Post/Author/DateTime	Post
daiklaive claw 12-02-05, 09:24 AM	being the glutton for punishment I am, I chose to play the paladin for the current campaign I'm in (i always seem to find myself as the moral center of the party for some reason) but then being a paladin, i find, is one of the most challenging character types to play because you allways have to think about your motivations, etc. and to make it interesting, he's an asimaar to boot. (i think i spelled that wrong but whate'er) we just completed "the sinister secret of salt marsh" and my character has wound up making a friend in a pseudo dragon, which is a potential problem since I'm a paladin of Tyr, OR it's a great blessing depending on the interpretation. can a paladin have a pet/animal companion/cohort that is venomous? now the pseudo dragon, if i recall has a paralytic poison on it's stinger, so although it is (in theory) non-lethal it is still technically a poison. the pseudo dragon is not evil, and in fact seemed to warm right up to my character, Raziel. someone mentioned to me that using the drow sleep poison is (ironically) not an evil act since it does not cause the "undue pain and suffering" that most poison cause (and if you've read the cleric quintet, i believe Cadderly Bonaduce used it a lot.) so i was wondering if the pseudo dragon paralyzes people as a way of restraining them is not violating my paladin's code, if he's with me. since i'm not collecting and distilling the venom, it is more of a natural defense of the creature and therefore not against my alignment to have him associate with me. basically, my paladin doesn't want to have people associate tyr and talona whenever they see him. so anyone care to help me figure this out?
WayneTheGame 12-02-05, 09:44 AM	Hmmm.... I say it would be perfectly fine to have a companion that's venomous. IIRC, there's nothing even in the rules saying poisons are forbidden (like there used to be in 1e). Its ultimately up to your DM and how you use said poison, but since its a) paralytic (i.e. non-lethal) and b) a natural weapon of a creature, using it isn't an evil act unless you were to, say, poison Joe Farmer and then leave him out in the wilderness for creatures to eat or chuck him off a bridge. But even in that case, the actions are what's evil, not the use of poison.
Leap_UK 12-02-05, 10:27 AM	If a pseudo dragon dies, it goes to the good planes. If its good enough for the planes its good enough for the paladin :)
Good Agnostic 12-02-05, 02:37 PM	With a Pseudo Dragon pal, even better. No problems seen from this DM's chair.
Harrow Blade 12-02-05, 07:59 PM	No issues here with the Pseudo Dragon. Infact the poison being paralysing is more in your favour than any other sort of creature that does not have a non-leathal attack. Even horse hooves kill. Having the pseudo Dragon is a great boon to a paladin in my mind. It is not so much the tool but the motives behind it's use that any sort of good character should concern themselves with.
Fithero 12-03-05, 06:50 AM	Now dont get me wrong here, im all for a paladin having a little pseudo dragon for a mate (any character for that matter... im still waiting for one :P) but i gotta put up an argument here. The Ashworm Dragoon prc in Sand Storm is all about a character who rides this giant worm thing with a poison stinger on its tail. At the bottom of page 67 it tells that Paladins forswear the use of poisons so they go through a ritual to have the stinger removed, which in turn allows the ashworm to gain the benefits of the paladins special mount ability. Im not sure if it would work with a pseudo dragon... but i think it would be more appropriate to have the stinger removed and in turn give it some other ability for the sacrafice, some form of protection from evil or something. Hope this helps. Later
Arkonth 12-03-05, 05:32 PM	I've never bought the "poison's are inherantly evil and anti-paladin" thing, especially for nonlethal poisons. So I'd say your good.
nihility 12-03-05, 06:09 PM	The couatl (http://d20srd.org/srd/monsters/couatl.htm) is always lawful good, and is mentioned in the BoED as a sort of paragon of the alignment. The couatl also has a very nasty poison that deals strength damage. The pseudodragon's (http://d20srd.org/srd/monsters/pseudodragon.htm) poison puts you to sleep. If the couatl can cripple people with its poison and maintain its alignment, I think you can easily get away with hanging out with a living tranquilizer dart. Pseudodragons are also always neutral good, which sounds like a perfectly fine pal for a pally (please pardon the pun).
Sang-Drax 12-03-05, 06:12 PM	I'd say a poison is a dirty trick, but not evil, but os is sneak attack. Paladins can be Shadowbane Inquisitor, too, so...
nihility 12-03-05, 06:13 PM	Good point with the sneak attack/Shadowbane Inquisitor angle. Also, I've got to think that putting someone to sleep for a bit shows a great deal more mercy than killing them, assuming you don't mistreat them while they nap.
SoulGamit 12-03-05, 11:43 PM	Just cast that divine spell that lets you ask yes or no questions, or that one were you know if something will hamper your alignment. I forget the name, but it's 100% fool-proof and the DM can't go against it without being a real prick. I think it's Weal or Woe, something like that... bleh...
Tyoka 12-04-05, 10:50 AM	Infact the poison being paralysing is more in your favour than any other sort of creature that does not have a non-leathal attack. Even horse hooves kill. Having the pseudo Dragon is a great boon to a paladin in my mind. That's exactly what I was thinking. The BoED says it's ALWAYS better to take prisoners rather than take lives.
daiklaive claw 12-04-05, 02:04 PM	thanx everyone. i needed to run that by someone to make sure my reasoning was sound. in the book of exalted deeds any poison that causes "undue pain and suffering, or cripples an opponent permanently"[sic] is considered evil and dishonourable. poison will also kill/harm indescriminately, unlike scourges and afflictions (ie angel tears). my little pal doesn't do that, he paralyzes or renders people uncoscious (ecology of the pseudodragon article says it induces a cataleptic fit or something, allowing the psuedo-dragons to reposition their attackers in decidedly undignified or scandalous poses near often travelled roads...) in the players guide it apparently says paladins swear off the use of poisons, so as long as i am not milking him, distilling it, and smearing it on my weapons I'm fine. i asked, in part, because my dm loves to throw moral curve balls at us to make sure we are thinking in character. sometimes it pays to be heroic. example: investigating some abductions of young women, we track a sorceress back to her lair. while fighting our way thru we encounter a room full of sleeping goblins, my (other) character suggested we just lock them in and deal with them if they become a problem. while i was busy with someone else, the alleged chaotic good fighter snuck in and slit all their throats in their sleep. after the final battle, i noted that there were exactly as many goblins in that room as were missing girls. the sorceress had polymorphed them into goblins. worst. mistake. ever. then the fighter tried to torture the sorceress for more info! so i anticipated that he was checking to see if i was minding my paladin's morality in this game. turns out i am, and now i have wings... pie for everyone!
daiklaive claw 12-04-05, 02:10 PM	Just cast that divine spell that lets you ask yes or no questions, or that one were you know if something will hamper your alignment. I forget the name, but it's 100% fool-proof and the DM can't go against it without being a real prick. I think it's Weal or Woe, something like that... bleh... hmmm, i was looking at the paladin spells yesterday and i didn't see that one. i think that was a cleric spell. but there is a spell that lets me grow a silvery metallic beard that adds to my armor class? go figure. that must look great on the signature paladin for d&d (adlahnna? that girl who is the paladin of HEIRONIUS! sorry, i always have to "shout" that name. in person i sing it really loud.) but, if i get it on a scroll i should be able to cast weal or woe. and i agree. dm's who tell you something is possible and then suddenly say not it's not really get my goat. i hope they get eaten by a grue!