How would a paladin treat this magistrate [Archive] - Wizards Community

How would a paladin treat this magistrate [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
tivs
05-16-05, 07:21 AM Situation:
In a city there are 3 magistrates that dispence justice to the populace. They alternate days, on tough cases they all preside and vote over the outcome. One is LG, another is LN, and the last is LE.

Young Bob grew up in said city, looking at the magistrates as supreme forms of justice, b/c they always made fair rulings. Now he's been away.. adventuring with his buddies, and he comes back, a new man.. a paladin to be precise. Ever vigilant against the forces of evil is liberally uses his detect evil ability.. lo' whats that.. his hero walks by with the umistakable taint of the damned?
ACH! what is our hero to do?

... and no the magistrate is an old man, set in his ways and he can't be persuaded out of his alignment by flowery talk

What is stronger in a paladin? Good or Law?

thanks ???
Mr. Leet
05-16-05, 07:42 AM Situation:
In a city there are 3 magistrates that dispence justice to the populace. They alternate days, on tough cases they all preside and vote over the outcome. One is LG, another is LN, and the last is LE.

Young Bob grew up in said city, looking at the magistrates as supreme forms of justice, b/c they always made fair rulings. Now he's been away.. adventuring with his buddies, and he comes back, a new man.. a paladin to be precise. Ever vigilant against the forces of evil is liberally uses his detect evil ability.. lo' whats that.. his hero walks by with the umistakable taint of the damned?
ACH! what is our hero to do?

... and no the magistrate is an old man, set in his ways and he can't be persuaded out of his alignment by flowery talk

What is stronger in a paladin? Good or Law?

thanks ???

I would say that both play an important part, but the Paladin is eventually going to face a situation where he either has to stand idling by and watch the innocent suffer or follow the law, but you must keep in mind that the laws of the Kingdom the Paladin is in is not necessarily the laws he obeys from his Code of Conduct. There is a big difference between the laws of the lands and the laws that the character himself has set for him and believe is right.

So, if this Paladin is in "Evil leet Kingdom of Killing Innocent Peasants", he won't stand idling by and watch the keepers of law in this land kill the peasant simply because the laws of the land state that they have the right to do so. The Paladin must follow his personal laws and ethics, not those of the lands. In this situation, he would try to save the peasants, and by doing so he would be breaking the laws of this lands, but not his personal laws.

If this Paladin grew up in a Kingdom where the laws of the lands are almost equal to his Code of Conduct, it is very likely that he will use these laws as his personal laws aswell.

In these perticular circumstanses you mention, I would think that he would try to make the people see, with peaceful means, that one of the magistrates is in fact "evil", and he would aid the magistrates that are good/neutral in any way he can to help them win over the evil magistrate in an ellection. But, if the evil magistrate then try to thwart the Paladins plans by violent/evil means, he is in all his rights to fight back, possibly breaking the laws the evil magistrate has set. A Paladin must try to remember that even though the evil magistrate might be evil, he can't just walk up to him and behead him, he must try to find an alternative first, unless the evil magistrate does something clearly evil.

Or these are my opinions... Flame all you like :P
tivs
05-16-05, 04:46 PM now assuming you are correct; you are saying that the paladins code of conduct is more important than the laws of the land?

so i can have a LG paladin who has, as a part of his COC... lol, that he must eath the flesh of slain enemies to gain their knowledge and strength... now some people will go eiiiw gross, and say its evil, but for him it is a way for him to get stronger, and to help the soul pass into the beyond.

(as a joke add "through his digestinal tract" at the end of second paragraph .. or change beyond to behind) ^^
Fearless
05-17-05, 03:00 AM now assuming you are correct; you are saying that the paladins code of conduct is more important than the laws of the land?

so i can have a LG paladin who has, as a part of his COC... lol, that he must eath the flesh of slain enemies to gain their knowledge and strength... now some people will go eiiiw gross, and say its evil, but for him it is a way for him to get stronger, and to help the soul pass into the beyond.

(as a joke add "through his digestinal tract" at the end of second paragraph .. or change beyond to behind) ^^

It is still evil, thus he would be paladin no more :D. His personal views have nothing to do with what good or evil is. The world decides what good/evil is, most evil being regard their evil ways as the right/good thing to do.
Mr. Leet
05-17-05, 07:48 AM now assuming you are correct; you are saying that the paladins code of conduct is more important than the laws of the land?

so i can have a LG paladin who has, as a part of his COC... lol, that he must eath the flesh of slain enemies to gain their knowledge and strength... now some people will go eiiiw gross, and say its evil, but for him it is a way for him to get stronger, and to help the soul pass into the beyond.

(as a joke add "through his digestinal tract" at the end of second paragraph .. or change beyond to behind) ^^

I understand that you are only joking, but I's like to point something out for you :)
The Code of Condutc can be found in the PHB, and no flesh eating activities are mentioned there. Yes, a DM can make as many changes he/she likes to the CoC, but I doubt that any world would have this as something of an act of Good. Eating flesh of your enemies would be regarded as barbaric and chaotic behaviour, not something suited for a Knight of Good and Law...

Yes, the laws of the land is FAR less important than the Paladin's CoC, because the laws in any land can change like the wind, and prove to have nothing to do with Honour or Goodness at all.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
tivs 05-16-05, 07:21 AM	Situation: In a city there are 3 magistrates that dispence justice to the populace. They alternate days, on tough cases they all preside and vote over the outcome. One is LG, another is LN, and the last is LE. Young Bob grew up in said city, looking at the magistrates as supreme forms of justice, b/c they always made fair rulings. Now he's been away.. adventuring with his buddies, and he comes back, a new man.. a paladin to be precise. Ever vigilant against the forces of evil is liberally uses his detect evil ability.. lo' whats that.. his hero walks by with the umistakable taint of the damned? ACH! what is our hero to do? ... and no the magistrate is an old man, set in his ways and he can't be persuaded out of his alignment by flowery talk What is stronger in a paladin? Good or Law? thanks ???
Mr. Leet 05-16-05, 07:42 AM	Situation: In a city there are 3 magistrates that dispence justice to the populace. They alternate days, on tough cases they all preside and vote over the outcome. One is LG, another is LN, and the last is LE. Young Bob grew up in said city, looking at the magistrates as supreme forms of justice, b/c they always made fair rulings. Now he's been away.. adventuring with his buddies, and he comes back, a new man.. a paladin to be precise. Ever vigilant against the forces of evil is liberally uses his detect evil ability.. lo' whats that.. his hero walks by with the umistakable taint of the damned? ACH! what is our hero to do? ... and no the magistrate is an old man, set in his ways and he can't be persuaded out of his alignment by flowery talk What is stronger in a paladin? Good or Law? thanks ??? I would say that both play an important part, but the Paladin is eventually going to face a situation where he either has to stand idling by and watch the innocent suffer or follow the law, but you must keep in mind that the laws of the Kingdom the Paladin is in is not necessarily the laws he obeys from his Code of Conduct. There is a big difference between the laws of the lands and the laws that the character himself has set for him and believe is right. So, if this Paladin is in "Evil leet Kingdom of Killing Innocent Peasants", he won't stand idling by and watch the keepers of law in this land kill the peasant simply because the laws of the land state that they have the right to do so. The Paladin must follow his personal laws and ethics, not those of the lands. In this situation, he would try to save the peasants, and by doing so he would be breaking the laws of this lands, but not his personal laws. If this Paladin grew up in a Kingdom where the laws of the lands are almost equal to his Code of Conduct, it is very likely that he will use these laws as his personal laws aswell. In these perticular circumstanses you mention, I would think that he would try to make the people see, with peaceful means, that one of the magistrates is in fact "evil", and he would aid the magistrates that are good/neutral in any way he can to help them win over the evil magistrate in an ellection. But, if the evil magistrate then try to thwart the Paladins plans by violent/evil means, he is in all his rights to fight back, possibly breaking the laws the evil magistrate has set. A Paladin must try to remember that even though the evil magistrate might be evil, he can't just walk up to him and behead him, he must try to find an alternative first, unless the evil magistrate does something clearly evil. Or these are my opinions... Flame all you like :P
tivs 05-16-05, 04:46 PM	now assuming you are correct; you are saying that the paladins code of conduct is more important than the laws of the land? so i can have a LG paladin who has, as a part of his COC... lol, that he must eath the flesh of slain enemies to gain their knowledge and strength... now some people will go eiiiw gross, and say its evil, but for him it is a way for him to get stronger, and to help the soul pass into the beyond. (as a joke add "through his digestinal tract" at the end of second paragraph .. or change beyond to behind) ^^
Fearless 05-17-05, 03:00 AM	now assuming you are correct; you are saying that the paladins code of conduct is more important than the laws of the land? so i can have a LG paladin who has, as a part of his COC... lol, that he must eath the flesh of slain enemies to gain their knowledge and strength... now some people will go eiiiw gross, and say its evil, but for him it is a way for him to get stronger, and to help the soul pass into the beyond. (as a joke add "through his digestinal tract" at the end of second paragraph .. or change beyond to behind) ^^ It is still evil, thus he would be paladin no more :D. His personal views have nothing to do with what good or evil is. The world decides what good/evil is, most evil being regard their evil ways as the right/good thing to do.
Mr. Leet 05-17-05, 07:48 AM	now assuming you are correct; you are saying that the paladins code of conduct is more important than the laws of the land? so i can have a LG paladin who has, as a part of his COC... lol, that he must eath the flesh of slain enemies to gain their knowledge and strength... now some people will go eiiiw gross, and say its evil, but for him it is a way for him to get stronger, and to help the soul pass into the beyond. (as a joke add "through his digestinal tract" at the end of second paragraph .. or change beyond to behind) ^^ I understand that you are only joking, but I's like to point something out for you :) The Code of Condutc can be found in the PHB, and no flesh eating activities are mentioned there. Yes, a DM can make as many changes he/she likes to the CoC, but I doubt that any world would have this as something of an act of Good. Eating flesh of your enemies would be regarded as barbaric and chaotic behaviour, not something suited for a Knight of Good and Law... Yes, the laws of the land is FAR less important than the Paladin's CoC, because the laws in any land can change like the wind, and prove to have nothing to do with Honour or Goodness at all.