5WaysToMakeYour5ePaladinComeToLife:WithALittle

RiftsCyberKnightInspiration

15/3/2017 2Comments

I have to admit
that I was never
reallydrawntothe
Paladin class in
D&D. AD&D 2e
was the second
game I ever role
played in (the
first being Marvel)
and after a quick
glance at the
options I was
pretty married to
the bard. When I
flippedthroughthe
Players
Handbook, the
ideaofneeding17charismatoplaysuchacharacterwasabittoomuch
foranewbielikeme.ThePaladinseemedlikethepompousversionof
thefighterclass.WhichIwasalsonotabigfanofatthetime.

Where I actually gained insight into the Paladin class was in a

completely different game system. Palladium created a Cyber
Knightandalongwiththecoolname,itcamewiththeCodeofChivalry.
That document defined my character, it fleshed her out and gave her
purpose.WithD&DIwasstilllearningandsodelvingintowhichgodto
serveandcreatingmyowncodeorpracticewasntevenonmyradar.

So I propose you should use the Code of Chivalry for a jumping off
pointforyournextpaladin.

Letslookatthecode:

The Code of Chivalry from Palladium Rifts Coalition Wars Cyber

KnightspublishedDec2000

1.ToLive
"Liveone'slifesothatitisworthyofrespectandhonor.
Liveforfreedom,justice,andallthatisgood.
AmendedD&DStyle:Tolivetobringhonortomydeity

Each deity and world of religion brings its own essence to your game
play.Thepantheonsarebothdiverseandthorough(andthereisaquick
glance feature on pages 293299 of the Player's Handbook) from
fantasyworldstoEuropeangodsfromculturesliketheGreeksandthe
Nordicpeoples.Discoveryourchoicestoenhancethesecodesforyour
particularcharacter.

Someexamples:
If your campaign has Egyptian deities as the pantheon of choice then
youmightchoosetoworshipandserveHathor,goddessoflove,music,
andmotherhood.
Soyoucouldincludethingslike:
Live ones life in devotion to those who bring forth life through
childbearing.
Live to share music with the world to help spread the message of
Hathor.

If you are rooted in the Greyhawk world, you may be a paladin of

Ehlonna,goddessofwoodlands.
Yourcodesunderthiscategorymaybe:

Liveasthoughyoumaynotupsetthebalanceofnature.
Liveandtreatalllifeasequals.

Livingforyourdeityisimportanttoincludeinyourpersonalcode.

2.FairPlay

"Neverattackanunarmedfoe.
NeveruseaPsiSwordonanopponentnotequaltotheattack.
Neverchargeanunhorsedopponent.
Neverattackfrombehind.
Avoidcheating.

Avoidtorture.

AmendedD&DStyle:Sportsmanship
ThesemayseemlikeinnocuousidealsforSportsmanshipbutspeaking
from experience when these rules are played out and they essentially
takeambushoffthetable,itchangesyourgamecompletely.

When playing D&D paladins I would use some of these, and add
amendments.PerhapsadwarvenpaladinofMoradin,thedwarfgodof
creation, will never attack an unarmed dwarf from behind, but other
races may be subject to their tactics. Or maybe your code would read:
Never cheat those who follow the true way of Heironeous. Give these
codedideaslifebasedonyourdeity,yourrace,orevenyourdisposition
towards other races. Your interpretations of the code can also add
flavour.

3.Nobility
"Exhibitselfcontrol.
Showrespecttoauthority.

Obeythelawsiftheydonotsupersedetherightsoflife.
Administerjustice.
Administermercy.

Protecttheinnocent.
Respectwomen.

AmendedD&DStyle:Oathof_______

In 5th edition, there are 3 Oaths that can be taken once your paladin
reacheslevel3.Eachisuniqueandcomeswithdifferentbenefitstoyour
character. These oaths have several tenets of devotion that are very
similar to the code you are creating. You should look through these
tenets to cement your ideal paladin. Even before the 3rd level, your
paladinshouldbestrivingtomeetsomeoftheserequirementstoflesh
themoutandgivethemadirection.

Toaidyouinyourcodecreation,theoathsare:

Oath of Devotion: this encompasses your stereotypical knight in
shiningarmourwhotendtobeidealistandparagonsofvirtue
Oath of the Ancients:these paladins adhere to a longstanding ideal
oflight(ratherthanitscounterdarkness),lifeisofparticularimportance
tothesefolks
Oath of Vengeance: are those concerned with justice and punishing
thosewhohavedonewrongandsetthingsright.

But the tenets laid out in each of the oath sections in the Players
Handbook (pg 8588) have verbatim some of the thing you need to
includeinyourCharacterCodeCreation(CCC:newacronymFTW.)Go
forth,read,andinwardlydigest.

4.Valor

"Exhibitcourageinwordanddeed.
Defendtheweakandinnocent.
Fightforanideal,likefreedom.
Fightwithhonor.

Avengethewronged.

Neverabandonafriend,ally,ornoblecause.

AmendedD&DStyle:Valor

I wouldnt change much, if anything, in this section. These are the
courageousthingsthatyoureadaboutinfictionandhistory.Theseare
whatmakeapaladinlargerthanlife,betterthanyou,andaformidable
opponent.

5.Honor
"Alwayskeepone'swordofhonor.

Alwaysmaintainone'sprinciples.
Neverbetrayaconfidenceorcomrade.
Avoiddeception.

Respectlife.Honoralllife.
Respectallviewsoflife.

AmendedD&DStyle:Honor

Honorisstillanimportantfactor,andIwouldsuggestsomethinkingon
whatishonorableforyourcharacter.Thedeityworship,theworldthey
livein,andwhatsituationsdrewthemtotheclasswillalldeterminewhat
honorisforthem.

SomequestionstogetyouthinkingabouthonorCCC
(charactercodecreation)are:

Isyourworldatwar?Ifso,withwho?
Hasyourcharacterbeenthroughlifechangingtragedy?Didthischange
them?
Howdidtheyfindtheirfaith?Whythatdeity?
Whoweretheirrolemodels?
Whohasbetrayedthem?

I know that this CCC (Character Code Creation) may look daunting
before you start playing, but this will make for a more fleshed out
paladin.Thereissomethingwhollyterribleaboutthosepaladinsthatare
justplayedasreligioustypefighters.Letsletthesebehemothsofvirtue
standtallontheirown.Putintheworkaheadoftimeandyouwontbe
disappointed.

This article was written by Vanessa who is a sarcastic, 30something

wife and mother. She likes things and stuff, but not simultaneously.
When she isnt involved in things and stuff, she teaches middle school
science,math,art,andotherrandomsubjects.Shelovesnewteenagers
in action. They make her laugh and shake her head and her world is
much better with laughter. She thinks everyone should be roleplaying.
Sheisalsotryingoutthisnewtwitterhandleat@sarasma_nessa