Last Sunday for my small group, I had the opportunity to essentially put the players into the midst of any situation I saw thematically relevant. In the prior session, the players succumbed to a mental onslaught from Mind Flayers (Sealed away in pillars in the Underdark after experiments were performed on them. Their mental screams barrage any living being nearby and causes them to fall unconscious if they don't succeed several Will saves) and found themselves unconscious. I determined to place them right in front of the person they were searching for but in a little more of a vulnerable state. Each player was isolated from each other and were each brought to one of the key villains in the campaign and was asked what their greatest desire is and if they would turn a blind eye to everything he was doing in exchange for that desire to be fulfilled. However, if they declined the offer, they would be left to die in the Underdark Interestingly enough each of the 3 characters answered in very different ways that I didn't expect.
The Warblade
The Warblade when asked what his desire was explained that he really didn't have a strong desire for anything but if at least one his companions had agreed then he'd want to go back to his home town near Neverwinter and a hat of disguise. This response was the most expected out of the three, but I thought that the Warblade would have a more grand desire, but in respect of the character it does fit his personality where once one task is completed he moves onto the next that will create the best story.
The Druid
The Druid when asked about his desire asked for nothing as well because he stood on the ideal that he wants nothing from an evil man, but he would be willing to look the other way if it means he could leave the Underdark. Even when the villain offered to bring back his family from the dead he stood firm that it would not benefit his family to be brought back after their death as it would remove them from the natural cycle of life and while he would be happy, he could not ensure the same for his family. No matter what the villain offered, the Druid stood strong that he wanted nothing.
The Paladin
The Paladin when asked about his desire explained that he wanted to be safe with his family. The villain offered safety and his family which is everything that The Paladin was searching for. The issue arises when the Paladin now has to decide which is more important to him at this time for by accepting this offer he would be knowingly associating with an evil person and would therefore become an ex-paladin.
The Resolution
Ultimately, the decision was not all that difficult for the Warblade and the Druid who upon learning the decisions of the other from the villain decided to be teleported to their respective hometowns immediately. The Paladin decided that he could not give up his Paladinship just to be with his family and was immediately sealed in a stone cell in the Underdark which would have been his final resting place if it were not for a natural 20 prayer to Kord. Kord snapped him out of the Underdark and rewarded the Paladin for his faith and also snapped up the Warblade and Druid as they begin their next chapter to return to defeat the villain.
Since I play this campaign online, it is difficult to isolate players without having to trust that no side-conversations are happening and to be sure that the decisions being made are solely on the players. Luckily, we utilize a voice over IP (VOIP) service called Dolby Axon that has a feature where you can isolate the chat into separate rooms where you can only hear the players in your room. This was greatly beneficial to making sure that players were only making decisions on what they knew.
Ultimately this did turn into an interesting study of roleplaying and how when given something you truly desire how much more difficult it is to say 'no' to a figure that is supposed to be your enemy. It really makes you look at your character and see if they would rather have what they truly desire or if they would be best suited to continue fighting for what they believe it the right. While this is a fun situation for the DM to put the players into, it also makes them think a little more into what their character would actually do in that situation. I would assume that most Paladins would not give up their faith and powers for a worldly good, but you can't guarantee that all of them will. Who knows, any party presented with this situation could reveal the true character of the players and may create a separate conflict to deal with. You won't know what would happen in this sort of situation until you actually place it in front of the players.