Can a Paladin ever be justified in attacking a child?

Jesus kicked the shit out of dudes on more then one occasion. As did God.

Alright, bend over! You're going first.

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A demonic child
...or a goblin one.

>Posting goblin slayer (already edgeautismo)
>Calling him a Paladin

Realistically, a child would never even approach the level of a paladin; even if it's a high fatality setting, I'm sure the Paladin could just use a de-powered smite to knock the child unconscious. In a general sense, self-defense isn't an evil action, and if you have no alternative other than to fight a child, it wouldn't be evil to fight back (at least until the child no longer poses any danger). In a realistic setting, the only children that would openly engage an armed soldier would probably be impossible to redeem unless captured (IE the brainwashed child soldiers in the Middle East).

GS is very much a Gygax paladin. "Nits make lice", or a 5e Paladin of vengeace, or a nightguard.

Nonlethally, maybe.

Or Treyvon Martin.

In gygaxian alignments?
Yes.
In real life?
Also yes, spankings and rough housing are a good discipline-bounding (respectively) method for males (>inb4 butthurt cuck millenials and boomers)
In le epic Veeky Forums meme fantasy where le paladin falls and alignments don't work like they're supposed to?
No.

>GottaSmiteAllTheEvil.png

"Ran at" is pretty vague. Was he running with a stick or a magical nuke?

Sounds like just an angry kid who doesn't pose a threat, probably knows it, and is commiting a symbolic gesture. But let's be sure.

Does the paladin have a reasonable expectation of danger to himself or innocents?

Jesus went savage with his whip AND his banter sometimes.

The kid ran specifically at our Barbarian, a pc who has in the past killed a kid for no reason. He was wielding a sword he very clearly couldn't use and had knocked himself down by running into the Barb. Our Paladin then stepped forward and hit the kid right in the gabber. The unarmed, already on the ground kid.

That you even need to ask is an indication that you aren't ready to be a Paladin. What's the Paladin's main stat? Charisma. Forgoing factual knowledge and leaving understanding be, the Paladin forges his path with instinct and confidence.
So the paladin approaches this child, this creature that is somehow worthy of being smote, and you ask them "Can you be justified?" The Paladin knows in their heart of hearts what must be done, even if they don't understand why- and that's ok- you don't have to understand why you do the things you do, not immediately anyway. What's important isn't that you act while knowing, it's that you act.
>And if you're wrong?
You can't live so paralyzed by what might happen that you forget to live.
>What if you aren't justified?
Then you make amends as best as you can.
>What if it's not enough?
Then you find another way.
>What if you can't be redeemed?
Horseshit. Even if it comes to a point where you can't be forgiven, you have to keep going believing that you can be. Because then you never stop trying. Because then you don't bow to the darkness surrounding you. Because then your star shine brighter and brighter, and maybe because of how brightly you shine someone can find their way Home.
That is the answer to your question: it is pointless to ask. When judgement day is upon us, we must do what we must do, and hope that we can be forgiven.

Then you rest a hand on his shoulder, listen to him, then tell him the error of his way

>It's another one of these threads
Paladins were a mistake.

>Veeky Forums - Theology and Catechism

Let's also not forget that Mary Magdalene was NOT a whore and a total fabrication of the later Catholic Church. Christ did not associate himself with whores as companions.

It's mostly fake anyway, so who cares?

Not our fault that half the genera was constructed by Christfags, who dragged all their ethical dilemma into it cause "write what you know".

>What's the Paladin's main stat? Charisma.
So what you're saying is ugly uncharismatic people can't be Paladins?

>goes to rescue m'lady
>spills spaghetti
>becomes wizard instead

if he responds with equal force, then probably.

This person is literally a retard who falls into the "I justifiably find idiots to be stupid, but instead of being right, I'll just go to the polar opposite because that makes sense, right?"

This is why I hate Veeky Forums sometimes. The fetishization of "knowledge fudging" where you spin things in ways that sound good but without actually having a firm grip on things.

"Current Year Messiah" is a stupid fabrication made up by idiots who never read the Bible, but acting like Jesus didn't get a multifaceted portrayal in the Bible and was this "manly, stern, bold Savior" 100% of the time is as stupid as saying he was the "Love God and love your neighbor" 100% of the time. There's something called nuance that apparently everyone likes to forget is a possibility in things.

Early Christianity was a pacifistic cult of impoverished missionaries. It wasn't until Christianity gained political power that Just War Doctrine even came about, though it was justified using the same sort of logic in this image. Both things are allowed to be part of the same fucking religion because it's all in the god damn book.

I'm not even Christian at all. Selective readings of holy scripture is such backwards teleology I'm getting buttmad.

If it's human, no
Otherwise, REKT

DUSTY OLD BONES

Bitch he flipped tables and started whipping mother fuckers and shit.
A real pacifist is like pic related.

>child's soul is tied to a gate
>BBEG is hiding behind the gate getting his world-destroying thing ready
>only to get through the gate is to kill the child

>follow a CG god
>can hitting this child benefit the greater good?
>If yes, put that fucker down
>if no, don't

Yes, very easily.

See, now you are doing what you accuse the other person of doing. Where you accuse the person of lacking nuance, you miss the nuance in his own posts. Because he DOES mention that Jesus talked about loving God and loving your neighbour. However, he directs people to the nuance that loving God and loving your neighbour does not mean being Nice all the time. He quite clearly states that anger is usually unjustified. He also clearly states that there are things worth being angry about.

It is you, not he, who is short on nuance. Yes, Jesus can be, and was, manly and stern 100% of the time, just like he was loving 100% of the time, because it was the same Jesus in both instances, and one does not preclude the other.

>Our Paladin then stepped forward and hit the kid right in the gabber. The unarmed, already on the ground kid.
>hit the kid right in the gabber. The unarmed, already on the ground kid.
>unarmed, already on the ground
I think your Paladin is shit, user.

>christians trying to make their religion sound all badass

But user, he can't be an extremely intellectual and super cool fence sitter if you make points like this.

Charismatic doesn't necessarily have to mean beautiful.

Simple, a "Paladin" is not an archetype that is defined as "good" over-all.

A Paladin can be of anything: Paladin of the Light, Paladin of the Dark, basically a Paladin is any warrior that is devoted to a specific divinity or spiritual figure.

As long as the paladin believes that what they're doing is righteous by their divinity's rules, then they can be justified in whatever they did in the name of their god.

Only because they were turning a temple into a market.

Is the child actively murdering other children in front of the paladin? If so yes, if not than maybe, given a similarly horrible situation.

>child falls
>paladin falls a round later

Seems pretty clear cut to me, my friend.

Age doesn't excuse evil.

Uh, actually, no, age often precludes evil.

If your brain literally isn't developed enough to know the difference between right and wrong, to understand consequences for your actions, to understand long-term consequences as something that even really exists?

It means you can't be evil.

There is no evil without free will and the capability to exercise it without restraint.

>Neutral Elf

Elf is an alignment now? That explains things.

What about rampaging golems with developing consciousnesses? Are the people they kill not allowed justice because justice would be evil?

>pick child up
>take home or to orphanage or wherever the child came from

Super Mega Fedora Edgelord here.

If the child shows deliberate malice, like Peter Wiggin in Ender's Game, Michael Myers or the kids in Children of the Corn, yes, I think it would be okay to kill them.

I wouldn't slay an orc or demon baby, I'd wait until they grew up and did something bad and then shove my Paladin Sword through their guts.
I'd just block this kid off with my shield or a calming spell or whatever, see why he's attacking me.

Yes, but striking him unarmed would be suggested. If he cannot significantly harm you or your party, it would be a evil act to repay him disproportionate damage.

"Those of you without a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."

>100%
He was divine and human 100% of the time, but personality is not divine nature.

If the child is super smart and significantly dangerous then sure. Like, if it's a kid with adult level reasoning then the main issue with attacking a child is basically null. So someone like Klarion the Witch Boy or something/

Smite first, detect evil later.

FULL OF GREEN DUST

...

If the child has a demon anywhere in their lineage, yes.

If the child is somehow partially or fully undead, yes.

The Shining One's will is absolute.

You mean a tryguard?

Err, I mean nighthard?

I mean...you know what, fuck it, you all know what I mean.

Depends on the setting and the situation.

Does the pally follow a god or system that sees this as acceptable? If yes, then yes it is in the mind of his god or his code of conduct. Does that answer your question?

I think there is exactly one case and it was from Heroes of Horror. However, if I remember properly, the "child" was actually a demon that had possessed an unborn child, becoming said child's mind and soul. Which translates to young mortal shell, ancient and cruel mind.

Rolled 7 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>Rolling charisma to rape the shota heretic that attacked my party