User:Ansrir
My characters:
What's a Paladin?
Many people have different views as to what a Paladin is. A lot of people have experience with someone playing the group policeman, keeping the rogue from opening locks and picking pockets and the one who would keep the party from interrogating prisoners. There is much more to the character than that single 'Judge Dredd' like fascination with the Law for there to be all sort of ways to play a Paladin.
Paladins are someone who has to make the hard decisions, which may lead to them suffering due to choosing what they believe to be the right choice, and possibly the unpopular one. They are the ones who find the strength to carry on and bear that struggle, never giving in, because by them doing it they prevent others from needing to. Those who would keep fighting the good fight got all that they're worth, upholding the morals that they believe in until the bitter end, not because it is easy but because it is right. They know that they have evil in them, and they occasionally may make small misstep (even times some their own Gods may not consider important) but they would see it as a fault and seek to fix it because they are following their beliefs. They know there will come a time when they have to make the choice to, for lack of a better expression, die a hero or live to see themselves become the villain, but they do not fear that moment because they know that is their destiny.
Some examples of what I am referring to above can be seen in many works but I will cite a few that I know of personally and thus can discuss:
King Arthur/Knights of the Round Table, especially Lancelot. A great example of the Lancelot story I find showing of a Paladin (and his struggle and fall) are in the movie First Knight.
Dragonheart Bowen, a knight of the old code, which is one great example of a Godless Paladin system if ever there was one.
Ultima games Ever since Ultima 4, there has been a virtue system as another example of Godless system of values. The creator even twists in around in later stories, like Ultima 5 where they are corrupted to the extremes.
The Paladin's Code An epic in-game story about a Paladin and what they stand for
As you can see, especially with The Paladin's Code, one of the best ways to challenge a Paladin s morally. There are many examples of games with moral choices in them, as well as tv shows and movies to get the ideas of how to challenge people. These are just some videos by Extra Credits showing ways to try and make choice versus consequence work right and mean something.
Choice and Conflict - What Does Choice Mean in Games?
The Feeling of Agency - What Makes Choice Meaningful?
The Illusion of Choice - How Games Balance Freedom and Scope
How Much Agency Do Games Need?
Negative Possibility Space - When Exploration Lets Players Down
Choices vs Consequences - What Player Decisions Mean in Games
Also, by comic book writer Mark Waid, a pair of blog posts on how to make choice matter