6.8 Paladin

Rank	Devoted Paragon	Divine Magic ✨	Divine Spell Expertise ✨	Stalwart Guardian	Zealous Warrior
1	Aligned aura	Divine spells	Divine conduit	Lay on hands	Smite
2	Aligned immunity		Divine spell versatility	Stalwart resilience	Detect anathema
3	Paragon power		Spell-trained mind	Stalwart defense	Fearless zeal
4	Aligned aura+		Attunement point	Lay on hands+	Zealous fixation
5	Aligned immunity+		Divine spell versatility+	Stalwart resilience+	Zealous offense
6	Paragon power+		Divine conduit+	Stalwart core	Unwavering zeal
7	Aligned aura++		Experienced spellcaster	Last to fall	Pass judgment

Paladins are divinely imbued warriors who exemplify a particular alignment. They can shift easily between physical combat and spellcasting depending on the situation. Many paladins can heal themselves and their allies, and can share their divine connection with those nearby, making them a beacon on a battlefield.

The scope of each alignment is quite broad, so even paladins of the same alignment can be as diverse in personality and morality as any other class. Paladins of law tend to be the most homogeneous in their beliefs, but even they may have stark disagreements about the rightful code to follow, and in what circumstances a personal or universal code of ethics can supercede the law in a specific territory.

Paladins are both famous and infamous for their dedication, and for their tendency to exhort those around them to act according to the paladin’s ideals. There is some truth to the stereotype of the stony-faced paladin who regards any form of compromise as unacceptable. However, few of those overly zealous paladins make their way into adventuring parties. Only paladins who understand the necessity of working as an effective team with others who do not share their ideals are likely to have any success adventuring. For some paladins, this is a compromise they grudgingly make in the pursuit of the greater good - or the greater evil. Others perceive no conflict at all, and eagerly work with those of opposed alignments with the goal of demonstrating the superiority of their moral compass by example.

Of all spellcasting classes, paladins are in some ways the most limited. They have access to a relatively small number of mystic spheres. However, they are also the only spellcasting class that can naturally use heavy armor, and they have some unique abilities that can make them powerful frontline casters.

Paladins and fighters share a similar ability to influence a battlefield at a large scale while being difficult to kill. Their methods and ideology may be different, but they can often work together easily and effectively. It is more difficult to characterize the relationship between paladins and other classes, since so much depends on the paladin’s alignment and personal interpretation of that alignment. Paladins of law typically despise barbarians and rogues, while paladins of chaos distrust the rigid mentality common to monks and fighters. Votives are deeply suspicious to paladins of good, though paladins of good tend to be more forgiving than other paladins. Paladins of evil despise druids who have too much respect for the sanctity of life. All paladins may have strong feelings about clerics depending on the alignment of that cleric’s deity.

Alignment: Any.

Archetypes: Paladins have the Devoted Paragon, Divine Magic, Divine Spell Expertise, Stalwart Guardian, and Zealous Warrior archetypes.

6.8.1 Base Class Effects

If you choose paladin as your base class, you gain the following benefits.

Level	Rank	Durability	Bonus1	Special
1	1	+0	x1	—
2	1	+1	x1	—
3	1	+2	x1	+1 to two attributes
4	2	+2	x2	HP: 2x durability
5	2	+3	x2	—
6	2	+4	x2	Legacy item: rank 3
7	3	+4	x3	HP: 3x durability
8	3	+5	x3	—
9	3	+6	x3	+1 to two attributes
10	4	+6	x4	HP: 4x durability
11	4	+7	x4	—
12	4	+8	x4	Legacy item: rank 5
13	5	+8	x6	HP: 6x durability
14	5	+9	x6	—
15	5	+10	x6	+1 to two attributes
16	6	+10	x8	HP: 8x durability
17	6	+11	x8	—
18	6	+12	x8	Legacy item: ranks 7
19	7	+12	x10	HP: 10x durability
20	7	+13	x10	—
21	7	+14	x10	+1 to two attributes

1. This bonus applies to your accuracy, magical ✨ power, mundane power, trained skills, and defenses.  

Defenses

You gain a +3 bonus to your Brawn, Fortitude, Mental, and Reflex defenses.

Resources

• Attunement points: 4 (see Attunement Points).
• Fatigue tolerance: 2 + your Constitution (see Fatigue).
• Insight points: 1 + your Intelligence (see Insight Points).
• Trained skills: 3 from among your class skills, plus additional trained skills equal to your Intelligence if it is positive (see Skills).

Weapon Proficiencies

You are proficient with simple weapons and all non-exotic weapons.

Armor Proficiencies

You are proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor.

Starting Items and Equipment

You can start with the following items and equipment:

• Any one of the following: buff leather, leather lamellar, or breastplate
• Any two of the following: club, dagger, broadsword, two handaxes, or spear
• A buckler or standard shield
• A standard adventuring kit (see Standard Adventuring Kit).
• A rank 0 wealth item (1 gp)

Class Skills

You have the following class skills:

• Dexterity: Ride.

• Constitution: Endurance.

• Intelligence: Deduction, Knowledge (local, religion), Medicine.

• Perception: Awareness, Deception, Persuasion, Social Insight.

• Other: Intimidate.

6.8.2 Special Class Abilities

Devoted Alignment

You are devoted to a specific alignment. You must choose one of your alignment components: good, evil, lawful, or chaotic. The alignment you choose is your devoted alignment. Your paladin abilities are affected by this choice. Your alignment cannot be changed without extraordinary repurcussions.

6.8.3 Devoted Paragon

This archetype deepens your connection to your alignment, granting you an aura and improving your combat abilities.

Rank 1 – Aligned Aura ✨

Your devotion to your alignment affects the world around you, bringing it closer to your ideals. You constantly radiate an aura in a Medium (30 ft.) radius emanation from you. You can create the aura as a free action, and it lasts until it is dismissed. Creating the aura has the Swift ability tag.

Whenever you create the aura, you can choose which creatures within the area are affected by the aura. You can choose whether it affects any combination of yourself, your allies, your enemies, and other creatures. The effect of the aura depends on your devoted alignment, as described below.

Chaos: Whenever a target rolls a 1 on an attack roll, the attack roll explodes (see Exploding Attacks). This does not affect bonus dice rolled for exploding attacks.

Evil: Each target suffers a -1 penalty to its Armor defense as long as it is affected by at least one condition.

Good: Whenever a targeted ally would gain a vital wound, you may gain a vital wound instead. You gain a +2 bonus to the vital roll of each vital wound you gain this way. The target suffers any other effects of the attack normally.

Law: Whenever a target rolls a 1 on an attack roll, their attack result becomes equal to 5 + their accuracy with the attack. This does not affect bonus dice rolled for exploding attacks (see Exploding Attacks).

Rank 2 – Aligned Immunity ✨

Your devotion to your alignment grants you immunities.

Chaos: You are immune to Compulsion attacks.

Evil: You are immune to being charmed (friendly with charmer) and goaded (-2 accuracy vs. non-goading creatures).

Good: You are immune to Curse attacks and being dominated (must obey commands).

Law: You are immune to Emotion attacks.

Rank 3 – Paragon Power

You gain a +1 bonus to your magical power and mundane power.

Rank 4 – Aligned Aura+ ✨

The effect of your aligned aura becomes stronger, as described below. In addition, the area increases to a Large (60 ft.) radius emanation from you.

Chaos: The effect triggers on rolling either a 1 or a 2.

Evil: The penalty applies to all defenses.

Good: When a targeted ally would lose hit points, you may lose those hit points instead. This causes you to suffer any special effects of the attack that trigger on taking damage or losing hit points, while the target does not. The target suffers any other effects of the attack normally.

Law: The effect triggers on rolling either a 1 or a 2.

Rank 5 – Aligned Immunity+ ✨

This immunity is shared with your allies within the area of your aligned aura.

Rank 6 – Paragon Power+

The power bonuses increase to +2.

Rank 7 – Aligned Aura++ ✨

The effect of your aligned aura reaches its full power, as described below. In addition, the area increases to a Huge (90 ft.) radius emanation from you.

Chaos: This also affects bonus dice rolled for exploding attacks.

Evil: The penalty increases to -2.

Good: The vital roll bonus increases to +10.

Law: The effect triggers on rolling anything less than a 5.

6.8.4 Divine Magic ✨

This archetype grants you the ability to cast divine spells. All abilities from this archetype are magical ✨.

Rank 1 – Divine Spells ✨

Your devotion to your alignment grants you the ability to use divine magic. You gain access to one divine mystic sphere, plus the universal mystic sphere (see Divine Mystic Spheres). You may spend insight points to gain access to one additional divine mystic sphere per two insight points. You can only learn divine spells from divine mystic spheres that you have access to.

You automatically learn all cantrips from each of your mystic spheres. In addition, you learn two rank 1 divine spells. You can also spend insight points to learn one additional rank 1 spell per insight point.

Divine spells require verbal components to cast (see Ability Usage Components). For details about mystic spheres and casting spells, see Spell and Ritual Mechanics.

When you gain access to a new mystic sphere or spell rank, you can forget any number of spells you know to learn that many new spells in exchange, including spells of the higher rank.

Advancement: The maximum rank of divine spells that you can learn is equal to your rank in this archetype. Divine spells also increase in power in unique ways based on your rank in this archetype, as indicated in their descriptions.

6.8.5 Divine Spell Expertise ✨

This archetype improves the divine spells you cast. You must have the Divine Magic archetype from the paladin class to gain the abilities from this archetype. All abilities from this archetype are magical ✨.

Rank 1 – Divine Conduit ✨

Whenever you cast a targeted spell that does not have the Attune or Sustain tags, you may add yourself or a creature adjacent to you as a secondary target of the spell.

Rank 2 – Divine Spell Versatility ✨

You learn a spell from one of the mystic spheres that are unique to divine spellcasters: channel divinity or prayer. You do not have to have access to that mystic sphere. When you gain access to new spell ranks, you can change which spell you know with this ability, including spells with a higher rank.

Rank 3 – Spell-Trained Mind ✨

You gain a +1 bonus to your Willpower.

Rank 4 – Attunement Point ✨

You gain an additional attunement point.

Rank 5 – Divine Spell Versatility+ ✨

You learn an additional spell with this ability.

Rank 6 – Divine Conduit+ ✨

You can add a second secondary target, and each additional target can be within 10 feet instead of adjacent to you.

Rank 7 – Experienced Spellcaster ✨

You gain a +1 bonus to your accuracy and Armor defense.

6.8.6 Stalwart Guardian

This archetype grants you healing abilities and improves your defensive prowess.

Rank 1 – Lay on Hands ✨

Rank 2 – Stalwart Resilience

You gain a +2 bonus to your durability. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to your vital rolls (see Vital Wounds).

Rank 3 – Stalwart Defense

You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor and Fortitude defenses.

Rank 4 – Lay on Hands+ ✨

You can also remove a vital wound from the target. If you do, you increase your fatigue level by two. Otherwise, you are briefly focused (roll attacks twice).

Rank 5 – Stalwart Resilience+

This durability bonus increases to +4, and the vital roll bonus increases to +2.

Rank 6 – Stalwart Core

You gain a +1 bonus to your Constitution.

Rank 7 – Last to Fall ✨

Each vital wound you suffer only causes a -1 penalty to vital rolls instead of the normal -2 penalty. In addition, whenever you gain a vital wound, you remove one of your fatigue levels.

6.8.7 Zealous Warrior

This archetype improves your combat prowess, especially against foes who do not share your devoted alignment.

Rank 1 – Smite ✨

Rank 2 – Detect Anathema ✨

Rank 3 – Fearless Zeal

You are immune to being frightened (-2 Mental, -2 accuracy vs. source) and panicked (-4 Mental, cannot attack source).

Rank 4 – Zealous Fixation ✨

Whenever you miss a creature with a strike, you briefly reroll your attack rolls against that creature once and keep the higher result. This does not affect your attack rolls against other creatures.

Rank 5 – Zealous Offense

You gain a +1 accuracy bonus.

Rank 6 – Unwavering Zeal

You are immune to being dazzled (20% miss chance, no special vision) and blinded (50% miss chance, -2 defenses).

Rank 7 – Pass Judgment ✨

6.8.8 Ex-Paladins

If you cease to follow your devoted alignment, you lose all magical ✨ paladin class abilities. If your atone for your misdeeds and resume the service of your devoted alignment, you can regain your abilities.