Paladin

Paladins at their core are defenders of the faith. These are the people driven or called to stand firm against the forces of evil.

 

Armor:  Paladins are trained in the heaviest armor their temples or societies can manufacture.  

Weapons:  Paladins are trained by default in long weapons, medium weapons, small shields, and medium shields.  

Class Feature:  Conviction:  This is a measure of how well and how consistently your Paladin adheres to her oath.  It costs no SP, and caps at Rank 10 (for now).  A Paladin’s base weapon Focus is equal to one-third of her Conviction Rank (rounded down).  Her base mana pool is equal to five times her Conviction.  Extra weapon Focus is available at 20sp each.  Extra mana is available at one SP each.

Conviction typically accumulates at one point per event.  Noteworthy acts of Conviction can earn a second.  Further noteworthy acts can accumulate as many as four in one event, but the curve is steep for the third and fourth points and cannot be counted on.  Conviction Rank is equal to one-fifth of earned Conviction, rounded down.  (Conviction’s also trivially easy to lose. If it ever reaches zero, a Plot event ensues.)

Class Feature:  Oathsworn:  This is the both the source of and the counterweight to Conviction.  A Paladin has to have a Code.  There’s a good bit of latitude here for individual Paladin characters.  Some examples are provided below, but that list is not exhaustive.  Paladins occur in any culture that survives long enough to support them, and a Desert Elf Paladin warding off the winds and sands will have a different Code than a Paladin on the front lines of a war against evil.

Whatever the Code, once it’s approved and taken, it is absolute.  Period.  There is no room for error.  Paladins can easily be forced into violating oaths by contradictory clauses (consider “Never attack an unarmed foe” and “Protect the innocent” versus an ogre killing civilians with his meaty fists).  That’s okay.  Even the most faithful stumble.  What’s important is that you a) recognize the lapse and b) perform some flavor of penance for it.  This class has yet to take the field and I am already tired of “but technically…”.  If it’s not technically a breach of your Code, it’s a breach and you already know that before the Conviction gets stripped off your sheet.

Paladin Skills:

Name	Cost	Prereqs
Focus + 1	20
Focus +2	20	Focus +1
Focus +3	20	Focus + 2
Mana (1)	1	None
1st level Paladin Spell	1	None
2nd level Paladin spell	2	1st level Paladin spell
3rd level Paladin spell	3	2nd level Paladin spell
4th level Paladin spell	4	3rd level Paladin spell
5th level Paladin spell	5	4th level Paladin spell
Energy	1	See below
Weapon Ward	1	None
Block	2	Weapon Ward
Parry	4	Block
Riposte	6	Parry
Disarm Strike	1	None
Maim Strike	2	Disarm Strike
Stun Strike	4	Maim Strike

Paladin Spells:

1st Level

Light - Allows for the use of a muted flashlight or glowstick for up to 12 hours.

Resolve - immediately repairs 5 points of armor, fixing a breach if this takes the armor to (or over) its maximum rating

Shining Blade - swings silver  or magic for one strike

Cure Weakness - ends the duration of all Weakness effects currently active on the target.

Smite:  Smite boosts one weapon swing by 5 points of damage.  Smite is added on to Bane damage (see below) but explicitly stacks with other Paladin melee attack modifying spells.

Rest In Peace - immediately destroys one willing target.  We realize how dumb this sounds, but keep in mind that very few minor-moderate undead are undead by choice.  Rest In Peace further prevents future attempts to raise the target as any sort of undead.

2nd Level:

Impenetrable - prevents one attack from going to body, damage is applied normally to armor, instead

Intercept - diverts all damage (but not effects) from a friendly target in melee range to the Paladin casting this spell.  Once cast, that damage is not optional - whatever hits your ward hits you instead, not matter how much you would rather it didn’t.  Intercept continues transferring damage into bleed-out and like most effects, ceases when the death count begins.

Resolve - adds +2 strength for one encounter or five minutes, self-only

Cure Disease - Ends the duration of all Disease effects on the target.  This can be weapon or packet delivered, determined by the Paladin at the time of casting.

3rd Level:

Divine Fear- this acts as a Fear against the unholy, as considered by a given Paladin’s creed.  It’s called as Divine Fear and I will slap the shit out of the first plot guy that puts Resist Divine on anything shadow-based.

Strength of Will - renders the Paladin immune to Fear effects for one encounter or five minutes.  Strength of Will explicitly trumps whatever flavor-of-the-month nonsense we’ve dreamed up to invalidate PC immunities - Terror, Horror, Death Coil, regardless of the vector, if it tries to scare you, Strength of Will prevents it.

Immovable - an Immovable Paladin is immune to any effect other than his own free will that would cause to move away from his current position.  Immovable Paladins may move at a slow walk while this effect is active.  Knockback, Whirlwind, Push, and similar effects are ignored, with “No Effect”.   As an exception to the normal rules regarding expiration of effects, Immovable may at the player’s option sustain all the way until resurrection.  Immovable Paladins are not commonly dragged off for ransom or bait.

Block - Block is called as a defense to a melee attack and treats that attack as though the Paladin had successfully interposed his shield in between the weapon and the attack.  

4th Level

Cure Metabolic - Cure Metabolic immediately ends the duration of all Metabolic effects on the target.

Sacrifice - Sacrifice immediately puts a Paladin in her death count and immediately casts Life, heals the target back to full, removing all negative effects and body/armor damage.  The effects are simultaneous, and any measures taken to prevent the killing blow also prevent the curative effect.  Sacrifice bypasses whatever other protective measures a Paladin may have up when she makes the choice.  Sacrifice is voice delivered as “Voice <Target> Sacrifice”.  

Bane - doubles a Paladin’s weapon damage against a specific type of enemy.  This can be chosen at casting time but only from a pre-agreed list of types acceptable to that Paladin’s code.  Bane lasts for one encounter or until there are no visible targets of the appropriate type remaining.

Level 5:

Miracle - Miracle causes a beneficial effect, sometimes very strong, in accordance with a Paladin’s will.  The higher the Paladin’s Conviction, the more obvious and sweeping the miracle, but it is otherwise deliberately left undefined.  

Cleanse - immediately ends the duration of all negative effects on a friendly target.

Life - Life interrupts a death count and restores the target to 1hp.  Casting Life in this way takes a Paladin one uninterrupted minute, during which time the target’s death count is suspended.  Life can also be used as an offensive weapon against certain creatures; this is weapon-delivered as “Magic Life” and can be done immediately to the limits of a Paladin’s mana.  

Paladin Skill Descriptions:

Focus + X:  This is directly added to a Paladin’s base weapon damage with any weapon in which the Paladin is trained.

Mana:  Mana is the fuel by which spells are generated.  Purchased mana stacks on top of mana earned by Conviction.  Spells cost an amount of mana equal to their level.

Paladin Spells:  These are the tools of a Paladin’s magical trade.  They are purchased once and usable with mana from that point forward.

Energy:  This is the fuel that powers a Paladin’s martial skills.  Energy-driven skills cost one energy per tier - this is always easily derived from the prerequisite progression in the Skills chart.  

Weapon Ward;  Weapon Ward counters any effect that would render a Paladin’s weapon or shield useless, including Shatter, Disarm, and Destroy.  

Parry: Parry is called as a defense to a melee attack and stops all negatives associated with the blow.  Parry may be used on melee attacks that normally take effect even on hits to shields.  

Riposte:  Riposte causes an attacker to suffer the effects of his own melee strike.  Riposte makes no guarantees of success - many attackers can employ effects to which they themselves are immune - but does guarantee the Paladin’s safety regardless of the outcome of the retaliatory strike.  Riposte does not affect Riposted attacks; this is a gameplay consideration with mirrors facing mirrors.

Disarm Strike:  Disarm Strike is delivered via melee weapon and causes the Disarm effect on a successful hit.  Disarm Strike, as an exception to the usual melee hit rules, does take effect on a successful strike directly to the target item. (I know, I know, I’m just worn out explaining this to literally everyone that purchases this skill and opening it up saves my aspirin budget.)

Maim Strike:  Maim Strike inflicts the Maim Limb effect on a successful melee hit.  Limbs can be specified, but if they are not, the choice of afflicted limb goes to the defender.

Stun Strike:  Stun Strike inflicts the Stun condition on a successful melee hit.

Codes:

These are some examples from various places, intended here as fuel for thought. Again, this is not exhaustive and we’ll work with you on whatever weirdo corner case your Paladin might need.

Priya’s Samurai:  This is the oath sworn by the few Deep Elf Paladins remaining in Anteris and sworn by all the ghosts back when they were alive.  

• Not One More:  The safety of Deep Elves is the highest duty.  Everything else is secondary to this consideration.
• Blade of the Empress - The Empress’s word is law.  Her commands are carried out without hesitation and only so many questions as required to understand her will.  
• No Fear - Samurai do what is right regardless of the opposition.  If a Lord of Acheron moves to harm a Deep Elf, that Lord will be attacked with all that a Samurai can muster.  No elf is above failure.  No failure must ever come from cowardice.
• Bladesworn - Samurai fight in the open, honestly.  Samurai do not poison their enemies’ food or drink, do not strike from stealth, and do not strike from behind.
• Amends:

  Contrition - Where the creeds contradicts itself (slaying an enemy with a bow in order to save a Deep Elf’s life, or refusing an order from the Empress that will bring harm to a Deep Elf), a Samurai must act guided by his own conscience and then spend at least one hour in meditation repenting for his crime.  This meditation must occur as soon as feasible without incurring further breaches of the creed.

Knights of Summerfall:  This was the Code sworn by human knights of Anteris before their near-extermination.

Protect the Innocent - “Innocent” is always a complicated concept but protection is not:  A Knight must put herself between harm and people she regards as innocent.  (Many postwar Knights toss the word ‘human’ in there at the end of this but the original form of the creed swore Knights to protect any innocent person regardless of race.)

• Help the Helpless - Knights assist the defenseless in any way that the defenseless need, to the limits of their own abilities.
• Eyes Wide Open - a Knight does not turn a blind eye to corruption, injustice, or cruelty…
• Above It - …nor she does accept these things in herself.  The ends do not justify the means.
• Amends:

• Balance the Scales:  Knights of Summerfall that break the Code are generally required to make amends in whatever way brings their conscience back into harmony with the Code.  Apologies, damages paid, services owed, debts taken on, there are many forms of this.

Whiteblades:  Typical of Codes sworn by Acheron’s Biomancers.  Presented here as a less typical form of Paladin.

• Hold the Line… - No evil steps foot into Home.
• Against the Night… - Suffer not the minions of Death.  (This is currently in some flux, with the recent overtures from Zilicus and some odd corner-cases introduced by interaction with the Prime.  Until a decision is made, act as your conscience guides you.)
• No Matter the Cost… - Once a stand is taken, it is carried out to the end. (‘stand’ is interpreted broadly.  By intent, a Whiteblade defends any position he stakes out, whether it's on a battlefield or a court martial.  “To the end” is deliberate to disambiguate from ‘to the death’ - Biomancer Command frequently plays all kinds of funny games with feints and diversions.  Paladins may be expected to break ranks and flee and that’s okay, as long as ‘break ranks and flee’ was the plan going in.)
• Even to Thyself.   Do not become the monster you fight.  (Back Home, Whiteblades are scheduled time with therapists trained in seeing the warning signs of a Paladin in psychological danger of giving in to the darkness.  Usually monthly, sometimes weekly in periods of abnormally high stress.)  
• Amends:

• Whiteblades rarely find themselves in contradictory situations.  The Code is clear and their environment has clearly drawn lines.  Consequently, lapses are immediately regarded as failures in character and referred for psychological evaluation.  This is not as much fun as it seems.