In theory, Paladin could just step on the grass and cast an atonement spell afterwards. Of course, committing such an unlawful act means he would have to fight without any of of his class features. Truly, Fighter is a diabolical genius.

For me, this comic is about more than the clash of alignments. Standing on opposite sides of the garden path, one held at bay by some arbitrary, self-imposed rule and the other dancing gleefully on the petunias, Fighter and Paladin represent fundamentally different ways to play the game, both of which suck. One has a crystal clear vision of the “the right way to game.” The other is a raging murderhobo. Both kinds of player can suck the fun straight out of the tabletop, but neither one is self-aware enough to see it.

Paladin, you see, is exactly the kind of guy that would throw your rogue in jail “because it’s what my character would do.” He’ll turn down the party’s hard-won bounty because “justice is its own reward.” Then he’ll spend half an hour in-game lecturing you about why “lying is wrong” when you only suggested using the Disguise skill to get past a couple of guards. He is the Lawful Stupid alignment, and you do not want him in the party.

Fighter, by contrast, is the Chaotic Stupid alignment. I don’t think we need to explain why.

So here’s the question of the day. Which type of player annoys you more? And if you’ve got any good stories of chaotic/lawful stupidity, let’s hear ’em in the comments.

 

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