Paladin

Paladins at their core are defenders of right. These are the people driven or called to stand firm against the forces of evil. Right is a big topic and definitions vary, but commitment does not.

 

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).  Conviction also influences her base mana pool, in a somewhat less linear fashion.  Extra weapon Focus is available at 20sp each.  Extra mana is available at one SP each.

Conviction typically accumulates at two points per event.    Further noteworthy acts can accumulate as many as four in one event, but the curve steepens 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.) For the benefit of people who prefer the visualization:

Conviction Total	Conviction Rank	Base Main Hand Melee Damage	Base Mana Pool
1-5	1	+0	10
6-10	2	+0	20
11-15	3	+1	25
16-20	4	+1	30
21-25	5	+1	35
26-30	6	+2	35
31-35	7	+2	40
36-40	8	+2	40
41-45	9	+3	45
46-50	10	+3	50

For the rare-but-inevitable cases of Paladin characters starting above 1st level, they'll be afforded a measure of Conviction to start. The specifics will vary on a number of factors but if you retire a high-level character and apply the build to a new Paladin, you shouldn't worry about starting with 10 mana and base weapon damage. For the initial cases, new Paladins coming in as replacements for characters lost to reset, they'll start at 25 Conviction.

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. The details of Codes and their development are listed below.

Paladin Skills:

Name	Prerequisite Skills	SP Cost	Use Cost
Martial
	20
Focus +1	20
Focus + 2	20
None	1 per	-
16 Energy	2 per	-
None	1	1 Energy
Weapon Ward	3	2 Energy
Parry	5	3 Energy
None	2	2 Energy
Disarm Strike	4	3 Energy
Maim Strike	6	4 Energy
Stun Strike	8	5 Energy
Magic
None	1
None	1*	1 Mana
1st level Paladin spell	1*	2 Mana
2nd level Paladin spell	1*	3 Mana
3rd level Paladin spell	1*	4 Mana
4th level Paladin spell	1*	5 Mana
-	-	-
Healing Pool I	5	-
-	2	-
Miscellaneous
-	3	-
-	4	-

Paladin Spells:

Paladin spells do not generally require incants. Many are melee modifications and simply modify a weapon call. Any spell that's not is delivered as Magic <Effect>, usually by weapon (packet delivered spells will be noted in their descriptions).

Spellcasting classes can learn spells in one of two ways:

Find a scroll of the spell you'd like to learn, read it into memory, and have a marshal sign off on it. It should be updated on your character sheet the next event.

1. If that scroll is troublesome to locate, you can opt to spend one skill point to teach it to yourself.

1st Level:

• Light: Allows for the use of a muted flashlight or glowstick for up to 12 hours.
• Stalwart: Immediately repairs 5 points of armor, fixing a breach if this takes the armor to (or over) its maximum rating. This is called simply as "Stalwart", so your opponent understands why you just refuse to fall down. Stalwart can also heal 5 body, in the rare cases where it's needed to do, but it's almost always better to use Heal Pool for body damage.
• 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. Smite is not called; the damage is simply added to the weapon damage call.
• 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. Rest in Peace is weapon delivered.

2nd Level:

• Impenetrable: prevents one attack from going to body, damage is applied normally to armor, instead.
• Bodyguard: 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.  Bodyguard continues transferring damage into bleed-out and like most effects, ceases when the death count begins. Bodyguard is cast by weapon strike and called simply as "Bodyguard" - the weapon strike is required both to limit range and notify your protected that you're taking the damage and he/she is not.
• 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 delivered via weapon or packet, and 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.  If it tries to scare you, by any mechanic, 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 "Divine Block" - it's 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, and removes all negative effects and body/armor damage from the target.  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.  This spell has an obivous visual effect when it completes, something in line with their Code - pillar of golden light, dark maw opening in the earth, Valkyries riding in, things along those lines. Whatever the flavor, the Sacrifice guards against a Paladin's gear being looted by heathens; if such gear is destroyed, it's returned with the same application of Life that saves the Paladin or else resurrects with her. Sacrifice is voice delivered as “Voice <Target> Sacrifice”.  (As an out-of-game note: Plot will never reduce your Conviction for refusing to cast this spell. It's very vulnerable to a specific flavor of cultural abuse, the same kind that ultimately leads to prosecutions of Paladins for 'not doing everything they could' and that's an undesired consequence. Sacrifice is here for your Paladin as a last-ditch to save lives, not here for your fellow adventurers to demand of you.)

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.

5th Level:

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.  Miracle is only available to Paladins at peace; if your Paladin is suffering possible Conviction loss and has yet to make Amends, Miracle is unavailable. There is no mechanics-enforced prohibition against multiple castings of this spell. Some caution is still advisable.

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.  Paladins may purchase up to 24 Energy. Unlike their Warrior cousins, this is their limit - Paladins count on their magic and Conviction in a way Warriors do not, and consequently do not drive or direct Energy as well as Warriors do.

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.

Slay Strike: Slay Strike inflicts Slay on a successful melee hit. This is identical in effect to other Slays, but bear in mind that Fighters aren't being judged for their body counts and Paladins are. Slay Strike is here to remove unrepentant evil (however you define that); slobbering it all over everything like ketchup on fries has... consequences.

Stun Strike:  Stun Strike inflicts the Stun effect on a successful melee hit

Healing Pool I/II: A Healing Pool is a small volume of raw mana a Paladin can use to seal up wounds. Each level of Healing Pool awards 25 points of healing; this is packet- or weapon-delivered in increments of 5 as "I summon X healing". Paladins may heal themselves without an in-game incant or a free hand, announced as "Divine Heal X", also in increments of 5, up to 25.

Paladin Powers:

Desperate Rush: This power removes the sixty-second cast time from a Paladin's Life spell, twice per reset. This can be learned multiple times, handy for slow learners and the defensively challenged.

Righteous Chorus: Righteous Chorus allows a Paladin to deliver her curative spell effects by voice, rather than weapon or packet. It can deliver Life, and if this is not also Desperate Rushed, starts the timer where the Paladin is - you can call "Voice <target> Life" and wait wherever you are; you don't have to run over to your target. Righteous Chorus can be used once per reset for every two Conviction Ranks, to a maximum of five. Righteous Chorus does not apply to Healing Pool; to voice deliver Healing Pool, you'll have to inquire of Biomancers and this is not as easy as it sounds.

Only When Called: This power renders a Paladin immune to the Curse of Death effect, regardless of how it's generated or applied. For a second purchase, a Paladin can also remove Curse of Death from someone else, once per reset.

Codes:

A Code is nothing more or less than a statement of what a given Paladin holds as "right". Codes in place are absolute. There are no exceptions for expediency, or the greater good, or external pressure. A Paladin does not waver from Right simply because Right isn't popular or profitable. This is, both literally and symbolically, the core of their power.

That said, Right and Wrong can be very big concepts. It's good for people to learn, to grow, and to allow wisdom to influence Right. Rigid adherence to unchanging laws, even in the face of revelatory learning, in not a good in itself. Too much of this can easily lead to real evil being perpetrated in the name of good. To reflect that, new Paladins are only required to uphold one central Tenet - this is the base from which all other conclusions are drawn. As they interact with the world and grow, they add more tenets to help them define Right from Wrong in a more specific sense. A Paladin adds a new Tenet to her Code at every other Conviction Rank, to a minimum of four.

Since that abstraction can be a little tough to wrangle, consider two Paladins that both start with "help the needy" as their initial Tenet. One, after spending some time at soup kitchens and shelters, decides that it's also good to attack this problem at it source, and adds Tenets to lobby for change, to improve conditions, and to avoid the actions they believe to result in more needy people. The other, having spent her nights fending off bandits and other predators, adds Tenets to prosecute victimizers so they can't inflict further harm on people that were already troubled - "zero tolerance for bullies", maybe. The goal is the same - alleviating need - but the approach is very different.

Similarly, things that seemed absolute at the outset of a Paladin's career may seem less so after some time in the worlds. If your Paladin grew up in a human town constantly subjected to Elven Raiders, you might have started with "suffer not the Elf to live" as your core tenet. Fast forward five years, when you've actually met some Elves and realized that it's almost always wrong to generalize like this; you can (and should) expand your thinking. Revising your Code is possible, even your core tenet if it's proven less than what you imagined, but it comes at a cost. Beliefs become harder to release the longer they're held. Changing your Code costs ten percent of your accumulated Conviction; this makes it cheap to do early and progressively more painful as your beliefs mature and solidify.

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 are 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 or an acceptable branch of the decision tree.)
• 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.