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It was well past sunset when Gennadi returned to the grand lodge and rang the bell.
"Peal as ye please, I'll need proof that ye are as ye claim tonight." The porter on call that night was Jygwyn, an elf lad who knew the duties of his job rather better than his place. As annoyed as Gennadi might be at Jygwyn's lack of decorum, he knew that the young elf needled those agents who were most full of themselves, and Gennadi valued him for that.
"Gennadi, paladin in the service of Torag and Hellknight, comes returned to the lodge, to find therein a meal and perhaps a captain looking to send him out again afore he can eat it. Hedge me out as you please, porter, but vex not Old Man Savarre's patience."
The porter laughed high and clear, as only the elves do. "If ye be false-named tonight, at least ye be honest-natured: only a Pathfinder agent might speak so." He unlocked the gate, pushed it open for the paladin, and took his cloak, all in a motion. "But you know why I ask, yes? On tonight, of all nights?"
In reply, Gennadi took a shimmering veil from his bent pouch. "It's been a pleasant evening, porter. A delightful opportunity to practice my skills."
"Hold ye there one fine minute! 'Paladin in service to Torag' you yourself a-named, but this gossamer favor puts me in doubt. 'To claim never that which is not my due, nor speak falsely,' that's the paladin's oath I've heard. How come ye then with this veil of deceit?"
Gennadi smiled broadly. "So we've hired judges for porter now, I see."
"And well you ought, for porters judge all with a wary eye, sometimes more honest than the magistrates up yonder, for the price of our mistakes are dearer to us"
The traveler smiled at the porter's wisdom. "And yet, elf, you do not know the color of the coins in my purse."
"For those, I cannot see, master agent."
"And yet, I am a paladin. Have I deceived you, or answered you false about my wealth?"
"Not as yet. I have asked no questions in want of answer."
"And so it is with this, my veil. Wearing it, my form and figure are hid behind a glamour, but my disguised state is plain, for everyone in Absalom, from the lords in their estates to the puddle-folk in their squalor, even the simplest porter, knows of the dwoemer of the veil. As a paladin of Torag, I would sin a-double if I were by word to present myself as, oh, a dwarfish lady, but that is a claim I forswear to make. Rather, I would appear as one mis-seen as a dwarfish lady, and that would be no lie.
"Slipping through orc patrols next month, my oaths do not require me to plant myself broad-based and announce myself. Against Aspis authorities in Garund ports, I need not wear my spiked armor, nor show my Wayfinder, nor -- with this veil -- display my manlike form.
"And it is useful for one purpose otherwise, as well."
The elf double-checked the gate he'd re-secured. "That?"
"I've spent a pair of hour out and through the city, enjoying the practice of seeing through such glamours as others would wear. In that, I stand better-prepared against such cunning by a foe, and so I have served my god before my own needs. But now, to that dinner. Fare you well, Jygwyn. May your wit serve you tonight, when your eye does not."
I figured that it is worth noting that the following spell, Oath of Anonymity, is also a first level paladin spell: Oath of Anonymity.
Nuff said.
CB
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I figured that it is worth noting that the following spell, Oath of Anonymity, is also a first level paladin spell: Oath of Anonymity.
Nuff said.
CB
Please, that is nothing. Paladins get Undetectable Alignment on their spell list. Clearly it is merely a trap option so that any paladin using it to conceal their alignment from miscreants will automatically fall for being so dishonorable
More seriously, it seems that some people in this thread think that anything less than walking up to the BBEG and stating your name, rank, alignment, what you are doing in the area, and what your plan to defeat them is, would grounds to fall.
Paladins are honorable. That doesn't mean stupid. Paladins are good. That doesn't mean they are naive. Indeed someone who strive to righteous in and unrighteous world would have to be cunning and discerning if only to survive and be effective. There is a reason why people keep becoming paladins, because the forces of heaven seem to think they work. If they didn't, their woundn't be any paladins to begin with.
I figured that it is worth noting that the following spell, Oath of Anonymity, is also a first level paladin spell: Oath of Anonymity.
Nuff said.
CB
Please, that is nothing. Paladins get Undetectable Alignment as one of their 2nd level spells. Clearly it is meant to be a trap option that will make any paladin who uses it to conceal their alignment from miscreants automatically fall for being so dishonorable
More seriously, it seems that some people in this thread think that a paladin should fall if they do anything less than walking up to the BBEG and stating your name, rank, alignment, what you are doing in the area, and what your plan to defeat them is.
Paladins are honorable. That doesn't mean stupid. Paladins are good. That doesn't mean they are naive. Indeed, someone who strives to be righteous in an unrighteous world would have to be cunning and discerning, if only to survive and be effective. There is a reason why people keep becoming paladins, and that is because the forces of heaven seem to think they work. If they didn't, there wouldn't be any paladins to begin with.
Minor editing due to the fact that phones hate saying what you want them to.
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The paladin code of conduct is a class feature, same as "don't wear metal" is for druids or "don't piss of your deity" for deity-based divine casters. There is no way to separate them other than actually altering the rules--which is fine, naturally! But that particular class feature spawns proportionately far greater whinging. It's puzzling.
Overly rigid interpretation of the Paladin's code makes the Paladin pretty much an unplayable character, or at least one no one else would play with, which is basically the same thing. Since the Paladin is clearly meant to be a playable character, then clearly it was not the designer's intent that the code be interpreted rigidly.
There is also the problem of the GM over-riding the player's interpretation of their own character, which seldom happens with any other character and is justifiably annoying to the player.