DnD/Class Handbooks/Paladins/Call of Duty - Paladin

Given the choice of defending a ravaged town
from further attacks or hunting down the raiders in
a preemptive strike, you will choose the latter
every time.
Lawfully Inclined
Motivation: You want the power to enforce
the law of the land.
Examples: You are in a land that has
descended into anarchy, or have been victimized
by criminals.
Implications: You focus on fighting chaotic
enemies and working with legitimate authority.
Redemption
Motivation: You have
committed terrible acts in your past,
and hope to redeem your soul with
acts of goodness.
Examples: You may have done
a series of evil acts, or perhaps only
one terrible thing. It may or may not
be a secret. You may have enemies
who were once allies, mentors, or
students.
Implications: You tend to fight
those who committed evil acts
similar to your crimes.
Reluctant
Motivation: You did not really
want to be a paladin, but the calling
was too strong to ignore.
Examples: Sometimes the
need for a paladin is so great that it
is forced on a creature. A higher
power drafts these reluctant souls
into service, and forces them to
become paladins.
Implications: Even though you did not want
to answer the call, you have a great sense of
responsibility and now that you are a paladin, you
find it difficult to reject the burden. You are cynical
about the whole situation, and tend to disdain
other paladins and religious organizations. You do
not exactly think of paladinhood as a curse, but it
is certainly no blessing to you.
Revelation
Call of Duty – A Paladin’s Sourcebook: Chapter 2: Roleplaying Paladins
Planning to Fail
Motivation: You have recently been divinely
inspired.
Examples: Your faith in your patron deity is
new and sudden. You may have witnessed a
miracle, may have been healed or raised by a
cleric of your deity, or may have even spoken faceto-face
with your god.
Implications: Religion is a cornerstone of
your paladinhood. You are likely to take the
advice of clerics of your faith, and spend a great
deal of time studying religion and defending your
church. You focus on defeating foes that follow
opposing faiths.
Tradition
When planning to play a
paladin, there is an option that
many players and DMs overlook.
You can plan to play a paladin
who violates the Code of Conduct
and eventually becomes an expaladin.
Why would you want to do
this? You may be interested a
prestige class that rewards expaladin
levels, such as the chaos
knight or blackguard.
However, do not forget the
roleplaying opportunities gained
by playing a character with expaladin
levels. If the focus of
your game is on roleplaying
instead of combat, playing a
fallen paladin can be great fun.
Imagine the angst and
uncertainty of such a character,
the relationships with those he
may have betrayed, and the
temptations he will face from
those trying to get him to ally with
evil as a blackguard.
Motivation: You were raised to fight evil.
Examples: Your father was a paladin and so
was his. You learned to wield a sword as soon as
you could walk, and could ride a horse before that.
Implications: All of your life you have known
that you would answer the call. Doing so came as
naturally as breathing, and you know
little else. You have a hard time
relating to non-paladins, and tend to
Zealous
fight the same forces of evil that your
elders faced.
Pride
Motivation: You have a craving
for power, and believe it should go to
the righteous, that is, you.
Examples: You might be a
religious leader, noble, or politician.
You have a lot of confidence, and are
probably successful and respected in
the community by many.
Implications: Paladins motivated
by pride may be righteous warriors of
law and good, but also wish to make
themselves more powerful because
they believe they are more worthy
than others. If you are interested in a
“holier than thou” personality, or plan
to play an ex-paladin (see boxed text)
this is one way to go.
Motivation: You are driven to fight evil. It is
an addiction for you.
Examples: Defeating evil gives you an
emotional high, almost like a drug, or you feel
physically sick if you allow evil to win, or both.
Implications: You tend to fight evil wherever
you find it, and as quickly as possible. Given the
choice between traveling for a week to slay a great
source of evil like a demon, or traveling overnight
to fight a lesser evil, you would choose the latter,
then would do a forced march to defeat the demon
while hoping to run into bandits along the way.
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