FR Witchhunter Paladin. Which deity? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

FR Witchhunter Paladin. Which deity?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Unmaker
Feb 12, 2009 19:10:45 A friend wishes to play a true fire-and-brimstone witchhunter-style paladin. Which of the FR gods would be the most amenable to an "end justifies the means" purge of evil? Any ideas?

-Unmaker
#2
darkbane235
Feb 12, 2009 20:13:58 Raven Queen? She seems to be one of the darker deities, and heavily opposes the undead. The Paladin would see the punishment as leading them to their fateful death, and could justify that his means were necessary in order to carry that out.

Otherwise...no idea. Most likely though he would want to go Unaligned, as a "good" or a "lawful good" diety would probably contradict his methods.
#3
disciple_of_juiblex
Feb 12, 2009 21:05:21 I'm personally not too familar with Forgotten realms but i found this link on wikipedia that lists a bunch of gods in the setting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Forgotten_Realms_deities. Hopefully there is something there what can fit your concept, and be acurate to the setting.
#4
darkbane235
Feb 12, 2009 21:35:43 I'm sorry I didn't see the FR realms portion. Kelemvor would be the equivalent then in that case.
#5
Ramien
Feb 13, 2009 2:10:29 If you're really looking for an 'end justifies the means', go Bane and don't look back.

After all, Bane does have a strong interest in keeping civilization ordered and well-behaved.

Under his rule, of course, but what's wrong with that?

Otherwise, look at Shevarash. Sure, he's an exarch now, but he's got that whole vengeance kick still going strong. Hoar's the same way, but a little more on the evil side, and, frankly, if you're going to even look at Hoar, let's just go back to his boss, Bane.
#6
Mcnancy
Feb 13, 2009 15:33:23 Most Witchhunters lean twards the more catholicy gods, a good choice for this is Helm, his worship is widespread and he is known for his harsh, judgemental dogma.
#7
Unmaker
Feb 13, 2009 16:27:31
Most Witchhunters lean twards the more catholicy gods, a good choice for this is Helm, his worship is widespread and he is known for his harsh, judgemental dogma.

Isn't he dead?

Most of the gods I'd choose went belly up after the Spellplague.

-Unmaker
#8
zousha_omenohu
Feb 13, 2009 20:05:25 I agree that Bane'd likely be the best choice. But isn't D&D generally opposed to Evil characters of any kind?
#9
lord_karsus
Feb 13, 2009 20:57:29
A friend wishes to play a true fire-and-brimstone witchhunter-style paladin. Which of the FR gods would be the most amenable to an "end justifies the means" purge of evil? Any ideas?

-A very self-righteous Paladin of Torm. The leaders of the Paladin realm of Elturgard have apparently been ruling with this type of mantra.
#10
zousha_omenohu
Feb 13, 2009 21:14:14 Torm is Lawful Good though. Lawful Good wouldn't condone an "end justifies the means" philosophy, would it?
#11
lord_karsus
Feb 13, 2009 21:22:00
Torm is Lawful Good though. Lawful Good wouldn't condone an "end justifies the means" philosophy, would it?

-Sure it would, when the person is extremely self-righteous. As I said, that is basically the "seed of evil" in Eltargurd- the Paladins ruling the country have become so absorbed with keeping law and order and their version(s) of goodness and such that it's starting to become "too much".

-To use such a philosophy for the OP's example: "[Evil person]! You and your kind are the scum of Faerûn! In the name of Torm, and on behalf of all of those people that you will hurt in the future, I am here to slay you!"
#12
tired_hungry_dolgrim
Feb 14, 2009 17:36:19 Kelemvor[LIST]
[*]Do not fear death, for death is the natural stage that follows life.
[*]Give comfort to the bereaved
[*]Destroy the undead, and oppose the use of necromancy
[/LIST]

Selûne[LIST]
[*]Never lose hope or faith, for every force in the universe ebbs and flows.
[*]Bring light to the darkness, and hold back the tide of evil.
[*]Seek out creatures who bear the curse of lycanthropy, curing those who hope to tend their affliction and destroying those who have succumbed to the beast within.
[/LIST]

Torm
Respect and enforce the law, and honor your traditions.
Demonstrate truthfulness, loyalty, and steadfast devotion to the rightful course.
Do not flinch in the executiion of your duty, no matter the consequence.
#13
rauric
Feb 15, 2009 10:18:05
A friend wishes to play a true fire-and-brimstone witchhunter-style paladin. Which of the FR gods would be the most amenable to an "end justifies the means" purge of evil? Any ideas?

-Unmaker

You could try Hoar who is a god of vengance of a sort. He is under Bane's banner now.
#14
the_shaman
Feb 15, 2009 11:28:55 How did Selune get into that? She's imo one of the more tolerant deities in the Realms. Helm (in 3E) or Bane sound about right. If you want someone who will follow duty with neither temptation nor conscience getting in the way, look no further than your nearest Helmite ;) . Amauntor could also work imo - I got the feeling that unlike Lathander he can be quite harsh and judgemental.
#15
orenthes
Feb 15, 2009 11:43:10 I say go for Kelemvor, he's definitely got that "fire and brimstone/Solomon Kane" feeling to him.
#16
suin_bahhar_02
Feb 15, 2009 12:29:32 For some less evil options.
Try Amaunator. He is slow to anger but his burning sunrays are the scourge of all undead, demon- and hellspawn. Not so nice against necromancers and arcane meddlers.

Angharadh or Sehanine Moonbow make for decietful and pragmatic paladins, but they lack that witchhunter aspect (except when conserning necromancers).

The exarch Valkur has a pretty loose dogma that might give its shipdecked paladins the connections and cunning to hunt down the evil cultists of Umberlee, the followers of the Kraken society and the horrors of Xxipphu.

Tempus or his exarch Red Knight both have no great concern for the trivial evil taking place outside of battle, but their active paladins sure are of the "smite first, ask questions later" kind.
#17
rinonalyrna_fathomlin
Feb 17, 2009 20:35:46
Raven Queen? She seems to be one of the darker deities, and heavily opposes the undead. The Paladin would see the punishment as leading them to their fateful death, and could justify that his means were necessary in order to carry that out.

The RQ isn't an FR deity though--unless you want to insert her into your game.

Most Witchhunters lean twards the more catholicy gods, a good choice for this is Helm, his worship is widespread and he is known for his harsh, judgemental dogma.

Two nitpicks. Number one, the adjective "catholic" actually means the opposite of what you are trying to say. Number two, Helm's actual dogma is about being a dutiful and effective guardian--it doesn't particularly teach that one should be "harsh and judgmental", although a follower of Helm certainly could act that way.
#18
sfdragon
Feb 18, 2009 4:53:38 pre 4e or after 4e??
3e:
Tyr
Mystra
Helm ( that sect that he Absorbed )
Hoar
Mystra( hehe)
Bahamut
Lathander
Kelemvor

4e:
paladins were removed from their LG restriction as well as their deity must be LG or one step away from LG which means NG and LN.
Thus ALL of them.

all you have to do is figure out what the term witch means to you, and how to fit it in .
after all, most players who play Paladins of Selune would consider Sharrans witches and vice versa

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Unmaker Feb 12, 2009 19:10:45	A friend wishes to play a true fire-and-brimstone witchhunter-style paladin. Which of the FR gods would be the most amenable to an "end justifies the means" purge of evil? Any ideas? -Unmaker
#2 darkbane235 Feb 12, 2009 20:13:58	Raven Queen? She seems to be one of the darker deities, and heavily opposes the undead. The Paladin would see the punishment as leading them to their fateful death, and could justify that his means were necessary in order to carry that out. Otherwise...no idea. Most likely though he would want to go Unaligned, as a "good" or a "lawful good" diety would probably contradict his methods.
#3 disciple_of_juiblex Feb 12, 2009 21:05:21	I'm personally not too familar with Forgotten realms but i found this link on wikipedia that lists a bunch of gods in the setting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Forgotten_Realms_deities. Hopefully there is something there what can fit your concept, and be acurate to the setting.
#4 darkbane235 Feb 12, 2009 21:35:43	I'm sorry I didn't see the FR realms portion. Kelemvor would be the equivalent then in that case.
#5 Ramien Feb 13, 2009 2:10:29	If you're really looking for an 'end justifies the means', go Bane and don't look back. After all, Bane does have a strong interest in keeping civilization ordered and well-behaved. Under his rule, of course, but what's wrong with that? Otherwise, look at Shevarash. Sure, he's an exarch now, but he's got that whole vengeance kick still going strong. Hoar's the same way, but a little more on the evil side, and, frankly, if you're going to even look at Hoar, let's just go back to his boss, Bane.
#6 Mcnancy Feb 13, 2009 15:33:23	Most Witchhunters lean twards the more catholicy gods, a good choice for this is Helm, his worship is widespread and he is known for his harsh, judgemental dogma.
#7 Unmaker Feb 13, 2009 16:27:31	Most Witchhunters lean twards the more catholicy gods, a good choice for this is Helm, his worship is widespread and he is known for his harsh, judgemental dogma. Isn't he dead? Most of the gods I'd choose went belly up after the Spellplague. -Unmaker
#8 zousha_omenohu Feb 13, 2009 20:05:25	I agree that Bane'd likely be the best choice. But isn't D&D generally opposed to Evil characters of any kind?
#9 lord_karsus Feb 13, 2009 20:57:29	A friend wishes to play a true fire-and-brimstone witchhunter-style paladin. Which of the FR gods would be the most amenable to an "end justifies the means" purge of evil? Any ideas? -A very self-righteous Paladin of Torm. The leaders of the Paladin realm of Elturgard have apparently been ruling with this type of mantra.
#10 zousha_omenohu Feb 13, 2009 21:14:14	Torm is Lawful Good though. Lawful Good wouldn't condone an "end justifies the means" philosophy, would it?
#11 lord_karsus Feb 13, 2009 21:22:00	Torm is Lawful Good though. Lawful Good wouldn't condone an "end justifies the means" philosophy, would it? -Sure it would, when the person is extremely self-righteous. As I said, that is basically the "seed of evil" in Eltargurd- the Paladins ruling the country have become so absorbed with keeping law and order and their version(s) of goodness and such that it's starting to become "too much". -To use such a philosophy for the OP's example: "[Evil person]! You and your kind are the scum of Faerûn! In the name of Torm, and on behalf of all of those people that you will hurt in the future, I am here to slay you!"
#12 tired_hungry_dolgrim Feb 14, 2009 17:36:19	Kelemvor[LIST] []Do not fear death, for death is the natural stage that follows life. []Give comfort to the bereaved []Destroy the undead, and oppose the use of necromancy [/LIST] Selûne[LIST] []Never lose hope or faith, for every force in the universe ebbs and flows. []Bring light to the darkness, and hold back the tide of evil. []Seek out creatures who bear the curse of lycanthropy, curing those who hope to tend their affliction and destroying those who have succumbed to the beast within. [/LIST] Torm Respect and enforce the law, and honor your traditions. Demonstrate truthfulness, loyalty, and steadfast devotion to the rightful course. Do not flinch in the executiion of your duty, no matter the consequence.
#13 rauric Feb 15, 2009 10:18:05	A friend wishes to play a true fire-and-brimstone witchhunter-style paladin. Which of the FR gods would be the most amenable to an "end justifies the means" purge of evil? Any ideas? -Unmaker You could try Hoar who is a god of vengance of a sort. He is under Bane's banner now.
#14 the_shaman Feb 15, 2009 11:28:55	How did Selune get into that? She's imo one of the more tolerant deities in the Realms. Helm (in 3E) or Bane sound about right. If you want someone who will follow duty with neither temptation nor conscience getting in the way, look no further than your nearest Helmite ;) . Amauntor could also work imo - I got the feeling that unlike Lathander he can be quite harsh and judgemental.
#15 orenthes Feb 15, 2009 11:43:10	I say go for Kelemvor, he's definitely got that "fire and brimstone/Solomon Kane" feeling to him.
#16 suin_bahhar_02 Feb 15, 2009 12:29:32	For some less evil options. Try Amaunator. He is slow to anger but his burning sunrays are the scourge of all undead, demon- and hellspawn. Not so nice against necromancers and arcane meddlers. Angharadh or Sehanine Moonbow make for decietful and pragmatic paladins, but they lack that witchhunter aspect (except when conserning necromancers). The exarch Valkur has a pretty loose dogma that might give its shipdecked paladins the connections and cunning to hunt down the evil cultists of Umberlee, the followers of the Kraken society and the horrors of Xxipphu. Tempus or his exarch Red Knight both have no great concern for the trivial evil taking place outside of battle, but their active paladins sure are of the "smite first, ask questions later" kind.
#17 rinonalyrna_fathomlin Feb 17, 2009 20:35:46	Raven Queen? She seems to be one of the darker deities, and heavily opposes the undead. The Paladin would see the punishment as leading them to their fateful death, and could justify that his means were necessary in order to carry that out. The RQ isn't an FR deity though--unless you want to insert her into your game. Most Witchhunters lean twards the more catholicy gods, a good choice for this is Helm, his worship is widespread and he is known for his harsh, judgemental dogma. Two nitpicks. Number one, the adjective "catholic" actually means the opposite of what you are trying to say. Number two, Helm's actual dogma is about being a dutiful and effective guardian--it doesn't particularly teach that one should be "harsh and judgmental", although a follower of Helm certainly could act that way.
#18 sfdragon Feb 18, 2009 4:53:38	pre 4e or after 4e?? 3e: Tyr Mystra Helm ( that sect that he Absorbed ) Hoar Mystra( hehe) Bahamut Lathander Kelemvor 4e: paladins were removed from their LG restriction as well as their deity must be LG or one step away from LG which means NG and LN. Thus ALL of them. all you have to do is figure out what the term witch means to you, and how to fit it in . after all, most players who play Paladins of Selune would consider Sharrans witches and vice versa