All - I'm sure most DM's would be flexible about this sort of background, but I wanted to get some feedback from the community about how this background rubs people:
A Paladin - we'll say they are on Oath of Devotion - is on a quest when they are captured by some baddies. They baddies torment and brainwash the paladin over several months, ultimately turning them into their pawn as Oathbreaker Paladin.
Sometime after that, the Paladin is rescued from the baddies, and released from their control.
Realizing what was done to them, they swear vengeance on those who corrupted them.
(A little cliched, i know.)
Question! Is the Paladin now still an Oathbreaker? Or would you consider them Oath of Vengeance, if anything?
If you're looking at this just being fluff for a character's background, I wouldn't have much of an issue with this concept. The general rise and/or redemption aspect is a fairly common trope for heroes, but I could see it working pretty well for a paladin that lost their way but eventually found a new path. A bit of a hero becoming a villian only to eventually become an anti-hero. Oath of Vengence would work well for more of the anti-hero concept... Or, if you wanted a less dark and edgy concept, Oath of Redemption would work well for somebody trying to become a better person after their previous fall from grace.
If you're looking at this just being fluff for a character's background, I wouldn't have much of an issue with this concept. The general rise and/or redemption aspect is a fairly common trope for heroes, but I could see it working pretty well for a paladin that lost their way but eventually found a new path. A bit of a hero becoming a villian only to eventually become an anti-hero. Oath of Vengence would work well for more of the anti-hero concept... Or, if you wanted a less dark and edgy concept, Oath of Redemption would work well for somebody trying to become a better person after their previous fall from grace.
I appreciate that. If this whole thing DID happen in gameplay (which it didn't) what would the Oathbreaker have to do to either redeem themselves, or - more likely - take a different Oath like Vengeance?
If this whole thing DID happen in gameplay (which it didn't) what would the Oathbreaker have to do to either redeem themselves, or - more likely - take a different Oath like Vengeance?
I would imagine that the process largely depends on the gameplay of the campaign and how the specific DM wants to adjudicate the whole "redemption" process. Mechanically, I wouldn't see it being too hard of having the paladin take the Oathbreaker subclass for a while as they begin atoning for those misdeeds. Once the paladin earns enough atonement points, they character swaps out Oathbreaker for another subclass; such as Vengence or Redemption.
The potentially more challenging part would be working the above into the story without it being too much detail and/or derailing the main plot. It's one thing to have these details be a part of the character's background, but it could become a lot more convoluted trying to play that out in-game. Certainly possible to do, but how does that work with the other player characters? Will they be fine having a brainwashed Oathbreaker be a member of the party for that period of time? Or does the character get removed during the time of their fall to return later when they are rescued?
Again, it would be feasible to do, but it might be tougher to play the whole thing out versus handwaving most of it as background details.
As a DM I don't really care one bit about the names or flavor texts of the oaths or what exactly an oath is. I let players design their own flavor or pick one of the existing ones.
The only thing I care about is that the oath actually means something - anything - to the character, and that the mechanics and oath spell align with the oath's idea. You know, not Oath of Never Hurting Anyone Ever At All combined with a list of Inflict Wounds and Fireballs.
That they were manipulated, escaped, and then swore vengeance means to me that they are going to be a Vengeance paladin. An Oathbreaker is one who has foresaken their oath, where this one has sworn a new one. They will likely go through the game seeking vengeance on their foes, the Oathbreaker is more about being an unholy necromancer type character.
It's also worth noting that the Oathbreaker is a subclass from the DMG and therefore should be considered something that the DM has control over, not something you can pick for yourself!
All - I'm sure most DM's would be flexible about this sort of background, but I wanted to get some feedback from the community about how this background rubs people:
A Paladin - we'll say they are on Oath of Devotion - is on a quest when they are captured by some baddies. They baddies torment and brainwash the paladin over several months, ultimately turning them into their pawn as Oathbreaker Paladin.
Sometime after that, the Paladin is rescued from the baddies, and released from their control.
Realizing what was done to them, they swear vengeance on those who corrupted them.
(A little cliched, i know.)
Question! Is the Paladin now still an Oathbreaker? Or would you consider them Oath of Vengeance, if anything?
This is just for flavor.
Thanks!
If you're looking at this just being fluff for a character's background, I wouldn't have much of an issue with this concept. The general rise and/or redemption aspect is a fairly common trope for heroes, but I could see it working pretty well for a paladin that lost their way but eventually found a new path. A bit of a hero becoming a villian only to eventually become an anti-hero. Oath of Vengence would work well for more of the anti-hero concept... Or, if you wanted a less dark and edgy concept, Oath of Redemption would work well for somebody trying to become a better person after their previous fall from grace.
I appreciate that. If this whole thing DID happen in gameplay (which it didn't) what would the Oathbreaker have to do to either redeem themselves, or - more likely - take a different Oath like Vengeance?
I would imagine that the process largely depends on the gameplay of the campaign and how the specific DM wants to adjudicate the whole "redemption" process. Mechanically, I wouldn't see it being too hard of having the paladin take the Oathbreaker subclass for a while as they begin atoning for those misdeeds. Once the paladin earns enough atonement points, they character swaps out Oathbreaker for another subclass; such as Vengence or Redemption.
The potentially more challenging part would be working the above into the story without it being too much detail and/or derailing the main plot. It's one thing to have these details be a part of the character's background, but it could become a lot more convoluted trying to play that out in-game. Certainly possible to do, but how does that work with the other player characters? Will they be fine having a brainwashed Oathbreaker be a member of the party for that period of time? Or does the character get removed during the time of their fall to return later when they are rescued?
Again, it would be feasible to do, but it might be tougher to play the whole thing out versus handwaving most of it as background details.
As a DM I don't really care one bit about the names or flavor texts of the oaths or what exactly an oath is. I let players design their own flavor or pick one of the existing ones.
The only thing I care about is that the oath actually means something - anything - to the character, and that the mechanics and oath spell align with the oath's idea. You know, not Oath of Never Hurting Anyone Ever At All combined with a list of Inflict Wounds and Fireballs.
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That they were manipulated, escaped, and then swore vengeance means to me that they are going to be a Vengeance paladin. An Oathbreaker is one who has foresaken their oath, where this one has sworn a new one. They will likely go through the game seeking vengeance on their foes, the Oathbreaker is more about being an unholy necromancer type character.
It's also worth noting that the Oathbreaker is a subclass from the DMG and therefore should be considered something that the DM has control over, not something you can pick for yourself!
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