Paladin

A Paladin of Torn

### Subclasses

Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Ancients, Oath of Vengeance, Oath of Conquest, Oath of Redemption, Oath of the Crown

## Overview

A paladin is a holy crusader, sworn to an oath to promote and fight for their beliefs and values. As paragons of their beliefs, paladins were granted the ability to wield divine magic by deities or similar powers. So long as a paladin stayed true to their oath, they retained the ability to wield these powers. The life of a paladin more commonly attracted good persons to it than those with malice in their heart, but evil paladins were not unheard of.

The Paladin's primary ability is *Strength*, followed by *Charisma*.

## Class Stats

**Hit/Hp Dice:** d10

**Saving Throws:** Wisdom, Charisma

### Proficiencies

**Armor:** All Armour and Shields

**Weapons:** Simple and Martial Weapons

**Tools:** None

**Skills:** 2 from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion or Religion

## Key Abilities

Paladins are able to make use of the following skills that define their ability as Paladins

* *Channel Divinity*, directing their God's will directly into the world the Paladin could create various effects based on their Oath and Deity.
* *Divine Sense*, trained to sense the goodness or evil within sentient beings the Paladin can sense the presence of good or Evil creature within a short range.
* *Lay on Hands*, the Paladin can draw on their God's power to heal HP or cure disease in creatures around them by touching them
* *Fighting Style*, well versed in they ways of combat, the Paladin gains bonuses when fighting with their preferred weapon.
* *Divine Smite* and *Divine Health,* filled with the power of their Deity the Paladin gains bonuses to attack and immunity to disease.
* *Aura of Protection*, while conscious, the Paladin's convictions alone is able to inspire teammates and help avoid dangerous effects by giving a bonus to saving throw roles

## Sacred Oaths (Subclasses)

Making a sacred oath with their chosen God, the Paladin's duties and abilities are shaped by the nature of their bond to their God. This bond can be one of convicted duty, one of timelessness or one of fury

### Oath of Devotion

The favorite of paladins who imagined themselves knightly heroes, the Oath of Devotion called upon all those sworn to it to adhere to the highest principles of righteousness, foregoing all loyalties but to the pursuit of justice and the protection of the innocent. Paladins belonging to this oath were often known as cavaliers, white knights, or holy warriors and were almost always lawful good. Idolizing angels as the servants of lawful or good deities, paladins sworn to the Oath of Devotion held themselves (and sometimes others) to an extremely high standard of behavior.

Although the Oath of Devotion was not a path for the weak of spirit, it did have its reward. Paladins with the Oath of Devotion were as capable of turning the undead as any cleric and could turn fiends as well. The gods of law and good who favored those sworn to the Oath also granted them access to a number of potent spells, such as *sanctuary*, *dispel magic*, and *flame strike*. Additionally, the purity of a truly experienced paladin of Devotion was such that they were always under the effect of the *protection from evil and good* spell, even when it had not been cast.

### Oath of the Ancients

Strongly associated with both druids and elves, the Oath of the Ancients was a promise to defend the natural world and all of its creatures against the forces of death and decay. Paladins who swore the Oath of the Ancients — commonly known as fey knights, green knights, or horned knights — were commonly neutral good and cared less for abstract principles like honor or freedom and more for deeply resonant sentiments like joy, kindness, and beauty. Above all else, the Oath of Ancients valued the preservation of life.

For their service, paladins sworn to the Oath of the Ancients were granted a number of potent boons. These paladins could use their Channel Divinity ability to turn fey or fiends and return them to their natural form if they were shapeshifted. The Oath of the Ancients allowed paladins to project from themselves a powerful sphere of warding, protecting themselves and other nearby creatures from enemy spells. The most experienced paladins could even transform themselves into a manifestation of natural fury, taking on such changes in appearance as bark-like skin, leafy hair, or newly grown antlers. This shapeshifted made paladins' spells more potent and also allowed them to both heal and cast magic more quickly.

### Oath of Vengeance

While many paladins were paragons of virtue and honor, not all were. In some times and places, a different paladin was called upon, one who was willing to do what other paladins were not. These paladins — sometimes known as avengers or dark knights — were sworn to the Oath of Vengeance, a dark pact to utterly destroy the unrighteous by any means necessary. Unconcerned with honor or spiritual purity, paladins sworn to the Oath of Vengeance were most frequently neutral or lawful neutral in alignment.

In order to pursue their goal of divinely sanctioned retribution, paladins sworn to the Oath of Vengeance were granted access to a number of spells such as *bane*, *haste*, or *scrying*, as well as a number of other powerful abilities. With training these paladins became relentless hunters, possessed of a supernatural focus that let them close in on a fleeing foe after striking them once in flight. The most powerful of those who followed the Oath of Vengeance were also capable of shapeshifting into the form of an angel, sprouting fully functional wings from their back and radiating an aura of supernatural menace, frightening all but the most strong-willed foes.

### Oath of Conquest

The Oath of Conquest calls to paladins who seek glory in battle and the subjugation of their enemies. It isn’t enough for these paladins to establish order. They must crush the forces of chaos. Sometimes called knight tyrants or iron mongers, those who swear this oath gather into grim orders that serve gods or philosophies of war and well-ordered might. There abilities allow them to fill foes with fear until they are incapable of moving, strike with unholy accuracy, inflict mental damage on those who would oppose them and even become an Avatar of Conquest who rules over all in their wake.

### Oath of Redemption

The Oath of Redemption sets a paladin on a difficult path, one that requires a holy warrior to use violence only as a last resort. Paladins who dedicate themselves to this oath believe that any person can be redeemed and that the path of benevolence and justice is one that anyone can walk. These paladins face evil creatures in the hope of turning them to the light, and the paladins slay them only when such a deed will clearly save other lives. Paladins who follow this path are known as redeemers.

While redeemers are idealists, they are no fools. Redeemers know that undead, demons, devils, and other supernatural threats can be inherently evil. Against such foes, the paladins bring the full wrath of their weapons and spells to bear. Yet the redeemers still pray that, one day, even creatures of wickedness will invite their own redemption. Their abilities include protection even when unarmored, charming enemies who they choose not to slay outright, automatically damage creatures who attack allies near them, absorb damage on behalf of allies, regenerate health and even become the Avatar of Peace, reducing all damage take and reflecting it back at attackers.

### Oath of the Crown

The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it
the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign of service to a deity of
law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves
to serving society and, in particular, the just laws that hold society
together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls,
standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threatened to tear
down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as
guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath
are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or a
sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the
order’s ranks.

Their abilities include absorbing damage for their allies, fencing in enemies to areas, give regeneration to their friends, avoid being paralyzed or stunned and even become an Exalted Champion that inspires those around them to the point they defy death itself.

## Notable Paladins

* Christoph Narle, a former Paladin of Tyr and founder of Lanstriderism who spreads the word of a new Goddess of Justice
* Corwyn Solarius, a Paladin of Tempus and an operative of the Lords' Alliance from Neverwinter