Drow Paladin - Issues with the lore

[Billybob]

So i've always rolled Paladins in these sorts of games, but i'm struggling slightly given the (limited) lore I know about Loth Sworn Drows.

How could one feasibly ever be a Paladin? I'm not talking about "just do what you want bro" either, I mean within the context of the lore. It seems ridiculously nonsensical to me.

So i'm probably gonna roll a Seldarine in that regard just to make it make sense for me personally unless someone can convince me? I really hate how they tied this to the subrace when it should be something entirely different (why are cult like backgrounds tied to your direct race?)

Another problem i'm having currently, the body types. Body type 2 (male) makes the most sense for Drows because to my understanding, they're all manlets (all elves are on the shorter side no?). But ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, why is the run/walk animation so... Effeminate. Is there a walk animation I didn't see or something?

Looks like a Type 4 Seldarine Drow is gonna be my pick (Vengeance Paladin, considering oath breaking but not sure yet). So my question is, Drow Paladin bros, what did you run and did you have any rationales besides "sounded cool gigachad.jpeg"?

[AnHonestSoul]

How you could make it lore friendly, but I can only explain with spoilers:

There is a female drow paladin companion in the game. She is evil. And follows the oath of vengeance. But regarding the lore, she is not worshipping Lolth anymore. Instead, the absolute is her new god. If you are interested in making a drow paladin lore friendly, you could go a similar route and side with her. You actually need to side with her, if you want to have her with you as a companion. Seldarine drow are not evil. They are against Lolth. Though making a Seldarine drow paladin with the oath of vengeance siding with the absolute as well would make perfect sense.

[Overeagerdragon]

The notion that Paladins ALWAYS have to be good is a bit of a stereotype.... but from a lore standpoint Paladins are basically just the frontline defenders of their faith; regardless of their alignment.... though in canon lore they're usually called Blackguards.

So a Lolth Sworn Paladin basically is a fighter for, and upholds the tennets of, their spiderqueen.

Minthara is a perfect example of this.... definitely evil but still a paladin.

[Jeysie]

In modern D&D they've gotten away from "Paladins are always LG" and made it so paladins are essentially the holy warriors of their gods, even if said gods are evil.

I think Pathfinder calling them "Champions" was the better take for a bit less confusion, though.

[s_greyjoy]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Billybob:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von guizhang:

what if a drow grew up lolth sworn but ended up leaving the underdark and changing over time? its possible.

It's why it's so dumb that they decided to tie what effectively is a background to the sub race.

i'm playing a lolthsworn drow and rp'ing as what i described. there have been multiple times where i get both [drow] and [lolthsworn] options. i clearly remember responding with a 'not all drows are like that' dialogue option. ultimately it's just a background and doesn't necessarily reflect the present. meaning i could choose to ignore the specific lolthsworn dialogue options while still technically being a lolthsworn drow.

[Clonedpickle]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Billybob:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Clonedpickle:

Vengeance paladins are not remotely evil. Their ways is just the end justifies the means and show no mercy to evil.

A Oathbreaker is the one that's evil as you give up the light in favor of dark magics, which can fit somewhat to Lolth-sworn

Oathbreakers aren't evil lmfao.

Oathbreakers are paladins who willingly broke their oaths to pursue evil goals using the dark arts. A paladin who breaks their oath but doesn't pursue evil is just a turncoat.

[Billybob]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von guizhang:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Billybob:

It's why it's so dumb that they decided to tie what effectively is a background to the sub race.

i'm playing a lolthsworn drow and rp'ing as what i described. there have been multiple times where i get both [drow] and [lolthsworn] options. i clearly remember responding with a 'not all drows are like that' dialogue option. ultimately it's just a background and doesn't necessarily reflect the present. meaning i could choose to ignore the specific lolthsworn dialogue options while still technically being a lolthsworn drow.

How common are the dialogue options like that for Lolthsworn specifically? That Dialogue option you described is something I got as a Seldarine which makes it seem Drow specific in general (half drows probably get it too).

Because if I can make a nice Red Eyed Drow Paladin, that would be cool, but the dialogue options I know about make it seem like you can't.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von AnHonestSoul:

How you could make it lore friendly, but I can only explain with spoilers:

There is a female drow paladin companion in the game. She is evil. And follows the oath of vengeance. But regarding the lore, she is not worshipping Lolth anymore. Instead, the absolute is her new god. If you are interested in making a drow paladin lore friendly, you could go a similar route and side with her. You actually need to side with her, if you want to have her with you as a companion. Seldarine drow are not evil. They are against Lolth. Though making a Seldarine drow paladin with the oath of vengeance siding with the absolute as well would make perfect sense.

Yea, i'm aware of her.

My issue comes more from the dialogue options, can you actually explicitly denounce Lolth when you're Lolth Sworn?

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Clonedpickle:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Billybob:

Oathbreakers aren't evil lmfao.

Oathbreakers are paladins who willingly broke their oaths to pursue evil goals using the dark arts. A paladin who breaks their oath but doesn't pursue evil is just a turncoat.

That's such a simplistic take.

For example, if i'm a Paladin of Vengeance and I don't judge someone who is clearly guilty of a crime, that's an oath break. There may be no evil motives behind my decision and if anything, Vengeance Paladin Oaths can actually force you to commit some morally dark acts to uphold your oath. For example, even breaking a vow would make you an oathbreaker, like promising to do something and not doing it.

[Dragonirian]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Rye:

Just do what you want bro, it's your game.

The majority of drow are basically a cult of Lolth. Paladin wouldn't work though, obviously. You would need some kind of anti-paladin.

Thing is, I haven't checked the classes for this option. Maybe Larian made it, maybe they didn't and they just went with "Paladin" and then something like Vengeance or Oathbreaker for eEeeEEEEeveel paladins. If so, you'll just have to handwave it as the devs bundling everything under the same label.

edit:

annnnd that's exactly what they did. Oof. That's as bad as bundling Wizard and Sorc under a single label.

Welp, OP, I don't know what to say. Just kind of handwave the "paladin" label away.

They removed alignments and made paladind based on oaths rather than gods. You can technically swear an oath to kill all enemies of Llolth. But the way it's implemented is all over the place.
Invites deviantart oc type of character making.

[General Nuclear]

To be fair stranger things have been a paladin in D&D, Take the flumph instance, it is probaly the most harmless and useless creature in the forgotten realm, but because of it's benevolent and empathic nature it can in fact become a cleric or a paladin, despite the fact that it's basically a armless, flying giant omelette, filled with pure acid for blood, and with the peronality of a freaking teletubbie, and which talks like it's constantly inhaling and exhaling helium.

[Jeysie]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Dragonirian:

They removed alignments and made paladind based on oaths rather than gods. You can technically swear an oath to kill all enemies of Llolth.

This. As I noted earlier:

In modern D&D they've gotten away from "Paladins are always LG" and made it so paladins are essentially the holy warriors of their gods, even if said gods are evil.

[Atari 2600]

I just think of it as anti-paladins. Death knights.

[Xerkics]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Drizzt Fan:

I just think of it as anti-paladins. Death knights.

That would be a Blackguard . Death knight is unrelated they could be a good paladin or other martial order class of a death aspected deity .

[Morgian]

In the old days drow had no paladins. None. Females were typically clerics or fighter/clerics, males were fighters, fighter/magic-users or pure magic-users. There were also a few thiefs mixed into that. They had no druids, rangers (except the traitor Drizz't), monks (purely human class back then), barbarians, knights, paladins or bards.
Nowadays they are a shadow of the CE nation of real bastards they once were. And all because of the hippie with his panther figurine...*sigh*

[Fuzzy the imperfect]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von IRON FIST SOUND DOLPHIN:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Zyco:

Yeah. all Lore stuff went out the window years ago. . now Pallies and Clerics can use bladed weapons and arrows and for me thats it

Did they used to not have hands?

In European church tradition, militant christians couldn't spill blood as that was sinful so they used clubs to bash heads instead. Clerics are fantasy versions of that tradition. Thus why typical antagonists to clerics are sensitive to bludgeoning damage or have resistances to other types.

This is basic DnD knowledge and knowledge you should have learned in school.

[everybe2]

Lore wise , yes.

But here player can do everything he wants.