Druid. There isn't a code of conduct anymore if you've already violated it and lost the benefits of the class.

There are LN and NG paladins in Dragon #310. They also have codes of conduct.

One thing I can't figure out is how to combine Monk-Druid with Healer and Saint.

[Morph Bark]

Perhaps it would be handier to make a list of base classes, PrCs and feats with a code of conduct tied to them?

Race: Buomman.
Classes: Paladin, Druid, Samurai (CW), Healer (MiniHB), Knight (PHBII).
PrCs: Risen Martyr (BoED), Kensai (CW), Knight Protector (CW), Fist of the Forest (CC).
Feats: The "Vow" feats (BoED).


One question: are the Buomman actually capable of speaking, or not? If they are, what happens if they break their vow of silence? Why do they even have one, fluff-wise?

[Galileo]

Buomman can speak, but they take 1 point of Wisdom damage and -1 on most rolls for 24 hours every time they do. Singing is fine, though.

[Critical]

Perhaps it would be handier to make a list of base classes, PrCs and feats with a code of conduct tied to them?

Race: Buomman.
Classes: Paladin, Druid, Samurai, Healer, Knight.
PrCs: Risen Martyr, Kensai (don't know myself), Fist of the Forest (wasn't mentioned yet).
Feats: The "Vow" feats.


One question: are the Buomman actually capable of speaking, or not? If they are, what happens if they break their vow of silence? Why do they even have one, fluff-wise?

Forgot Wu Jen over there, also, a Cleric of some strict deity would fit too, I believe.
As for Buommans, they're extraplanar beings... I guess, that's just how they roll.

EDIT: Oh, and I just realized I was swordsage'd on the Buommans.

[Ingus]

Take a level in druid for extra kicks. If you don't mind falling as a paladin/druid.

So:
Buoman Saint Druid 1/Monk 1/Samurai 1/Paladin 1/Knight 1/Wu Gen 1/Kensai 1/Risen Martyr 1

With all of the vows. Missing anything?

This, plus Greenish's idea, plus Deneith Warden (Dragonmarked). It has not a written code of conduct, but members enter the military ranks of House Deneir and have to behave, to not being kicked out.

[Flickerdart]

Guys, you forget.

Blessed by Tem-Et Nu.

[balistafreak]

Guys, you forget.

Blessed by Tem-Et Nu.

Piss off Tem-Et Nu? Too bad. Take damage as if bitten by a hippopotamus.

[AslanCross]

Perhaps it would be handier to make a list of base classes, PrCs and feats with a code of conduct tied to them?

Race: Buomman.
Classes: Paladin, Druid, Samurai, Healer, Knight.
PrCs: Risen Martyr, Kensai (don't know myself), Fist of the Forest (wasn't mentioned yet).
Feats: The "Vow" feats.


One question: are the Buomman actually capable of speaking, or not? If they are, what happens if they break their vow of silence? Why do they even have one, fluff-wise?

They can speak, but they simply don't in the way other races do. They get penalties, as mentioned above. Their fluff reason for the vow is something about contemplation and meditation, if I'm not mistaken.