@TheEdVerse I’m having trouble justifying my paladin of conquest following Sune and belonging to the Brother of the Ruby Rose (Faiths&Avatars 2E). The whole story is here (https://t.co/BLeuER7UY8) -told to ask your opinion. Can Sune’s dogma and Oaths of Conquest work together?
— stripeyone21@gmail.c (@Z33B_25) April 24, 2019
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Hi!
I agree that at first glance, the “style”/approach to life of a Paladin of Conquest and the nature of Sune as a deity don’t seem to go together. The perils of rolling randomly!#Realmslore 2)
However, the deeper issue is that although faith in the Realms or any straight-D&D setting is different in our real world (in that belief is easier, because supported by avatars, divine manifestations, clerical spells that…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 24, 2019
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…work and deities that on occasion act and speak directly to/upon/in the presence of mortals), the role of a paladin has always been one of self-appraisal, trying to follow a code that (except when the deity informs you…#Realmslore 4)
…directly) is always open to interpretation, and often involves ongoing conflicts when the interpretations of others (especially clergy of the same deity) differ with the paladin’s own. In short, akin to a believer’s faith…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 24, 2019
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…being tested as in the real world, the path of any paladin is a matter of adjusting performance, and trying to act as one sees the deity desiring.
To do this REQUIRES a chance, in-game, to roleplay situations in which dogma…#Realmslore 6)
…will directly inform the paladin’s words and deeds, and if the opportunities don’t arise, the demonstration of dedication to the cause/approach/dogma can’t be made, and that’s not the player’s fault.
In this case, it could be…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 24, 2019
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…argued that the events of Storm King’s Thunder might be a challenge to any Paladin of Conquest (even if Sune wasn’t in the picture at all).
I personally see the Brotherhood of the Ruby Rose more as guardians than conquerors, …#Realmslore 8)
…and I would see a similar uneasiness in squaring the Paladin of Conquest with the dogma of Sune, but unless a player BOASTED that he or she was choosing that form of paladinhood purely for the game mechanic bennies and…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 24, 2019
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…didn’t care about Sune at all, I’d allow it—AND test the character with in-game situations to see how that particular paladin character made Conquest and Sune’s dogma work together. In other words, add richness to the…#Realmslore 10)
…roleplaying with the inherent strain/conflict (it’s a feature, not a bug ;} ). Remember, paladins can fall from grace (I don’t mean into evil villainy, I mean lose their paladinhood), and even (a roleplaying opportunity…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 24, 2019
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…again!) leave one order of paladins to join another that more closely suits who they are or what they’re becoming (with the deity’s approval).
So were I the DM in this situation, I’d let the player try to play a Paladin of…#Realmslore 12)
…Conquest who is a member of the Brotherhood of the Ruby Rose, dedicated to Sune…and over time provide plenty of roleplaying opportunities for PC development. I do agree that a DM can end up with a nigh-impossible task if a…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 24, 2019
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…PC party contains all sorts of special oddball characters whose lives, in the setting, couldn’t easily be lived together…but the fun in life lies in the challenges, the expanding of horizons, the stepping out of the safe…#Realmslore 14)
…and familiar—or it becomes mere existence, not life.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 24, 2019
Like any storyteller, you think about things…and another layer of depth is revealed or crafted…and then another…and it informs creating things involving that topic or elements from then on…and on… ;}
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 25, 2019