I've looked and read a bit of whats written but still I'd like to ask those few questions for you to answer, if you don't mind!
1. Does detect evil affect NPCs or only PCs?
2. The bond between a deity and the paladin is it unbreakable? If a paladin for half is life devoted his work to Ilmater can he decide one day to offer prayers to Torm instead?
3. I know you need an application to be part of an organisation, such as paladin orders. But do you need to apply to have for background being apprenticed into paladinhood by a member of one of those order?
4. Associations/Factions + Not helping evil. Your boss tells your to go and help Mister Evil by going and saving the innocent child of Mister Good. You go alone? If you go with Mister Evil and he gets beaten unconscious, let him die?
That's it for now, apology if they've been covered elsewhere, I'm sure they have.
1. Don't know.
2. Every character in the forgotten realms, unless they are insane, knows that many gods exist. Virtually every character offers prayers to gods besides their patrons. Most paladins and clerics, offer prayers to other gods than their patron. Tyr can't help you cross the ocean, but Shaundukal, a goodly aligned god of travel, can. A paladin however, serves one god full time. That does not mean they could not lend aid to another church or god, Followers of the Triad constantly help each other, it is not unusual for members of a Knightly order from one god of the Triad to have members whose patrons are from other gods. However, all of a paladin's paladining, should be done in the name of their patron, even if helping the cause of another god, helps their patrons cause.
3. I don't know, but I suspect, no. I don't know.
4. You don't quest with evil or venture forth with them unless the most truly dire, earth shattering consequences and even then.... probably not. Paladins smite evil. If a paladins boss tells him to work with evil, the paladin finds a new boss.
1. It does.
2. There is nothing preventing a paladin from giving prayers to wholesome gods. Actually entering the service of another god, however, is more problematic and would probably involve a lengthy period of trial from his new faith. Furthermore, it's fairly silly to think that an individual so devoted to their god would be flighty enough to randomly change what they have spent their entire life pursuing.
3. If you want to play a member of some order, that requires an application. If you were not a member of that order, you do not.
4. That is an IC choice, but DMs can and do give out Chaotic points for not upholding your vows as a paladin. Generally speaking, paladins should not be associating with Evil, even to redeem them -- that is a cleric's job.
Furthermore, there is a forum for this (//%22http://www.escapefromundeath.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=59%22)!
These links should help you a little;
- Paladin (http://www.escapefromundeath.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260)
- Special Backgrounds (http://www.escapefromundeath.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50318)
- Paladin guide (http://www.escapefromundeath.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40445)
Thank you all for your help