In Part 1, I retained the alignment focus of the Paladin, along with the Saving Throw bonus and disease immunity. I converted Detect Evil into a spell grant, and buffed Lay on Hands to cover both hp regen and disease curing while also improving over time. This time, I’ll look at the kit’s auras, its Cleric-adjacent features, the war horse, and some detail on the Paladin’s asceticism.
10. Aura of Protection
This is an always-on power that makes all summoned and “specifically evil creatures” take a –1 hit to their attack rolls, including against others, as long as the attacker is within 10 feet of the Paladin.
I’d like to hijack another spell to replace this, which is exactly how 1e handled it. The obvious analogue is Protection From Evil, 10’ Radius, but there’s an odd difference between the two, and it highlights why I find this version of the pally’s power annoying.
Being inside Protection From Evil’s radius buffs the party, but the Paladin’s Aura of Protection doesn’t do that – instead it nerfs the enemies. It’s a protective aura; it should protect. Also, the built-in pally aura requires the Paladin to be in spitting distance to have any effect, unlike the PFE spell which allowed the character to be protected even from afar. Frankly, the spell is easier to understand (well, as far as any of the spells are) and makes more thematic sense, though the spell is a bit more powerful.
My best option here is to make another spell entry, and just hand it to the Paladin as an always-on feature. However, to balance things a bit, let’s just give the Paladin the smaller version of this spell so it affects only themselves, and thereby also remove a zone to keep track of.
Protection From Evil
(Protection Sphere)
ReversibleRange: Touch
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Duration: 3 rounds/level
Saving Throw: NoneCreates a personal aura of protection on a touched creature. For the duration, they receive a –2 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Saving Throws against attacks by evil creatures. They are also immune to charm magic from evil creatures, and cannot be physically touched by summoned creatures.
The reverse of this prayer is Protection From Good, which has the same effects against good creatures.
By removing a ton of caveats and edge-cases, I’ve made the spell more powerful. By using the spell instead of the power, I’ve opted for a more powerful choice. It’s a straight buff. Yet, as always, I’ll trade power creep for simplicity.
11. Holy Sword and the Circle of Power
This describes how a +5 Holy Avenger adds another aura to the Paladin. There is absolutely no point in adding this here, except to whet the appetite of the player. Even in 2e, the sword’s description lists this Paladin feature. It also includes extra stuff that the class’s text leaves out. I’ll just leave the whole thing out.
12. Turn Undead and Fiends (and Smite Evil)
Okay, Turn Undead. I’m not unpacking this here; there’s plenty of time for that when we get to the Cleric. For the time being, let’s just assume the feature exists as-is, and note that it also affects Fiends and operates at a two-level deficit. 5e called this “Turn the Unholy,” which is a much better name. I’d use that, but I have a different thought.
I’m not a proponent of leaving the Paladin with a slightly nerfed Turn Undead. This is a Cleric feature, something which makes the Cleric unique from all the other classes, but here it’s co-opted by the Truth and Justice guy. I think anything that moves the Paladin toward a dressed-up Fighter/Cleric dual-class character is missing something about the class. Paladins shouldn’t be turning the undead and fiends, they should be smiting them.
The Smite Evil power was introduced in 3e and became a staple of the class ever since. It’s a great name and a great addition, and I think it could pull double duty by providing both a devastating attack against evil creatures and causing evil creatures to react to a successful hit as though the Cleric’s Turn Undead feature had been used. This lets the Paladin keep something like Turn Undead, now themed to evil creatures specifically (which would include undead, demons, devils, etc.), while requiring an active attack by the pally to do so, which is also on brand for the class.
Smite Evil is intended to be the bane of evil creatures, not just an attack with a Turn Evil rider, so it’ll need some bonuses. A +2 sounds chunky enough for this limited attack, and the damage bonus can use 3e’s implementation of equaling the Paladin’s level, ensuring a more reliable hit and, eventually, a devastating result. As with 3e’s Smite Evil (and our new Lay on Hands), this is a once per day feature, with an additional daily use every five levels.
I still need to determine what is to be done with Turn Undead when we get to the Cleric entry, but this Paladin version can just reference it for now.
13. Cleric Spells
At 9th level, the Paladin becomes a pseudo-Cleric. They are given their own spell progression track that stops at 4th level spells, with an offset caster level track, and a restriction to the combat, divination, healing, and protective spheres. They can’t use Cleric scrolls, they can’t use Cleric magical items, and they don’t get the Wisdom bonus for extra spells.
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| And they get a table, too! |
I dislike most of this and I have a few notes.
This doesn’t kick in until 9th level; while the Fighter is building a castle and assembling their personal army, the Paladin has just learned Detect Snare and Pits or whatever. There’s no other class which drops such a massive feature this late in the game. With all versions of D&D, but especially with this edition, I consider everything after 10th level to be suspect; this is either when most games peter out or it’s the beginning of domain play.
Giving the Paladin their own bespoke spell progression table adds yet another thing to reference, though it barely differs from the actual Cleric spell table. The casting level not being the same as the actual character level is wonky.
Most egregious of all, it’s another huge feature on top of a pile of already huge features. So far, the Paladin can heal wounds and diseases, has a +2 universal save bonus, can Turn Evil, has the equivalent of both the Detect Evil and the Protection From Evil spells, and gets a cool horse (see below). With the changes in this hack, they have those two Cleric spells as always-on features, a buffed Lay on Hands which can be used multiple times, and a Smite feature with a Turn Undead booster, among the other add-ons. Do they really need more?
Slapping on a delayed half-caster feature is more than the class really needs, and I don’t think the Paladin loses its identity by shedding this cumbersome, end-of-game goodie.
I had toyed with giving the Paladin some Cleric-like spellcasting, but early and without a full table, and without duplicating the benefits of a dual-class Fighter/Cleric. My thought was to provide additional Paladin-like spells as features, similar to other features offered thus far, but at staged levels, and then grant additional uses of those spells at those same level markers. However, this is still a messy solution, adds gobs of text to the description, and just adds more stuff where none is needed.
That’s my pitch: scrap the Cleric spells.
14. War Horse
The Paladin gets a horsey when they hit 4th level. The text suggests that a quest may be required to obtain the steed, and unlike 1e it stays mum on the repercussions of horse death. This is fine; I don’t think there’s much to do here.
It’s interesting to compare it against 3e/5e’s implementation of the feature, where the Paladin’s war horse is a rideable Pokémon, summoned by a spell and insta-healed after each summoning. In effect, later editions gave the Paladin a flavored version of the Wizard’s Phantom Steed spell. This is a good solution to circumvent the logistics of leaving an animal at the dungeon entrance or the horror of the DM killing the Paladin’s mount.
As useful as that is, I still vastly prefer giving the pally a real horse. Besides, how are they going to have a heartbreaking moment with their dying horse if it can just pop right back up?
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| “Thank you.” |
Anyway, we’ll also need War Horse statistics, which could be buffed with this feature at higher levels. That’ll happen some other day.
15. A Matter of Money
Your champion of ultimate goodness doesn’t work thematically if they’re coated in gold. As such, they need to donate anything in excess of that required for normal expenses (personal support, henchmen pay, castle upkeep, and so on). The text includes a note that you can’t just hand it to another player or one of the Paladin’s henchmen. I wonder who the first player was to necessitate the addition of that caveat. Players are going to play, it seems. In addition, there’s a requirement to tithe 10% of everything earned to “whatever charitable, religious institution of lawful good alignment” they serve.
This is purely thematic, and I think it works well. If you want the Paladin perks, you need to live the Paladin life. However, it doesn’t include an enforcement mechanism as is done with alignment requirements. Let’s fix that.
16. Magical Item Limit
The Paladin gets a hard cap of 10 magical items – specifically, one suit of armor, one shield, four weapons, and four other items of any sort. The text says that magical arrows/bolts are not counted against the weapon limit, but are they considered ‘other items’ or do you just get as many as you can hold? The 2e PHB doesn’t say, though the 1e PHB counts any number of them as just one weapon.
This is a weird restriction, though I see the thematic and mechanical purpose behind it. The Paladin should be a bit of an ascetic (see above), so hoarding magical items doesn’t seem quite in their worldview. In addition, the Paladin is already heaped with special powers, so additional item based powers is adding a lot.
I think the best option for this is to leave the 10 item limit, toss the individual type restrictions for simplicity, and roll it into the restrictions for money and tithing.
17. Followers
Like the PHB’s write-up on the Paladin, we’ll end with a whimper.
No body of followers show up like they do for the Fighter, even if you build that castle. Fair enough, though this belongs in the theoretical Domain chapter.
There’s also a note that Paladin may only employ lawful good henchmen, with some additional notes on what type of behavior the Paladin is willing to tolerate. All this can get thrown into the notes on alignment.
18. Final Paladin Kit
Kit: Paladin
Ability Requirements: Strength 12, Constitution 9, Wisdom 13, Charisma 17
Alignment: Lawful GoodPaladins are noble heroes of truth and justice. As an avatar of good, they can both sense and repel evil, they are immune to disease, and they can heal wounds. The Paladin is granted these powers only through their commitment to compassion, charity, and duty.
Paladins have the following restrictions:
Paladins lose the Weapon Specialization feature.
A Higher Ideal: Paladins must perform acts of lawful goodness in order to maintain their powers. Willful acts of chaos result in a temporary loss of all Paladin features, which can only be restored by a Lawful Good Cleric of 7th level or higher. Willful acts of evil result in a permanent loss of all Paladin features, which can never be regained. A Paladin without their features is considered a Fallen Paladin, who is nothing more than a Fighter without Weapon Specialization.
Paladins will only take on Sworn Followers who are of Lawful Good alignment. They may travel with those of other alignments, and even form close bonds with them, but they do so in the hopes of guiding them towards law and goodness. They will never abide an overt act of evil, especially from those with whom they associate.Vow of Asceticism: Paladins lead lives of charity and simplicity. They must donate all acquired wealth in excess of that required to maintain a simple lifestyle and pay their Followers; they must donate it to a worthy cause, and never to a member of their own party, including their Followers. When possible, they must tithe 10% of all acquired wealth to the church or order with which the Paladin is affiliated. They may never possess more than 10 magical items. Failure to follow these vows results in a temporary loss of all Paladin features until the vows are followed once again.
Paladins gain the following features:
Blessed: +2 bonus to all Saving Throws.
Disease Immunity: Has immunity to all forms of disease.
Detect Evil: Gains the ability to sense evil-aligned magic and evil intentions, as though permanently under the effect of the prayer Detect Evil.
Protection From Evil: Gains protection from evil and summoned creatures, as though permanently under the effect of the prayer Protection From Evil.
Smite Evil: At 3rd level, can make a devastating attack against an evil creature once per day. Gains +2 ATTAC against that creature. On a successful hit, the creature takes additional damage equal to the Paladin’s level, and the Paladin may immediately attempt to turn any nearby evil creatures as a Cleric turns undead, but as if two levels lower. If the target is not evil, this feature has no effect on the attack, but the use is still expended. Gains one additional daily use at 8th, 13th, and 18th level.
Lay on Hands: Gains the ability to heal either themselves or another, once per day. This feature can be used to restore an amount of HP equal to twice the Paladin’s level or cure any disease equal to or less than the Paladin’s level. Gains a cumulative, additional daily use of this feature at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level.
War Horse: At 4th level, can obtain a faithful steed. This animal is loyal and obeys the Paladin’s commands. When riding this mount, the Paladin tests their Ability Score as though possessing the Riding skill, or with a +2 bonus if the Paladin already has this skill. The steed is usually a War Horse, but can be any animal of the GM’s choosing. A quest may be required to find it.
19. Conclusion
The changes here, especially the removal of Cleric spells, are fairly radical. This blog is no stranger to radical changes (see Saving Throws, Skills, surprise, initiative, and pretty much everything else), but it’s still a lot of alterations to a core class.
I think they’re justified. The Paladin should be, first and foremost, a type of Fighter. The removal of Cleric spell slots, or the recontextualization of Cleric features into distinct Paladin abilities, removes overlap with the Cleric and puts a spotlight on what makes the Paladin unique. Apart from this, it also results in a 50% decrease in text and the removal of a table, which is always a win.
It’s still too long, but I’m unsure how I could get closer to the bone. I could heavily minimize the explanation of restrictions, but this roleplay edict requires some detail. I could cut some features, but each of them provides distinct flavor and advantage that make the Paladin the Paladin, and which themselves are the reward for following the class’s restrictions. You need both.
That’s the Paladin wrapped up. Next time, we’ll hit the Ranger.
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