A Very Atypical Paladin [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Very Atypical Paladin [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Callista
11-26-04, 08:26 PM Already posted this on the DM's Forum, but figured I might get a few more ideas if I posted here too.

I'm currently attempting to design a gnomish paladin, who, with luck, will be a long-term NPC, and without luck, will at least play a part in the next couple of sessions. I'm thinking to put him in a position as the leader of the town guard/city militia. For reasons of plot, he has to have paladin levels. Total character levels should be something like 5 or 6.

So, I'm thinking, with the gnomish propensity towards Chaos, this NPC might have trained as a Monk to learn discipline (i.e., gain or reinforce the required Lawful alignment). I need this character to have high saves, and a couple levels of Monk could go a long way.

I'm also aware that a paladin who multiclasses to Monk can't gain paladin levels anymore; though that restriction doesn't apply to someone who starts out as a monk and then takes levels as a paladin.

So what we have here is a very atypical gnome. First, he's Lawful; second, he's a Monk, third, he's a Paladin.

1. How would such a person act? Personality, et cetera. And how would he be received by the carefree townsfolk (who are mostly gnome, some halfling, some human)? Not to mention that the town government is aligned CG, though the mayor is NG; and while the paladin's primary allegiance is of course to his god, that could cause problems.

2. Which brings me to something else: What god would a gnomish paladin worship? (Generic D&D setting).

3. And, while the paladin's call is a personal thing (or would be in this NPC's case anyhow), how does a gnome become a paladin when gnomish paladins are almost unheard of?

4. Mechanics: This guy will probably be a party ally (or, if the BBEG has his way, an enemy... long story), so he will have to be relatively good at fighting. Does it make sense, stat-wise, to have a paladin who uses unarmed attacks or monk-style weapons?

Any advice will be appreciated. And, before you say it, I will say it myself: Yes, I do have a knack for creating weird NPCs... so sue me!
aleshandre
11-26-04, 11:38 PM Unless they changed with 3.5, under current D&D rules, a Paladin no longer has to have a connection with a specific god. It can instead be a connection to a divine principle (or set of principles). In the case of this gnome (not knowing gnomes very well), I would say that the combination of his monk training and his current position have instilled in him a suficiently strong commitment to lawfulness (as it applies to the safety of the townsfolk) and what ever principles of goodness are appropriate to a gnome. Perhaps he has gained a commitment to the idea that gnomes and other sentient (typically good aligned) races have a divine nature that compels him to work to bring that out in others in his town. Such a person would seek peaceful solutions where posible, talking to neutral and even borderline people to try to win them over and resorting to combat only where talk is unlikely to be of any benefit.
Black Kitten
11-28-04, 01:32 PM A Paladin's calling is usually one that comes from within the person himself, were it a human, half-elf, elf, dwarf or, as you say, gnome. So I'd say this character had it already before he started out.

Maybe he met one of the monks one day and during a short conversation got interested in seeing the monestary and once there never wanted to leave again. He stayed there for a while and maybe considered life there too docile and went out adventuring. As luck may have it, he met a Cleric of Heironeous and the Gnome converted to that belief.

Hence you now have a character whose heart is LG, his training as a monk makes him patient even without a sword and he has Heironeous to keep an eye on him as well.:)
Callista
11-29-04, 01:39 AM I used the gnomish paladin for the first time today. He went over quite well. The players know him as "the Constable", an oddly serious gnome who feels great responsibility for his town, and will do anything to protect it. His example actually pushed one player's dwarven monk (formerly LN) the rest of the way to LG (it didn't take much) when she decided to capture rather than kill a known murderer in order to give him a chance to repent and/or explain himself. Good thing, too; because eventually it will turn out that he was influenced more than halfway by a cursed intelligent weapon he had come to possess.

Another player, a CN rogue, was extremely annoyed by his very presence, which is as it should be; but she actually managed to use her silver tongue (think sky-high Bluff/Diplomacy) to convince the constable to acccept the party's aid in tracking down said murderer. The rogue usually stays far, far away from anything resembling authority... so seeing her attempt to cooperate with authority for a change (for her own reasons, of course--a nice reward being one of them) was quite amusing.

In short, a good time was had by all; and thanks for the help!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Callista 11-26-04, 08:26 PM	Already posted this on the DM's Forum, but figured I might get a few more ideas if I posted here too. I'm currently attempting to design a gnomish paladin, who, with luck, will be a long-term NPC, and without luck, will at least play a part in the next couple of sessions. I'm thinking to put him in a position as the leader of the town guard/city militia. For reasons of plot, he has to have paladin levels. Total character levels should be something like 5 or 6. So, I'm thinking, with the gnomish propensity towards Chaos, this NPC might have trained as a Monk to learn discipline (i.e., gain or reinforce the required Lawful alignment). I need this character to have high saves, and a couple levels of Monk could go a long way. I'm also aware that a paladin who multiclasses to Monk can't gain paladin levels anymore; though that restriction doesn't apply to someone who starts out as a monk and then takes levels as a paladin. So what we have here is a very atypical gnome. First, he's Lawful; second, he's a Monk, third, he's a Paladin. 1. How would such a person act? Personality, et cetera. And how would he be received by the carefree townsfolk (who are mostly gnome, some halfling, some human)? Not to mention that the town government is aligned CG, though the mayor is NG; and while the paladin's primary allegiance is of course to his god, that could cause problems. 2. Which brings me to something else: What god would a gnomish paladin worship? (Generic D&D setting). 3. And, while the paladin's call is a personal thing (or would be in this NPC's case anyhow), how does a gnome become a paladin when gnomish paladins are almost unheard of? 4. Mechanics: This guy will probably be a party ally (or, if the BBEG has his way, an enemy... long story), so he will have to be relatively good at fighting. Does it make sense, stat-wise, to have a paladin who uses unarmed attacks or monk-style weapons? Any advice will be appreciated. And, before you say it, I will say it myself: Yes, I do have a knack for creating weird NPCs... so sue me!
aleshandre 11-26-04, 11:38 PM	Unless they changed with 3.5, under current D&D rules, a Paladin no longer has to have a connection with a specific god. It can instead be a connection to a divine principle (or set of principles). In the case of this gnome (not knowing gnomes very well), I would say that the combination of his monk training and his current position have instilled in him a suficiently strong commitment to lawfulness (as it applies to the safety of the townsfolk) and what ever principles of goodness are appropriate to a gnome. Perhaps he has gained a commitment to the idea that gnomes and other sentient (typically good aligned) races have a divine nature that compels him to work to bring that out in others in his town. Such a person would seek peaceful solutions where posible, talking to neutral and even borderline people to try to win them over and resorting to combat only where talk is unlikely to be of any benefit.
Black Kitten 11-28-04, 01:32 PM	A Paladin's calling is usually one that comes from within the person himself, were it a human, half-elf, elf, dwarf or, as you say, gnome. So I'd say this character had it already before he started out. Maybe he met one of the monks one day and during a short conversation got interested in seeing the monestary and once there never wanted to leave again. He stayed there for a while and maybe considered life there too docile and went out adventuring. As luck may have it, he met a Cleric of Heironeous and the Gnome converted to that belief. Hence you now have a character whose heart is LG, his training as a monk makes him patient even without a sword and he has Heironeous to keep an eye on him as well.:)
Callista 11-29-04, 01:39 AM	I used the gnomish paladin for the first time today. He went over quite well. The players know him as "the Constable", an oddly serious gnome who feels great responsibility for his town, and will do anything to protect it. His example actually pushed one player's dwarven monk (formerly LN) the rest of the way to LG (it didn't take much) when she decided to capture rather than kill a known murderer in order to give him a chance to repent and/or explain himself. Good thing, too; because eventually it will turn out that he was influenced more than halfway by a cursed intelligent weapon he had come to possess. Another player, a CN rogue, was extremely annoyed by his very presence, which is as it should be; but she actually managed to use her silver tongue (think sky-high Bluff/Diplomacy) to convince the constable to acccept the party's aid in tracking down said murderer. The rogue usually stays far, far away from anything resembling authority... so seeing her attempt to cooperate with authority for a change (for her own reasons, of course--a nice reward being one of them) was quite amusing. In short, a good time was had by all; and thanks for the help!