Templar (3.5e Class)

This article is about TG Cid's Paladin. You may be looking for SRD:Paladin.

Author: ThunderGod Cid (talk) Date Created: September 27, 2010 Status: Open to suggestions Editing: Post suggestions on talk page.

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"Divine Spellcasting, Prepared Spellcasting, Other" is not in the list (Prepared Arcane Spellcasting, Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting, Prepared Divine Spellcasting, Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting, Arcane Spellcasting, Divine Spellcasting, Prepared Spellcasting, Spontaneous Spellcasting, Alternate Magic, Psionics, ...) of allowed values for the "Class Ability" property.

Paladin

“

The fates themselves guide my sword.

”

Paladins are usually exemplars of a particular ideology of life, zealots willing to throw away their own lives for the preservation of their cause. Most traditional paladins are of good alignment, while those who embrace evil are often known as blackguards and those who serve neutrality are called gray wardens. Paladins who have disgraced themselves and forsaken their service, whatever their alignment, are called anti-paladins, although this term is often applied to neutral paladins as well.

Making a Paladin

In order to deserve his reputation as a virtuous slayer of evil (or as a powerful conqueror), the paladin needs to kill things. Preferably things that follow the exact opposite ethical guidelines that he does. This means that while he is inextricably tied to a certain alignment, this alignment is not completely inflexible.

A paladin is a charger, first and foremost; it’s the only class that gets its own mount as a class feature. After he has found his way into the thick of battle, he is a powerful defender able to defend others (or, depending on his disposition, himself) from harm. At the same time, pure defenders are very much disadvantaged in Tome games, so he is hardly without offensive firepower

Abilities: A paladin's job is to protect his comrades; while he may not always wade into battle as the barbarian does, his status as the de facto tank of the party requires that Constitution be relatively high if he expects to survive. After that, his Charisma can basically handle everything, although as a primary melee combatant Strength and Dexterity still have their uses.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any. The whole point of this paladin is to not restrict the alignment.

Starting Gold: 1d6×10 gp (25 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Table: The Paladin

Hit Die: d10

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will		0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
1st	+1	+2	+2	+0	Earthly Vow, First Aid, Inquisitor	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+0	Divine Grace, Leader of the March	3	0	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+1	Smite	3	1	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+4	+4	+4	+1		3	2	0	—	—	—	—
5th	+5	+4	+4	+1		3	3	1	—	—	—	—
6th	+6/+1	+5	+5	+2		3	3	2	—	—	—	—
7th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+2		3	3	2	0	—	—	—
8th	+8/+3	+5	+6	+2		3	3	3	1	—	—	—
9th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+3		3	3	3	2	—	—	—
10th	+10/+5	+7	+7	+3		3	3	3	2	0	—	—
11th	+11/+6/+6	+7	+7	+3		3	3	3	3	1	—	—
12th	+12/+7/+7	+8	+8	+4		3	3	3	3	2	—	—
13th	+13/+8/+8	+8	+8	+4		3	3	3	3	2	0	—
14th	+14/+9/+9	+9	+9	+4		4	3	3	3	3	1	—
15th	+15/+10/+10	+9	+9	+5		4	4	3	3	3	2	—
16th	+16/+11/+11/+11	+10	+10	+5		4	4	4	3	3	2	0
17th	+17/+12/+12/+12	+10	+10	+5		4	4	4	4	3	3	1
18th	+18/+13/+13/+13	+11	+11	+6		4	4	4	4	4	3	2
19th	+19/+14/+14/+14	+11	+11	+6		4	4	4	4	4	4	3
20th	+20/+15/+15/+15	+12	+12	+6		4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Ride Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), Swim (Str).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the paladin.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A paladin is automatically proficient with simple and martial weapons, all forms of armor, and all shields.

Spells:

0—

1st—

2nd—

3rd—

4th—

5th—

6th—

Code of Conduct: Like any other character, a paladin does what he must to uphold the duties given to him by an organization of which he is a part, even if that organization is as loose as his alignment group. So long as he truly acts for the betterment of his alignment (subject to the discretion of player and DM), he gains immunity to fear effects and cannot be forced by any mind-affecting effect to unwillingly commit a violent act against someone who shares his alignment.

But let’s face it; sometimes even the good and honorable knight has to lie about his identity or consort with unscrupulous characters in order to root out the evil, demonic cult. A paladin is not specifically prohibited from even acts of questionable morality such as lying, stealing, or use of poison. That said, even paladins of chaotic or evil persuasion are obsessed with battle, honor, and battling with honor,

A paladin’s code is subjective to its maker; he takes vows as a representation of his code, which grant him extraordinary powers (the nature of which vary based on the vows he takes). The more power he acquires, the more responsibilities he takes on, granting him the effects of one vow at 1st level and then another every three class levels thereafter. At the same time, more powers for each oath are unlocked as he gains levels.

First Aid (Su): A paladin may heal 1d6 points of damage per character level as with a touch. This does not change based on his alignment; even evil people need healing sometimes. This is not a positive energy effect, but rather a manifestation of the paladin’s raw divine might; it thusly affects undead and the living equally.

At 4th level, the paladin may now use his first aid as a move-equivalent action, allowing him to use it multiple times per turn if he wishes. At 7th level, he can administer first aid as a swift action, and he can use it as an immediate action at 11th level. If he has already used his swift action for the current turn, he may use it as a move action. If a creature is fully healed by this ability, no temporary hit points are gained.

Smite (Ex): By the time he reaches 3rd level, the paladin gains the ability to channel his holy power through his weapon, adding his Charisma modifier to all attack and damage rolls if he wishes to do so. A number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, the paladin may also declare an attack that he just hit with to be a smite attack as a free action, causing it to deal double damage. While this damage stacks with a critical hit and other damage multipliers (increase the damage multiplier by the weapon’s additional multiplier and subtract 1), it is not a critical hit and affects even creatures who are immune to critical hits. The paladin cannot declare a smite attack on an attack of opportunity.

At 9th and 15th level, the damage multiplier for the paladin’s smite attack is increased to x3 and x4, respectively.

Earthly Vows

“

When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath. Loyal to our station, all without exception. On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons, we swore to uphold the Covenant even to our dying breath. Those who would break this oath are heretics, worthy of neither pity nor mercy. We shall grind them into dust, and continue our march to glorious salvation!

”

A paladin formulates his personal code of conduct around a set of oaths that he makes and bind himself to in the everlasting covenant between himself and whatever power to which he swears allegiance. Of course, since no one is perfect, breaking these vows does not result in the loss of class features. These vows give him tremendous power, and also serve to differentiate one paladin from another, while not necessarily limiting him to one form of play.

Good Vows

Vow of Peace

Vow of Diligence

Vow of Chastity

Vow of Clemency

Vow of Humility

Vow of Charity

Neutral Vows

Vow of Balance

Evil Vows

Vow of Destruction

Vow of Sloth

Vow of Taint

Vow of Wrath

Vow of Pride

Vow of Greed

Vow of Gluttony

Non-Aligned Vows

Vow of Poverty

Vow of Truth

Vow of Expertise: You have been enlightened by the miracles of technology, and have devoted yourself to bringing that same sight to all others.