Arelith

So I've just finished a really cool evening of RP with several very compelling characters resolving a short-term arc for my character. Great time all around, everyone involved was super fun. Good times.

But, here's the thing. It started by my character posting for help on a message board and getting a speedy from someone, saying they were a paladin of a god my character would trust. We met up, and I was in a position where I was going to follow their lead and so on, but as we were arranging I definitely had at the back of my mind 'how much should my character trust them?', 'could my character be about to be led into a trap', and so on. It wasn't a major plot element or anything but that added layer of mystery and uncertain motives of everyone you meet adds narrative tension.

Then, the character rocked up, we did introductions, I examined them, and right at the top of the description it said 'This character is wearing a ring which identifies them as a Paladin of the Radiant Heart' owtte. And all of that potential tension pretty much disappeared because I had close to objective mechanical proof they were well-intentioned and benevolent, and actual mechanical proof that they were the paladin they'd said they were. I think there are other things like this too (the Andunor Cage-fighter Belt, the Sencliff Tattoos, I think the Noble Background - I suppose the Outcast/Slave/Disguised tags are in the same bracket really) but Radiant Heart Rings are the ones I see most often.

As I say, this wasn't a major factor in my RP tonight, and I still had a wonderful time with some great RPers - and nor does it reflect anything upon the Paladin player, who was excellent IC and OOC and, again, added greatly to some brilliant scenes. It just struck me that it wasn't exactly a positive for RP to have a neon sign bolted onto their character's head confirming an aspect of who they were, where for most equivalent class-based features or factional alliances these would need to be 1) proven/discovered by IC actions, or 2) weighed and discovered in the course of RP.

This smells like something that may have been talked around before, so apologies if so - nothing leapt out at a quick search but I may not have looked in the right places. But I guess I'm struggling to see them as a positive - anything objectively confirmed by mechanics seems to be a plot point or area narrative tension no longer available. What am I missing? Is there a reason they're around/are they generally liked? How come? If there is a substantial positive to them I'm missing I'd really like to understand it so I can start looking at them in the proper light.

There are plenty of things that you know OOCly that you can RP your character knowing differently. If you saw them smite evil or lay on hands, it's the same thing since the engine tells us what they are doing. Just because you know that the seal is only given mechanically able characters, doesn't mean your character knows that.

Cataclysm of Iron wrote: Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:04 pmThen, the character rocked up, we did introductions, I examined them, and right at the top of the description it said 'This character is wearing a ring which identifies them as a Paladin of the Radiant Heart' owtte.

Uh, even in this situation you have plenty of reasons to remain suspicious of them. Because the badge could be stolen, for example. And because they CLAIM to be a paladin, that does not mean they are one.

I also do not know how thoroughly RH checks their recruits, and whether it is mechanically possible to join the orden while evil. But infiltrator posing as a paladin is a possibility.

Additionally...

Cataclysm of Iron wrote: Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:04 pm And all of that potential tension pretty much disappeared because I had close to objective mechanical proof they were well-intentioned and benevolent, and actual mechanical proof that they were the paladin they'd said they were. I think there are other things like this too (the Andunor Cage-fighter Belt, the Sencliff Tattoos, I think the Noble Background - I suppose the Outcast/Slave/Disguised tags are in the same bracket really) but Radiant Heart Rings are the ones I see most often.

Noble backgroudn does not produce auto-generated text in description, I believe. People write their own.

It might make sense to have a way to distinguish between script-generated and hand-written descriptions, by the way. So people do not assume that anything written in blue is true. On other hand this could be considered metagaming.

Void wrote: Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:31 pm Noble backgroudn does not produce auto-generated text in description, I believe. People write their own.

It might make sense to have a way to distinguish between script-generated and hand-written descriptions, by the way. So people do not assume that anything written in blue is true. On other hand this could be considered metagaming.

Good to know, thank you.

And yes, I definitely agree that this kind of thing doesn't preclude scepticism in game nor does it excuse credulous roleplaying. I guess it just feels as though it muddies a water better kept clear.

There must be a benefit to be worth the cost and I'm hoping to work out what that is.

Oof I wish we could steal radiant heart badges.


That would be.... Fun

Shrouded Wanderer wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2020 12:19 am Oof I wish we could steal radiant heart badges.


That would be.... Fun

When suggestions are up, can be filed as a request. At least pickpockets would find something interesting to do.

Uh, even in this situation you have plenty of reasons to remain suspicious of them. Because the badge could be stolen, for example. And because they CLAIM to be a paladin, that does not mean they are one.

I also do not know how thoroughly RH checks their recruits, and whether it is mechanically possible to join the orden while evil. But infiltrator posing as a paladin is a possibility.

Neither of these are possible, so unfortunately right now the tag serves as 100% bonafide proof that they are, at the very least, Good Aligned, though they may not be a Paladin, because the order also takes Clerics, CoT, and PDK (to my knowledge).

TimeAdept wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2020 1:01 am

Uh, even in this situation you have plenty of reasons to remain suspicious of them. Because the badge could be stolen, for example. And because they CLAIM to be a paladin, that does not mean they are one.

I also do not know how thoroughly RH checks their recruits, and whether it is mechanically possible to join the orden while evil. But infiltrator posing as a paladin is a possibility.

Neither of these are possible, so unfortunately right now the tag serves as 100% bonafide proof that they are, at the very least, Good Aligned, though they may not be a Paladin, because the order also takes Clerics, CoT, and PDK (to my knowledge).

Characters (most likely) do not know that. From their point of view badge can be stolen, and it is unclear how good the order is at vetting candidates.

A particularly insidious player can also put up fake description with the same color, but I think DM team is going to have a problem with that.

Aside from that... it can serve as an OOC indicator, yes. IC, though, you have every reason to doubt them.