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From: chenr@tilt.FUN (Ray Chen)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: (Re: Religious Flaming) & Paladins
Message-ID: <282@tilt.FUN>
Date: Sun, 5-May-85 17:50:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: tilt.282
Posted: Sun May  5 17:50:07 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 6-May-85 02:00:46 EDT
References: <544@udenva.UUCP> <380@ttidcc.UUCP> <684@umn-cs.UUCP> <1377@shark.UUCP>
Reply-To: chenr@tilt.UUCP (Ray Chen)
Distribution: net
Organization: Princeton University EECS Dept
Lines: 27
Summary: 


To Hutch@shark and everybody else,

Sure, let's stop flaming Xians.  That happens all the time anyway and
gets sort of boring.  So instead, let's discuss what a Paladin SHOULD be.

The "historical" paladins were all people who followed some strict code
of ethics (they were "pure", "chaste", "honorable", etc.) and because of
their strict devotion were favored by God and able to command extra-ordinary
powers.  Now, in a multi-theistic universe, there's no reason why someone
particularly devoted to a non-Christian religion or another god couldn't
gain THAT god's favor and command some extra-ordinary powers of his own,
although perhaps different ones, depending on the god.  Therefore,
I claim that a Paladin is a particularly devout fighter-type who due to
his INCREDIBLE devotion to his god/religion and his actions on behalf
of his god/religion/church has gained a measure of favor and as a result
command powers normally only available to the clergy of that god/religion.

In that case, there's no reason why you couldn't have a paladin of
Arioch, Asmodeus, or Thor, and there should be no set rules on the
"correct" play or alignment of paladins.  After all, if the paladin's
power derives in part from the favor of his god, then the correct
behavior for him should be whatever pleases his god, be it helping
grandmothers across the street or torturing women and children.

	Ray Chen
	princeton!tilt!chenr