Paladin Guide

## Role

\*\*\*\*Damage: Smite your enemies into ruin (3 stars if not fighting opposed)

\*\*Debuff\*\*\*\*: good paladins are worse than evil paladins, neutral in middle

\*\*\*\*Support\*\*: evil paladins are worse than good paladins, neutral in middle

\*Utility: You’re on a mission from god, there’s no time for utility

\*\*\*\*\*Tank: Soak up damage like sponge

## Ability Scores

Ngl, they are pretty MAD, but they work it

\*\*\*\*Power: kill ‘em dead

\*Finesse: weapon finesse is a waste of a feat, ranged paladins are wasting their tankiness

\*\*Grace: 12 is the most you’ll ever need

\*\*\*\*Vitality: As the beegees once said, stayin alive

\*\*\*Stature: don’t get bullied

\*Intellect: a stat for nerds

\*Acumen: not that you don’t want it, but you can’t afford it, because...

\*\*\*\*Resolve:  THIS                 Resistances, lay on hands

\*\*\*\*Ego: IS                    Smite, Ability DC’s,

\*\*\*\*Charm:    WHY                 Spellcasting, lay on hands

Paladins need a lot of stats, but unlike most classes they really can get great use out of all of their stats. Though it might stop the average adventurer from becoming a paladin, it is kept reserved for only the truly exemplary, or those with no fear of failure, who deserve the right to call themselves a paladin

## Basics

\*\*\*\*D10 HD: good enough, you've got healing to do the rest

\*2+I Skill Points:you won’t have int so this won’t get you far, pick one or two skills

\*Class Skills: the bare necessities

\*\*\*\*Good Resistances: Beautiful, gets even better later

\*\*\*\*Proficiencies: Great, you didn’t want tower shields anyway…….

\*\*\*\*CB: Standard martial

\*\*MB: just be grateful you have spells

## Features

\*\*Spellcasting: low amount but useful enough. Invoke can save your butt.

\*\*Devotion: Harsh alignment and behavioral restrictions depending on deity. Detecting your hated alignment is nice though, don’t waste smite.

\*\*\*\*Smite: Huge bonus to hit, damage, and AC against your foe, awesome.

\*\*\*\*\*Paladin’s Resolve: Incredible. Add your stellar resolve to ALL resistances INCLUDING RESOLVE. It’s level capped, but that’s still huge.

\*\*\*\*\*Lay on Hands: Fantastic ability. 2nd level is stacked. With good R and C you'll have a massive potential for healing, which can be used very easily on yourself.

\*\*\*\*Divine Touch: Augment that Lay on hands with all sorts of conditions. Some are alignment restricted, you can’t pick an ability used by your opposed alignment

3rd level

Deception:(L/C)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*Inflict

Fatigue: (N)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*Inflict:

\*\*\*\*Fury: good for buffs or upsetting a wizard

Fear: (N) note how this works with awesome presence

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*Inflict:

Sickness:(G/E)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*Inflict:

6th level

Daze:(N)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*Inflict:

Disease:(G/E)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*Inflict:

Stagger:(N)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*Inflict

Empower:(N)

\*\*\*Bestow:

\*\*\*Remove:

Speed:(N)

\*\*\*\*Bestow:

\*\*\*Remove:

9th level

Curse:(G/E)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*Inflict:

Exhaustion:(N)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*Inflict:

Heightened Fear:(N)

\*\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*Inflict:

Nauseated:(G/E)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*Inflict:

Toxin:(G/E)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*Inflict:

Blood:(G/E)

\*\*\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*Inflict:

12th level

Amputation:(G/E)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*\*Inflict:

Clarity:(N)

\*\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*Inflict:

\*\*\*\*Dispel:(N)

Paralyze:(N)

\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*Inflict:

15th level

Dominate:

\*\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*\*\*Inflict:

Improved Curse:

\*\*\*Cure:

\*\*\*Inflict:

\*\*\*\*\*Transform:

\*\*\*\*Channel: you’re no cleric, but you can put out some good healing. Use with divine touch abilities for maximum effectiveness.

\*\*\*Awesome Presence: Nifty, combos with your fear effects

\*\*\*Devoted Might: Give your paladin some direction.

\*\*Armored: Tank it up

\*\*Mage: make the most of those spell slots, nice if you don’t have more casters

\*\*\*Weapon-Bound: hit harder.

\*\*\*Wrathful: great for tanking

\*\*\*Vengeful Outcry: Give your great bonuses to everybody, pretty cool

\*\*Aligned Strikes: Niche, but good against those extraplanar weirdos

\*\*\*\*Paragon: Great final form, combos well with devoted might

\*\*\*\*Destruction: this decimates your enemies

\*\*\*Divine Wrath: keep striking, maybe tossup between this and destruction for DPS

\*\*\*Durability: Soak up even more damage

\*\*Heightened Magic: the most niche ability, good if you don’t have a cleric

\*\*Banishing Strike: Honestly underwhelming, paragon is the real capstone

## Species

\*\*\*\*Human: this class needs those bonus feats, and two +2s come in handy

\*\*\*Dwarf: the -2C hurts, but the rest of the abilities are so good I cant put them lower than 3 stars

\*Elf: not quite their wheelhouse. Drow ranged paladin can work it \*\*\*3stars

\*\*Half-Elf: ok, nothing quite matches up but no large detractors

\*\*\*\*Half-Orc: a +2 to mental stat of choice, and their traits make them good frontliners anywhere

\*\*\*Halfling: I have strong feelings about small tank builds, but they can get the job done.

\*\*Gnome: not the worst option

\*Goblin: the worst option

##### Easy Build:

Species: Half-orc. +2R

Ability Scores: P > R > V > E > C > S > G > A > I > F

Feats: Tough, Weapon Focus, Armor Focus, Shield Focus, weapon Specialization, Mighty Swing, Rapid Channel, Selective Channel, Skill Focus(Intimidate), Extra Class Feature(Divine Touch)

Traits: Armor Expert, Mr. Tough Guy, Reactive, Stocky, Thick-skull, Retribution Initiate

Devotion: Worship Yichetha, smite Evil

Spellcasting: prepare Invoke and Curing, use utility when available

Divine Touch: Fury, Bestow Speed, Cure Blood, Dispel, Transform, Inflict Paralyze

Devoted Might: Weapon-Bound

Paragon: Destruction

Equipment: Plate Mail, Longsword, Heavy Shield

Playstyle: You can heal yourself very easily and have lots of HP, stay in the frontline whenever possible. In most fights, killing the baddies is more important than healing, patch them up afterwards. Use lay on hands aggressively on yourself to keep HP topped up.