ZanzerTem's page

Yea the croc was moving 5-foot away from us and the Trogs would charge stop 30feet from us throw javelins and then 5 foot towards us till they got within range of attacks

The only problem here is how incredibly boring your combats must be.

If you don't want to watch his monsters slowly march into combat, start taking 5 foot steps back, letting the ranger shoot the monsters in the face.

Either your GM will get the point and just charge, taking the one whole AoO from your reach weapons, or you can take 4 hours to arrow a few trogs to death.

Or you could, y'know, just move in and attack them.

I don't recall the distances involved. Will it take Chatrilon longer to get to town, maybe his allies need a day to prep the right spells, then all of them trek to where Bib Blue is - can the PCs regroup, rest, and reattack Big Blue sooner than that?

The moathouse is only about 15 miles outside of town. After the battle with Big Blue the party went to their alternate adventure location, the temple which is about 2 1/2 days travel.

Maybe Chatrilon doesn't go back to town right away. Maybe he tries to scout out Big Blue's lair first, maybe trying to ascertain if the people he's looking for are still alive or if there's no need to attempt a rescue at all. This could add a day or two of scouting to really figure out what's happened before he tries to return to town.

He might do this, causing enough delay for the PC's to get back into the picture.

If not, what about random delays? Maybe Chatrilon doesn't get to town right away. Poor guy has a random encounter and ends up injured (broken leg?) or even dead.

He is too high level to be threatened by most things in the area minus the dragon(he is level 7)

Spreading the word of a blue dragon nesting so close to the town should rile the pcs without involving the other evil clerics. Sense motive confirms that this is true, but there is more to the tale left untold. The village council will desparatly seek the PCs to take action providing the much needed supplies to confront this threat.

The PC's haven't even returned to town. They ran in, got almost eaten by the dragon, screamed LOL NOPE and decided that XP would be easier to get at the temple, 3 days north of the moathouse. So they didn't eve bother to warn the town. There was one other NPC that knew about the dragon, a trapper named Ol' Del, but he was promply murdered by Chaz to keep attention off of the moathouse. so yea, the town doesn't know yet, as the dragon hasn't been in the area for about a week or so.

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

OK so I'm running a converted version of the module Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, and the players have run into a problem. If you are familiar with the module, you know that there is a lot of moving parts that go on behind the scenes. For example:

So the players decide in town to investigate the moathouse, and along the way they get trailed by Chatrilon, ally of the clerics. Chatrilon tried to join the party at the beginning but was turned down. When Big Blue showed up and nearly wiped the party, Chatrilon saw it and realized what was happening. As the party retreated he offered his services again, which they refused (again) and decided to find adventure elsewhere.

So here's the problem:

So what I need now is some ideas for alternative directions to take this. I don't want the clerics escaping the dungeon. I want them there for the PC's to fight and to provide clues on where to head next. The best I can come up with is:

Any alternate ideas?

It does if you use Rods. Rods do not adjust the memorization level.

Any self respecting Wizard should have several metamagic rods on hand. The Lesser Rods are so cheap you can buy several different ones.

GenericDrift hit the nail on the head. There are a lot of low level utility spells that start awesome and stay awesome. Greasing the BBEG's uber weapon never gets old.

I use PcGen. I then reference the NPC codex if I really don't feel like putting much effort into thinking up logical progression for the NPC.

Takes me 5 minutes to generate an NPC. I have a whole bunch saved in my Dropbox from past games.

I suggest doing something similar to what Velcro Zipper did with his Worlds Largest Dungeon Campaign. I copied his idea for mine and it worked great!

Basically, let the players find humanoids throughout their adventures, and encourage them to build a commune. Once a base is established, roleplay it as a shining beacon of light for any suffering humanoids. Everytime they return to home base, add a few new faces to the commune. Crack open the ARG, splash in a few NPC templates and bam! Instant PC Mart.

There are 3 ways to add a new spell to your spellbook as a Wizard; you get 2 free ones every level up, copying from a scroll/spellbook, or independent research. What your player is trying to do qualifies as independent research.

The wording is vague and left up to DM discretion, but I would make it more costly than using a scroll/spellbook. Just having a wand doesn't teach you the subtle incantations, wording and movements required to cast the spell. You are just triggering an item for a spell effect. Two different things IMO.

Independent Research: A wizard can also research a spell independently, duplicating an existing spell or creating an entirely new one. The cost to research a new spell, and the time required, are left up to GM discretion, but it should probably take at least 1 week and cost at least 1,000 gp per level of the spell to be researched. This should also require a number of Spellcraft and Knowledge (arcana) checks.

Also note, yes, Copying a scroll to a spellbook consumes the scroll. Copying from one spellbook to another doesn't remove the spell from the original spellbook.

I suggest you read the "Adding Spells to a Wizard's Spellbook" on the SRD.

ZanzerTem wrote:

+INIT items don't help either existing summons or creatures summoned during combat.

So a summoner with an INIT bonus of +9 is walking around with a 3 summoned creatures with INIT bonuses of +1.

Combat starts.. suddenly all the summoned creatures gain the benefits of Improved initiative twice over.. that seems to be a help.

Now lets talk about 1 die roll vs multiple die rolls.

The enemy (singular) in the above example has an adjusted, rolled INIT of 19. What is the chance that the summoner and all of his summons get to act first?

When I GM, it's a flat d20 roll, so no bonuses for the NPC's. The only time the bonus is applied is if every creature is identical, or there is only one creature.

Here's another question, do you have the party roll one initiative or individual? Why? Wouldn't it be 'easier' to just let the PC with the highest modifier roll and they all go on that? What's the problem with that?

The players have one character to manage. One. Maybe a pet too, or a couple of summons.

The GM typically has several NPC's to manage, along with encounter conditions the PC's may not know about (hidden creatures, buffs, traps, yadayada).

There is no reason to take individuality away from the players when there is minimal gain.

Think on it a bit. It's not hard to keep track.. use init cards, dry erase board, or special 'init' boards designed just for it.

I am well aware of simple ways to speed up combat

There are a lot of things that 'most' DMs won't do.. my point is that they should try to do them. And there's nothing wrong with delegating a bit around the table.

Rather than aim for what's easiest, my suggestion would be to strive for what's best.

I am sorry if I, as a GM, don't want to subject my players to having to watch me roll 18 initiatives for all of my kobolds.

Sometimes what is easiest IS what is best. Thankfully I game with a group of mature players, whom I can trust to:

1)Not powergame
2)Not cheat
3)Keep the game moving
4)Enjoy roleplay
5)Not rules-lawyer
6)Think like a GM

If my suggestions don't fit into the OP's game group, then don't use my suggestions.

A couple quick tips for speeding up combat with large parties.

(1)When you, the GM, call on someone to act, hold up 6 fingers. Start counting down, losing 1 finger per second. Get to 0, and they haven't acted, call the next persons name.

You can make exceptions for the less experienced players in your group.

Players will learn quickly to have their plans ready once they start losing actions.

(2) Have your players use color coordinated dice, and roll to hit, damage, and miss percentages in one toss.

(3) Use an adjustable initiative tracker. Paizo makes one, there are several on iOS/Android platforms, or use a dry erase board.

+INIT items don't help either existing summons or creatures summoned during combat. Of course Summoners get a boost because they cast SM# as a standard action (meaning their summons will indirectly act sooner because the Summoner herself is acting sooner) but the only way to fix that is to houserule a fix to Summoners. Is that what you are suggesting?

I agree with what you said. Should the DM run each summon as an NPC? Of course. Should the DM run each NPC separately, with their own INITs? Of course. Should the DM monitor all durations? Of course. Will most DM's do all that? Hell no. I assign most of that to the players and keep the game rolling. Also, unless it's a particular battle that I want to run with a specific dynamic, all enemy NPC's act on the same turn. My players run their own summons, but if I see them trying to pull things that the summons wouldn't do I cry foul.

Example:

PC: My eagles fly around the enemy fighter and the enemy cleric and attack the mage in the back!
Me: Uh, no they don't. They attack the enemy fighter who is closest enemy to them.
PC: OK, fine. This one moves to the rear to provide the BSF a flank, and the other two flank each side!
Me: Uh, no they don't. They move in a straight line to the enemy and are side by side with the BSF.

I put responsibility on my players to act accordingly. After calling them out on their metagaming a few times, they cut out the shenanigans.

ZanzerTem wrote:

Also, as above, all summons go on the turn of whomever summoned them to keep things simple.

Actually they go right before whomever summoned them.. and that's not out of convenience, but the way of things (until someone delays, readies, etc).

Now pets that were out when initiative was rolled should go separately. A +1 INIT summoned creature should not get the benefit of a +12 INIT summoner that has focused on going first. If it's already out then it rolls like everything else.

-James

Not sure what your point is, as it's irrelevant to the conversation.

By RAW, creatures summoned during combat rounds act on the summoners turn. They don't get an individual initiative roll.

If the summons already exists before initiative is rolled, then yes, it gets to roll separately.

But we weren't discussing RAW.

I was suggesting that all summons go on the turn of who summoned them to keep things simple. Hence the "as above" remark because I wasn't the first to suggest it.

The concept of Drunken Boxing is all about agile maneuvers and unorthodox fighting techniques that catch your opponent off guard. Drunken Boxers are incredibly dextrous, so a high Dex is in order.

Assuming you are looking to emulate the Jackie Chan version of Drunken Boxing, take a look at the Drunken Brute Barbarian Alternate Class. Throw in some appropriate feats (Combat Reflexes, Catch Off guard, Throw Anything, Lunge), use unarmed attacks and you are good to go.

The key here would be to act out your characters actions as a Drunken Boxer while following the mechanics of the game.

Yea, that I knew. Sounds like they are starting at level 1 so duration should still be tracked.

Well bleh. I should have rolled a Summoner! I took that part out.

As a Conjuror with a monster summoning focus, I suggest that you require your players to keep a chart handy with their summon's stats. Here is mine. The stats are with Augment Summoning and the Fiendish template applied (my character is Evil):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhG29lM-cprndGs5UU5BdEZVMGM2MT dqeEdJb3lFbWc&usp=sharing

Also, as above, all summons go on the turn of whomever summoned them to keep things simple. Also, realize that most summons can't be controlled (unless you can speak their language) so they tend to just attack the nearest enemy. If you see your summoners trying to do complex tactical maneuvers you should call foul.

Make sure you enforce and monitor summons' durations.

AOE's tend to clear out multiple summons quickly.

2 Summoners is going to be interesting. I'm curious how your campaign goes.

Blur/Displacement then Enlarge Person. My imp typically sits on the Barbarian's shoulder with an Enlarge Person wand (and CLW for emergencies) allowing me to Displace.

More actions per turn is the way to go!

I agree, good job by your DM. It makes feats like Spell Mastery worth it.

soupturtle wrote:

Common people are pretty poor compared to adventurers. Normal skilled professionals (soldiers, merchants, etc.) live off something like 10 gold per month. Thus, your GM could easily tell you you find "nothing of value". If he wants to give you something useful you could find mundane stuff, like rope, rations, 10-foot poles, etc. Maybe a masterwork artisan's tool if he's feeling generous.

Okay. What if it's a store or the rich side of town? (Especially at lower levels)

A rich store isn't going to be easy to break into. This isn't real life, this is Pathfinder. Any merchant looking to stay in business is going to have invested in some type of security.

When I run, most stores that have anything of value to adventures (magic shops, Armor/Weapons, ect) have a myriad of tricks in store for would be thieves. The smaller shops usually employ a couple of henchmen 24/7 as security.

In the age of magic there is no reason why a low level adventurer should be able to kick down the door and loot the entire players handbook.

Should be negotiated when the NPC joins.

Most characters don't want a bad reputation and will reward NPC's regardless of contract, however.

You have a very powerful party, on top of that max HP, 1 battle per day AND a Conjurer? You aren't going to find any challenges at your party level.

I would start designing CR14 encounters. Probably more like CR16 with a Conjurer in the party.

For casty damage, Sorc/Specialist Wizard would be fun. Just make sure you have at least 12 in both CHA and Int, and put your +2 human bonus into whatever class you plan on leveling (as you shouldnt level the other). 7 different cantrips memorized at a time, plus 7 1st level spells at the ready. Not bad. You also gain access to every Cantrip allowed as a wizard. Combine useful Bloodlines/Arcane Schools if you want to do blasty damage, such as Abherrant/Conjuration.

If you don't plan on leveling Sorcerer, the Fey first level ability remains useful forever. Same goes for the Divination school if you don't plan on leveling Wizard. Initiative bonuses are always welcome as a caster.

You can apply the same concept to Cleric/Oracle.

Here is a test guy I wrote up in PCGen. I woudl take the Raven familiar for the speaking and scouting ability. "Greenies over there! CAW!"

Chaotic means you follow your whims instead of tenets. It doesn't instantly make you bat-$*!& insane. Being evil means you have a dark heart, not that you instantly start eating babies. Just because you are Chaotic Evil doesn't mean you have to act totally off your rocker.

Think of the Joker in Batman:The Dark Knight. He does what he wants, when he wants. He doesn't feel bad about it either. But he doesn't just walk into the bank/hospital/orphanage and go all murderdeathkill on them. In the bank scene he only kills his henchmen (I think). In the hospital he waits until everyone is out before blowing up the place.

Apparently the colo facility looked something like this.

As a server guy, I would say that is pretty par for the course.

You are not flat-footed against yourself. So no.

Do what you want.

Roll the percentiles. Not available? Wait a week.

I say roleplay it.

Joes House-O-Stuff is out at the moment but can send a runner to the capital city of Hugeistan and get what you need! Should be a two week turnaround at a premium price. OH NO the runner got eaten by a dragon. Go dig your dust out of the dragons stomach.

PC's walk into Joes and see another adventuring party buying all the dust. Tickle fight for it? Beg and plead? Back room favors?

Clerics have plenty on hand, but are also dealing with an evil temple in the mountains. Perhaps the PC's could help in exchange?

Just rolling percentiles for stuff is so.....boring.

According to the way the room is (terribly) written, everyone would have died if EVERYONE failed their save versus the sleep effect. The Non-lethal damage would not have awoken them. But, the people that were awake (or asleep but naturally and not as an affect of the trap) would have been alerted once they took non-lethal damage and had plenty of time to open the door for air.

This part is particularly derp-tastic and makes no sense at all:

I'm confused, why did the PC's not wake up? They were being dragged around (enough to wake them) There was a battle nearby (enough to wake them) and the other PC's were poking them (enough to wake them). Is it a more powerful trap than just the sleep spell? I don't own the module.

Also, you didn't run suffocation right. They should have been under the effects of Slow Suffocation:

The non-lethal damage they would have taken would have woken everyone up and given plenty of time to get out of the room. The Unconsious > Dying > Dead Suffocation rules only apply in a vacuum/underwater ect where there is literally no air AT ALL. There is plenty of air in the room, it just lacks oxygen.

Lastly, if these are continual flame candles they shouldn't even use any oxygen since continual flame isn't an actual fire.

I vote mulligan.

Fun is relative.

Aren't undead immune to illusion effects like invisibility or am I missing something here?

Undead Traits (Ex) Undead are immune to death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, phantasms, and patterns), paralysis, poison, sleep, stun, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless). Undead are not subject to ability drain, energy drain, or nonlethal damage. Undead are immune to damage or penalties to their physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects. Undead are not at risk of death from massive damage.

Invisibility is a Glamer. Undead are not immune to Glamers. An example of an Illusion undead are immune to is Color Spray, which is a Pattern.

I appreciate the advice, but if we can, let's step back from the metagame suggestions, and focus on a few concrete tactics and questions of rules operation. Let's start with the very basics:

1. How does a group of NPCs spot a flying and invisible target? What's the DC to figure out the location of the target? If the target casts spells, how does that modify the DC? What if the caster uses a fireball (long range, so they're over 100' away, and quite possibly, straight up) and then moves - what's the DC to determine his location?

DC 0 +20 for Invis + X, where X equals 1 per 10 feet to determine the square where the attack came from. As a GM I would reduce this if the victim is aware of the direction that the attack was coming from, and again if visibility if favorable.

2. An NPC is hit by a spell that creates a 50' deep pit, the bottom of which is full of acid. The Climb check to get out is DC 30. Can the NPC do anything other than make Climb checks each round? Is it even worth making the Climb checks if the NPC has a better chance of falling back in than of getting out of the pit?

Barring nothing magical (Potion of Spider Climb or Levitate comes to mind) Climb check to get out of the acid then either stay put and wait for the spell to expire or keep climbing depending on battlefield factors.

3. If a character is attacked by an invisible opponent in melee, he automatically knows the location of the invisible opponent, correct? Can he communicate that fact to his allies?

Of course. "Attack where I attack!" clarifies the 5 foot square the opponent is attacking from.

4. Suppose that the invisible opponent encounters a guy with a bag of flour in melee. What is the mechanic for using the bag of flour to bust the invisibility? A Reflex save to avoid? If the invisible opponent is hit with flour, what is the effect on that creature? Does the flour merely reveal its location, or does it reduce the miss chance? If it reduces the miss chance, does it reduce it to 20% or 0%?

See Combat > Throw Splash Weapon. Ranged attack versus AC5 to hit the square the invis guy is in. Just throwing the sack in their square should reveal the invis guy (Have you ever baked anything from scratch? Flour gets in, on and all over EVERYTHING)

5. Suppose the opponents decide to retreat and wait for the buffs to run out. How do they manage that if they move 30 or 40, but the opponents fly at 40 or 60? Will waiting for the buffs to expire improve his situation, or will it merely result in a few rounds of unresponded to punishments?

See below.

It sounds like the combat was simply played incorrectly. Something that happens all the time really, but it can justify was seemed like an unfair combat.

1)You can't run while under the Fly spell. A Barbarian on the ground is going to outrun a flying party. Hell, the Barbarian is going to outrun a non-flying party. The Barbarian would have known that he was at a tactical disadvantage and fled to find a better battleground. Either the party tries to catch him, all the while the archers shoot down the party, or the party lets him flee and fights the skeletons; either way the Barbarian wins.

2)Invisibility duration means that it had to be cast very close to the Barbarian. Remember, no running while under the Fly spell, so only double moves. The Barbarian should have either seen or heard them a short distance away buffing up, or the invis would have worn off by the time they caught up to the Barbarian.

Chalk it up as a misread of the rules, tell the Sorcerer to manage his spells better (it's not the GM's responsibility to manage everything, IMO), and move on. The PC's are supposed to win by default anyway.

Simple alarm trap I have used:

Entrance to the BBEG's lair leads down a bit to a 30' wall. At the top of the wall, the PC's can see a tunnel leading deeper into the dungeon.

In the center of the wall is a rope ladder to allow dungeon denizens to proceed, and is a convenient assist to the PC's..or is it?

Tugging on the rope ladder shows the PC's that it's sturdy..but that is because it takes at least 30 lbs to cause the weak twine holding the rope to break, and attached to the end of the rope ladder is a bunch of small bells. Or maybe a basket of poisonous snakes. Or maybe a tin of green slime. Or a bag of sneezing powder. Or maybe all of the above.

The true rope ladder is to one side with a permanent invisibility spell cast on it. The denizens know about it, the PC's do not. Maybe it's rolled up and out of their sight. Or maybe it doesn't even exist.

The benefit of a trap like this is the PC's don't get Perception checks to avoid it. They can't dice roll their way out of a trap like this. Since they cannot see any of the bad stuff, and the trigger just looks and feels like an ordinary rope ladder they cannot detect the trap. The PC's would need to bypass the rope ladder and climb up to see the trap mechanism.

Paladins can Lay on Hands themselves as a swift action, so it seems to me that touching yourself should always be a swift action.

/giggity

also since i have 22 ac he wants me to go into melee more

Your GM needs to stop railroading your character. Actually, from the sound of it, your GM needs to stop a lot of things.

+1 vote for Whip Bard. I made a whip NPC to go against my PC's and he was a blast to play. He was a fighter, but as a Bard he would be even better, since Bards can do so many other things.

i think if you roll Inquisitor you will be disappointed. Nothing against Inquisitors, but with your group dynamic you won't fit in very well. You group will love it when you put the BBEG on the ground and send his weapon flying across the room, all the while buffing them up.

I like "mcv"'s explanations for the high taxes. It makes sense. A lightly armed merchant caravan coming to trade in their main city will pay significantly less to travel here. But a heavily armed group of adventurers with nothing of real value to the giants should pay heavily. I wouldn't go higher than 500gp though. Maybe 400gp? 100 per PC and an additional 100 for their caravan. the amount should be roleplayed out though. "What you have no trade for us? You pay more!" Or something.

Before the PC's are approached and asked to pay, I suggest having the PC's pass by a heavily armed giant patrol. They give the group the stink eye while asking for proof of safe passage. Since the PC's do not have any, they warn the PC's to pay their dues at the next station or face repercussions. This will hint at the power of the giants and serve as a warning that if they don't pay with gold they may pay with their lives.

With a Paladin in the party, and 15 or so NPC's under his charge, I cannot see him NOT paying. It would not only be unlawful but would put innocents at risk for personal gain (retaining wealth). If the group, including the Paladin start edging toward the side of "Go F yourself" I suggest pulling the Paladin aside and telling him these things.

If your PC's still refuse to pay and want to tempt fate, then have fun unleashing hell on them.

I also recommend PcGen. The new version works great, and their community is very active so if you have problems it is easy to find answers. Also, it costs $Free.99 so you can't argue with that.

I bought HeroLabs Pathfinder Core and the APG and went back to PcGen. I disliked the stupidly restrictive licensing of HeroLabs (I want to install it on my work computer, home laptop and my desktop. I can only install on 2). I also found it very pricey. Third, I cannot customize it. I can customize PcGen pretty easily. It runs through Java using .LST files which are glorified text files and easy to work with. Lastly, HeroLabs runs slower than PcGen.

As to your original question, yes PcGen can handle archtypes.

Overall, I think PcGen is a superior product, but to each their own. Try both and go with what you like!

Ah, found it, thanks. I was looking under Diseases and Poisons.

Quick question: In the guide, the DC for some of the Poison/Disease attacks is increased if you have the Augment Summoning feat, such as the Dire Rat or Viper from SMI. I cannot for the life of me find this in the rulebook. Where does it say that the DC should be increased due to Augment Summoning?

Thanks in advance.

Before the game session, I have the players lay out their minis sitting on the side of the battle mat in their typical marching order. My players understand that as they are moving around the map, the party is staying in the same basic configuration. If someone wants to deviate from this order, they have to speak up.

In the example that you give, once the order was given to cross the bridge, it is expected that the whole party moves together in their marching order and triggers the trap, since no one spoke up about hanging back or inspecting the bridge for traps ahead of time. If they balk, I tell them that they didn't think ahead of time to go single file, just like they did in real life. My players' characters are extensions of them as individuals, and if they forget to check for traps in real life, their characters forget as well.

My players have learned quickly that if they are going to be expecting trouble to plan ahead before moving forward.

Using this method I very rarely have issues with traps or ambushes.

I play my characters the same way this guy plays. I prefer non-assertive, quiet, mysterious characters that rarely speak up, stand in the back and when forced to speak I keep it simple. However, when needed, my characters step up to the plate and give more than their fair share. The rest of my game group couldn't imagine me playing characters any other way.

This persons behavior is not a problem unless it is disrupting the rest of the players. If the other players do not have an issue with it, leave him be.

It is, in my opinion, insulting to force your personality on someone else. You don't have to agree with his playing style; you only have to like him as a person. If he is an OK guy then leave him alone and accept him for who he is.

If he is bothering the rest of the group, take a group vote. If the majority dislike the guy, pull him aside, talk to him, tell him that the game group needs him to be more active. Let him GM a module or something. Take a game session and play Apples to Apples. Stimulate him and give him a chance to get to know everyone better. Take him out to dinner afterwards. Nothing gets a conversation started like wings and beer.

If he continues to be too reserved and it is bothering the group, kick him out. Harsh, but life is too short for bad gaming.

Handy Haversack (reasons already mentioned, awesome item)
Ioun Torch's (at only 75g you can buy one for everyone in the party with no Darkvision. Hands free, permanent torch that I can put away when not needed? Yes, please)
Ring of Sustenance (Full class ability refresh in only two hours, not to mention no need for food/water)

These are my staple starting cheap equipment.

High level Druid with the Vampire template?

Multiple casts of Plant Growth would give her a creepy copse of wood to live in while enhancing the crops of the villagers (Range of 1/2 mile.

Could also command an army of corrupted dryads.

A final note before I let this thread die. I spoke with the player yesterday at the beginning of our game session, and we came to a conclusion about how the character should be behaving. We disagree as players on how Lawful Good should act in some situations, but we both have a consensus on how the >character< should be acting, and that is what is important. I believe that alignments, like religion, are very personal and dynamic, and I am not the kind of person to push my views on others. But he sees where I am coming from and agrees that I have a valid point.

I also issued a warning to him stating that although I wasn't going to make his character fall, if the behavior continues he very may well fall. He agreed that his character acted irrationally and that if the behavior continues he deserves punishment.

I want to thank everyone for participating in my thread. I have read everyone's posts. There have been many good points brought up from all sides of the spectrum and I would like to clarify a few things.

1) The Kobold Wizard was a Wiz4 and should not have pinged evil. However, this was a very minor mistake and there isn't much difference between a Kobold Wiz4 or Wiz5. He may not have executed him if he didn't ping evil, however. But that isn't the issue here.
2) The Orc chieftain was a Barb7 and should have pinged. He had never met or even heard of this particular Orc before.
3) Neither creature had done anything evil that the Paladin knows of.
4) When asked by the player if they detected as evil, I simply said "Yes". Not, "Oh man he practically GLOWS evil" or anything like that.
5) I don't remember off of the top of my head what deity he worships. I think Iomedae.

My reason for creating this thread is because I don't think it's right for this player to use Detect Evil as a reason to kill (the "Will it blend!?" reference was hilarious, thanks for that.) It seems like the general consensus agrees with me.

I am going to take the contents of this thread, organize it, and present it to the player to clarify what being a Paladin should be.

I am not, however, going to make the Paladin fall. His character is in a unique situation. There is no "local law"; being in the World's Largest Dungeon there is no town guard; no courts, no justice really. He feels like he IS justice. But, I will clarify some things with him and explain that just because you can't take prisoners easily doesn't mean that you shouldn't try, if the situation warrants it. If he continues to act Lawful Stupid, he will have an unexpected meeting with his irritated and incredibly busy deity to discuss some things. Fun roleplaying =)

I don't think a Paladin should ALWAYS take prisoners, like some of the more entertaining posts have suggested. If a group of bandits charge him and his party, axes raised and arrows flying, pulling a "Nice Guy Reprogrammed Robocop" is just silly. However, after defeating several bandits and their leader, if some give up he shouldn't execute them just because they are evil. I would also expect him to check for dying foes to Stabilize. That is how I see Lawful Good.

This brings me to my last point; I need to clarify Lawful Good before this becomes an issue again. Those of you that said I need to discuss this with the player are correct. I will pull the player aside, discuss what Lawful Good means to him, his character, myself, and his deity and come to a consensus on his behavior.

Again, thanks all for participating in my thread. It has been a good discussion overall.

I agree that he shouldn't be lenient sometimes. If an Orc charges him, sword raised, I expect him to utterly destroy the creature, regardless of alignment. However, to kill a defenseless creature simply because it's evil?

Here is a quote I found from here.

When will a lawful good character take a life? A lawful good being kills whenever necessary to promote the greater good, or to protect himself, his companions, or anyone whom he's vowed to defend. In times of war, he strikes down the enemies of his nation. He does not interfere with a legal execution, so long as the punishment fits the crime. Otherwise, a lawful good character avoids killing whenever possible. He does not kill a person who is merely suspected of a crime, nor does this character necessarily kill someone he perceives to be a threat unless he has tangible evidence or certain knowledge of evildoing.

So I pose another question; does using the Detect Evil ability constitute "tangible evidence or certain knowledge of evildoing"?

I want to get a community opinion on this.

I am running a WLD Pathfinder conversion game, and I believe one of my players is running a Lawful Stupid Paladin.

Some of his behaviors lately haven't been following his alignment in my opinion. What do you think about the following examples:

1) The Paladin encountered a captured, bound and unconscious but quite alive Kobold Wizard. After detecting evil against him, and sensing that he was evil, he slit the kobolds throat. He has interacted with this kobold in the past and has never seen or heard of said kobold wizard doing any evil acts, or threatening the Paladin or his charges ever.

2) The Paladin encountered an Orc chieftain deep in revelry. No interaction from the Orc would rouse him from it. The Paladin detected evil, and sensing it, beheaded the orc.

Said player is using the rule that "good kills evil". I don't necessarily subscribe to this, but I could be misguided. If a creature detects as evil, but has not acted that way, can the Paladin use that logic to slay the creature? It seems unlawful for a Paladin to be judge, jury and executioner simply because a creature detects as evil.

I would like some educated thoughts on this. Quote printed material if possible. Instead of "He's doing good, shut up", please say "He's doing good, because in the book of Exalted Deeds it says blahblah" to help me understand where everyone's thoughts on the subject are coming from. I would do the same, but I am having trouble finding anything that says a Lawful Good character wouldn't just slaughter every evil being he comes across, at least in lawless areas like dungeons.

Thanks in advance =)