Why Seelah behavior is so different from paladin archetype?

[UIE First Citizen]

Seelah is horrible imo. Her character alignment doesn't fit her behavior throughout the game. I play a few RPGs like bg, nwn so I have pretty good experience with paladin type of characters. Most of the time she is out of character.
Compare her to others paladin characters like ajantis from bg, keldorn from bg 2, casavir from nwn 2 and aribeth from nwn. She just doesn't fit a paladin mold.
I wouldn't mind her behavior, attitude, etc if she was not a lawful good character and not a paladin. She just doesn't fit her class thematically.
Aribeth also had a colorful life before she became a paladin but when we meet her she behaves like one.
Regil acts like this becon of law, good or evil doesn't concern him, he fits his class and alignment perfectly.
I just do not get it why they wanted to make her an iconic paladin why doesn't behave like one.

[FunkyMonkey]

I'd say she acts like a Paladin where it matters, though. Standing up for what's right even at her own peril and protecting others. Sounds like a Paladin to me.

Keldorn was flawed in their own right, with his negligence towards his family. So I don't see why you would call one a Paladin and the other not. Seelah is more care-free but that doesn't mean she is any less of a Paladin.

Also, Regill is the best. Just wanted to add that here.

[Drake]

You have a pretty good experience of paladin in D&D. This is pathfinder.

Seelah is the iconic pathfinder paladin, written by paizo. She is supposed to be the character example for the paladin class in the setting.

Paladins in pathfinder don't work the same as in D&D. From a pathfinder standpoint, Seelah is fine.

[Razer]

She's chaotic good pretending to be a paladin.

[hilburnashua]

I disagree with your assertion that she doesn't act like a paladin.

She doesn't act like a fundamentalist Southern Baptist paladin.

[Yannir]

As much as I love those other titles, their Paladins are badly written archetypes. The characters are dominated by their Paladin-ness.

Seelah has a character that is more than just being a Paladin. Being LG doesn't mean you can't have a beer every now and then.

[Razer]

Originally posted by Yannir:

As much as I love those other titles, their Paladins are badly written archetypes. The characters are dominated by their Paladin-ness.

Seelah has a character that is more than just being a Paladin. Being LG doesn't mean you can't have a beer every now and then.

If my MC acts like Seelah then they'll be a fallen Paladin by the end of Act 2, I guarantee it.

[Glyph]

Seelah uses scrolls of atonement when you aren't looking, clearly.

[Yannir]

Originally posted by Razer:

Originally posted by Yannir:

As much as I love those other titles, their Paladins are badly written archetypes. The characters are dominated by their Paladin-ness.

Seelah has a character that is more than just being a Paladin. Being LG doesn't mean you can't have a beer every now and then.

If my MC acts like Seelah then they'll be a fallen Paladin by the end of Act 2, I guarantee it.

You can do whatever you want with your MC.

[GunStarX]

She regularly makes chaotic decisions and you regularly have the option to scold her with lawful dialog. I look at it like since you got her at level 1 she's still a baby paladin who's been elevated in power much faster than normal, so she's still learning how to act. That goes along with her early quest. It completely falls apart when you make your mythic 8 choice though, literally go along with you over her God? She should be smited on the spot

[Razer]

Originally posted by Glyph:

Seelah uses scrolls of atonement when you aren't looking, clearly.

Clearly

[reidj062]

Originally posted by UIE First Citizen:

Seelah is horrible imo. Her character alignment doesn't fit her behavior throughout the game. I play a few RPGs like bg, nwn so I have pretty good experience with paladin type of characters. Most of the time she is out of character.
Compare her to others paladin characters like ajantis from bg, keldorn from bg 2, casavir from nwn 2 and aribeth from nwn. She just doesn't fit a paladin mold.
I wouldn't mind her behavior, attitude, etc if she was not a lawful good character and not a paladin. She just doesn't fit her class thematically.
Aribeth also had a colorful life before she became a paladin but when we meet her she behaves like one.
Regil acts like this becon of law, good or evil doesn't concern him, he fits his class and alignment perfectly.
I just do not get it why they wanted to make her an iconic paladin why doesn't behave like one.

It's called a story arc. It's a narrative tool used by people who want to write actual people and not generic archetypes that have been beaten to death. She was a thief. She changed her life, and if you save all her stupid friends and stuff she has a happy ending.

Yes, yes, God forbid one of your characters not enter the story with doubts and questions like an actual human being, rather than being the physical embodiment of law and order and free from spiritual questions.

[Razer]

Originally posted by reidj062:

Originally posted by UIE First Citizen:

Seelah is horrible imo. Her character alignment doesn't fit her behavior throughout the game. I play a few RPGs like bg, nwn so I have pretty good experience with paladin type of characters. Most of the time she is out of character.
Compare her to others paladin characters like ajantis from bg, keldorn from bg 2, casavir from nwn 2 and aribeth from nwn. She just doesn't fit a paladin mold.
I wouldn't mind her behavior, attitude, etc if she was not a lawful good character and not a paladin. She just doesn't fit her class thematically.
Aribeth also had a colorful life before she became a paladin but when we meet her she behaves like one.
Regil acts like this becon of law, good or evil doesn't concern him, he fits his class and alignment perfectly.
I just do not get it why they wanted to make her an iconic paladin why doesn't behave like one.

It's called a story arc. It's a narrative tool used by people who want to write actual people and not generic archetypes that have been beaten to death. She was a thief. She changed her life, and if you save all her stupid friends and stuff she has a happy ending.

100% understandable, but the point is, if you do this as an MC you'll be a fallen Paladin by act 2 guaranteed. So... alignment nonsense.

[Glyph]

What's your point. NPCs break the rules all the time.

[Razer]

Originally posted by Glyph:

What's your point. NPCs break the rules all the time.

Does that make it ok?

[Nosferatu]

Seelah may not fit the Laeful Good alignment, but I think that's more of a mark against alignments than Seelah. I mean, Seelah obviously makes sense a a champion of good and righteousness, and as a devout follower of Iomedae, and getting stuck of the definition of Lawful Good draws attention away from actually meaningful parts of her character. There are several other examples of Owlcat playing it loose with alignments, and in most of these cases the characters in question would be worse off if Owlcat didn't do so.