Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Nei 07-11-03, 05:55 AM	Hi to all, In an upcoming campaign I'm going to play a paladin of Selune (we've done away with the one-step alignment restriction) and I'm looking for any input on how to make the character interesting to play. The paladin is a female half-elf (moon elf father), with Int 8, Wis 14, and Cha 16. I'm particularly interested in how to play the Int 8, since this is my first character with an Int lower than 12. I don't want her to be completely dimwitted, so...any suggestions? She will probably hail from Silverymoon, but I don't have a set history for her yet. I plan to avoid the "turned-paladin-because-whole-family-was-killed-by-evil" cliche, and I'm looking for other options. Any input will be dearly welcomed. The campaign will be set in the Sword Coast region, but I have no idea what the DM is going to use as the BBEG. I have pointed him in the direction of the church of Shar and the People of the Black Blood when I lent him my copy of Lords of Darkness, but I don't know if he'll take the bait. Thank you for reading this and thank you even more if you post a reply to this. Greetings, Nei
Leap 07-11-03, 05:59 AM	I would probably play her in a similar way to a paladins warhorse who could actually speak........... ..and if that does not help, try to think in simple and straightforward ideals rather than a complex vocab
Nei 07-11-03, 06:14 AM	Originally posted by Leap I would probably play her in a similar way to a paladins warhorse who could actually speak........... Are you suggesting I should go sleep in the stables? ;) Nei
Leap 07-11-03, 06:20 AM	Neigh! ;)
Mysteris 07-11-03, 09:07 AM	Nei: As far as the background, maybe your Paladin simply is devoted enough that the thought of being a priest and living a comfortable life in the church wasn't enough? I don't know much about Selune's philosophies except that she's a tolerant deity. Maybe your Paladin wants to defend the innocent against intolerance and hate? She might even have parents who are priests or Paladins of Selune who raised her with the Goddess's values? And about the intelligence. Just because she has an 8 doesn't mean she has to be an idiot. Maybe she just takes a more simplistic view of life. She might not be one for complex business deals or elaborate plots, but she she understands enough to get by in life and to not speak like a dimwit. She might not like the fast-talking rogues or merchants, and might insist on plain, honest dealings with people. Conversely, she might get extremely angry when she detects cheats and liars.
Talmariel 07-11-03, 05:51 PM	A good rule of thumb: low Intelligence does not mean low Wisdom. Like Mysteris said, odds are your paladin isn't going to go for fast talking, but that's not what most paladins are about anyway. Selune is a patron of wanderers, so I would work with that. Keep motivations and goals simple. You could even have a lot of fun with inner turmoil over complex applications of simple philosophies, wrestling with ideas that your character can't quite make sense of. Inner-character conflict can be some of the best motivations for a character's actions.
Nei 07-13-03, 08:45 AM	Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to work on that idea of her parents being priests of Selune. Yes, I think I'll make her mother a cleric of Selune. I've been told that the other partymembers will be a wood elf ranger of Mielikki and a moon elf duelist (probably favoring either Milil or Corellon). With this party-composition, I think there's a good chance we'll join the Harpers. That will give me plenty of opportunities to have some inner turmoil over the Harpers' philosophies. Nei