Revision as of 17:01, 6 December 2012

Paladin

Ionatan, iconic paladin

"I may not be a Saint, but I live by their example."

To be deemed a Saint, an individual must find themselves worthy of what is effectively "hero worship," gaining respect and adoration from sufficient mortals to allow them to ascend as a Saint. For some, Saints are more than individuals worthy of such accolades - they deserve imitation. Their belief in a particular Saint leads them to take up arms and train in combat, to better fight for the ideals of their patron.

A paladin devotes himself to the ideologies of a particular Saint, who - in turn - empowers the paladin with Divine strength, granting them aspects of their own abilities as well. As a paladin becomes more familiar with the religious aspects of a Saint, he gains the ability to channel his patron's power in prayer.

Unlike priests, who merely worship a Saint, the paladin seeks to become more and more like the Saint. As such, paladins have much stricter codes of conduct. However, in return, paladins gain greater access to their patron's domain powers, as well as additional domain powers that are reserved explicitly for paladins.

It is important to note that paladins in Trinity are almost a complete departure from standard d20 paladins.

Despite what their name would suggest, antipaladins are not a direct mirror to paladins.

Game Rule Information

Paladins have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Divine.

Force Resistances: NI 5 + level, VI 5 + level.

Abilities: Physical ability scores are important to a paladin, as he focuses on combat and the ability to protect the ideals of his patron. Charisma is also important, however, as it fuels his prayers as well as a number of his special abilities.

Hit Die: d10.

Class Skills: The paladin’s class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Martial Lore (Int), Prayercraft (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int.

Alignment: Must match patron's alignment exactly.

Ethos: Must be within two steps of patron's listed ethoi.

Starting Age: Moderate.

Starting Gold: 6d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: None.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the paladin.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Paladins are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields). A paladin is also proficient with his patron's favored weapon.

Domain (Di): When you take your first level in paladin, you must select a Saint as your patron. You gain access to your patron's domain, which grants you an additional paladin class skill, an additional weapon or armor proficiency, and a number of additional powers (dependent upon the domain). In addition, your patron's domain automatically adds new prayers to your prayers known upon gaining access to the appropriate prayer level.

As a paladin, your domain also grants you additional abilities as you gain levels, as indicated in the domain's description.

Know Thyself: Upon taking your first level in paladin, you gain knowledge of your own truename.

Channel Divine (Di): As a paladin, you are able to tap into the power of the Divine, though diluted by the separation between the Divine itself and the world. You gain a number of channel divine uses per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

For purposes of Divine feats from other sources, channel divine uses count as turn undead attempts (and so you can use them to fuel Divine feats that require their expenditure).

Most patron's domains grant a power that allows you to expend a channel divine use for a purpose relevant to the patron.

In addition, all paladins can use channel divine uses to smite foes of their patron. When you make an attack or full-attack action, you can expend a channel divine use to add your Charisma modifier to your attack rolls and your paladin level to your damage rolls for that action. You can only use this ability on creatures whose alignments are opposed to your patron's on at least one axis; if your patron is neutral, you can only use this ability on creatures with "extremist" alignments (LG, LE, CG, or CE).

You can always use this ability on a Lucavi, Daemon, or Fiend, regardless of its alignment.

Ethos: You can only use this ability on creatures whose ethoi differ from your patron's by at least three steps.

If you use this ability on a creature that does meet the requirements, this ability does nothing (but you still expend the channel divine use).

Auras (Di): The defining trait of paladins are auras, powerful divine effects that she exudes by her mere presence through her powerful connection to her Saint. A paladin can activate an aura as a swift action and dismiss it as a non-action on her turn, and can only have one aura active at a time. An aura has a radius of 20 feet.

Auras are divine effects, and as such any creature or object Nature- or Void-aligned within the aura radius sparks as appropriate. Creatures whose DI cannot be overcome by a paladin's take 10 on a petitioner level check are immune to her aura.

A paladin's auras function only while the paladin is conscious, not while she is unconscious, dead, or otherwise similarly impaired (such as turned to stone). As an exception, a paladin turned to glass by vitrification or similar effect intensifies her auras, doubling their radius, but she cannot control the effect.

As she gains experience, the paladin's auras gain in power, and she learns to wield new powers of the Divine. Each time you gain the Aura ability, choose one of the auras below.

• Aura of Courage: You are immune to fear. All allies within your aura gain a +4 divine bonus on saving throws against fear.
• Aura of Resolve: You are immune to charm effects. All allies within your aura gain a +4 divine bonus on saving throws against charm effects.
• Aura of Faith: Your weapons are considered Good-aligned for purposes of bypassing Damage Reduction. Any attacks made by allies who are within her aura are considered Good-aligned for purposes of bypassing Damage Reduction. (If you are using Ethos, replace "Good" with "White")
• Aura of Righteousness: You gain DR 5/evil and are immune to compulsion effects. All allies within your aura gain a +4 divine bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects. (If you are using Ethos, replace "Evil" with "Black")
• Aura of Devotion: You gain a +4 sacred bonus to your AC. All allies within your aura gain a +2 sacred bonus to AC.
• Aura of Retribution: Any creature that strikes you suffers from ongoing holy damage equal to your paladin level for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier. Multiple applications reset the duration, and do not stack. Attacks against allies within your aura cause the attacker to suffer holy damage equal to your paladin level.
• Aura of Concentration: You automatically make all Concentration checks when invoking prayers. All allies within your aura gain a +8 divine bonus on Concentration checks.
• Aura of Warding: When you activate this aura, choose an energy type. You gain resistance to that energy type equal to your paladin level. All allies within your aura gain resistance to that energy type equal to one-half your paladin level, rounded down.

Combat Style (Ex): At second level, the paladin has begun the martial aspect of her training. Choose one of the following classes: einhander or defender. You gain access to that class's maneuver list, and can choose maneuvers from them. Once you make this choice, it cannot be changed.

Consult the following table for information on how many maneuvers you may have readied or the maximum size of your armor token pool.

In addition, you gain access to another aura, dependent upon your choice. If you chose einhander, you gain access to aura of combat. If you chose defender, you gain access to aura of protection.

• Aura of Combat (Di): You gain a +2 sacred bonus to attack rolls. All allies within the aura gain a +1 sacred bonus to attack rolls. On your turn, as either part of an attack action or as a standard action, you refresh your maneuvers. As a move action, you can change what maneuvers you have readied.
• Aura of Protection (Di): You gain DR 2/-. All allies within the aura gain DR 1/-. Whenever you take damage, you gain an armor token.

Note that you do not need to be in your aura to use the maneuvers granted to you by your combat style. However, you do need to be in the relevant aura in order to refresh your abilities or gain resources relevant to your combat style.

Your initiator level is considered one-half your paladin level, rounded down.

Divine Grace (Di): At second level, you gain a bonus to all saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier.

Lay on Hands (Pr): At second level, a paladin can heal wounds (her own or those of others) by touch. Each day she can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 her paladin level plus her Charisma modifier. With one use of this ability, she can use one of the target's healing surges to heal the target for 25% of their maximum health. Using this ability is a standard action, unless the paladin targets herself, in which case it is a swift action. Despite the name of this ability, a paladin only needs one free hand to use this ability.

Alternatively, a paladin can use this ability to deal damage to undead creatures, or creatures otherwise susceptible to holy damage. Against such creatures, the paladin's touch deals 1d6 points of holy damage for every two paladin levels she possesses. Using lay on hands in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Creatures do not receive a saving throw against this damage, but the paladin must penetrate a creature's DI to use it.

Divine Health (Di): At third level, a paladin is immune to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases, such as mummy rot.

Mercy (Di): At third level, and every three levels thereafter, a paladin can select one mercy. Each mercy adds an effect to the paladin's lay on hands ability. Whenever the paladin uses lay on hands to heal damage to one target, the target also receives the additional effects from all of the mercies possessed by the paladin. A mercy can remove a condition caused by a curse, disease, or poison without curing the affliction. Such conditions return after 1 hour unless the mercy actually removes the affliction that causes the condition.

At 3rd level, the paladin can select from the following initial mercies.

• Fatigued: The target is no longer fatigued.
• Shaken: The target is no longer shaken.
• Sickened: The target is no longer sickened.

At 6th level, a paladin adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected.

• Dazed: The target is no longer dazed.
• Diseased: The paladin's lay on hands ability also acts as remove disease, using the paladin's level as the caster level.
• Staggered: The target is no longer staggered, unless the target is at exactly 0 hit points.

At 9th level, a paladin adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected.

• Cursed: The paladin's lay on hands ability also acts as remove curse, using the paladin's level as the caster level.
• Exhausted: The target is no longer exhausted. The paladin must have the fatigue mercy before selecting this mercy.
• Frightened: The target is no longer frightened. The paladin must have the shaken mercy before selecting this mercy.
• Nauseated: The target is no longer nauseated. The paladin must have the sickened mercy before selecting this mercy.
• Poisoned: The paladin's lay on hands ability also acts as neutralize poison, using the paladin's level as the caster level.

At 12th level, a paladin adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected.

• Blinded: The target is no longer blinded.
• Deafened: The target is no longer deafened.
• Paralyzed: The target is no longer paralyzed.
• Stunned: The target is no longer stunned.
• Muted: The target is no longer muted or affected by babel.

These abilities are cumulative. For example, a 12th-level paladin's lay on hands ability heals 6d6 points of damage and might also cure Fatigued and Exhausted conditions as well as removing diseases and neutralizing poisons. Once a condition or spell effect is chosen, it can't be changed.

Divine Bond (Di): Upon reaching fifth level, a paladin forms a divine bond with her Saint. This bond can take one of two forms. Once the form is chosen, it cannot be changed.

The first type of bond allows the paladin to enhance her weapon as a standard action by calling upon the aid of a celestial spirit for 1 minute per paladin level. When called, the spirit causes the weapon to shed light as a torch. At 5th level, this spirit grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus. For every three levels beyond 5th, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon bonuses to a maximum of +5, or they can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: axiomatic, brilliant energy, defending, disruption, flaming, flaming burst, holy, keen, merciful, and speed. Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's cost (see Table: Melee Weapon Special Abilities). These bonuses are added to any properties the weapon already has, but duplicate abilities do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. The bonus and properties granted by the spirit are determined when the spirit is called and cannot be changed until the spirit is called again. The celestial spirit imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the paladin but resumes giving bonuses if returned to the paladin. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon. A paladin can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 5th, to a total of four times per day at 17th level.

A paladin's domain can alter the available weapon qualities.

If a weapon bonded with a celestial spirit is destroyed, the paladin loses the use of this ability for 30 days, or until she gains a level, whichever comes first. During this 30-day period, the paladin takes a –1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

The second type of bond allows a paladin to gain the service of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade against evil. This mount is usually a heavy horse (for a Medium paladin) or a pony (for a Small paladin), although more exotic mounts, such as a boar, camel, or dog are also suitable. This mount functions as a druid's animal companion, using the paladin's level as her effective druid level. Bonded mounts have an Intelligence of at least 6.

Once per day, as a full-round action, a paladin may magically call her mount to her side. This ability is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one-third the paladin's level. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the paladin. A paladin can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every 4 levels thereafter, for a total of four times per day at 17th level.

At 11th level, the mount gains the celestial creature advanced simple template and becomes a magical beast for the purposes of determining which spells affect it.

At 15th level, a paladin's mount gains NI and VI equal to the paladin's level + 11.

Should the paladin's mount die, the paladin may not summon another mount for 30 days or until she gains a paladin level, whichever comes first. During this 30-day period, the paladin takes a –1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

Design Notes

The paladin is a hybrid of priest and martial classes, hence why they get access to both prayers and maneuvers. This makes it an admittedly more complex class, but better fits the proper feel of a paladin.

To avoid the possibility of replicating a paladin with an adventurer einhander/priest, and to avoid said combination just being plain better, the paladin gets an array of class features that are unique to it that give it a different feel and justify its existence as a separate class.

The paladin as presented here is essentially a combination of the priest and martial classes, with pathfinder paladin abilities sprinkled in, with a dash of unique mechanics.