Paladin

The paladin is a noble and heroic warrior, the symbol of all that is right and true in the world. As such, they have high ideals that they must maintain at all times. Throughout legend and history there are many heroes who could be called paladins. However, many brave and heroic soldiers have tried and failed to live up to the ideals of the paladin. It is not an easy task!

Only a human may become a paladin. They must have minimum ability scores of Strength 12, Constitution 9, Wisdom 13, and Charisma 17. Strength and Charisma are the prime requisites of the paladin. A paladin who has Strength and Charisma scores of 16 or more gains a 10% bonus to the experience points he earns.

The Oaths of the Paladin
A paladin must swear to uphold a set of stringent oaths, and must always abide by their oaths. A paladin who breaks their oath, either deliberately or inadvertently, loses all their special powers - sometimes only temporarily and sometimes forever. They can use any weapon and wear any type of armor and shield.

The Lesser and Greater Oaths are the meat and drink of a paladin. If a paladin ever knowingly breaks one of the Lesser Oaths, they must seek a high-level (7th or more) cleric of the Erevan Church, confess their sin, and do penance as prescribed by the cleric. If a paladin should ever knowingly and willingly break one or more of the Greater Oaths, they lose the status of paladinhood immediately and irrevocably. All benefits are then lost and no deed or magic can restore the character to paladinhood; they are ever after a fighter. The character's level remains unchanged when this occurs. Thereafter the character is bound by the rules for fighters. They do not gain the benefits of weapon specialization since they did not select this for their character at the start.

If the paladin breaks one or more of the Greater Oaths while enchanted or controlled by magic, they lose their paladin status until they can atone for the deed. This loss of status means the character loses all their special abilities and essentially functions as a fighter (without weapon specialization) of the same level. Regaining their status undoubtedly requires completion of some dangerous quest or important mission to once again prove their worth and assuage their own guilt. They gain no experience prior to or during the course of this mission, and regain their standing as a paladin only upon completing the quest.

The Greater Oaths (Goodness)

 * To always protect the innocent and weak from the predations of Evil.
 * To offer aid in good works where it may be needed.
 * To freely give aid in good works where it is asked.
 * To ensure that the transgressions of Evil do not go unanswered.
 * To show the merits of Goodness by example, in both word and deed.

The Lesser Oaths (Lawfulness)

 * To uphold the structure of civilized society, wherever it is found.
 * To ensure that justice is done according to the law of the land.
 * To work in tandem with the forces of Lawfulness, rather than against them.
 * To grant aid to the ends of Lawfulness for the common good.
 * To work towards reform of any system of law which is not for Goodness.

Special Benefits
A paladin can detect the presence of evil intent up to 60 feet away by concentrating on locating evil in a particular direction. They can do this as often as desired, but each attempt takes one round. This ability detects malevolent monsters and characters.

A paladin receives a +2 bonus to all saving throws.

A paladin is immune to all forms of disease. (Note that certain magical afflictions are curses and not diseases.)

A paladin can heal by laying on hands. The paladin restores 2 hit points per experience level. They can heal themselves or someone else, but only once per day.

A paladin can cure diseases of all sorts (though not cursed afflictions). This can be done only once per week for each five levels of experience (once per week at levels 1 through 5, twice per week at levels 6 through 10, etc.).

A paladin is surrounded by an aura of protection with a 10-foot radius. Within this radius, all summoned and specifically malevolent creatures suffer a -1 penalty to their attack rolls, regardless of whom they attack. Creatures affected by this aura can spot its source easily, even if the paladin is disguised.

A paladin gains the power to turn undead and fiends when they reach 3rd level. They affect these monsters the same as does a cleric two levels lower - for example, at 3rd level they have the turning power of a 1st-level cleric.

A paladin may call for their war horse upon reaching 4th level, or anytime thereafter. This faithful steed need not be a horse; it may be whatever sort of creature is appropriate to the character (as decided by the DM). A paladin's war horse is a very special animal, bonded by fate to the warrior. The paladin does not really "call" the animal, nor does the horse instantly appear in front of them. Rather, the character must find their war horse in some memorable way, most frequently by a specific quest.

A paladin can cast divine spells once they reach 9th level. They can cast only spells of the combat, divination, healing, and protective spheres. The acquisition and casting of these spells abide by the rules given for priests. The spell progression and casting level are listed in the table below. Unlike a priest, the paladin does not gain extra spells for a high Wisdom score. The paladin cannot cast spells from clerical or druidic scrolls, nor can they use priest items unless they are allowed to the warrior group.

Restrictions
A paladin may not possess more than 10 magical items. Furthermore, these may not exceed one suit of armor, one shield, four weapons (arrows and bolts are not counted), and four other magical items.

A paladin never retains wealth. They may keep only enough treasure to support themselves in a modest manner, pay their henchmen, men-at-arms, and servitors a reasonable rate, and to construct or maintain a small castle or keep (funds can be set aside for this purpose). All excess must be donated to the Church or another worthy cause. This money can never be given to another player character or NPC controlled by a player.

A paladin must tithe to the Erevan Church. A tithe is 10% of the paladin's income, whether coins, jewels, magical items, wages, rewards, or taxes. It must be paid immediately.

A paladin may employ only lawful and good henchmen (or those who act in such a manner when motivations are unknown). A paladin will cooperate with characters of other philosophies only as long as they behave themselves. They will try to show them the proper way to live through both word and deed. The paladin realizes that most people simply cannot maintain their high standards. Even thieves can be tolerated, provided they are not actively malevolent and are sincerely trying to reform. Paladins will not abide the company of those who commit evil or unrighteous acts. Stealth in the cause of good is acceptable, though only as a last resort.

Name Level
A paladin does not attract a body of followers upon reaching 9th level or building a castle. However, they can still hire soldiers and specialists, although these must be lawful and good in comportment.

Table: Paladin Spell Progression
* Maximum spell ability