Lawfull Neutral Hexblade [Archive] - Wizards Community

Lawfull Neutral Hexblade [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Saturno
01-13-08, 11:36 AM I want to know your opinion about a question that a friend has told to me.

I'm playing a LN Hexblade, a champion of Azuth (from Forgotten Realms) that is in my concept a sort of arcane champion of his deity.

He hunts wizards who use magic for evil or unwise actions, and treat the magic in any manner.

As a LN character, I'm playing him as an honorable soldier, good with honest people and mercyless with his foes (evil arcane casters).

He has recently gained the rank of Knight of Cormyr and he is falling in love with a Torm's female paladin.

Now, a friend has pointed at me that in Hexblade class descriptions, it says that they usually don't cooperate with paladins, so in his opinion I wasn't playing well my char.

I think that that sentences was only a roleplay suggestion, not a specific rule.
In fact, hexblades can be only LN,NN,CN,LE,NE,CE, so of 6 possible alignment only 1 is paladin-compatible (Lawful neutral), others will usually do things that are not compatible with paladins code of conduct, so I think that was the reason of the sentence he pointed to me.

I think that a lawfull neutral hexblade can cooperate with knights and paladins without problem if the char concept is compatible, even if they can have some different opinions exactly like a LN warrior and a paladin.

Am I wrong? Or I have understanded well the idea behind that sentence and I'm playing well my char?

P.S.: Sorry for my horrible english.
Hot_Sauce
01-13-08, 12:32 PM Indeed, those descriptions are simply a suggestion to give you an idea for what an average character of a specific class is like. In the end, the choices and characteristics of a character are up to the player, and think players should be rewarded for excersising that freedom and making "unorthodox" choices that work well for a certain character concept, if not the class as a whole.
I_roll_ones
01-13-08, 06:25 PM Keep in mind, Azuth has paladins...And evil followers. And if you pull from Unearthed Arcana, you can have paladins that are pretty much tolerant of anything.

However, if you go by fluff, then all paladins follow a Greyhawk god, and they can never violate the code of that god, and there is no adjustments for what god they actually follow. Or what their culture think is dishonorable combat or not.

Fluff is a guideline, and sometimes a very flawed one. It's like being forced into the role of the paragon. You MUST be this. You cannot reflavor to suit your character, campaign or taste.

And a LN would have problems, sure, with interacting with a LG knight/paladin/whatever, but isn't that the problem of the paladin, not the hexblade?
Saturno
01-13-08, 07:13 PM Double post, sorry. >_<
Saturno
01-13-08, 07:17 PM So i'm right and the sentence that says that hexblades don't cooperate with paladins is only a suggestion for the averenge hexblade, not a roleplay rule, right?
The_Shaman
01-13-08, 08:04 PM Of course - your character is himself, not just Generic Hexblade #1252. Certainly if your character is a devout Azuthan, s/he would not shun Azuth's paladins just because they have shiny armors and you don't. Likewise, they may not find you the best human being ever to walk the land, but as a fellow devotee of Azuth and a man of certain honor you'd probably be quite okay in their books.

There aren't many rules that are written in stone as far as roleplaying is concerned, anyway.
I_roll_ones
01-15-08, 01:28 PM I'm pretty sure that a paladin gets in trouble for killing a follower of the same god unless they are evil.

Think of the fluff this way...You COULD be a carbon copy of the image they give you, and only do what the fluff says.

Or you can modify the character to act realistically with a unique alignment and personality, with NPC's that are (hopefully) unique in the same way.

Which benefits a campaign more? Keeping true to flavor(Which doesn't always work for every setting, mind you and has problems of it's own) or making a character that you enjoy and wish to RP? Generic Shady Caster #19292, or an original character who goes above and beyond the fluff?

So unless the DM is SET on Hexblades disliking paladins for whatever reason, screw the fluff, do what you want.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Saturno 01-13-08, 11:36 AM	I want to know your opinion about a question that a friend has told to me. I'm playing a LN Hexblade, a champion of Azuth (from Forgotten Realms) that is in my concept a sort of arcane champion of his deity. He hunts wizards who use magic for evil or unwise actions, and treat the magic in any manner. As a LN character, I'm playing him as an honorable soldier, good with honest people and mercyless with his foes (evil arcane casters). He has recently gained the rank of Knight of Cormyr and he is falling in love with a Torm's female paladin. Now, a friend has pointed at me that in Hexblade class descriptions, it says that they usually don't cooperate with paladins, so in his opinion I wasn't playing well my char. I think that that sentences was only a roleplay suggestion, not a specific rule. In fact, hexblades can be only LN,NN,CN,LE,NE,CE, so of 6 possible alignment only 1 is paladin-compatible (Lawful neutral), others will usually do things that are not compatible with paladins code of conduct, so I think that was the reason of the sentence he pointed to me. I think that a lawfull neutral hexblade can cooperate with knights and paladins without problem if the char concept is compatible, even if they can have some different opinions exactly like a LN warrior and a paladin. Am I wrong? Or I have understanded well the idea behind that sentence and I'm playing well my char? P.S.: Sorry for my horrible english.
Hot_Sauce 01-13-08, 12:32 PM	Indeed, those descriptions are simply a suggestion to give you an idea for what an average character of a specific class is like. In the end, the choices and characteristics of a character are up to the player, and think players should be rewarded for excersising that freedom and making "unorthodox" choices that work well for a certain character concept, if not the class as a whole.
I_roll_ones 01-13-08, 06:25 PM	Keep in mind, Azuth has paladins...And evil followers. And if you pull from Unearthed Arcana, you can have paladins that are pretty much tolerant of anything. However, if you go by fluff, then all paladins follow a Greyhawk god, and they can never violate the code of that god, and there is no adjustments for what god they actually follow. Or what their culture think is dishonorable combat or not. Fluff is a guideline, and sometimes a very flawed one. It's like being forced into the role of the paragon. You MUST be this. You cannot reflavor to suit your character, campaign or taste. And a LN would have problems, sure, with interacting with a LG knight/paladin/whatever, but isn't that the problem of the paladin, not the hexblade?
Saturno 01-13-08, 07:13 PM	Double post, sorry. >_<
Saturno 01-13-08, 07:17 PM	So i'm right and the sentence that says that hexblades don't cooperate with paladins is only a suggestion for the averenge hexblade, not a roleplay rule, right?
The_Shaman 01-13-08, 08:04 PM	Of course - your character is himself, not just Generic Hexblade #1252. Certainly if your character is a devout Azuthan, s/he would not shun Azuth's paladins just because they have shiny armors and you don't. Likewise, they may not find you the best human being ever to walk the land, but as a fellow devotee of Azuth and a man of certain honor you'd probably be quite okay in their books. There aren't many rules that are written in stone as far as roleplaying is concerned, anyway.
I_roll_ones 01-15-08, 01:28 PM	I'm pretty sure that a paladin gets in trouble for killing a follower of the same god unless they are evil. Think of the fluff this way...You COULD be a carbon copy of the image they give you, and only do what the fluff says. Or you can modify the character to act realistically with a unique alignment and personality, with NPC's that are (hopefully) unique in the same way. Which benefits a campaign more? Keeping true to flavor(Which doesn't always work for every setting, mind you and has problems of it's own) or making a character that you enjoy and wish to RP? Generic Shady Caster #19292, or an original character who goes above and beyond the fluff? So unless the DM is SET on Hexblades disliking paladins for whatever reason, screw the fluff, do what you want.