Role-Playing 101: The Knightly Virtues

Being on somewhat of a divine kick, I was originally going to make this a post on role-playing paladins. I decided to be a bit more specific and instead outline the knightly code of chivalry as I understand it. It's up to you to decide how much of this applies to your character. Paladins, in my opinion, should follow all of this without exception; indeed, throughout the post I will be referring to the subject of the code as a paladin (I'm writing this with paladins in mind). However other lawful good characters should consider following most (if not all) of this as well.

It's difficult to find a good source on chivalry without troves of redundancies and virtues irrelevant to the D&D world. I tried to sum up everything I felt was relevant with as few redundancies as possible. Some are more important than others (courage, for instance), but all are important.


Charity
In second edition D&D, paladins were required to tithe at least 10% of their earnings and were not allowed to retain any more wealth than was needed to support themselves in a modest manner, pay all hirelings a reasonable wage, and build/maintain a small keep or castle. While 3rd edition eliminated this restriction on the class, a paladin still should not see the need to retain much wealth. Whatever excess you have could probably be better spent by the local church or orphanage than it could be by you.

Charity, in its broader definition, is an unlimited loving-kindness towards all others. In its most extreme form such love can be self-sacrificial. This definition leads to our modern views of it as benevolent giving.

Compassion
By definition, compassion is sorrow for the suffering or troubles of others accompanied by a sincere desire to help. This virtue defines the good alignment and all good characters, lawful, chaotic and everything in between, are excepted to practice this at all times.

Courage
The ability to confront fear, pain, hardship or death, courage is a crowning virtue for not just paladins, but almost all alignments and classes. In addition to confronting physical hardships as mentioned above, courage is also acting by your conscience in the face of popular opposition, shame or discouragement.

It is important to remember that courageous and suicidal are not synonymous. Not all battles need to be to the death and not all retreats are cowardly. Even though a paladin should not be afraid to die, the cause of righteousness is better served if you live to fight evil another day than if you die fighting evil (plus you have your companion's lives to think about!).

Courtesy
In the Middle Ages, knights were among the nobility. As such, they were expected to know and respect all courtly manners, etiquette, titles, etc. While paladins in D&D are not necessarily required to be members of the nobility, they should at least be aware of the customs (it's only polite!). At minimum, I would say this means paladins should have ranks in knowledge (nobility) and diplomacy, despite how useless the former can often seem in many campaigns.

Devotion
The paladin and cleric classes both were originally based off the knightly orders during the Crusades. While there are many instances of corruption, in general crusaders were paragons of the Christian faith. While Christianity most likely doesn't exist in your D&D world and paladins need not devote themselves to any deity (devotion to righteousness is enough), those that do should approach their faith with the same zeal that they would approach any path or task. A paladin should be so devout that they inadvertently make the high priest of the temple look bad.

Diligence
Diligence is the act of doing all things efficiently and relentlessly to the best of one's ability in order to achieve success in every endeavor. A paladin should strive for perfection in all things and should always be finding ways to improve their abilities. They should view every task before them, even the mundane, as a personal test of their progress.

Hope
A paladin is the shining beacon in the midst of chaos. A paladin's strength lies not only within their own abilities, but also in the belief that a constant, unseen force far greater than them guides them along their path. A paladin does not so much fight for a cause as alongside one. Alone, deep in the darkest of dungeons or lost in the infinity of the planes, a paladin is never without an ally.

Humility
A paladin should always maintain a humble view of oneself. Modesty and reverence are not the traits of the weak but of the strong, for it takes great strength of will to reign in one's pride. Even a 20th-level paladin is still a servant to the 0-level commoner standing next to him/her. Humility is paramount to a virtuous character; pride leads to evil acts more often than any other vice.

However, a paladin must be wary not to give in to false humility, which is the baseless deprecation of one's self. This is not humble; rather, it is derogatory to one's own character and promotes pride in others.

Integrity
At the foundation of the Golden Rule (treat others as you would want to be treated) is the idea that morality is based on a consistent framework without arbitrary exceptions. That consistency is more commonly called integrity. A paladin should act as the model for all that is morally and socially ideal. A paladin does not steal unless they believe everyone in the world should be thieves, nor do they lie unless they believe everyone in the world should be liars.

If ever a paladin is to kill someone, they should be standing, facing him/her and armed. A paladin resorts to stealth only in the cause of good and then only as an absolute last resort. A paladin does not tolerate evil or illegal acts of others (friends included) but a paladin is always quick to forgive. A paladin deals fairly in all transactions and keeps all oaths, promises and contracts unless forcibly prevented from doing so.

Justice
Justice is more than protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty. It is the constant and firm will to give your due to your cause and your neighbor. Justice towards men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good.

A paladin should be equitable and respectful, conciliatory and forgiving. A paladin was never appointed judge, jury and executioner, for that would be arbitrary and unjust. Rather, a paladin is the hand of the common good and a paladin's decisions should always reflect the best interest of society as a whole.

Loyalty
Many paladins are in service to a lord, organization or deity. Even if the paladin did not swear an oath of service, they should treat their service almost as if they had. A paladin is respectful and obedient to their superiors. However, an oath of service works both ways. A paladin should never feel obligated to commit an evil and/or chaotic act, even if ordered. Should this happen, a paladin may inform his/her superior that they did not fulfill their end of the oath thereby voiding it.

Mercy
Mercy is kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness. It is refraining from punishing or harming offenders that are in one's power. Mercy is a blessing both for the giver and for the taker. A paladin never kills as a means of punishment. A paladin always honors requests for surrender (even if the paladin is 100% sure the enemy is only buying time to betray him/her later). A paladin believes that no villain is beyond redemption.

Patience
The ability to endure delays and difficulties without resorting to anger or complaint, patience is important for all paladins. A paladin should know first-hand that combating evils and injustices are never simple or easy tasks, therefore a paladin should know the folly of "taking the easy way out". A paladin recognizes that even impossible tasks are possible if one has patience.

It is important to note that patience does not mean being content doing nothing (that's called laziness).

Prudence
The charioteer of the virtues, prudence (more commonly known as wisdom) is the exercise of practising sound judgement in practical affairs. It is using practical reason to discern one's true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it. Though prudence itself does not involve performing any action, all virtues are regulated by it.

Temperance
Few virtues could be sustained in the face of the inability to control oneself. Temperance, or restraint, is generally defined as control over excess. A paladin should moderate their attraction of pleasures and keep all desires within the limits of what is honorable. A paladin does not give in to gluttony or lust, nor do they covet that which is not theirs.

Know Your Deity: Pelor, The Basics

Title: The Shining One
Home Plane: Elysium
Symbol: A face in a sun
Portfolio: Sun, Light, Healing, Strength
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Good, Healing, Strength, Sun, Glory*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Mace

Pelor is the creator of many good things, a supporter of those in need, and an adversary of all that is evil. As the sun god, Pelor plays a major role in agriculture. That, along with his teachings of healing and strength, make him very popular among humans. Pelor is often seen as the unofficial patron deity of humans (though humans technically do not have one). Pelorian temples can be found almost anywhere. His temples tend to be tall, airy buildings with large windows (in more affluent areas these are often stained-glass). They are blindingly white and often placed in areas where the sun can shine into most of the rooms for most of the day. They often feature large, open, sunny courtyards as well. They are kept scrupulously clean and most have hospital wings.

Among the core deities, Pelor is most closely allied with Heironeous, St. Cuthbert, and Yondalla, though he is friendly to all good-aligned deities. He opposes all evil deities (especially Nerull) and his clerics avoid neutral deities whose teachings are counter to Pelor's (such as Wee Jas).

Appearance
Pelor appears as a tall, elderly human with long, wild hair and a beard of shining gold. He is garbed in shining white robes.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Though widely revered as a peaceful and gentle deity who alleviates suffering, Pelor also has more martial aspects. He brings his wrath to bear on darkness and evil, and he invigorates and heals those who champion the cause of good. Pelor teaches that the energy of life originates from the sun. This light brings strength to the weak and health to the injured, while destroying darkness and evil. He urges his followers to challenge the forces of corruption aggressively, but also to remember that just as staring at the sun can cause blindness of the eyes, relentless attention to the destruction of negative forces can blind the heart to the true essentials of life: kindness, mercy, and compassion.

Clergy
Priests of Pelor are well-received wherever they go. They are kindly people with backbones of steel. They are nurturers and protectors first, though they are not afraid to take arms against evil when necessary. They heal the sick, bless crops and otherwise help any in need. They oppose undead more so than clerics of any other deity. They wear yellow robes.

Because of Pelor's popularity among the common folk, he attracts many earnest youths who want to make the world a better place. While his clerical training is not unduly harsh, it is rigorous enough to send many of these well-meaning youths back to their farms and workshops.

Clerics of Pelor may be of any good alignment. Despite his good alignment, paladins of Pelor are not common (though they do exist). Druids sometimes revere him and Pelorian druids tend to be less reclusive than others of their order.

Planar Allies
Typically, Pelor sends Hound Archons, Astral Devas, and Planetars as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Pelor has access to the Glory, Good, Healing, Strength and Sun domains.

Know Your Deity: Wee Jas, The Basics

Titles: The Witch Goddess, The Ruby Sorceress, The Stern Lady, Death's Guardian
Home Plane: Acheron
Symbol: A red skull in front of a fireball
Portfolio: Death, Magic, Vanity, Law
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (some lawful evil tendencies)
Domains: Death, Magic, Law, Domination*, Mind*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Note: Neutral clerics of Wee Jas may not choose to spontaneously channel positive energy.

Wee Jas is a demanding deity who expects obedience from her followers. Clerical training is done in an academic fashion, with classroom instruction punctuated by increasingly difficult examinations. Her temples are typically built in or near graveyards or crypts. Few and far between, they are typically built much like wizard towers, with extensive libraries filled with arcane and legal knowledge and decorated with beautiful art. They also contain crypts where powerful wizards are buried. Many powerful sorcerers and wizards (especially necromancers) count among her followers. She respects Boccob, though the two do not have any sort of alliance.

She thinks of herself as the steward of the dead and it is said that the souls of those who don't worship any single deity go to Wee Jas by default when they die. Though a relatively benign death goddess, Wee Jas does not have any qualms about raising undead, so long as they are not being reanimated against their will and that their remains were procured lawfully. Wee Jas is unconcerned with questions of morality; if it can be done within the confines of the law, it's permitted.

Appearance
Wee Jas appears as a highly attractive human female, though specific details vary widely. It is suggested that she alters her appearance to fit what her followers in a given area consider most attractive. Wee Jas wears her holy symbol as a piece of jewelry.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Wee Jas promotes using spells and magic items (though many of her followers insist she favors the creation of such things). Wee Jas tells her followers that magic is the key to all things. Wee Jas promises that understanding, personal power, security, order, and control over fate come with the study of magic. She admonishes her followers to respect those who came before, because they left their knowledge and died to make room for them. She reminds them that death is inevitable, but she promises that their learning and memory will be honored by those who come after.

Clergy
Wee Jas' priesthood has a strict hierarchy. Her clerics are known for their discipline and obedience to their superiors. Clerics of Wee Jas arbitrate disputes, give advice on magic, investigate magical curiosities, create magic items and administer funerals. Her clergy wear black and/or gray robes.

Clerics of Wee Jas may be of any lawful alignment; however, lawful good clerics of Wee Jas are exceedingly rare (you'd almost have an easier time finding an efreet city in the elemental plane of water). Wee Jas has very few priests from the other divine classes; her views on death are not condusive to paladinhood or druidism and favored souls are too "flashy" and undisciplined for her strict priesthood.

Planar Allies
Typically, Wee Jas sends Formian Taskmasters, Formian Myrmarchs, and Horned Devils as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Wee Jas has access to the Death, Knowledge, Law, Magic and Repose domains.