|
What's your opinion on this? If a paladin character has some embarassing issue (questionable/nefarious past, or maybe a strange obession/fetish), is he/she in violation of a paladin's code of honor/honesty by hiding it?
For instance, suppose a paladin character had an aberrant bloodline and could only gain sustenance from raw meat. Would the character be out-of-line to try to fake eating normal food in public, and then sneaking out at night to catch and eat something more to his/her liking and not telling anyone?
If the paladin isn't speaking the lie, is he or she okay, or is deception deception regardless of the means?
AFAIK, Paladins are sworn not to lie. That doesn't eliminate all deception, just direct statement of falsehood.
If your raw-meat (I hope you are talking about livestock, not people - that's a whole other issue) doesn't share his dietary needs with others, he isn't lying. If you say he is, then he should, in fact, be telling his whole life story to anyone he meets so he doesn't neglect to mention something.
Now, if someone directly asks him what he ate for dinner, or where he goes after dark, he may refuse to answer, but he can't tell them a lie.
Did you accidently make two separate threads for this?
Is the embarrassment over just having the bloodline, just in eating raw meat, or that eating only raw meat might give away the bloodline?
I would say embarrassment over a bloodline should only depend on the philosophy of the individual paladin, if they feel predestined toward evil, etc. Just eating raw meat should also not be an issue except to the individual paladin since there's nothing evil about eating meat raw. Personally, I'd love to have sashimi all the time, but I just can't afford it.
I would say, however, that such an issue becomes moot if the individual has become accepted as a paladin. If there were any real conflict, the individual would never have gained paladin status.
I think the point is moe that the behaviour is unacceptable in polite society, so he hides it, more than that the action is in some way a violation of the code. The quesiton is if hiding it is a violation.
I would say that he does not need to be upfront about it, but nor can he deny it if it is brought to light or he is questioned on it. I think if the Paladin thinks he is doing something wrong, he is in violation of his code, as he believes himself to not be acting in an up front an honorable manor. If he is merely discreet about it for some other reason, he is not in violation.
Paladins are part of a chain of command - an order, or church. If a Paladin has a fault in his past that he has shared with his higher ups and been forgiven for, he might cease to advertise the fault. It is not a question of honesty but that all the ones who should know do.
He cannot deny it has happened although his answer might be "I was forgiven by my merciful betters for ......" He may neglect to mention his previous faults if they have been addressed or if he is aware that his use to his church will be diminished if he advertises his weakness.
Of course he could also conceal his weakness because it is still festering - that would be your call.
I think he would try to stay away from the greatest temptation and might suggest better candidates should he be weak in that area.
For example. A paladin that atoned and was forgiven for cowardice will not say. "Follow me, although I've run away before."
Sigurd
Paladins are part of a chain of command - an order, or church.
Not necessarily.
He cannot deny it has happened although his answer might be "I was forgiven by my merciful betters for ......"
Or, he could use my favorite, "It's none of your business." :)
Sins of omission aren't things like telling people about your secrets, it's when you see evil occurring and you don't act. Huge difference between the two.
Paladins are perfectly allowed to have fetishes and odd eating habits. Seriously, that's not evil or chaotic or breaking their code in any way. And they're also perfectly allowed to tell others "That's none of your business."