Paladins


Lately I've taken to woodworking. I'm still getting the hang of it, learning the ropes and all that, but I'm enjoying it. It's a relaxing change to the typical "herp derp, neural network *type type type*" of my day. It lets my mind settle, run clean. Nearly zen like. And lately, as I've done this inner searching, I've realized one thing:

Fuck Paladins.




Seriously. Bunch of jerks named after a hill.

Everyone I've seen played has been merely a fighter that happened to get spells because they carried a holy symbol. Most showed more concern for their horses than, say, a beggar in need.

This can be fixed.

The main change I'm throwing around is that the paladin's spells aren't guaranteed. None of this "spells per day because I'm holding this holy symbol" nonsense. As a paladin, you are not the extension of your god's Will; that's the cleric's purpose. As a paladin, you are a Champion of the god. You must be seen carrying out their work, and proving your worth. You wanna wield divine power? Go feed the poor. Defend a peasant farm from bandits. Sacrifice yourself so your friends can escape. Gain the heart of the people and you'll gain the favor of your god.

In performing such tasks you'll earn Good Boy Points Points of Divine Favor. While an hour of prayer will give you access to all your spells for the day, you must have enough Divine Favor to cast them. Essentially, the "casting cost" of the spell is equal to the "level" of the spell. Looking to cast Bless? As a first level spell, that's one point cost. Commune? Five points. Part Water? Too bad, that's not really your thing, but you get the idea. A non-exhausted list of actions and their point rewards are below. As is your spell list.

Now, as said, gaining these spells requires an hour of prayer, usually taken in the morning. Casting them, however, is a quick action, in which the favor of your god is called upon, either through prayer or dedication. Casting in this way is fairly subtle and, save for some of the higher level spells, can be mistaken for skill or luck. Going for a Michael Carpenter vibe here, I won't lie.

Rewards and Associated Actions
1 point
  • Praying at Shrine
  • Donating items of minor value
2 point
  • Upholding a tenant of your god
  • Completing a Church Quest
  • Donating items of value
3 point
  • Defending a Holy Site important to your pantheon
  • Returning a Major Artifact to the church
  • Defending those weaker or in need
4 point
  • Completing a Holy Quest 
  • Sacrificing yourself for another in a significant manner
Again, not exhaustive, and should be tailored to suit the god in question. I image a Snake god and a Fire god have very different definitions of "good things."

Points do carry over from day-to-day, however any unused points diminish by two every week. The intent is you continue doing good deeds. There are ways to lose points, mind you. Ask your GM, or stab a beggar, to find out.

Fighting bits are left mostly the same. Proficiency in armor and weapons, skills (where appropriate), and others track mostly the same. To Hit bonus has been halved, to account for spell casting without an attribute attachment.

You'll notice the only healing spell/prayer in the spell list is Sacrifice. This is intentional.

The Brass Tacks 

HP: As Fighter
To Hit bonus: +1 every other level (half of Fighter)
Saves: As Cleric
Max Divine Favor pool: Character Level



Level
Hit Points
To Hit
Paralyze
Poison
Breath
Device
Magic
1
1d8
+1
14
11
16
12
15
2
+1d8

14
11
16
12
15
3
+1d8
+2
14
11
16
12
15
4
+1d8

14
11
16
12
15
5
+1d8
+3
12
9
14
10
12
6
+1d8

12
9
14
10
12
7
+1d8
+4
12
9
14
10
12
8
+1d8

12
9
14
10
12
9
+1d8
+5
10
7
12
8
12
10
+3

10
7
12
8
12

Spell List

Level 0
Detect Evil

Level 1
Bless (unable to target self)
Detect Magic
Protection from Evil
Remove Fear

Level 2
Delay Poison
Detect Invisible
Heroism
Resist Cold
Resist Fire

Level 3
Dispel Magic
Detect Illusion
Sacrifice

Level 4
Detect Life
Protection from Evil 10'
Turn Undead (at Level-4)

Level 5
Commune
Dispel Evil
True Seeing

Level 6
Anti-Magic Shell
Find the Path
Forbiddance
Tongues

Level 7
Holy Word
Spell Turning


Closing Thoughts
Balanced? Probably not. Divine favor pool could use some tweaking. I can see Bless getting out of hand as currently written. Level 4 could use some beefing out. I've become genuinely curious as to how this plays.
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