Post:By any other name... - 07/19/2016 - 21:16

Re: By any other name... · on 07/19/2016 09:16 PM CDT	3519
I've posted this, or something very like it, before from the design document I've been kicking around in the background. The document opens with a section on "What Makes a Paladin" and it has three parts: The Sanctified Soul, The Code and The Immortals. I quote from it below as much as I can here: The Sanctified Soul, along with the Code that defines it, is what makes one a Paladin - without it one can aspire to be no more than a holy magician with a blade. To quote Armifer on the Sanctified Soul: During the initiation process, a Paladin's soul is sanctified. How this is done is a holy mystery the Guildleaders keep to themselves, but it's either within mortal means, or there's something Upstairs that is very decidedly active in the process of inducting a Paladin. The sanctified soul is the source of a Paladin's divine power. Unlike the Clerics, who call down divine attention through their rites, the Paladin grounds divinity into the mortal world directly through his actions. While Paladins often think of themselves as servants or vessels of particular Immortals, this distinction has no functional value: the Paladin as a magician and wielder of holy power is wholly defined by the spark of divinity that has set his soul on fire. What this means to the Paladin varies wildly. While there is a very well known and institutionalized approach to being a Paladin, any path that does not sully the divine soul can be said to be to be a right and proper path to being a Paladin. A Paladin who allows the divine fire to gutter is not an anti-hero; he is even less than a human, having opened his soul up to a greater reality and found himself wanting. (end Armifer's quote) (NDA information follows so I've had to censor that). The section on the Code remains unfinished, so I can't really share it now - however, it's somewhat covered by the section on the Immortals: While Paladins are holy magicians, their abilities are not inherently granted by the Immortals. Their abilities are entirely derived from the sacrifices they choose to make (their Code) and the process which sanctified their soul. Culturally, however, Paladins and the Paladin Guild are deeply tied to the Thirteen. This connection exists to such a degree that many, both within and without the Guild, are hardly able to separate the two. This has major practical ramifications for Paladins who have shaped their Code around their Gods. Because the Paladin has placed the Immortal’s tenants as the foundation of their Code, failing one implies failing the other, which in turn undermines the Paladin’s soul [...]. While it may seem a minor distinction it is very important to understand this loss of abilities does not come about because the Gods have found the Paladin unworthy and seek to punish him, but because the Paladin finds himself unworthy of the Gods and punishes himself. Many Paladins go their entire lives without properly understanding this causality. This also means that a select few Paladins are able to follow different Codes that allow them to act in ways forbidden by the Paladin Guild while still maintaining their status as a Paladin. --- Most of the rest of the document I can't quote because it's NDA, unfinished etc. However, there's this bit: Asceticism The life of the Paladin is one of discipline and sacrifice as embodied by their adherence to their Code. Without these the Paladin will inevitably [...] Fall. An easy misconception is that Asceticism as a skill represents how well the Paladin is able to follow their Code, but this is incorrect (That’s represented by their soul state). Instead, the skill assumes they are already in compliance with their Code and represents their ability to filter [...] power through their sanctified soul and make that power manifest in the material world. It is easily mistaken for, but not related to, Holy Magic. These manifestations are supernatural but they do not draw on the Paladin’s attunement or Holy mana [...]. --- As with anything I've been discussion about paladins lately none of this is finalized but I enjoy having the early discussion. -Raesh
This message was originally posted in The Paladins \ General Discussions, by DR-RAESH on the play.net forums.