Elven paladin-to-be with sorcerous tendencies [Archive] - Wizards Community

Elven paladin-to-be with sorcerous tendencies [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
mythSSK
10-14-04, 04:23 AM Alright, here is my planned build for a character I've been working on:

Battle Sorcerer (UA) 4/Paladin of Freedom (UA) 3/Spellsword 3/Dragon Disciple 10

We'll be starting at first or second level, but that is what I plan to eventually do with him... thing is I'm not too sure about what his background will be like, or what sort of personality to give him. Obviously from the sorcerer and dragon disciple levels he has some sort of draconic heritage... but I'm not sure what type or whether it's going to be a major thing for him early on.

I was thinking maybe he was an initiate of a loose order of Paladins of Freedom, who train their paladins-to-be in the arcane arts so that they may better combat tyranny and oppression once they are knighted as true paladins of the order (and some of them would end up adopting the Spellsword prestige class once they reach higher levels because it's pretty darn useful for a paladin/sorcerer). Of course, I'm not dead set on this idea - any thoughts?

He is a wood elf... and he has an exceptionally high strength score, 20 to be exact (after racial adjustments of course).

I have no clue what sort of personality I should give him. I've never played a paladin before, let alone a Paladin of Freedom (Unearthed Arcana), any tips on how to play him?
mythSSK
10-14-04, 09:00 AM :bump: bump!
Murr-Quan Lord #2
10-16-04, 10:42 AM First, keep in mind that Paladins can be very, very different, even within the same order. A recent issue of Dragon magazine went into detail about this, along with a good deal of online articles -- one of them in Regdar's Repository on the D&D boards, I do believe.

Second, keep in mind that you are playing a Paladin of Freedom instead of a Paladin of Honor. This is a very different character concept. ^.^

The Paladin of Honor stereotype is of a knight adhering to the code of chivalry, bound to defend the innocent and uphold the law. He defers to those in authority over him, is generally courteous to all, and holds respect even for his enemies. (Assuming his enemies aren't vile abominations from the ninth layer, of course.)

Following this idea to its logical conclusion, the Paladin of Freedom stereotype would still be a knight, but one not bound by any real code other than "do what your heart tells you to." He defends the innocent, because he can't stand to see anyone be oppressed. He has a low opinion of most systems of justice and government, either because he knows how corrupt they can be or because he just doesn't like rules. He probably taunts his enemies and disrespects authority figures, and speaks in a less formal dialect than the medieval knight stereotype.

If a Paladin of Honor seems aloof, it's because he focuses on the law more than the people it benefits. If a Paladin of Freedom seems aloof, it's because he cares more about wreaking havoc than actually helping people out. Either one can become annoying by taking this to the extreme.

A Paladin of Honor may find himself in a bind when local laws get in the way of his dealing out justice, whereas a Paladin of Freedom probably just gets into trouble a lot.

If a Paladin of Honor accidentally causes harm to an innocent, he will apologize and try his best to make amends. If a Paladin of Freedom does so, he may not even care unless the person he harmed is someone he can sympathize with.

The code of honor held by Lawful Good Paladins is a thing they can fall back on when they're in doubt, and is designed to protect the innocent; you have only your heart to guide you, and it can be very misleading at times. Please keep in mind that the government and nobility of your world are made up of real people with feelings as well, and that tearing things down is not always the best idea.
mythSSK
10-17-04, 08:17 AM Wow. Thank you; I posted this a while ago and I had all but given up hope of someone actually replying. Your post has contributed greatly to how I'm going to be playing my character.

Still working on his background though ^_^.
Murr-Quan Lord #2
10-17-04, 11:35 AM You could post your ideas here, if you like. ^.^

If greater flexibility would help you in deciding, the Knight Training feat from the Eberron Campaign Setting allows a Paladin to multiclass freely with one other class. You could ask your DM to let you port it over, perhaps.

Alternately, you could just say that being a Paladin of Freedom should follow his heart rather than be confined to one class, and ask your DM to allow him to freely multiclass. Perhaps in exchange for giving up some other class feature.

Though there is a case to be made for the Paladin of Freedom class requiring you to follow your heart, even and especially when it doesn't make sense, and never being able to come back to it if you leave that path perhaps. That makes it seem as special, per se, as the Paladin of Honor's path. Even though they're very different, and not ethically equivalent.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
mythSSK 10-14-04, 04:23 AM	Alright, here is my planned build for a character I've been working on: Battle Sorcerer (UA) 4/Paladin of Freedom (UA) 3/Spellsword 3/Dragon Disciple 10 We'll be starting at first or second level, but that is what I plan to eventually do with him... thing is I'm not too sure about what his background will be like, or what sort of personality to give him. Obviously from the sorcerer and dragon disciple levels he has some sort of draconic heritage... but I'm not sure what type or whether it's going to be a major thing for him early on. I was thinking maybe he was an initiate of a loose order of Paladins of Freedom, who train their paladins-to-be in the arcane arts so that they may better combat tyranny and oppression once they are knighted as true paladins of the order (and some of them would end up adopting the Spellsword prestige class once they reach higher levels because it's pretty darn useful for a paladin/sorcerer). Of course, I'm not dead set on this idea - any thoughts? He is a wood elf... and he has an exceptionally high strength score, 20 to be exact (after racial adjustments of course). I have no clue what sort of personality I should give him. I've never played a paladin before, let alone a Paladin of Freedom (Unearthed Arcana), any tips on how to play him?
mythSSK 10-14-04, 09:00 AM	:bump: bump!
Murr-Quan Lord #2 10-16-04, 10:42 AM	First, keep in mind that Paladins can be very, very different, even within the same order. A recent issue of Dragon magazine went into detail about this, along with a good deal of online articles -- one of them in Regdar's Repository on the D&D boards, I do believe. Second, keep in mind that you are playing a Paladin of Freedom instead of a Paladin of Honor. This is a very different character concept. ^.^ The Paladin of Honor stereotype is of a knight adhering to the code of chivalry, bound to defend the innocent and uphold the law. He defers to those in authority over him, is generally courteous to all, and holds respect even for his enemies. (Assuming his enemies aren't vile abominations from the ninth layer, of course.) Following this idea to its logical conclusion, the Paladin of Freedom stereotype would still be a knight, but one not bound by any real code other than "do what your heart tells you to." He defends the innocent, because he can't stand to see anyone be oppressed. He has a low opinion of most systems of justice and government, either because he knows how corrupt they can be or because he just doesn't like rules. He probably taunts his enemies and disrespects authority figures, and speaks in a less formal dialect than the medieval knight stereotype. If a Paladin of Honor seems aloof, it's because he focuses on the law more than the people it benefits. If a Paladin of Freedom seems aloof, it's because he cares more about wreaking havoc than actually helping people out. Either one can become annoying by taking this to the extreme. A Paladin of Honor may find himself in a bind when local laws get in the way of his dealing out justice, whereas a Paladin of Freedom probably just gets into trouble a lot. If a Paladin of Honor accidentally causes harm to an innocent, he will apologize and try his best to make amends. If a Paladin of Freedom does so, he may not even care unless the person he harmed is someone he can sympathize with. The code of honor held by Lawful Good Paladins is a thing they can fall back on when they're in doubt, and is designed to protect the innocent; you have only your heart to guide you, and it can be very misleading at times. Please keep in mind that the government and nobility of your world are made up of real people with feelings as well, and that tearing things down is not always the best idea.
mythSSK 10-17-04, 08:17 AM	Wow. Thank you; I posted this a while ago and I had all but given up hope of someone actually replying. Your post has contributed greatly to how I'm going to be playing my character. Still working on his background though ^_^.
Murr-Quan Lord #2 10-17-04, 11:35 AM	You could post your ideas here, if you like. ^.^ If greater flexibility would help you in deciding, the Knight Training feat from the Eberron Campaign Setting allows a Paladin to multiclass freely with one other class. You could ask your DM to let you port it over, perhaps. Alternately, you could just say that being a Paladin of Freedom should follow his heart rather than be confined to one class, and ask your DM to allow him to freely multiclass. Perhaps in exchange for giving up some other class feature. Though there is a case to be made for the Paladin of Freedom class requiring you to follow your heart, even and especially when it doesn't make sense, and never being able to come back to it if you leave that path perhaps. That makes it seem as special, per se, as the Paladin of Honor's path. Even though they're very different, and not ethically equivalent.