Help NPCing a Mentor Paladin [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help NPCing a Mentor Paladin [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Master_Vega
08-05-07, 11:58 PM I finally managed to get a game going with a few friends. Aside from one detail, everything is going just fine: one of my player's character is a newly joined paladin named Chavis (sorcerer 3, paladin of honor 1) who travels with his mentor, Zac (paladin of honor 5). I only allow players to control one character in this game, as it prevents unintentional metagaming (character telepathy).

To cut a long story short, I'm NPCing a paladin that I don't want to write out of the story; I also don't want him to be the cliché mentor.

Here are his stats:
Str: 17
Dex: 10
Con: 12
Int: 14
Wis: 16
Cha: 14

Chavis is a very reckless paladin who has no mind for tactics, books, or much of anything associated with intelligence (well, he can cook...) A testament to Chavis' stupidity: Before he became a paladin, he attacked a young chromatic dragon to test his metal... and had the tar beaten out of him. How he survived has yet to become important (we're only in the prologue, so I'll give his player some time to think about it.)

Chavis has a lot better Charisma, Constitution, and Dexterity, and about the same wisdom score as Zac, but Zac has a much better strength and intelligence. I built him this way on purpose so that I have someone who knows how stupid Chavis can be, and how best to stop him. I'm thinking the paladin order that Chavis joined selected Zac as a mentor for similar reasons.

That said, what sort of character should Zac have? Should he have a very tired personality, saying things like, "There he goes..." whenever his student runs off? Should he encourage Chavis in his stupid endeavors, while making sure the man survives to learn from his mistakes? Any other ideas?

Another interesting thing to take into account is that the party, aside from the two paladins, is chaotic good in some respect.

Argyle, a half-elf psion(Shaper)/sword sage, does not trust the law. He believes it is too easily corrupted, and has his family's scattering as proof. He does not actively break the law, but he also won't sweat about breaking laws if something he needs to do requires it. (Yes, this is a GMPC, the one I talked about in another thread, with several differences in story.)

Kiryn, another half-elf psion (kineticist this time). She believes similarly to Argyle, knowing that laws are easily evaded by the very types of people law is supposed to stop. Like her friend, she also does not actively break the law. She has no qualms going over the bounds when something is needed, though.

Gareth, a halfling rogue/cleric who hasn't met with Chavis, Zac, Kiryn and Argyle yet. He's a Robinhood type who robs who he deems corrupt, then splits the spoils with those less fortunate, and his church. He still takes a large lot of it for himself, though.

Alannah, a half-dragon, half-elf barbarian who was the hardest character I've ever had to explain... ever. She's currently traveling with Gareth. Though raised a nomad, she respects society and wants to preserve it. She is also deeply saddened by the constant fear she sees in the citizenry. Alannah does her best to alleviate their worries by fighting the coalition opposing that of the country she first found after leaving her family.

How should Zac react to the adventurers? He and Chavis rushed in to bail Argyle and Kiryn out of a losing battle against a Paladin of Tyranny, and a large number of other evil opponents... We haven't resolved the combat just yet, and we'll be starting again tomorrow.

Thanks in advance for your help. I apologize for any typos/grammar errors. I kinda let this whole post fall out of my head without much formatting.

EDIT: So everyone knows, this game takes place in a homebrew setting.
Rerecros
08-06-07, 04:03 PM If you want an untraditional paladin mentor, make him a crotchety uncaring old bugger. He doesn't particularly care about the wellbeing of his pupils, he teaches out of obligation to the forces of law and good rather than out of choice. A very "I'm the only one competent enough to do it" attitude. He doesn't particularly care about the other party members either, if they weren't facing off against a corrupt government together, he would likely turn in the band of apparent criminals.
Master_Vega
08-07-07, 01:19 PM Thanks for the tips... Unfortunately I only saw your post after we played. lol!

I suppose what I want Zac to be is not a fully original paladin, but a good paladin the players will remember as a neat character. I know I asked for original, but that doesn't seem to work for a mentor that'll help keep his charges alive. :P

I just want to give this guy some depth... I'll get thinking on what sort of past he had.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
08-08-07, 06:40 AM Sorry if its late but I'd suggest making Zak a bit of a wild card himself. Have teaching Chav that life is meant to be lived and enjoyed and that being a paladin simply means making sure everyone else gets that right too. He can be a wine and women type who doesn't worry too much about propriety but more about things that are deeply important such as the sanctity of life and freedom.
Master_Vega
08-08-07, 11:56 AM Thanks, Tarjon. Fortunately with the way I've RPd him so far, he could be the sort of paladin you suggested.
I got a PM about this character from another very helpful user, so I'll try and combine the ideas you guys presented and toss in something of my own.

Since he's a lawful paladin, he believes that the rules are there so that everyone can live a good life. Without the rules, the strong would dominate the weak, the fortunate over the unfortunate, and how fair is that?
He has a tendency towards being carefree, but when he is serious his words are profound -or just to the point-.
He is an optimist, which is what allows him to hold his views in the face of the lawful-evil churches.
Zac also lives for fun and thrills, but that's exactly why he is a paladin. He believes that fun is meant to be shared, after all, and the law as he sees it allows even the weak a chance to enjoy themselves.

I'll try and write up a backstory, then post it here to see what you guys think.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Master_Vega 08-05-07, 11:58 PM	I finally managed to get a game going with a few friends. Aside from one detail, everything is going just fine: one of my player's character is a newly joined paladin named Chavis (sorcerer 3, paladin of honor 1) who travels with his mentor, Zac (paladin of honor 5). I only allow players to control one character in this game, as it prevents unintentional metagaming (character telepathy). To cut a long story short, I'm NPCing a paladin that I don't want to write out of the story; I also don't want him to be the cliché mentor. Here are his stats: Str: 17 Dex: 10 Con: 12 Int: 14 Wis: 16 Cha: 14 Chavis is a very reckless paladin who has no mind for tactics, books, or much of anything associated with intelligence (well, he can cook...) A testament to Chavis' stupidity: Before he became a paladin, he attacked a young chromatic dragon to test his metal... and had the tar beaten out of him. How he survived has yet to become important (we're only in the prologue, so I'll give his player some time to think about it.) Chavis has a lot better Charisma, Constitution, and Dexterity, and about the same wisdom score as Zac, but Zac has a much better strength and intelligence. I built him this way on purpose so that I have someone who knows how stupid Chavis can be, and how best to stop him. I'm thinking the paladin order that Chavis joined selected Zac as a mentor for similar reasons. That said, what sort of character should Zac have? Should he have a very tired personality, saying things like, "There he goes..." whenever his student runs off? Should he encourage Chavis in his stupid endeavors, while making sure the man survives to learn from his mistakes? Any other ideas? Another interesting thing to take into account is that the party, aside from the two paladins, is chaotic good in some respect. Argyle, a half-elf psion(Shaper)/sword sage, does not trust the law. He believes it is too easily corrupted, and has his family's scattering as proof. He does not actively break the law, but he also won't sweat about breaking laws if something he needs to do requires it. (Yes, this is a GMPC, the one I talked about in another thread, with several differences in story.) Kiryn, another half-elf psion (kineticist this time). She believes similarly to Argyle, knowing that laws are easily evaded by the very types of people law is supposed to stop. Like her friend, she also does not actively break the law. She has no qualms going over the bounds when something is needed, though. Gareth, a halfling rogue/cleric who hasn't met with Chavis, Zac, Kiryn and Argyle yet. He's a Robinhood type who robs who he deems corrupt, then splits the spoils with those less fortunate, and his church. He still takes a large lot of it for himself, though. Alannah, a half-dragon, half-elf barbarian who was the hardest character I've ever had to explain... ever. She's currently traveling with Gareth. Though raised a nomad, she respects society and wants to preserve it. She is also deeply saddened by the constant fear she sees in the citizenry. Alannah does her best to alleviate their worries by fighting the coalition opposing that of the country she first found after leaving her family. How should Zac react to the adventurers? He and Chavis rushed in to bail Argyle and Kiryn out of a losing battle against a Paladin of Tyranny, and a large number of other evil opponents... We haven't resolved the combat just yet, and we'll be starting again tomorrow. Thanks in advance for your help. I apologize for any typos/grammar errors. I kinda let this whole post fall out of my head without much formatting. EDIT: So everyone knows, this game takes place in a homebrew setting.
Rerecros 08-06-07, 04:03 PM	If you want an untraditional paladin mentor, make him a crotchety uncaring old bugger. He doesn't particularly care about the wellbeing of his pupils, he teaches out of obligation to the forces of law and good rather than out of choice. A very "I'm the only one competent enough to do it" attitude. He doesn't particularly care about the other party members either, if they weren't facing off against a corrupt government together, he would likely turn in the band of apparent criminals.
Master_Vega 08-07-07, 01:19 PM	Thanks for the tips... Unfortunately I only saw your post after we played. lol! I suppose what I want Zac to be is not a fully original paladin, but a good paladin the players will remember as a neat character. I know I asked for original, but that doesn't seem to work for a mentor that'll help keep his charges alive. :P I just want to give this guy some depth... I'll get thinking on what sort of past he had.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-08-07, 06:40 AM	Sorry if its late but I'd suggest making Zak a bit of a wild card himself. Have teaching Chav that life is meant to be lived and enjoyed and that being a paladin simply means making sure everyone else gets that right too. He can be a wine and women type who doesn't worry too much about propriety but more about things that are deeply important such as the sanctity of life and freedom.
Master_Vega 08-08-07, 11:56 AM	Thanks, Tarjon. Fortunately with the way I've RPd him so far, he could be the sort of paladin you suggested. I got a PM about this character from another very helpful user, so I'll try and combine the ideas you guys presented and toss in something of my own. Since he's a lawful paladin, he believes that the rules are there so that everyone can live a good life. Without the rules, the strong would dominate the weak, the fortunate over the unfortunate, and how fair is that? He has a tendency towards being carefree, but when he is serious his words are profound -or just to the point-. He is an optimist, which is what allows him to hold his views in the face of the lawful-evil churches. Zac also lives for fun and thrills, but that's exactly why he is a paladin. He believes that fun is meant to be shared, after all, and the law as he sees it allows even the weak a chance to enjoy themselves. I'll try and write up a backstory, then post it here to see what you guys think.