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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Paladins
Message-ID: <5189@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 3-May-85 16:18:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.5189
Posted: Fri May  3 16:18:28 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 6-May-85 00:37:59 EDT
References: <544@udenva.UUCP> <380@ttidcc.UUCP> <684@umn-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Distribution: net
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 31
Summary: 

In article <684@umn-cs.UUCP> goldman@umn-cs.UUCP (Matthew D. Goldman ) writes:
>**** FLAME ON ****
>
>Why do all paladins have to have Christain 'morals' concider the Islamic
>Paladin, or any other religious group you care to think of.  

The powers of Paladins are those appropriate to lawful good, squeeky clean
religions, such as the idealized version of Christianity one reads about in
Arthurian legend and epics like "Orlando Furioso" and "Tirant Lo Blanc".
I think that people who say, "Well, any religion can have a paladin." have
a point, but they blow it by allowing their paladin to have the same powers
as the AD&D standard while living up to lower obligations.  If you are going
to have your blood-and-guts war god have paladins, then give them a set of
powers more appropriate to that god.  Paladins are extremely powerful 
characters, except that they have inconvenient obligations which they must
meet which cripple them somewhat.  If you remove those obligations, you've
destroyed the game balance.  Less realistic, too.  ("Destroys balance!"  "Less
realistic!"  "Destroys balance!" "Less realistic!"  "Hey, guys, it's the game 
mod that destroys balance *and* is less realistic!") 

>Just a gripe
>of mine, why does everyone insist that Christanity is Lawful Good?  

Most fantasy campaigns take place in more ideal circumstances.  Christian
ideals are Lawful Good, if you will.  The practices of Christians rarely
live up to those ideals, and frequently don't even come close.  If the 
Christian god acted like D&D gods, lightning insurance would be very expensive.
-- 
        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher