Edicts

   Edicts include commands, instructions, and traditions the paladin has pledged to obey, usually imposed by the paladin's patron. The paladin must follow his edicts to the letter; he takes them as seriously as any other element of his ethos.

   A paladin doesn't choose which edicts to follow. Rather, he pledges to follow any and all edicts issued by specified sources. The paladin chooses his sources when he begins his career. Additionally, the DM may make recommendations or require specific sources.

   Edict sources may be chosen from the list below. Usually, a paladin's background will suggest appropriate choices. For instance, a paladin whose parents expect him to adhere to their traditions may swear to follow all edicts from his father and mother.

   The DM determines the nature of all edicts. He also decides how they apply and when they occur. At the DM's direction, a source may issue a set of edicts at the outset of a paladin's career. Alternately, a source may wait to issue edicts until a particular event occurs (such as the acquisition of a stronghold or a declaration of war). At any time, a source may issue new edicts, modify old edicts, or suspend standing edicts. It's possible that a source may never issue an edict. In any case, it's up to the paladin to keep track of his edicts and follow them exactly.

   Occasionally, edicts from different sources may conflict. For instance, a paladin's church might issue an edict that clashes with an edict from his government. In most cases, religious edicts take priority over edicts from other sources. In all cases, a paladin's strictures and core principles have priority over strictures issued by any social institution. For more about conflicting edicts, see Chapter 8.

Religion and Philosophy

   If the paladin belongs to an organized religion, the church will probably be the major source of edicts. Church edicts encompass spiritual obligations, behavior restrictions, and service requirements. Philosophies, too, may have their own edicts, imposed by the architects of the philosophy or by the paladin himself. A deity may also issue edicts to the paladin directly, appearing in a dream or as an avatar. Chapter 8 discusses religious and philosophic edicts in detail.

Government

   A paladin who has pledged fealty to his government must follow its edicts. Some examples:

• Perform military service.

• Donate the use of his stronghold for any legitimate government purpose (housing soldiers, entertaining government guests, storing supplies, and so on).

• Pay a one-time tax or fee.

• Temporarily loan a stronghold hireling.

• Guard a particular item or person. The paladin assumes complete responsibility for the safety of the item or person.

• Undertake a cavalcade, a long journey for the purpose of escorting dignitaries, delivering messages, or scouting new territory.

• Represent the government in a jousting match or other contest of skill at a tournament.

• Appear at a state banquet or other ceremonial function.

Mentor

   Paladins who have no ties to an organized religion often choose to follow the edicts of a mentor. A mentor can be any teacher, sage, or elder whom the paladin respects; often, the mentor is the paladin's ethical role model or the person who tutored him in philosophy. A group or organization can also qualify as a mentor. Possible edicts:

• Take regularly scheduled tests that measure intelligence or integrity. For instance, the mentor may engage the paladin in probing philosophic discussions on the nature of evil or the obligations of friendship.

• Care for the mentor in his old age.

• Pass along the mentor's ideas to a young acolyte of the mentor's choice. (In effect, the paladin becomes a mentor to someone else.)

Culture

   Unless they contradict the principles of his government or religion, a paladin may choose to follow edicts from his culture. Cultural edicts arise from the long-standing traditions of a particular tribe, region, or race, and as such, they rarely change. Examples include:

• Marry by a certain age.

• Always bow from the waist or curtsy to strangers and elders.

• Hold the lives of animals to be equal to those of men. A paladin following this edict never eats meat, never hunts for sport or food, and only kills an animal to protect himself or those he's sworn to defend.

Family

   Family edicts derive from tradition, obligations to relatives, and the wishes of particular family members. Edicts may be issued by the paladin's parents or grandparents, or by a consensus of all living family members.

   Won't all paladins automatically choose to follow the edicts of their families? Not necessarily. A paladin's family may not be of good alignment. The paladin may be an orphan and have no knowledge of his family. Sympathetic families may not wish to burden the paladin with their problems. If a paladin has not vowed to follow the edicts of his family, his obligations to them are no different from his obligations to anyone else. Typical family edicts include:

• Visit the family burial ground once per year on a designated day.

• Uphold a tradition never to harm a particular animal. (For example, if a bear sacrificed itself to save the paladin's infant sister from a dragon, the paladin may vow never to harm bears.)

• Donate a fixed percentage of all income to the family.

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