Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)

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D&D character class
Paladin
Editions All
Role Defender
Power source Divine
Alignment Lawful good
Image Wizards.com image
Stats OGL stats

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, paladin is one of the base character classes. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster. Paladins are always of the Lawful Good alignment.

In addition, compared to other classes the paladin class has one of the most restrictive codes of conduct in their single-mindedness and utter devotion to good. Paladin characters are expected to demonstrate and embody goodness. It is taboo for a paladin to lie or use poison, and some interpretations say they should only use stealth as a last resort. Other restrictions are sometimes laid on the paladin depending on campaign setting, ranging from restricting the class to the point of making it a comically unplayable character to a class that only differs from other warrior classes in its additional divine powers.

Aasimar have Paladin as their favored class.

Contents

[edit] Creative origins

The development of the Dungeons and Dragons Paladin was heavily influenced by the fictional character Holger Carlson from Poul Anderson's novel "Three Hearts and Three Lions," which was in turn based on the epic poetry of "Chanson de geste."[1] Also mentioned as a basis were the paladins of Roland, the palatine guard of Augustus deified, the papal guard of the same name, and the Christian myths of King Arthur.

[edit] Early Editions

In older editions of Dungeons & Dragons the paladin class had very high ability score prerequisites, requiring a 17 Charisma and a 12 Strength (surpassed only by the Ranger, which required two ability scores over 13 and two more over 14). On top of ability score restrictions, both first and second editions of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons stipulated that only human characters could be Paladins. Of course, as with any Dungeons and Dragons rule, this was subject entirely to mutual player decision and Dungeon Master fiat: several Dragon magazine articles describe paladins of other races besides human and of other cultures besides the Western European chivalric romance notion of a true Christian knight.

[edit] Third Edition And 3.5

While there are no specific ability score requirements, a Paladin character is still advised to have some high scores in order to be effective. These abilities are:

  • Strength & Constitution: As their class makeup and general honour code favour front-rank combat, Strength and Constitution are both important to Paladins in order to deal and withstand damage in melee.
  • Charisma: Charisma is key to the Paladin's most crucial abilities: Lay on Hands (for healing) and Smite Evil (to harm malign creatures) both function relative to Charisma bonus, as does Divine Grace, which grants improved saving throws (commonly used to resist harmful magic.) Turn Undead, usefully, is also bolstered by Charisma.
  • Wisdom: Though generally less critical than Charisma, a good Wisdom score is necessary in order for a Paladin to access divine spells at higher levels.

Other Paladin class abilities include the ability to detect evil at will, immunity to fear and disease, the ability to cure disease, and to summon a "special mount" - usually a heavy warhorse of unusual strength and intelligence. Their spell-casting and Turn Undead abilities are similar to, but weaker or more specialised than, matching cleric abilities.

Typical tenets of the Paladin code are as follows, (though many variants exist, see below.)

  • A Paladin must be of Lawful Good alignment.
  • A Paladin may never commit an Evil act.
  • A Paladin cannot associate with any character that persistently commits acts which would cause the Paladin him/herself to Fall- notably Evil creatures.
  • A Paladin must remain truthful and forthright at all times.
  • A Paladin must give fair warning and due quarter to their enemies.
  • A Paladin holds stealth, subterfuge, attack from the rear, missile weapons and especially poison as weapons of last resort.

Occasional, necessary, minor deviations are permissible, but a single gross violation of his/her code of conduct will strip the Paladin of powers until he/she Atones. Acts of Evil or alignment shift always qualify. (Atonement typically involves a quest or undertaking by way of penance, but forced or accidental violations may waive this requirement.)

Similarly to Monks, Paladins cannot consistently multiclass. Adding levels to any other class permanently halts progression as a Paladin, to reflect the devotion and single-mindedness of purpose expected of the class. However, all class abilities are retained in such cases.

A Fallen Paladin can choose to trade-in their levels for equivalent Blackguard powers.

The Paladin class is available to all races, although most paladins are still human. The class is notably uncommon among savage humanoids such as orcs and goblins, where good-aligned beings are rare.

Certain feats found only in the Complete Adventurer permit normal multiclassing (e.g. Devoted Tracker, which allows the Paladin to advance in both Paladin and Ranger, or Devoted Inquisitor, with the Rogue class.) Some prestige classes also waive this restriction (typically classes built especially for Paladins.) Certain accessory products, most notably the Unearthed Arcana, feature variant paladins such as the Lawful Evil Paladin of Tyranny, the Chaotic Evil Paladin of Slaughter, and the Chaotic Good Paladin of Freedom (with the base Paladin being called "Paladin of Honor"). Under this scheme, Paladins become complementary to Druids, championing the extreme "corner" alignments just as Druids are champions of the partly-neutral "cross" alignments. However, issue 310 of Dragon magazine featured a "Paladin" for each alignment (for example, a Neutral Good Sentinel).

[edit] Party Role

Paladins exist primarily as a melee combatant with limited divine spellcasting options. They lack the raw focus on a certain aspect of the game, like a rogue attacking from the shadows or a mage casting spells, but in turn they rather combine strong hit point totals with overall good martial combat options and the access to some divine spells and feats. Also, apart from being melee combatants, paladins are also often found to function as a diplomat or negotiator due to their high Charisma scores.

Paladins are usually also very effective at fighting undead opponents, due to their ability to turn undead, their immunity to diseases (useful when fighting mummies with their ability to inflict "mummy rot"), and their strong resistances to level draining, mind domination, and other harmful effects. Paladins with holy weapons, and with their "smite evil" ability are often also able to do tremendous damage to undead and evil opponents, and in some editions of D&D can even dispel the magic of evil spellcasters[2]. Paladins also have access to a magically powerful mount, often a warhorse, but sometimes a more exotic animal such as a griffon or eagle, or even a dragon. This enables them to be more mobile, and they often act as cavalry in combat.

The single largest complaint made against Paladins is that their honor code often necessitates policing, or at least rebuking, the excesses of wayward party members, whose characters- not to mention players- may not take kindly to such efforts at moral education. Walking a fine line between candour and courtesy is often the major challenge for Paladin players.

[edit] Video Game Versions

Software versions of Dungeons & Dragons such as Neverwinter Nights often loosen the requirements for playing a Paladin to simply being lawful good in alignment, and the paladin's unique position and alignment restriction is very rarely apparent in these software versions (with the exception of The Temple of Elemental Evil) where the paladin can search dead bodies and unprotected chest and lockers without moral penalties. This bothers many "hardcore" pen-and-paper role-players who see the paladin's limitations as part of what makes it an interesting class to play.

The paladin's specialties in most Dungeons & Dragons video games are its high defense, its ability to cast spells and especially its proficiency against undead monsters.

Paladins are more rarely represented in early CRPGs.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ DeVarque, Aardy. Literary Sources of D&D. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
  2. ^ Dungeon Master's Guide July 1, 2003, Wizards of the Coast. See "Holy Avenger" in the item section.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


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