Detail on the Paladin of Honour:
What is a paladin?
"The compassion to pursue good, the will to uphold law, and the power to defeat evil - these are the three weapons of the paladin. Few have the purity and devotion that it takes to walk the paladin's path, but those few are rewarded with the power to protect, to heal, and to smite. In a land of scheming wizards, unholy priests, bloodthirsty dragons, and infernal fiends, the paladin is the final hope that cannot be extinguished."
-Players Handbook
They are basically the quintessential hero. They are the knights in shining armour in the stories, the holy warriors and crusaders. They are the first and last person to stand out against evil and corruption - the paladin is defined by his good deeds and heroism. They will never sink to the level of evil, and will always act upright and fair in all situations. Paladins will take every mission very seriously as they are means to learn and better oneself, no matter how mundane the mission may be.
They are both powerful warriors and divine spellcasters which makes them capable of both support and taking the battle to the front. They have many special abilities in addition to their combat prowess and spellcasting which make them a powerful class, if perhaps the most restrictive and demanding.
What are the requirements to become a paladin?
Paladins have to be Lawful Good. A paladin is also devoted to a single goodly deity. You must have a valid deity in order to be a paladin. You can choose any LG/LN/NG deity or also Sune and Corellon (Which are the exceptions.) A paladin must always maintain his Lawful Good status, or fall from grace and loose their abilities.
What is this paladin code all about?
This is the major part of a paladin: How should I act? There are a lot of ambiguities here, since there is no one paladin code that all paladins follow. All paladins take oaths, but not all oaths are the same. There are facets of these oaths that all paladins share. Paladins lead by example. Some people may not like paladins as they like to keep their options open, using deception, cheating, and even poison. The paladin knows that these acts breed evil and create consequences that are harmful. Thus, a paladin code will consist of:
- Always follow just laws. (Obviously if you're in a nation with unjust laws then the paladin has no obligation to follow them, and should even work towards changing the laws! (But Cormyr's laws are just.)
- Never lie. (A paladin always tells the truth about their actions, never being deceitful. Of course, they can refuse to speak, so if you're held captive and someone's trying to force you to tell where your friends are, you will refuse to speak, but you will not lower yourself to lying.)
- Never use deceitful/unchivalrous battle tactics. (This is kind of ties in with never lying. You don't use poison, disease, attack from behind, or use stealth and subterfuge. Of course, using tactics is what all good paladins should do - but tactics that trick the enemy or cause undue suffering aren't used. You are above that.)
- Always act chivalrously and with honour. (A paladin will never act petty or spiteful, or act on revenge. They are champions of valour and chivalry and must lead by example A paladin does not call out that a Banite is evil and stop people working with him using any means necessary. A paladin would urge people to consider the Banite's evil actions by providing proof and reasoning.)
- Never harm an innocent.
- Never betray your allies.
- Never murder, cheat, steal, etc.
- Do not associate on a continuous basis with evil
Let's elaborate on the last point a bit. Paladins will not work with evil or associate with evil more than is necessary. Yes, circumstances may warrant temporary cooperation, but you have to be aware that even this carries risks for the paladin and will stain them. You can never ally yourself with evil. You are sworn to destroy evil! This is a good passage to read from The Complete Paladin's Handbook:
"Because he is duty-bound to suppress evil, a paladin won't tolerate an evil PC. He may take the evil PC into custody, physically restrain him, or demand his expulsion from the party. If all else fails, the paladin severs his ties with the party and goes his own way. In any event, inaction is unacceptable.
A paladin finds it difficult, if not impossible, to avoid contact with evil (N)PCs. They are everywhere: walking down a street, dining at an inn, shopping at a bazaar. A paladin's ethos doesn't compel him to attack or even confront all evil (N)PCs; in many cases hostile confrontations could be counterproductive, particularly if such an action distracts the paladin from a more important mission, or if it triggers retaliation from the (N)PC's companions against innocent bystanders.
Time and circumstances permitting, a paladin may question evil (N)PCs, follow them, or make inquiries about them. None of these actions violate a paladin's ethos when used in moderation. (However, spying and similar actions should be a last resort, because they connote deception). A paladin walks on shaky ground, however, the moment he begins an association with an evil (N)PC that could be perceived as friendly or compliant."
That should make the working with evil point clear! It is essential.
Here's a good summary from the Players Handbook,
"A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits an evil act. Additionally, a paladin�s code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents."
Living to a code like this is difficult, and makes lots of situations very difficult! If you break the code severely enough, you will fall from grace and loose your abilities! Let's look at an example of a situation:
"A devil makes you an offer: he will gift you with a sizeable sum of gold - say, 10,000 gp - which he retrieved from the hoard of a long-dead miser. This is a gift, not a bargain, so you will owe him nothing. He simply wishes to have a paladin accept a gift from a devil. You can use this money to do good works, help the needy and so on. Do you accept the gift?"
Imagine how many lives you could make better with 10,000gp! Unfortunately a very important point for paladins is that the ends do not justify the means. Devils are always evil and you would not tarnish your reputation and beliefs by accepting an evil gift. You would much rather find alternatives to help people, even if they are slower and take more work. Here's another situation:
"Famine has struck the land, and many people are going to starve during the winter. However, the elves of the forest are rumoured to have plenty of food but they will not deal with humans. A local lord intends to attack an elven citadel to liberate some of their stores to feed his people. He asks you for aid. What answer do you give him?"
You'll often come across these types of situations which test your morality. On one hand, people will die without the aid of the elves, on the other, you will be attacking and killing members of a non-evil, but greedy group. Which is the lesser evil? A paladin does not work with lesser evils. Evil is evil, and a paladin will have nothing to do with either. You would perhaps dissuade the local lord from attacking and find an alternative solution.
The code does not say paladins must be celibate, tea-drinking, boring characters. Paladins should avoid drinking too much since it impairs their readiness to combat evil. Likewise, they should avoid heavy use of anything that will alter their perceptions. For example, excessive gambling most likely leads to building a heavy debt and agents of evil could use that debt to influence a paladin.
Also, remember that the paladin's ultimate relationship is with her patron deity. Your deity and their dogma is something you follow extremely closely. If you stray far from your deity's dogma, you will loose your powers.
Now, all this doesn't mean that all paladins must be the same completely good characters with no room for anything different. Paladins are human and humans have flaws. A paladin might have a drinking problem, there's nothing wrong with that, and you won't loose your powers over it. If you get drunk and then lie and cheat you might loose your powers. It's all about moderation. Also, paladins will vary greatly depending on their deity. For example, a paladin of Tyr might want to bring a murderer to the courts and have him tried properly. A paladin of Hoar might think that the murderer should be executed immediately to avoid any mishaps that might occur on the way to justice. Of course, this is tricky, because if you break the just laws of the country you are in then you will be at risk of falling from grace. You must always act in the best interest of good, but also remember that paladins are lawful. They will obey their codes and respect valid authority and laws.
What are a paladin's special abilities?
A paladin is able to smite evil once a day, using all their power to greatly increase their attack on a single evil foe. A paladin is always able to detect evil. This must be done while stationary, and takes concentration to perform.* As you increase in level you get additional abilities. At second level a paladin gains Divine Grace, and applies their charisma bonus to their saving throws. Through the divine powers granted to her, a paladin is able to heal herself once a day, starting at second level. This is done by channeling positive energy through a touch. Beginning at third level, a paladin is immune to fear, magical or otherwise. They are such a bastion of good and hope that all allies around the paladin gain a moral bonus too. At third level a paladin will become immune to all diseases. At fourth level, a paladin can use their holy symbol to turn undead.
*Firstly, note that the vast majority of creatures will be either Faintly or (rarely) Moderately evil. The strength of the aura depends solely on the power and nature of the creature there is no difference in the aura strength of an 11HD roper and a 25HD old black dragon. Aura strength has nothing to do with deeds - a mass murderer who eats babies has an aura identical to a servant of a dark lord who is just obeying orders. In any case, the aura of a creature is of little use when trying to determine the creature's power level.
All these abilities will be lost if a paladin falls from grace.
Can I multiclass as a paladin?
There are rules to multiclassing as a paladin. You cannot multiclass a paladin freely, there are restrictions to which classes can be taken for which deity. Check the Wiki, for the details.
What happens if I Fall from Grace?
A paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and abilities and may not progress further in any paladin levels. Falling from grace is a terrible thing to happen to a paladin, and it will be devastating to them to have lost the guidance of their deity. It is actually unlikely that a paladin will take it further and become evil and a blackguard, because they have been a paladin their whole life. Being a paladin is their life, and loosing that status must be treated appropriately. A paladin may regain their paladin status by atoning. This is not an easy process. A paladin must do great good, and show incredible remorse for the actions that brought about their fall from grace. They must strive to be a better paladin than they were, without their paladin abilities. It will take time to atone, but it will make an interesting story!
So if there are all these restrictions and you have to be so good, why should I play a paladin?
Because paladins are fun! They are such an interesting class, combining spells, combat proficiency, and a large range of special abilities. The restrictions that paladins face are actually what makes it a great class to play. There is the struggle between good and law - do you do things the good way or do you do things lawfully? It's great conflict. Being charged to battle evil is also a great way to role play actively. Paladins should never be idle when evil is about. There is always evil to smite and people to redeem and convert, and people to teach! If you've ever read a story about a great and chivalric hero, one who opposes evil at every step, and acts without betrayal, then the paladin is a class you might be interested in. Playing a paladin can be challenging, but the rewards of playing an unyielding champion of good and law that people will always look up to and respect are great!
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I'll maybe work on this a bit more and organise it better, as it's a bit rough. If you have any questions about paladins, PM me and I'll answer them or maybe include them here if they will benefit the player base!
