Both the UK Government and the Aes Sedai of the Wheel of Time series follow customs as strong as law. Examples are the rules of precedent, or natural laws like the right to answer accusations personally. Or in the WOT a male channeller taken to the white tower before stilling.
What conventions and customs in Pathfinder and its precursors are as strong as rules?
I'll start off with an easy one 'don't be a douche.' In a consensual game you rely on the good grace of those around you to maintain harnony for all.
What others exist.
Always have a healer in the party.
(you can break this but it requires special dispensation)
What about...
Always bring your own dice - never touch someone else's without permission
And
If it isn't written on your character sheet it doesn't exist.
What about...
Always bring your own dice - never touch someone else's without permission
And
If it isn't written on your character sheet it doesn't exist.
I have not found either of those to be true. If you're short on some d6s, nobody's going to get tetchy if you grab a fistful from somebody after your epic spell crit. Equipment tends to be a little loose the first session or two, so folks might wind up with some extra rope and a little less gold.
Agreed, I was wondering if this was going to be about in-world versus amongst players.
In-world, as well as real world, custom can end up codified as law at a certain point. A lawful character observing custom would be quite in line with things; I think it's even the fluff of why monks are lawful. Unless you're a student of the Way of the Legislator, you're not having the law of the land drilled into you at the monastery. And courts I've read sometimes do rely on the customary way of doing things if codified law is lacking for some reason. (Of course, sometimes custom has to be chucked into the wastebin of history, but that goes for anything, really.)
Hm. I wonder if changing customs or laws have ever come up in a game to where a monk, paladin, or cleric have risked the dreaded Alignment Conflict.