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#1 zombiegleemax Nov 19, 2004 13:51:41

The biggest problem that most people encounter when playing paladins is the difficulty in understanding the paladin's religious convictions. People who don't have strong religious convictions themselves often look upon those that do as dangerous single-minded fanatics or self-righteous sticks-in-the-mud. Unfortunately, these misconceptions are often projected onto the paladin. A secondary aspect of this problem is how to fit a lawful nature into the religious views of a paladin whose deity may not necessarily be lawful. It's been argued that paladins have an off-kilter view of the world. While it can be said that this is true for most people, paladins without a doubt tend to view the world in the light of their particular religion. To those who don't share that religion they certainly might seem a little "off." This is because paladins don't simply honor or revere their deity; they surrender their heart, mind, body, and soul to them. This is not to say that the paladin is out of touch with the 'real' world. Instead he or she has made the commitment to approach the world from the viewpoint and ideology of his or her particular deity. To others this may seem like narrow-minded fanaticism at it's worst, but to the paladin it is the ultimate form of devotion. Given the number of deities available to paladins, this idea alone offers an amazing variety of different approaches to this class. For example, a paladin devoted to St. Cuthbert (a LN deity of retribution) would be completely distinguishable from a paladin of Elhonna (a NG deity of nature). A paladin of St. Cuthbert, though of good heart, would see the world through the eyes of a deity that is more concerned with executing justice and enforcing the law than with acts of charity or compassion. Such paladins would appear as stern and unyielding champions of the law -- a common view of paladins. Conversely a paladin of Elhonna, though he or she adheres to a strict personal code of conduct, would not be so concerned with enforcing law and order. Paladins of Elhonna would view nature as sacred and work to protect it from the corrupting influences of evil -- a not-so-common view of paladins. This also gives rise to the question of how to fit a LG code of ethics to a follower of a NG deity. It's not as difficult as it might sound. Like the above example of the paladin of Elhonna, a code of ethics can be completely personal and exclusive to the calling of the paladin path. Such a paladin would devoutly adhere to his or her code, understanding that the calling of a paladin is a serious undertaking and can only be accomplished by the most disciplined of souls. At the same time, said paladin would understand that the ability to walk that path is as rare as the calling itself. As a result the paladin would tend to expect more from his or herself than from others. This could (and should) be a source of humbleness rather than arrogance. After all, doesn't the paladin's extraordinary abilities stem directly from a deity? Isn't the paladin answerable for using those abilities in a manner pleasing to that deity? What an incredible responsibility, especially for one whose duty is to be on the front-lines in the war against evil. It's not surprising that such a person would seem more concerned with the integrity and rightness of his or her actions than even their cleric counterparts. When creating a paladin, consider the aspects of the deity he/she is devoted to. What's important to the deity should be important to the paladin. What's not important to the deity shouldn't be so important to the paladin. Remember that being a paladin is not a career. It's a religious calling by a deity who has specific aims and agendas and who probably has a specific plan for their most holy of warriors.