Struggling with paladin, please help

Lore Role-playing
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Hi all,

I am fine when it comes to fighting big baddies, like dragons or the scourge or legion, and purging undoubtable evil from the world(s). But I am struggling to find my place in the ‘‘day-to-day’’.

Why would a Paladin, who strive to be good and are enlightened, pick up a quest from a bounty poster? Or do a menial task like help some townsfolk collect herbs?

I am struggling to find my place when I am not doing a raid or on the frontlines of a battleground. Paladins seem to be, in many ways, similar to (without wanting to refer too much to another franchise) Jedi, and I can’t see the council sending Obi Wan to wander the wilds and hunt for treasure and loot.

I’d love alternative perspectives.

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not all paladins are good tho, look at the tbc ones, they where “bad” until we made them understand who they worked for. same with the lightforged.

u could be a sith tho?

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As a Human your faith is directed by the teachings of the Church.

Respect

Tenacity

Compassion

Perhaps he picks up a bounty to met out iustice to a dangerous criminal who has caused issues for a village. They do not have much gold but it might mean the world to them. You go with a litany or prayer of retribution and justice in your heart and drop the criminal at the heart of the village for all to see. You now have an opportunity to teach those people about the Light and how compassion raises them higher.

They do not want to let him go so they ask you to have him put in the stockades in Stormwind or the criminal was a semi known necromancer on rumor so you investigate this. There is all sorts you can do in this context.

Perhaps in that same village however there is an old woman dying in great pain. You know certain ingredients can help brew a tea that will numb the pain so she can pass with dignity and grace with her family, better memories for herself and her family. That is a great act of compassion.

Think of potential scenarios as reasons/justification within the guidelines of your faith as a way to guide your Paladin.

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The race and class of your character makes only little difference to the character that you’ve written for yourself.
You are a Paladin, but you are not forced to roleplay the same Paladin like anyone else. I see you’ve taken inspiration of Jedi’s (which are just holy knights in space). But there are also other knightly archetypes you can take inspiration from for your character.

Here I name a few:
Ronin: Dishonoured Paladin that lives like a vagabond and mercenary. Since he’s already dishonoured there is little shame for him to drink too much, gamble, and flirt with other people. It’s to you how dishonourable this archetype is, or wether he tries to regain his honour.
Archetype for a mercenary Paladin

Hedge-Knight: Your Paladin has no holy order, and travels through the land to find a worthy master. He probably tries to keep his virtue, but the life in a chaotic and morally difficult world challenges him.
Archetype for a wandering Paladin

Pilgrim: Your Paladin has spend most of his youth training in yards, and reading dusty old books in the libraries of the church. Still there are many questions that burn in his heart; what kind of place does he have in Azeroth and the Light? He wears normal clothing and armor and goes on a pilgrimage, trying to learn from people he would otherwise not meet within the holy orders. This character is looking for self-transformation.
Archetype for a civilian Paladin.

Rebellious Zealot: This Paladin doesn’t agree one bit with the constructs of the Holy Light! Everywhere he looks, there are demons and cultists about. And the Church of the Holy Light has failed to stop them! He goes vigilante and isn’t afraid to work together with cut-throats and thieves to put a stop against these unholy activities, the end justifies the means!
Archetype for a Criminal Paladin.

I’ve only named a few, but you can also look up some inspiration for yourself. Knights and Holy Warriors didn’t always have the same lifestyle, ideas, or interaction with civilians. There were many orders, or different branches within the belief system. There are also other Spiritual Warriors in history that you can use, such as the Japanese Samurai, or Sohei, or the Arabic Mamluks.

Just read some texts and think about a Paladin Archetype that works for you best, so you can still interact with casual RP.
Hope this helps!

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Not all paladins are Uther, clad in shining golden armor and leading Alliance forces into battle against the undead.

You may be just a squire or a junior paladin who just got sent out from the Northshire Abbey to aid those in need as part of your path as a paladin.

Sometimes that means lending a blade to some guards in Elwyn having trouble with gnolls and bandits. However you also need to eat. Maybe even a room to sleep in. You need coins. And there’s a bounty by the local inn. The question is what that bounty involves.

Does someone need help dealing with a feral worgen attacking innocent people ? Then your conscience and need for gold might go hand in hand. Does someone need your sword to murder a rival noble and steal his land ? Well, that’s a bit more complicated.

As a human paladin you follow the virtues of the Holy Light or at the very least what you believe is right. Your actions must be in accordance with your teachings/conscience.

That’s both limiting and interesting. Exploring the conflict between a paladin’s moral code and his more earthly needs and desires. Having to work with vile warlocks you despise in order to protect innocent civilians. And yes, taking up a bounty or a quest to help someone else and seeing if helping that person conflicts with your morality or not.

Aside from that the person above offered some different archetypes you could follow. You don’t have to be Captain America poster boy. You can even be someone disillusioned with the order, ending up doing mercenary work while trying to find his place in the world. Or you can be a vain glorious paladin who’s just trying to create a reputation for himself, to achieve glory by doing mercenary work for others since, you know, the war is over.

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As a paladin of the Silver Hand you serve, sworn to spread the Light’s wisdom, protect the innocent with your life, vanquish evil and uphold this code by your blood and honour.

Aiding the townfolk with their herbs in your travels is an exercise in humility, assisting your fellow man and if some awful criminal has wanted posters all over town you’re the one who leads the willing in apprehending this villain while making sure the people’s passions do not overwhelm the need for justice.

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I’ve also found something on Wowpedia which you might find useful as well. The source for it is one of the older WoW books, The Shattering:Prelude to Cataclysm, but it speaks a lot about how one of the most important paladins in Stormwind sees even the most ‘menial’ of tasks.

Grayson took part in a grand ceremony for the fallen Alliance members who died in Northrend, where two night elf Sentinels arrived to tell King Varian Wrynn what had happened to their fellow night elves in Ashenvale. At the request of the King, the paladin went to get food and drink for the women, an attitude described by Jaina Proudmoore as that of a paladin for whom any service, as modest as it is, was born from the Light as long as it helped others.

While many paladin roleplayers may forget this, those paladins actually present in lore live to serve and protect, not to act cool and stand around Cathedral Square in shiny golden armor. Any service to your fellow men, no matter how little, is a service to the Light. Grayson is one example. Uther walking around the ruins of Stormwind in robes and helping orphan children is another. At the end of the day when the battle is over there are those unlucky civilians left behind with ruined homes, ruined lives. A paladin would by all means invest his time and energy to hunt down some boars so he can help feed a family of poor farmers.

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