We are playing currently in Wake of the Watcher and I read the description of the next module Ashes at Dawn.
Ut oh, I see no way for my character to work with vampires.
He is a paladin Holy Warrior of Light Undead Scourge.
He follows all the gods of good and also holds Pharasma in high esteem.
Here is his oath:
• I will learn the weight of my axe. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my axe, but in my heart. If I lose my axe, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died.
• I will redeem the ignorant with my words and my actions. If they will not turn toward the light, I will redeem them by the axe.
• I will not be taken prisoner by my free will. I will not surrender those under my command.
• I will never refuse a challenge from an equal. I will give honor to worthy enemies, and contempt to the rest.
• My word is my bond. When I give my word formally, I defend my oath to my death.
• I will suffer death before dishonor.
• I will never abandon a companion, though I will honor sacrifice freely given.
• I will protect my allies with my life. They are my light and my strength, as I am their light and their strength.
• I will seek out and destroy the undead. If I cannot defeat them, I will give my life trying. If my life would be wasted in the attempt, I will find allies and return to defeat them.
• The best battle is a battle I win. If I die, I can no longer fight. I will fight fairly when the fight is fair, and I will strike quickly and without mercy when it is not.
He considers all the gods of good to be his brother and sisters and took parts from each of the lawful good gods paladins oath to create his own.
I have played him as a person who hates undead over all other things. Everything else should be given a chance of redemption. If that choose is not picked then they are to be redeemed by his axe.
Right now it looks like I have two options. Have the PC retire of leave the party off on some adventure for his church to reunite with the party after the adventure. Or prepare for a war against the vampires and align with whoever is killing them.
You don't need to work with the vampires for the module to work.
If you (or your group) would prefer to work with them, I'd use this bit of your code:
- I will seek out and destroy the undead. If I cannot defeat them, I will give my life trying. If my life would be wasted in the attempt, I will find allies and return to defeat them.
Assume that for now, the vampires are too many and powerful for you to destroy and that your life would be wasted in the attempt. So, you'll need to find more allies/gain more power before you return to defeat them. Preferably after the end of the AP. ;)
Alternatively you could be tricked by other party members into swearing an oath to do [whatever it is you do in book 5 with the vampires] before your character finds out they are vampires. Then you'll have to fight between oath bond or vampire killing.
Or you can get a nice vision from Pharasma along the lines of "vampires are bad but Whispering Way is more bad. Don't forget your ultimate goal; dieing to some vampires would mean a far worse fate for the world when the Way completes its goal".
Or just make a new character, attack the vampires when you see them, die, and pull out the new character (hopefully one less bothered by vampires, heh).
The short answer is that the module is written with two routes - cooperation with the vampires, and outright war with the bloodsucking parasites. So it's actually okay if your party decides to smite them.
Hmmm. You gave up aura of justice. But looking over your archetypes...
I probably shouldn't say this, but I think there's only one vampire in the entire city that could face your paladin in single combat and even stand a chance. You'd rip through any of the others like, well, a paladin fighting undead.
Having played a paladin before - you can work with evil creatures, provided that there is a greater purpose being served by the alliance. The vampires actually can explain to you why they need to be helped.
In short, the burden's really on the vampires to show why their execution should be stayed. And they can actually show it, but if they don't bother, smite 'em!
Thanks for the input and advice.
I will have to think about having my party trick me into an oath. Or I do like the party "the burden's really on the vampires to show why their execution should be stayed. And they can actually show it, but if they don't bother, smite 'em!"
My paladin is designed to destroy any undead in comes across. +2 undead bane adamantine transformative dwarven war axe. Switch it to a dwarven maul axe add disruption to it and toss in a smite and those suckers won't stand a chance... hopefully.
hahahaha
Meh...sort out the greater evil first then come back and kill 'em all. Go get a Divination from a Pharasmin Cleric to clear it with Her direct.
If it comes back Pharasma is okay with it kill 'em later.
Also safe guards you just in case your GM is going to shaft your PC for leaving the vampires until later