Deathknight Paladin

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Modding-wise, the big issue with non-good paladins is that the engine is hardcoded to cause anyone of the paladin class to fall at low reputation. There have been a lot of folks trying to figure a clever way around this, but ultimately nothing has been satisfactory so far. This is why you see so many 'evil paladin' kits that are actually fighters with some innates instead of proper divine spellcasting. The Death Knight is a fighter kit, as is just about every Blackguard I've seen. Non-lawful (but good) paladins work nicely though, such as Oversight's Holy Liberator.

Role-playing considerations aside, so much of the character selection process is hardcoded and can not be changed. Another minor problem is that races outside of the existing playable ones (plus tieflings) do not show up on the character record pages--I discovered this while trying to make lycanthrope appear on Delainy's record.

 

Its a pity bioware doesnt just release the BG2 source code. Could really help the modders.

 

What I picked up from ToB was that, when the last Bhaalspawn dies, The chief Deathstalker would perform the ritual which would channel the accumulated essence into the dormant Bhaal, effectively resurrecting him fully, with no need for an eminently killable vessel.

I seem to recall evil Paladins being a matter of contention in the BG2 community, as some argued that a Paladin can *only* be good, and they're not a Paladin otherwise.

 

Well, that's just how it is in 2e. If you want an evil paladin, go play some 3e game like NWN or IWD2.

 

Felinoid is right. In the matter of BG2 it's a Second Edition game and that means Paladin's can only be Human and Lawful Good. which Ironically also means that most gods in the game didn't have any. Personally that's what struck me more as non-sensical than the idea of only one race being able to reach such a state.

 

@Clixby:
Paladin has two uses, and it's often confused. Paladin is used specifically to describe (for lack of a better term) holy warriors for LG deities. Non-LG deities also have similar warriors but under different titles. This was never in any 2e sourcebooks AFAIK but it was published in (IIRC) Dragon magazine:

LG Paladin
NG Sentinel
CG Avenger
LN Enforcer
TN Incarnate
CN Anarch
LE Despot
NE Corrupter
CE Anti-Paladin

In this sense, there's no such thing as a non-LG paladin. However, the term 'paladin' is used generically to describe all of the above--so in that sense, there are non-LG paladins.

Confused yet?

 

Reading the description of alignments it struck that a lot of paladins would actually be neutral good.

If there was a cruel king who decreed all peasants should be heavily taxed, wouldnt the paladin side with the oppressed and oppose the king, even though the king represented order and law in this case?

I dont doubt there would be many lawful good paladins, rather I think if a paladin wants to serve true good he might have to step outside the law now and then.

 

@proteus: what you said is true, but IMHO, "lawful" could also be interpreted as "loyal" to something. And that is to the general well being or to justice or whatever. So if the laws are actually unfair or harmful to the people, there's no way a LG Paladin should abide to them. It'd be a paradox, wouldn't it?

 

Ya, I was just referring to the description of lawful good which says they believe in order and law above all else.

But if lawful is taken as meaning as unwavering loyalty to the cause of good, then I would say it is fitting.

 

In the French version, lawful is loyal (ex. lawful good -> loyal bon)

It is a paradox, that's why I mostly refuse to play a paladin.

Paladins are said to live for the ideals of righteousness, justice and chivalry. Chivalry means respecting a fellow knight, or noble, not the lives of peasants and other inferior people.

 

I suppose you could SK a paladin to ng, or change the alignment restrictions.

I like the idea of the paladin, perhaps its the execution thats flawed.

 

The game more or less forces you into this traditional problem with one of the paladin stronghold quests--should you uphold the decree of an evil baron?