Paladins

Paladins
Paladins on Thelos are not necessarily different than the standard paladins in the d20 system, but I believe they get a bad rap due to misunderstanding or lack of a broader understanding of their form and function. There are some slight differences but mostly they call back to older version of the game they spawned from and I'll note those differences below. Just know that paladins are a difficult class to play, but not impossible. They can be a great class to play story-wise and a powerful one in game if handled properly. They can also be downright annoying if not done right.

The first hard and fast rule about paladins on Thelos is they are always Lawful Good (not Lawful Stupid). Paladins are members of a strict order whose entire mission is the righteous adherence to holy law and virtue. Not all deities have paladins, but almost any race can take up this charge if they give themselves to those who do. They live by a code that is intended to help them remain virtuous. That code, and its application may surprise you but it is one of the areas I believe paladins suffer in other systems and games. This does not mean all paladins are rigid robots. They are still people, they still make mistakes, still stumble, and sometimes they fall. This is the challenge, and I think, the fun in playing a paladin and shouldn't be looked at as a burden.

What follows should be considered the highest bar paladins attempt to attain. No one is perfect, though many people in Thelos think that paladins think they are. The key to playing a paladin is the attempt to attain the highest standard, the exalted goal. Most will fall short. Some will fall too short and lose their powers. Even fewer will be redeemed and possibly find that ultimate goal. That's what makes them the best class to RP in my opinion.

Recommended Reading
The Book of Exalted Deeds has a lot of influence on what I think a good paladin should shoot for. Also the 2nd Edition book, the Complete Paladin's Handbook. Both should still be available somewhere, but the first part of Exalted Deeds covers many of the ideals a paladin should see as the height of their goals.

Morality and Virtue, penned by Triel Dilshanae

A Note on Detecting Evil
In Pathfinder paladins can detect evil as in the spell, and I'm not much of a fan of that. I'm not even really a fan of how the spell works. It's too simplistic, but the spell itself is for another topic.

Paladins in Thelos can detect evil intent, much like the way paladins operated in D&D 2E. Detect evil relies on your character understanding the abstract concept of alignment, and most beings just don't operate that way. Other than undead and outsiders, few creatures walk around with a tag identifying them as evil. Paladins have the distinct ability to tell if something is capable of evil, or has evil intent. They aren't out there just mindlessly slaying every creature that is supposed to be evil, they are able to judge if that creature is capable of it.

One of the ideals a paladin would hold to is to not murder the innocent, and to redeem those who are redeemable. If a group of adventurers want to go raid a goblin cave the paladin's first thought should be Why? Because goblins are evil, isn't a good enough reason. Are goblins capable of being anything but evil? Sure. Just because the game says goblin alignment is evil, does that mean every goblin has done something evil? Of course not. A paladin should always be weighing their righteous mission to rid the world of evil against their equally righteous code to not murder the innocent. Remember, characters do not know what alignment is. They operate based on stereotype. If every goblin you've seen is doing something awful, it's easy to assume they're all evil, but a paladin needs to dig a little deeper. Again, this is simply the highest bar. A paladin may be able to safely go through life murdering everything that is thought to be evil, and be safe, but how many innocent goblins die before they lose the patronage of their deity?

This all goes out the window with evil outsiders, undead, and most aberrations. Daemons are evil, period. Skeletons, zombies, and the like are an affront to 'humanity' and should not exist in the world. Of course there could be good undead, good aligned liches for example, but they are the extreme minority.

A Note on Alignment
Alignment is an often maligned and misunderstood game mechanic, and it's really the fault of the game designers for not spending enough time explaining it I don't think. There's two things to remember with Alignment. First, your characters actually have no idea what it is. And second, it's a sliding scale, not a rigid straight jacket. Alignment isn't so much a strict rule on how your character has to behave all the time. It's more of a compass for how they personally feel about the world, and people, and how they'll most often tend to behave. A good character can do a bad thing, while an evil character can find a moment of charity. A lawful character can break a law, while a chaotic character...well, they're chaotic so choosing to follow a law isn't that unusual. Too many people view alignment as restrictive, but it's really not. Except for paladins, but that's for later.

Your Characters Have no Concept of Alignment

First of all, our characters are meant to think like real people. They very much live in a world where evil exists and is recognizable in the form of undead, daemons, and the like. But, when it comes to actual alignment their concept of it is "That guy's a law abiding citizen", or "She's pretty charitable, she has a good heart." The words Lawful Good would have no real meaning to them. While they may think of a person as evil, because they do bad things, they wouldn't understand that the person could just be Chaotic Neutral and having a bad day. The concept of alignment is foreign to them, so in most cases when determining the effects of spells that tell alignment the DM should keep that in mind. Flavor the results in a way that make more real world sense to the character.

Alignment is not a Straight Jacket

Too many people think alignment means that's the only way their character can act. That's so far from the truth and I can't begin to imagine where that idea came from. The best example of how to handle alignment is the sliding scale in the original Neverwinter Nights. If you played that game you would have noticed that alignment was on a scale from 100-0 for both parts of it. 100/100 being the most Lawful Good you can be while 0/0 being the most Chaotic Evil. Doing things outside your alignment range would move that number. Donating to the local children's orphanage +1 toward good, for example. Now, I'm not saying that you have to be that detailed as a DM, but keep that concept in mind. Even players should remember that. Your character's alignment is the set of morals and principles they try to hold to, but no one's perfect. Think of your own morals. Do you believe in law and order? Have you also broken the speed limit? Do you believe in charity, but have said no when someone asks for a donation? Every situation is an opportunity for the character to weigh their principles against it. Sometimes we act outside our principles, sometimes characters act outside their alignment. As long as they don't do it too often, or too dramatically, their alignment won't shift outside that range.

Lawful Good and Paladins

Paladins are Lawful Good, not Lawful Stupid. There will be an entire section on alignment elsewhere in this Wiki, but for the purposes of playing a paladin we need to look more closely at Lawful Good.

The first part of alignment is how the character views the world. Whether they believe in order or chaos. It does not literally mean they are law abiding citizens if they are lawful. It means they have a set of standards and morals they cling to, and that they believe in some form of structure. Whether it is military structure, laws and governance, or a personal code they refuse to break. That is lawful. That's the easy part.

The second part of alignment is how the character views interaction with others. Good, however, is not always nice. It's not necessarily kind, and it's not stupid. Good characters believe in treating people fairly. They believe in protecting people weaker than them. They often believe in being charitable, and often they will help people in need. It doesn't always mean they will sacrifice themselves for others. Not every good person is the same level of good. They don't jump headlong into a suicidal mission just to save someone. They don't give everything they have so someone else can eat. Some may, but being good does not require constant personal sacrifice.

Paladins are constantly balancing these morals and principles against their own code and beliefs. They may sacrifice themselves, but only if it's for a much higher purpose. A paladin would weigh saving just one person against the odds of saving many, and sometimes make a difficult choice. Similarly, they may give most of what they have to others, but how is a penniless, starving, and naked paladin supposed to help the next person they meet if they give everything away? They can mess up, make mistakes, and as long as their alignment doesn't slide too far they're fine. But, unlike other LG characters, one truly evil act can cause them to fall. They may remain LG, but their patron will require atonement to return to good graces. Playing a paladin does not mean playing a robot, or a two dimensional character.

The Paladin's Code
While each order may have some variation on this, every order has a code. This is the general code that paladins strive to adhere to.

Respect Legitimate Authority: Respect those rulers who are placed in authority by the just laws of their land and who uphold those just laws. Treat them with honor and dignity even in disagreement.

Act with Honor: Lies, deceit, schemes, and poisons are the tools of the dark path. A paladin strives to be honest, forthright, and treat even enemies with respect and dignity.

Help Those in Need: A paladin should put the needs of the weak and helpless above their own. If a paladin witnesses hunger he should give up his own bread, the poor should receive the paladin's coin, and even use his own cloak to comfort the cold. To this end a paladin should never give everything, but keep just enough so that he may continue to help others. A paladin with no armor, weapon, or mount is incapable of continuing to help those in need. Aid should never further the cause of evil for any reason.

Punish Those Who Harm or Take Advantage of the Weak: Punishment should fit the crime, but no paladin may turn a blind eye when intentional suffering is caused. Be swift, be sure, and be just, but above all defend those weaker than oneself.

Do Not Associate With or Aid Evil: A paladin should strive to keep a pure heart and avoid contact with evil. Should need arise, and the cause of good be furthered by working beside someone who walks the dark path it may be necessary, but that cooperation should end the moment the goal is achieved. Under no circumstances should a paladin work with evil in such a way to further evil ends.