Question: Vow of Celibacy

[Belle Mythix]

PRD link, to help some

[Yasha]

Thank you for that Belle. I hadn't even realized there were new Vows. Tells you how much I looked at the Monk section in Ultimate Magic. Come on though....it was Ultimate Magic!

I had been wondering how most poster were certain the PC in question was a Monk. I'd been assuming the Exalted Vows from the BoED, not from a more recent product.

Ah! Since I never exactly chimed in on this aspect of the OPs question:

At the very least the Monk will need to atone at earliest opportunity. That the situation was contrived/coerced might allow the PC to keep the benefits of the Vow for the time being, but that is the call of your DM.

I am personally not able to make an actual decision as to what my ruling would be were I DMing, not without knowing more details about the situation and how exactly this scenario played out.

[Weirdo]

The situation was contrived. However, the Monk still knowingly and willingly broke the Vow by touching another person. Even if it actually saved the world, the Vow was still broken.

That said, if your group (particularly the player and DM) weren't clear on the constraints of the Vow ahead of time, it might be appropriate to cut the character some slack.

[Mikaze]

Umbral Reaver wrote:

So if you want to be truly humble, you must be the lowest of the low.

Touch all the corpses.

"Hey hey hey hey.

Ruin crime scenes every day."

[Kazaan]

Mikaze wrote:

The part about the Vow of Celibacy that actually trips me up is its ban on touching others to save their lives, whether it's to drag someone out of a burning building, catch someone that's falling, administer first aid, or even a comforting hand on the shoulder of the distraught and mourning.

These may be unintended consequences, but they're really jarring ones.

(honestly at a loss for words on the opening question)

The vow doesn't say that you can't drag someone from a burning building or catch them if they're falling or administer first aid, etc. etc. It states that you lose the benefits of the vow if you do so until you atone. If you're a L/E Monk, you just stand there, watch the guy fall, go splat, and go on your merry way because you've got more important things to do. L/N Monks might consider breaking their vow if they're saving a family member or a close friend or someone really important but if it's just some stranger they wouldn't know from Adam, then it's kersplat. A L/G Monk would almost certainly break their vow, suffer the loss, and perform the atonement. But intent has no bearing on the actual losing of the vow benefits; it doesn't matter if you're saving a life, if someone is saving yours, or if you just went too long without some bow-chika-bow-wow for your own good.

[KemmenTheGnome]

Yea I think the last comment is correct. The vow is very vague, and also in this situation directly conflicts with the PC's alignment.

If he fails to give the hand job, to avoid breaking his vow... does he violate his alignment as an opportunity to save the country?

Synopsis BTW: For those who asked. The bloat mage who is directly conspiring with Illiosa made the proposition that if the monk gives him an HJ, he will turn on Illiosa and prevent her ascendance... thus saving EVERYONE involved. He's so deep in her council and involved in the apocalyptic plot.. it would be easy for him to sabotage. Nobody really thought anything of it because he is a creepy ass guy to begin with.