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Hi all!
So I'm pretty new to Pathfinder and Pathfinder Society. In other RPGs I have played, I have always worked with my GM to develop a specific background and motivation for my character to explain why she is where she is at the beginning of the campaign, as well as a general idea of where she's head.
I am interested in playing a paladin (Iomedae) in PFS. I've been poking around the web and can think of how to roleplay a paladin that's already *in* PFS (working with the Silver Crusade to use PFS as a tool for good in the world), but I'm having trouble explaining to myself why she would join PFS in the first place. To me, it seems sort of illogical for a LG paladin to join this somewhat unorganized group of random adventurers with differing motivations. It's easier for me to see her starting a campaign being sent on a mission of some kind from a local temple cleric or something like that. But obviously, that's not really an option because she has to be a member of PFS! And I'm not complaining...I think Paizo sponsoring this kind of organized play is awesome!! I'm just struggling with it from a roleplaying perspective. Can anyone help me out with some ideas? I love the tactical combat of Pathfinder, but I do also want to do some serious roleplaying.
TL;DR: What are some roleplaying reasons that a Paladin of Iomedae would join the Pathfinder Society in the first place?
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Well, the most recent season focused on the Pathfinder Society working with the Mendevian crusaders to fight back the incursion of demons flowing from the Worldwound. Iomedae is the official religion of Mendev.
Your paladin of Iomedae could easily have fought alongside the Society members during the crusade. This leads to a whole lot of possibilities:
1) Your paladin fell in love with a society agent and decided to follow them home.
2) Your paladin was actively recruited by members of the Silver Crusade to help continue the fight around the world. Part of the mission of the Silver Crusade this season is to mop up the loose demons and help the veterans of the Mendevian crusade.
3) Your paladin saw how resourceful the society agents were and realized that the society had valuable information and training about how to fight monsters other than the demons you were trained to fight.
4) During the crusade, your paladin incurred a personal debt to one of the society agents (maybe he saved your life or sacrificed himself to save your unit, etc.). You joined the society to repay that debt.
Many characters join the society for purely personal reasons (looking for a lost relative and escaping a bad life are two very common ones). Since the society provides resources and travel opportunities, it's an attractive option for people who are on personal quests. Others join just for the adventure and exploration, just to get rich, just to get more knowledge and training...
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*points at the Silver Crusade Motto*
To use the resources of the Society to do good throughout the world.
I second this, the resources available to the Pathfinder Society is awesome and the good done by any singular Paladin without it is good but limited; with the society, the benefits from the Paladin in question is exponentially greater!
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Another option could be set by careful choice of her first few PFS games. If she does the currently stereotyped starting trio of adventures, they actually provide most anyone reasons to join, and a background for it.
Start with the Free RPG Day module, Master of the Fallen Fortress. That one is designed to handle non-PFS characters, and introduce them, ina small way, to PFS. It also gives them a way, means, and possibly even reason, to join the Pathfinder Society, as a successful mission usually includes getting an invitation to join as a field agent.
The next game could be scenario 5-08 The Confirmation, designed both for the graduates of Pathfinder Society Academy and field agents, to give them an idea of some of the things that PFS agents can run into.
And, for the third game at first level, the last remaining introduction scenario First Steps, Part 1: In Service to Lore; where you get to do some of the Society's errands, and introduces your PC to Ollysta Zadrian, the head of the Silver Crusade faction, is a good way to close out first level.
At this point, your Paladin would be a Pathfinder Society agent, in the Silver Crusade, and all set to run errands for the Decemvirate and her faction leader...
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Most normal people in this world don't seem to travel that far away from their homes. The Pathfinders offer a unique opportunity:
Travel the world,
explore lost ruins,
meet new people,
and smite the **** out of them.
Lawful good doesn't mean you can't be proactive in fighting evil and if the society comps your travel, all the better. Extended even further it might even make sense for a church to send a couple of paladins into the society. Pathfinders see more of the world than almost anyone else. It would be a chance to do good in the world at large and act as eyes and ears on the look out for larger problems for father church to deal with.
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Because someone has to keep these murderhobo's directed at evil.
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I'll third the silver crusade. The recent mendevian crusades are an example of what you can do with a pack of archeologist murder hobos and their dangerous toys turned against things that almost deserve to have it set loose upon them.
The societies second most likely reputation is a pack of daring adventurer explorers ala pulp novels, smashing evil IN THE FACE! If your character got an idea about the society from these sorts of stories he might not know all of what he's getting into. To be honest, a lot of what paladins DO do as pathinders is smash evil IN THE FACE.
Your paladin loves archeology AND doing good. Nothing says a man can't have a hobby.
The society is funding your missionary work to send you around the world to spread the word of your god.
You are looking for information on Iomadeas dead patron god aroden, and the society knows more about him than anyone.
Some things to be aware of:
DMs vary on what constitutes lawful good and the paladin codes more than anything else in the game. You are absolutely stuck with this.
The pathfinder society tends to do a lot of illegal things. While this is not necessarily against the lawful good alignment, you do have vow to respect legitimate authorities. Said authorities have passed laws saying that you're not allowed to break into peoples houses, rob them of artifacts, beat them up for information, gank someone and feed them to an otyug, steal, smuggle, commit arson, resist arrest, feed someone to an otyug then gank them, lie about your intentions, and take a thousand other shortcuts that pathfinder groups are known for.
Be prepared to pointedly NOT ask what party members are up to if they ask you to go examine the rustic peasant architecture across the street.
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Because someone has to keep these murderhobo's directed at evil.
I know that my PFS paladin is motivated by a heavy dose of, "If you guys go off without me, then you'll just get into trouble, hurt yourselves, and probably die. Someone, and it looks like that's going to be me again, needs to keep an eye on you, so that you come back alive."
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Interesting fact - my paladin joined the Sczarni with the intent to, in a nutshell, keep them in check with the forces of good, and take advantage of anyone in need of redemption.
Since Sczarni joined The Exchange, I can't find a good equivalent (it's certainly not The Exchange). I looked at both Liberty's Edge and, to a lesser extent, Silver Crusade - but I'm not quite convinced either of them fit.
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"I never joined the Pathfinder Socialists, I'm just helping them out and going on adventures because my commander in the Taldan Phalanx told me to "Stop waving that blessed war fan in my face and go fly a kite with the Pathfinder Socialists for a while." My mom said that it would be fun and that I might see my dad someday on the road, but probably not because if I met him I wouldn't know because I'm not the best at reconsidering people. Anyways I dig rest, what were we talking about?"
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Interesting fact - my paladin joined the Sczarni with the intent to, in a nutshell, keep them in check with the forces of good, and take advantage of anyone in need of redemption.
Since Sczarni joined The Exchange, I can't find a good equivalent (it's certainly not The Exchange). I looked at both Liberty's Edge and, to a lesser extent, Silver Crusade - but I'm not quite convinced either of them fit.
Why not the Sovereign Court? That many nobles hanging out together can't be up to anything good :)
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I can see the Dark Archive potentially being much more paladin friendly than its previous iteration, depending on the details of its implementation. If it's more about keeping the artifacts safe and understanding them, I can see it being a good fit, as paladins try to understand more about the capabilities of their opponents, and keep them out of the hands of evildoers. If the Archive is more Arsenal than archive, there's trouble brewing.
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DrJill: I know where you are coming from here as I had the exact Issue. I like to build characters in society to theme... or in this case the theme of the Season.
Roland Whitebane is my Iomedae Paladin. I decided that he was somewhat gullible and a little bit innocent of heart.. he follows the compasionate redemptive side of Iomedae over her more martial aspects (although he can still fight as well as most).
I created him early in the piece of Season 5 and wrote his backstory to be that he was a representative to the Grand Lodge/Society from the Court of the Queen of Mendev. He was there to take part in the quest to find the skycitadel and to report back to his country and queen on how the Society was keeping up its part of the bargain.
His fellow Crusaders however think that he is a little too weak of heart to be fully committed on the walls and borders of the worldwound and Ive always tried to play him a little less gung ho and more trusting.
As the Grand Lodge really is the true Central hub/grouping of the society it would make sense that any such 'loaned' character would be operating out of it.
Hes now Level 10 and I must admit with the focus turned to Numeria Im finding it a little difficult to justify his reasons for contuining on to there with the focus of the Worldwound gone. I may just play him now in either Demon orientated scenarios or any future revisits to the Worldwound.
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Why not the Sovereign Court? That many nobles hanging out together can't be up to anything good :)Interesting fact - my paladin joined the Sczarni with the intent to, in a nutshell, keep them in check with the forces of good, and take advantage of anyone in need of redemption.
Since Sczarni joined The Exchange, I can't find a good equivalent (it's certainly not The Exchange). I looked at both Liberty's Edge and, to a lesser extent, Silver Crusade - but I'm not quite convinced either of them fit.
I think the Sovereign Court is more about bringing them together to cause chaos, rather than prevent it :)
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Wow, what a great response! Thank you everyone--you've given me a lot of great ideas. I really appreciate the help, as I have trouble playing if my storyline doesn't "make sense" to me. I think the Mendev crusades into the Silver Crusade is probably where I will start...that sounds rich with opportunities for backstory.
Thanks so much :)
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My paladin of Abadar has switched over to Sovereign Court. There are some nobles who want to use their power and wealth to make the world better, including my now 15th level Taldan noble PC. That certainly fits with a paladin of Abadar.
For Iomedae, who can raise an army to fight vast forces of evil? That's what turned my paladin away from the Silver Crusade. Sure, you can do good things here and there, but individuals have a harder time trying to make as big an impact as an ambivalent, wealthy leader.
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"I new Pathfinder. Forgive me speak. I new to Inner Sea, still learn Inner Sea Common."
"I samurai from Jinin in Tian Xia. Samurai is... how you say... title in home country. But goddess Shizuru give big power, so I smite evil with katana, Shizuru's weapon."
"I grow up in Jinin. I want protect home. No evil there now, but want be mighty warrior in case Jinin attacked. Elders say I leave Jinin, travel world, learn more how fight great evil. Pathfinders travel world, see many evil. I join, learn more from noble Pathfinders, help Silver Crusade."