For starter paladin codes have been discussed before:
Paladin's Code
The paladin's code (this is a long one)
Update the Paladin Code
Paladin Code or "How to negotiate with evil creatures and not to die triying it"
A Paladin and his Code
Most of those are archived and if anyone posts on them please update the links.
So... now to the meat of the issue.
I have made a updated oath/code/guidelines. Discuss, steal or whatever it is you do.
The Paladin’s Oath
“My faith is the well from which I draw my strength.
I defend those who are unable to defend themselves.
Ever vigilant I protect the meek, the poor and the humble.
I offer redemption to the wicked. Souls which have strayed and are wicked need guidance. Even the wicked may one day walk in the light.
I am humble, for pride turns man against God.
I am the faithful servant of God.
I shall never draw my sword for greed or hate but to defend life.
I am the righteous hand of justice.”
Code of Conduct
A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits an evil act.
Additionally, a paladin’s code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honour (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents.
Associates
While she may adventure with others, a paladin will never knowingly associate with evil, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who match her moral and social outlook.
A Paladin’s Guide:
1. Strive for honour and goodness above all else.
2. A paladin must never compromise with evil, even to serve a greater good.
3. The easy way is the road to damnation.
4. A paladin must act with humility. A paladin's powers are an ally, never a tool.
5. Pity the sinner, suffer the prisoner and spare the defeated.
6. Lead by example, never the tip of a sword.
A Paladin supports and defends Good and opposes Evil.
It is only when a paladin, in their right mind, commits an evil act that they are barred from regaining their former status. An unlawful act may be allowed to be atoned.
A Paladin is a Leader in righteous combat.
When it is necessary to fight, the Paladin will seek to guide and inspire his comrades, taking a forward position in the battle and facing the foe boldly.
A Paladin is a Protector.
He will seek to prevent harm to the innocent and if need be he will place himself at risk in order to accomplish this.
A Paladin works to promote and enforce Justice and the Law.
If a Paladin does not agree with a law, he must still respect it and should work to change it rather than disregarding it. The only exception to this is if the law is truly evil. In this instance, the Paladin must follow the dictates of his god and his conscience.
A paladin cannot execute a wanted man without first having some reasonable proof that he deserves the punishment.
A paladin must, where possible, obey the law. This means that if the paladin sees five ways to complete a good task, four daunting and within the law, one simple but outside it, the paladin must with at least some degree of dedication attempt every one of those four difficult paths they are able first, before attempting the final route.
A Paladin is Honest.
He will not lie or otherwise seek to deceive a person. A Paladin does not cheat or seek to take unfair advantage in his dealings with others.
A Paladin is Loyal.
He does not betray his god, his liege-lord, his guild, his family, or his friends.
A Paladin is Holy.
He seeks to do that which pleases his god in all manners of the Code, and knows that the purity of his soul has a profound impact on the abilities the gods bless him with.
It is not appropriate for a Paladin to work toward the ends of a dark aspect of the gods as they are not in keeping with what is Good and Just.
Stupidity and ignorance is not unforgivable, carelessness is. A paladin should attempt to right any wrongs they unintentionally commit if they find out about them. Failure to do so could result in the permanent loss of powers.
Paladins are the souls of honour; they should act that way at all times.
Priority List
To be used when there is a conflict between the paladin's codes.
Lawful Good God:
1. the god’s rules/laws
2. the good of society
3. the laws of society
4. the good of the individual
Neutral Good God:
1. the god’s rules/laws
2. the good of society
3. the good of the individual
4. the laws of society
Lawful Neutral God:
1. the god’s rules/laws
2. the laws of society
3. the good of society
4. the good of the individual
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Just for the sake of argument, one could always use the Knight's Code from the movie Dragonheart, that was a great code that was specific enough to limit some actions, but general enough to allow flexibility with those actions allowed.
A knight is sworn to valor.
His heart knows only virtue.
His blade defends the helpless.
His might upholds the weak.
His word speaks only truth.
His wrath undoes the wicked.
Simple, direct, no surprises.
It requires valor, acting even when one is afraid.
It states that the character must be virtuous, so they must be fair and even-handed.
It puts forward the requirement to help those in need, whether they be under attack or simply unable to help themselves.
It says in no uncertain terms that there is no allowance for lies.
And finally, it states that the character must bring to an end the actions of evil.
That fits the needs of a Paladin pretty well, I think.
I can't beleive I forgot the Dragonheart Knight's Code.
Snatched and cemented in my house rules. Thanks for posting that!
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Thought begets Heresy; Heresy begets Retribution!
Innocence proves nothing!
Burn the heretic!
Kill the mutant!
Purge the unclean!
Admittedly this may not work with some games.
The one sticking point on the no-association thing for me is that it can make some paladins seem pretty wishy-washy on the whole redemption thing. Redemption is rarely a quick and easy process, and a paladin that cleaves closs to the associate rule can seem quick to give up and consider someone a lost cause that they would otherwise stay beside and try to pull towards good.
Of course a paladin shouldn't be expected to keep working with Mickey Murdersalot, but I'm not referring to those extreme cases.
Here are two full Paladin Orders I posted on my blog including how they each interpret the code, affiliation rules, magic items, alternate class levels, etc. If anyone actually used them I would love to hear about it.
Thought begets Heresy; Heresy begets Retribution!
Innocence proves nothing!
Burn the heretic!
Kill the mutant!
Purge the unclean!Admittedly this may not work with some games.
The one sticking point on the no-association thing for me is that it can make some paladins seem pretty wishy-washy on the whole redemption thing. Redemption is rarely a quick and easy process, and a paladin that cleaves closs to the associate rule can seem quick to give up and consider someone a lost cause that they would otherwise stay beside and try to pull towards good.
Of course a paladin shouldn't be expected to keep working with Mickey Murdersalot, but I'm not referring to those extreme cases.
I had a rather long response to this written up earlier, but then the Epic level monster that is the internet ate my post and I didn't have time to write another. So, here is my second attempt. I forward it by saying that I'm not so much resonding to you, Mikaze, as I am musing on the topics which you have touched. As a general statement, I tend to think that paladins are far more workable than many people believe. Often it seems that unrealistic expectations and interpretations of a paladin's code and obligations in certain situations lead to problems, rather than the code itself. See Miko Miyazake in Order of the Stick (and Rich Burlew's various notes about her) for a prime example.
Now then, I think the main point here is the verb associate.
The paladin sees a crime lord out on the street. He waves and walks over, greets him with a friendly "Hello!", asks how things are going, chats about the weather, and then wishes him a nice day before walking on.
That is associating with evil. Obviously, there are lesser (and greater) instances which qualify, but it is the essence of that nonchalant and accepting interaction with evil that is forbidden to a paladin. Not associating with evil does not require the paladin to be at physical or even verbal war with every villain he encounters, 24/7.
For example, if we change the situation above, the paladin now (properly) wishes for nothing more than to take down that crime lord, bring him to trial and justice for all that he has done. But he has no proof significant enough for an arrest, no way to stop his nemisis. Yet the crime lord makes a point of visiting the paladin frequently for his own perverse amusement, chatting and joking with him. The paladin would be foolish to be overtly hostile all the time, what with the crime lord's influence in the city. So the paladin grits his teeth and bears it or, if he's in a particular mood, even ironically chats back.
That isn't "associating" with evil; not in the sense of the code. He can hold conversations and interact with the crime lord frequently, but I don't think anyone would agree that they are associates.
Likewise, there is a huge difference between "working with" or associating with someone who is evil, and seeking to redeem them. So long as the paladin appropriately objects to and takes actions to prevent and correct the wrongdoing of another and makes earnest efforts to "save" said other, I believe that a paladin is perfectly within his bounds.
Note that I say "appropriately objects." I think this bears a little elaboration. Let's take the offered example of a paladin and Mickey Murdersalot, whom we presume are being forced to interact with each other over a prolonged time for some reason. If Mickey steals a loaf of bread, the paladin should not only scold him, but also do his best to see that the bread is returned or compensation made, preferably by Mickey himself. Of course, an escalation to lethal violence would not be appropriate on the part of the paladin. I don't think that any law which is not actually evil (and therefore not binding to the paladin in the first place) would place one's life as the penalty for stealing a loaf of bread. If the paladin could not reasonably force Mickey to return the bread and could not make remedy himself for some reason, there would come a point where the paladin would have no real choice but to (regrettably to the paladin, I would expect) drop the issue. That may not seem very paladin-ish, but again, this is when there is no real choice. When such is the case, the paladin is not at fault; paladins may be held to a higher standard, but they shouldn't have to perform the impossible.
That all said, if Mickey refused to return the bread or stole a second time, the paladin should escalate his responses suitably. And if Mickey Murdersalot ever lived up to his name and unjustly killed someone, I would very much expect a paladin to try locking him in irons and dragging him off to await trial and sentencing. If Mickey resisted in this instance, the paladin quite possibly could be pushed into using lethal force.
Also note that none of that is mutually exclusive with trying to redeem Mickey Murdersalot. Even if we assume Mickey kills someone, is arrested, tried, and sentenced to death, the paladin can still seek his redemption, even if only to ease his afterlife and attempt to spare him an eternity of damnation.
Of course, it is possible to play semantic word games and say that any of the above examples is a form of "association," meaning interaction. But I can't help but feel such attitudes overlook the whole spirit of the code, and (mis)interpret it in such a way as to make it inviable and impossible to actually support and live up to. Again, paladins can and should be held to a higher standard; but they cannot and should not be asked to perform the impossible.
Just my .02 gp
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Thought begets Heresy; Heresy begets Retribution!
Innocence proves nothing!
Burn the heretic!
Kill the mutant!
Purge the unclean!Admittedly this may not work with some games.
The one sticking point on the no-association thing for me is that it can make some paladins seem pretty wishy-washy on the whole redemption thing. Redemption is rarely a quick and easy process, and a paladin that cleaves closs to the associate rule can seem quick to give up and consider someone a lost cause that they would otherwise stay beside and try to pull towards good.
Of course a paladin shouldn't be expected to keep working with Mickey Murdersalot, but I'm not referring to those extreme cases.
It's never a good idea to think of the Imperium of Man as anything but evil. (Lawful evil, to be sure).
In what will probably be the first and last recommendation you'll ever see out of me for a Mongoose product, there's a section in the back of Quintessential Paladin II that deals with The Paladin Code. It gives you 21 different things to consider and rate from 0 to 3 on. (0 being the most lenient; about what one could expect from a normal good adventurer, 3 being the strictest; sometimes ludicrously so, and there is a detailed description of what each rating means) all paladin codes should add up to at least 15, with 25 signifying a strict code. I went through and rated all 12 of the paladin orders in my homebrew setting, and the strictness rating went from 15 (paldins of the the very pragmatic gods of Harmony, Retribution, and Fate) to a staggering 37 (the dragon emperor of Sentoria's personal guard). I'd highly recommend that book to anybody who gets a lot of stickiness and/or arguments out of the paladin code. It's a steep $15.39 at RPGnow, but I imagine one can find a dead tree edition much cheaper than that at an FLGS or online retailer if one does some looking.
It's never a good idea to think of the Imperium of Man as anything but evil. (Lawful evil, to be sure).
In what will probably be the first and last recommendation you'll ever see out of me for a Mongoose product, there's a section in the back of Quintessential Paladin II that deals with The Paladin Code. It gives you 21 different things to consider and rate from 0 to 3 on. (0 being the most lenient; about what one could expect from a normal good adventurer, 3 being the strictest; sometimes ludicrously so, and there is a detailed description of what each rating means) all paladin codes should add up to at least 15, with 25 signifying a strict code. I went through and rated all 12 of the paladin orders in my homebrew setting, and the strictness rating went from 15 (paldins of the the very pragmatic gods of Harmony, Retribution, and Fate) to a staggering 37 (the dragon emperor of Sentoria's personal guard). I'd highly recommend that book to anybody who gets a lot of stickiness and/or arguments out of the paladin code. It's a steep $15.39 at RPGnow, but I imagine one can find a dead tree edition much cheaper than that at an FLGS or online retailer if one does some looking.
On your recommendation I have now bought the book. I look forward to seeing the code building system.
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It's never a good idea to think of the Imperium of Man as anything but evil. (Lawful evil, to be sure).
Hell, you're lucky if you can find any organization in Warhammer 40,000 that rises up to neutral. On their good days. And actually has a chance of surviving more than a century in that setting.
It really says something about a setting when the closest thing to the "good guys" are well on their way to racking up enough atrocities that if they were documented they could fill up the Library of Congress.(the Imperium's collection would likely blanket all of Earth. And the moon. And a sizable portion of Mars)
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I forward it by saying that I'm not so much resonding to you, Mikaze, as I am musing on the topics which you have touched.
No prob. I actually agree with most of what you posted.
Honestly, the problem is that spelling it out like that will never happen in any "core" rulebook, and the short and simple version will always lead to semantics issues. That and all the unrealistic expectations(whether from the player's side or the GM's) that are unfortunately entrenched in a lot of peoples' minds, particularly in the minds of those who most dislike the paladin class.(honestly, is there any other class that has had so many bad players and DMs "out to get them"?)