From: parkerma@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Mark A. Parker)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Anti-paladins
Keywords: Anti-Paladins
Date: 20 Aug 92 01:34:57 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.1992Aug20.013457.9446
Organization: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology


In article <pbuchert.714256309@vipunen.hut.fi> pbuchert@vipunen.hut.fi  
(Patrick I Buchert) writes:
> 
> 
>   
> 			Hoi!
> 
> 
>     I am writing to ask you all on your opinion about anti-paladins
> and more specifically what their abilities should be.
>   I know that there has been an article on DRAGON,but I
> don't have any idea on what issue.

	The Anti-Paladin is reprinted in BEST OF DRAGON II.  My copy  
happens to be about 200 miles from me (damn!), but I think I can remember  
most of what it included.

>   First and foremost,the aligment,what it should be??
> IMO it should be LE,because A-P follows his God obediantly and 
> absolutely (Wouldn't you agree ?) and I just don't think it is
> so easy that you just reverse Paladin.

	The article does basically reverse the paladin! The anti-paladin  
is Chaotic Evil. Personally, I would go with Neutral Evil as well.  
Somehow, I just can't see one as being Lawful.
>  And then the abilities :
>   Cause wounds/Lay hands
	In a way, he would get both of these - he could heal himself, or  
cause damage to others. He cannot lay hands on others, though. 
>   Detect Good 
>   Protection from Good
>   Turning/command of undead
>   Immune to fear & disease
	He gets all of these as well.
>   Cause disease (Someone proposed this to me,but I don't know...)
	They get this, too. According to the article, I think they can  
cause disease once a week per 5 levels.
>   unholy sword..
	These exist in two forms. There is an Unholy Sword (+5, -2 in the  
hands of a good person, and I believe 50% MR),and there is an Unholy  
Reaver, which is a full reversal of the Holy Avenger (i.e. all the above  
plus the circle of power and +10 to Lawful Good enemies).
>   warhorse (somehing special)  and priest spells + the rest.
 	Something special? How about a nightmare? He also gets the priest  
spells.
>  Anything you would like to add or drop ??
	I believe they are also given assasin abilities and free use of  
poison.  If you have the revised paladin from Unearthed Arcana, some of  
their stats raise by up to .2 (two-tenths) of a point per level, up to a  
maximum of18/00; they also gain the bonus to hit with certain weapons.
> I would also give A-P somekind of honor code (from that the LE part)
> maybe on the lines of cavaliers code,adjusted according to his God.
	The article handles them as if they have no honor what-so-ever.  I  
have to disagree there, although I doubt that they would have a chivalric  
code spelled out for them.      
>  Any info,how to handle Anti-Paladin,I would appreciate..
	As you can see, DAMN powerful class. Keep in mind that that was  
written as an NPC.  I did play one once, and she eventually became a death  
knight [ the paladin/anti-paladin's equivalent of a lich. q.v. Fiend  
Folio]. Played, they were meant to be ruthless, remorseless, willing to  
stab an aquaintence (they don't have friends) in the back - easy for most  
PCs to handle.  There seems to be too much power in this class, and I  
would suggest dropping the assassin skills and the cause disease  
altogether; replace the summon nightmare with the regular summon warhorse  
until about 9th level.
	I've been wanting to revise this one for a while, myself. Above is  
given information on a first edition class. Anyone else have some ideas on  
this?

			 M. A. M. Parker (Charchodonn)
	"'tis worse than that, Wuntvor; 'tis a rhyming demon!"
					Ebeneezum (somewhat misquoted)