The Athasian Paladin - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Feb 27, 2008 23:52:41	On request, I dug up my old Paladin class I designed for my Dark Sun campaigns. This is a direct copy of the text as it appears in my little Dark Sun player's guide I made for my players to dig through. There are some rules that viewers may not use themselves, but I use for my campaigns, which are included in this write-up. If you don't want to use them (like the Vitality Die, or Allegiances), it is not too terribly difficult to adjust/replace them with their typical equivalents (hit points, alignment, etc.) Without further adieu... The more military and martial branch of a city-state's government, paladins are frequently seen side-by-side with templars, as bodyguards, extra muscle, or to occasionally keep an eye on the templars themselves, to ensure their loyalty. As are their powerful masters, the paladins are all inherently evil. They also follow, as well as frequently force others to follow, the laws of their city-state. Even more, they are all unconditionally loyal to their respective sorcerer-kings. Adventures: Paladins take their adventures seriously, and have a penchant for referring to them as quests. Even a mundane mission from their sorcerer-king is treated as a personal test—an opportunity to demonstrate and develop their martial skills, and to find ways to better achieve their master's goals. Still, the paladin really comes into his own when leading a mighty campaign against the enemies of his master, not when merely looting ruins. Characteristics: Divine power from his sorcerer-king protects the paladin and gives him special powers. It wards off harm, causes terror or inflicts damage in his enemies, provides enhancements and bonuses to his allies, and allows him to smite enemies of his monarch, or to take control over undead. In addition, this power draws a mighty steed to the paladin and imbues that mount with strength, intelligence and magical properties. The paladins of Gulg are fanatically loyal to the sorcerer-queen, Lalai-Puy, and they believe she protects them from the city of Nibenay, with whom they are at war. Lalai-Puy's paladins are also known as champions—each is hand-picked to lead the Oba’s armies, and two dozen are selected to protect and guard her, a position that each paladin aspires to. Lalai-Puy’s champions wear usually medium and occasionally heavy armor, all made from organic pieces—mostly chitin, leather, and bone. Due to Gulg’s fixation on the protection of the forests, the champions do not wield any weapons or use any equipment made from wood—that would be offensive to the Oba. All of the Shadow King’s paladins are women, and like the templars of Nibenay, they serve as the Shadow King’s wives. Each lives within the walls of the Naggaramakam, serving her monarch and husband however he desires. Unlike the Shadow King’s templars, the paladins of Nibenay are not permitted any concubines—their service is to never waver with any possible outside influences. The Nibenese paladins are noted for wearing only partial armor, while remaining completely nude otherwise. So a paladin might wear a chitin breastplate and helm, but nothing else adorning them. The rigid, fierce demeanor of the Nibenese paladins, however, keeps any lewd thoughts out of onlooker’s mind. When not in the Naggaramakam, the paladins are seen on the battlegrounds leading the Nibenese armies, or stationed within the city-state as guards and a vicious police force. The paladins of the Lion of Urik are almost unanimously his generals and leaders of his armies, instructors and trainers on his military training grounds. Due to Hamanu’s warlike nature and his determination to fight on the front lines, side-by-side with his troops, his paladins follow his lead, and also lead his armies from the front. Many even have first-hand fought side-by-side with their king and god themselves. The Urikite paladins are uniformly seen wearing full plate chitin armor, even in the heat of the day, emblazoned with a lion’s head on their breastplate. They all have weapons made of obsidian from Urik’s mines, as well as large shields emblazoned with the Lion of Urik on their surface. Urik’s paladins are frighteningly warlike, and have no tolerance for cowardice of any kind. Even fear in your eyes or actions when dealing with them has often been enough for the paladin to kill the offender. Allegiances: All paladins have both the moral and ethical philosophical allegiances of their sorcerer-king, as well as their sorcerer-king as an allegiance. The only difference between them is the order of priority which they place them. So, a paladin of Urik would have Lawful, Evil and Hamanu as allegiances. However one might have Hamanu, Lawful and Evil (Be evil only when it is within the law, and only follow the law when it is Hamanu's will), another might have Evil, Lawful and Hamanu (Follow Hamanu's will only when it is the law, and only follow the Law when it is evil to do so). Background: No one ever truly chooses to be a paladin—their sorcerer-king chooses them. No one, no matter how diligent, can become a paladin through practice. The sorcerer-king will either decide that the individual is worth or not, and they are each selected from within the ranks individuals all training in the hopes of one day being honored by becoming selected for this position. The bond formed between paladin and sorcerer-king is powerful, and yet fragile. It requires eternal diligence on the part of the paladin to ensure this link remains strong. Deviation from their path can result in the link becoming broken, and the paladin losing his power. All paladins, regardless of background, of a specific sorcerer-king, recognize in each other this connection through their master, and thus have an unspoken amount of respect for each other. Paladins from different sorcerer-king are almost always at odds with each other, and frequently will find ways of eliminating their opposition one way or another. Races: Humans are most often selected for paladins, but any race within a city-state has the possibility of becoming a paladin. Outside the city-states where the sorcerer-kings rule, paladins are virtually unheard of. Other Classes: Paladins have respect for other martial-based classes like fighters and psychic warriors. They frequently work with templars of their city-states, as both are under the employ of the sorcerer-kings. They tend to work fairly well with lawful characters, but are opposed to characters who are good or chaotic. Anyone who their sorcerer-king is not directly opposed to, they generally are not. Charismatic, intimidating, and inspiring fear in people, paladins frequently demand leadership of a team. Role: The paladin's chief role in most groups is as a melee combatant, but he contributes other useful support well. His frequently high Charisma opens him up into being a choice for leadership, if the party can deal with a tyrant leading them. Several of his abilities make him a valued member of any party when in combat. GAME RULE INFORMATION Paladins have the following game statistics. Abilities: Charisma enhances a paladin's deadly touch, offensive capabilities, and undead rebuking ability. Strength is important for him or her because of its role in combat. Constitution is valuable for added Vitality, Wounds, and Fortitude saves. Allegiance: Law, Evil, and their own sorcerer-king (in any order). Vitality Die: d10. Class Skills The paladin's class skills (and the ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis). See Chapter 4 of the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions. Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier)
#2 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Feb 27, 2008 23:55:19	Sidebar: General, Bodyguard, Police The sorcerer-kings’ paladins fill a wide variety of roles within a city-state for which they are custom-tailored. While each sorcerer-king may task them to perform any number of desired roles, the three main jobs paladins fill for all three of the remaining sorcerer-kings are that of military commanders, personal bodyguards (as well as bodyguards of high-ranking templars), and a police force that ensures the loyalty of the citizenry and templarate. Paladins are most comfortable with the role of military commanders, as their abilities provide them with a number of advantages on the battlefield, as well as with directing their troops. As such, all sorcerer-kings’ standing armies are led by paladins, whose loyalty is completely assured. Each sorcerer-king has a contingent of paladins that serve as their personal bodyguards, protecting their monarchs from any possible attacks. High-ranking templars also frequently are granted one or two paladins as bodyguards as well—which for those templars is both good and bad. Good, for the paladins are more than capable of defending that templar from harm, and bad, for the paladins are unswervingly loyal to the sorcerer-king, and are most likely keeping an eye on the templar they are protecting, to ensure loyalty. Finally, paladins are found patrolling the city streets occasionally, checking in on merchants, and hunting down those that oppose the sorcerer-king (like the Veiled Alliance). As a police force, paladins are given the authority of judge, jury, and executioner in all disputes. As such, it is not uncommon for a paladin to perform a public execution of a suspected Veiled Alliance member, to be used as an example and force the Veiled Alliance to leave the city-state—to date, these “examples” have not all together worked as intended.
#3 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Feb 28, 2008 0:20:38	Table: The Paladin
#4 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Feb 28, 2008 0:32:40	The Paladin’s Mount The Paladin’s mount is superior to a normal mount of its kind and has special powers, as described below. The standard mount for a medium paladin is a heavy warmount crodlu, the standard mount for a Small paladin is a domestic worker kank, and the standard mount for a Large paladin is an inix. The DM may work with you to select another kind of mount. A paladin’s mount is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats). Paladin’s Mount Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the mount’s kind, but make changes to take into account the attributes and characteristics summarized on the table and described below.
#5 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Feb 28, 2008 0:38:57	Ok, that's everything. This is a combination of the PHB paladin's mechanics, with some modifications from Unearthed Arcana (particularly, making the paladin be of other alignments, and not spellcasting), along with an infusion of the auras and a few other ideas from the Marshal class. I did intentionally leave out certain city-states. I start my campaigns after the events of PP, so SK's that are dead, their paladins don't exist any more (well, they don't have power, at least). I intentionally do not spec out Oronis', Daskinor's, or Dregoth's paladins. They exist, that's to be certain -- but that is knowledge my players don't start with. Oronis' paladins would be Lawful Good, while Daskinor's would be Chaotic Evil -- and neither of them are even remotely what could be called a "typical" Athasian paladin. Dregoth's all are Dray, a race I don't typically have available for my players unless I am thoroughly convinced with a very, very in-depth explanation/background to permit it... even after the players discover Dregoth. I built this class primarily as a reaction to the paladins in the Dragon and Dungeon magazine version of Dark Sun... because I strongly feel that PHB paladins have no place on Athas (even Oronis' paladins aren't typical PHB paladins, despite alignment/allegiance). So, I asked myself... what would be a paladin that would work for Dark Sun... and this was the result. Oh, I know some of the levels for things seem a bit out of whack (like the paladin's mount, vs the table for when mounts get abilities)... some of those things are "throwbacks" from the different systems I used to build the class, and I never finished working out all the kinks...
#6 mouthymerc Feb 28, 2008 1:23:03	Interesting. I see and plan to use the dragon shaman (PHII) in a very similar role whenever I get back into DS. I've always liked the idea of a paladin in the world of Dark Sun. Drop the spellcasting and add the variant paladin abilities from the Complete Warrior and you have the makings of a great wandering warrior out to right the wrongs in a doomed world. I wouldn't see many in the world, but I'd allow a player to run a character like that. It could create some great pathos.
#7 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Feb 28, 2008 14:00:59	That's right, I forgot about that I had used info from Complete Warrior. So basically, this paladin is combined from elements of: Player's Handbook Paladin Complete Warrior for variant rules for non-spellcasting Paladins Unearthed Arcana for ideas on Paladins that are for LE, CE, and CG alignments. Miniatures Handbook for the Marshal class (borrowed the Auras and a few other things from it) See, I don't think a crusader for good and justice really fits in Dark Sun, where harsh reality overrides many such impulses. Survivalism tends to be more important. I just don't see the idea of a paladin as presented from the Player's Handbook really fitting, which is what irked me about the way the Paladin was in the Dragon/Dungeon magazine rendition of Dark Sun. It just didn't feel right for me. But, I got to thinking, if there were Paladins for Athas, that would most likely mean that some source of Divine power was behind it. Sure, there could be Elemental Paladins... Divine energy/magic comes from the Elemental (for the saake of argument I mean Paraelemental too) planes in Athas. Clerics draw energy straight from them, Druids get it from their Spirits of the Land, who in turn get the energy from the Elemental planes (equal shares of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water is how I visualize it). Templars get energy/magic from the Sorcerer-Kings, who are effectively something like magical "leeches" stealing the magical energy to empower their Templars. I don't use spellcasting Rangers. So, then I looked at it this way.... does a Druidic Paladin make sense to me? Not really. If I wanted that, I'd probably have molded my Ranger or Druid to make more sense to it. Does an Elemental Paladin make sense to me? Not really, I see the Elements and Paraelements as both being essentially Neutral, Paladins would fall more along the lines of being aligned rather specifically in a non-Neutral position (Lawful Good, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Good, or Chaotic Evil). So, I turned down that notion. But, what did fit into that, was the Sorcerer-Kings. Hamanu, Lalai-Puy, Nibenay, and Dregoth are all Lawful Evil. Oronis is Lawful Good, and Daskinor is Chaotic Evil. Very specifically aligned and not Neutral. For me, this seemed to fit the best with the Paladin ideal of being a champion of a specific cause or alignment. I could have claimed another "source" of Divine Magic... but I wanted the Paladin to fit within the confines of Dark Sun, not be something that seems to be external to what already was lain (sic) out. So, I settled on the Sorcerer-Kings as the most logical choice for having Paladins. And Unearthed Arcana helped me with figuring out the composition/ideology of Paladins that are of Alignments other than Lawful Good. I could have made the Paladins a new phenomenon, but I felt, once again, that would be a sort of "cop out" and makes them somewhat external to Dark Sun, rather than a part of Dark Sun innately. Then, I asked myself, "Why would there be no references of Paladins in Dark Sun, if they had existed as long as there were Sorcerer-Kings?" Well, the answer most obvious to me would be looking at other things around Dark Sun. There is a lot of evidence in the various materials that most people don't know the difference between Defiler and Preserver... so, what if people didn't necessarily know the difference between Templar and Paladin? What if there were orders of Templars that actually were Paladins? What if some of the duties of the Paladins were not so blatantly obvious? Basically, the Paladin would effectively be hiding in plain sight. Hamanu was the most obvious Sorcerer-King for me to see Paladins with... Since Hamanu has a very militaristic sort of concept, his Paladins, to me, were his generals. Sure, there might be some Templars that are generals as well, but Hamanu, more definitively than the other remaining SK's, would have Paladins as his generals, leading his various armies into war. They don't rely on spells, but on cunning military tactics and their ability to inspire troops under their command to do what they want -- through fear, intimidation, and sheer physical strength. For Lalai-Puy, it was a bit more difficult. I'd see her army primarily composed of Rangers, not Paladins... and I just don't see a Lawful Evil Paladin leading guerilla style warfare in forests. But, I do see a contingent of Paladins as her protectors (not that she needs them, but she keeps up appearances that she does... honestly, I think she'd potentially use them as cannon fodder at best to distract an opponent, or more deviously that she'd use them as a potential supply of life-energy for her to defile for a spell in a situation where she was truly threatened). But, I see Lalai-Puy as a very devious and manipulative individual, always playing herself off as one thing, when in actuality she is something completely different. Like the idea that she's actually trying to save the forests, or is somewhat aligned with the Preservers... I think it is all a charade, for her to try to get an edge or advantage over her peers. For Nibenay... his Templars are already supposed to be his wives. So I'd rule the Paladins would be as well. And, I'd expect that the Paladins would be often used to keep the Templars in line, sort of a "secret police" of Nibenay's templarate. At the same time, leading the Nibenese armies in the continual fight against Gulg. AndNibenay would keep a selection of them around him constantly, possibly for a similar reason as Lalai-Puy... a back-up for him to use in case he becomes truly threatened. And, the Paladins would enforce his will ensuring the Templarate did what he wanted, even while he was busy working on his own personal schemes... So, from all of that, I constructed the Paladin above. For other SK's, I had thought about them a bit. I could see Daskinor's paladins as being truly frightening -- meciless killers with no scruples and terrorizing the unfortunate citizens of Eldaarich (which the Prison-State of Eldaarich designs Athas.org has working fits quite well with what I envisioned for them). Dregoth's would most definitely be the generals of the Army of Light, they would all invariably be Generation 2 Dray (only the best are selected for such a position as the close servants of their god), training Dregoth's Army, and preparing to lead it in his campaign against his former peers. Finally, there is Oronis... his Paladins would be on the one hand, the closest to a PHB paladin in ideals, while on the other hand, something completely different. I see Oronis as not wanting to make anyone a Paladin. But, I could see that there are people from New Kurn who feel that the Avangion needs to be protected, so they would volunteer for the task (something Oronis is loathe to see, as he can't stand the idea of more people dying for him or in his place). Their insistance has resulted in Oronis making these people into his Paladins... mostly so then they might "have a chance", as he sees it arms them better for the task than if he did not make them Paladins. I'd say his Paladins primarily are guarding and protecting him. They also are a primary source for keeping the people of New Kurn ready to defend their homes against incursion in general, or from Daskinor's madhouse specifically.
#8 lhurgyof Feb 28, 2008 14:22:58	How about Dray Paladins of Dregoth? In the game I play in, the only race that can be paladins are Dray, and they must (well, they really don't have to) try to convert people to worship Dregoth. Their mount is some big spider.
#9 cnahumck Feb 28, 2008 14:46:04	snip Xlore... I love this stuff. Great take on a concept and showing how it could have always been there. I kinda wish it was part of the core DS rules.
#10 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Feb 28, 2008 15:53:02	How about Dray Paladins of Dregoth? In the game I play in, the only race that can be paladins are Dray, and they must (well, they really don't have to) try to convert people to worship Dregoth. Their mount is some big spider. I explained Dregoth's paladins a bit after the write-up. As I said, I intentionally don't divulge information about Dregoth to my players in the "player's guide" book I pieced together, because Dregoth isn't common knowledge in Athas for my campaigns. Yes, Dregoth's paladins would be Dray, exclusively. They would be his hand-picked elite, that serve as the military commanders and instructors of Dregoth's Army of Light. They would be fearsome, and would most likely only be found in capacities befitting those of such high position in New Giustenal's forces. They would be extremists, fanatics (fundamentalists?) of Dregoth's ideal. Xlore... I love this stuff. Great take on a concept and showing how it could have always been there. I kinda wish it was part of the core DS rules. Thanks, and I'll take that as a huge compliment. Unfortunately, since I am relying on non-OGL, non-core material (Complete Warrior & the Miniatures Handbook), I don't think it really could be fit into the DS core. Of course, it may be visited again when 4E comes out, especially as it appears there are class ideas in 4E that would fit quite well with this concept. I'll admit that part of my inspiration was the Emperor's Royal Guard from Star Wars, as basically elite bodyguards of the Sorcerer-Kings, but there are other influences on the overall design as well. Oh, and I understand there are those who dislike the idea campaigns with evil characters. But I figure that if the campaign allows for Defilers and Templars, not to mention cannibalistic/carnivorous races like the Halfling or Thri-Kreen already, there is room for this kind of Paladin. I tend to favor Dark Sun campaigns with characters that have Neutral or Evil alignments (or allegiances in my campaigns), over those with Good. I just tend to think the harsh nature of Athas ends up destroying most lofty ideas in favor of plain survival.

Post/Author/DateTime

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xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Feb 27, 2008 23:52:41

On request, I dug up my old Paladin class I designed for my Dark Sun campaigns. This is a direct copy of the text as it appears in my little Dark Sun player's guide I made for my players to dig through. There are some rules that viewers may not use themselves, but I use for my campaigns, which are included in this write-up. If you don't want to use them (like the Vitality Die, or Allegiances), it is not too terribly difficult to adjust/replace them with their typical equivalents (hit points, alignment, etc.) Without further adieu...

The more military and martial branch of a city-state's government, paladins are frequently seen side-by-side with templars, as bodyguards, extra muscle, or to occasionally keep an eye on the templars themselves, to ensure their loyalty. As are their powerful masters, the paladins are all inherently evil. They also follow, as well as frequently force others to follow, the laws of their city-state. Even more, they are all unconditionally loyal to their respective sorcerer-kings.

Adventures: Paladins take their adventures seriously, and have a penchant for referring to them as quests. Even a mundane mission from their sorcerer-king is treated as a personal test—an opportunity to demonstrate and develop their martial skills, and to find ways to better achieve their master's goals. Still, the paladin really comes into his own when leading a mighty campaign against the enemies of his master, not when merely looting ruins.

Characteristics: Divine power from his sorcerer-king protects the paladin and gives him special powers. It wards off harm, causes terror or inflicts damage in his enemies, provides enhancements and bonuses to his allies, and allows him to smite enemies of his monarch, or to take control over undead. In addition, this power draws a mighty steed to the paladin and imbues that mount with strength, intelligence and magical properties.

The paladins of Gulg are fanatically loyal to the sorcerer-queen, Lalai-Puy, and they believe she protects them from the city of Nibenay, with whom they are at war.

Lalai-Puy's paladins are also known as champions—each is hand-picked to lead the Oba’s armies, and two dozen are selected to protect and guard her, a position that each paladin aspires to.

Lalai-Puy’s champions wear usually medium and occasionally heavy armor, all made from organic pieces—mostly chitin, leather, and bone. Due to Gulg’s fixation on the protection of the forests, the champions do not wield any weapons or use any equipment made from wood—that would be offensive to the Oba.

All of the Shadow King’s paladins are women, and like the templars of Nibenay, they serve as the Shadow King’s wives. Each lives within the walls of the Naggaramakam, serving her monarch and husband however he desires.

Unlike the Shadow King’s templars, the paladins of Nibenay are not permitted any concubines—their service is to never waver with any possible outside influences. The Nibenese paladins are noted for wearing only partial armor, while remaining completely nude otherwise. So a paladin might wear a chitin breastplate and helm, but nothing else adorning them. The rigid, fierce demeanor of the Nibenese paladins, however, keeps any lewd thoughts out of onlooker’s mind.

When not in the Naggaramakam, the paladins are seen on the battlegrounds leading the Nibenese armies, or stationed within the city-state as guards and a vicious police force.

The paladins of the Lion of Urik are almost unanimously his generals and leaders of his armies, instructors and trainers on his military training grounds. Due to Hamanu’s warlike nature and his determination to fight on the front lines, side-by-side with his troops, his paladins follow his lead, and also lead his armies from the front. Many even have first-hand fought side-by-side with their king and god themselves.

The Urikite paladins are uniformly seen wearing full plate chitin armor, even in the heat of the day, emblazoned with a lion’s head on their breastplate. They all have weapons made of obsidian from Urik’s mines, as well as large shields emblazoned with the Lion of Urik on their surface.

Urik’s paladins are frighteningly warlike, and have no tolerance for cowardice of any kind. Even fear in your eyes or actions when dealing with them has often been enough for the paladin to kill the offender.

Allegiances: All paladins have both the moral and ethical philosophical allegiances of their sorcerer-king, as well as their sorcerer-king as an allegiance. The only difference between them is the order of priority which they place them. So, a paladin of Urik would have Lawful, Evil and Hamanu as allegiances. However one might have Hamanu, Lawful and Evil (Be evil only when it is within the law, and only follow the law when it is Hamanu's will), another might have Evil, Lawful and Hamanu (Follow Hamanu's will only when it is the law, and only follow the Law when it is evil to do so).

Background: No one ever truly chooses to be a paladin—their sorcerer-king chooses them. No one, no matter how diligent, can become a paladin through practice. The sorcerer-king will either decide that the individual is worth or not, and they are each selected from within the ranks individuals all training in the hopes of one day being honored by becoming selected for this position. The bond formed between paladin and sorcerer-king is powerful, and yet fragile. It requires eternal diligence on the part of the paladin to ensure this link remains strong. Deviation from their path can result in the link becoming broken, and the paladin losing his power.

All paladins, regardless of background, of a specific sorcerer-king, recognize in each other this connection through their master, and thus have an unspoken amount of respect for each other. Paladins from different sorcerer-king are almost always at odds with each other, and frequently will find ways of eliminating their opposition one way or another.

Races: Humans are most often selected for paladins, but any race within a city-state has the possibility of becoming a paladin. Outside the city-states where the sorcerer-kings rule, paladins are virtually unheard of.

Other Classes: Paladins have respect for other martial-based classes like fighters and psychic warriors. They frequently work with templars of their city-states, as both are under the employ of the sorcerer-kings. They tend to work fairly well with lawful characters, but are opposed to characters who are good or chaotic. Anyone who their sorcerer-king is not directly opposed to, they generally are not. Charismatic, intimidating, and inspiring fear in people, paladins frequently demand leadership of a team.

Role: The paladin's chief role in most groups is as a melee combatant, but he contributes other useful support well. His frequently high Charisma opens him up into being a choice for leadership, if the party can deal with a tyrant leading them. Several of his abilities make him a valued member of any party when in combat.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Paladins have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma enhances a paladin's deadly touch, offensive capabilities, and undead rebuking ability. Strength is important for him or her because of its role in combat. Constitution is valuable for added Vitality, Wounds, and Fortitude saves.

Allegiance: Law, Evil, and their own sorcerer-king (in any order).

Vitality Die: d10.

Class Skills
The paladin's class skills (and the ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis). See Chapter 4 of the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier)

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Feb 27, 2008 23:55:19

Sidebar:

General, Bodyguard, Police
The sorcerer-kings’ paladins fill a wide variety of roles within a city-state for which they are custom-tailored. While each sorcerer-king may task them to perform any number of desired roles, the three main jobs paladins fill for all three of the remaining sorcerer-kings are that of military commanders, personal bodyguards (as well as bodyguards of high-ranking templars), and a police force that ensures the loyalty of the citizenry and templarate.

Paladins are most comfortable with the role of military commanders, as their abilities provide them with a number of advantages on the battlefield, as well as with directing their troops. As such, all sorcerer-kings’ standing armies are led by paladins, whose loyalty is completely assured.

Each sorcerer-king has a contingent of paladins that serve as their personal bodyguards, protecting their monarchs from any possible attacks. High-ranking templars also frequently are granted one or two paladins as bodyguards as well—which for those templars is both good and bad. Good, for the paladins are more than capable of defending that templar from harm, and bad, for the paladins are unswervingly loyal to the sorcerer-king, and are most likely keeping an eye on the templar they are protecting, to ensure loyalty.

Finally, paladins are found patrolling the city streets occasionally, checking in on merchants, and hunting down those that oppose the sorcerer-king (like the Veiled Alliance). As a police force, paladins are given the authority of judge, jury, and executioner in all disputes. As such, it is not uncommon for a paladin to perform a public execution of a suspected Veiled Alliance member, to be used as an example and force the Veiled Alliance to leave the city-state—to date, these “examples” have not all together worked as intended.

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Feb 28, 2008 0:20:38

Table: The Paladin

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Feb 28, 2008 0:32:40

The Paladin’s Mount
The Paladin’s mount is superior to a normal mount of its kind and has special powers, as described below. The standard mount for a medium paladin is a heavy warmount crodlu, the standard mount for a Small paladin is a domestic worker kank, and the standard mount for a Large paladin is an inix. The DM may work with you to select another kind of mount. A paladin’s mount is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats).

Paladin’s Mount Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the mount’s kind, but make changes to take into account the attributes and characteristics summarized on the table and described below.

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Feb 28, 2008 0:38:57

Ok, that's everything. This is a combination of the PHB paladin's mechanics, with some modifications from Unearthed Arcana (particularly, making the paladin be of other alignments, and not spellcasting), along with an infusion of the auras and a few other ideas from the Marshal class.

I did intentionally leave out certain city-states. I start my campaigns after the events of PP, so SK's that are dead, their paladins don't exist any more (well, they don't have power, at least). I intentionally do not spec out Oronis', Daskinor's, or Dregoth's paladins. They exist, that's to be certain -- but that is knowledge my players don't start with. Oronis' paladins would be Lawful Good, while Daskinor's would be Chaotic Evil -- and neither of them are even remotely what could be called a "typical" Athasian paladin. Dregoth's all are Dray, a race I don't typically have available for my players unless I am thoroughly convinced with a very, very in-depth explanation/background to permit it... even after the players discover Dregoth.

I built this class primarily as a reaction to the paladins in the Dragon and Dungeon magazine version of Dark Sun... because I strongly feel that PHB paladins have no place on Athas (even Oronis' paladins aren't typical PHB paladins, despite alignment/allegiance). So, I asked myself... what would be a paladin that would work for Dark Sun... and this was the result.

Oh, I know some of the levels for things seem a bit out of whack (like the paladin's mount, vs the table for when mounts get abilities)... some of those things are "throwbacks" from the different systems I used to build the class, and I never finished working out all the kinks...

mouthymerc

Feb 28, 2008 1:23:03

Interesting. I see and plan to use the dragon shaman (PHII) in a very similar role whenever I get back into DS.

I've always liked the idea of a paladin in the world of Dark Sun. Drop the spellcasting and add the variant paladin abilities from the Complete Warrior and you have the makings of a great wandering warrior out to right the wrongs in a doomed world. I wouldn't see many in the world, but I'd allow a player to run a character like that. It could create some great pathos.

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Feb 28, 2008 14:00:59

That's right, I forgot about that I had used info from Complete Warrior. So basically, this paladin is combined from elements of:

Player's Handbook Paladin
Complete Warrior for variant rules for non-spellcasting Paladins
Unearthed Arcana for ideas on Paladins that are for LE, CE, and CG alignments.
Miniatures Handbook for the Marshal class (borrowed the Auras and a few other things from it)

See, I don't think a crusader for good and justice really fits in Dark Sun, where harsh reality overrides many such impulses. Survivalism tends to be more important. I just don't see the idea of a paladin as presented from the Player's Handbook really fitting, which is what irked me about the way the Paladin was in the Dragon/Dungeon magazine rendition of Dark Sun. It just didn't feel right for me.

But, I got to thinking, if there were Paladins for Athas, that would most likely mean that some source of Divine power was behind it. Sure, there could be Elemental Paladins... Divine energy/magic comes from the Elemental (for the saake of argument I mean Paraelemental too) planes in Athas. Clerics draw energy straight from them, Druids get it from their Spirits of the Land, who in turn get the energy from the Elemental planes (equal shares of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water is how I visualize it). Templars get energy/magic from the Sorcerer-Kings, who are effectively something like magical "leeches" stealing the magical energy to empower their Templars. I don't use spellcasting Rangers.

So, then I looked at it this way.... does a Druidic Paladin make sense to me? Not really. If I wanted that, I'd probably have molded my Ranger or Druid to make more sense to it. Does an Elemental Paladin make sense to me? Not really, I see the Elements and Paraelements as both being essentially Neutral, Paladins would fall more along the lines of being aligned rather specifically in a non-Neutral position (Lawful Good, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Good, or Chaotic Evil). So, I turned down that notion. But, what *did* fit into that, was the Sorcerer-Kings.

Hamanu, Lalai-Puy, Nibenay, and Dregoth are all Lawful Evil. Oronis is Lawful Good, and Daskinor is Chaotic Evil. Very specifically aligned and not Neutral. For me, this seemed to fit the best with the Paladin ideal of being a champion of a specific cause or alignment.

I could have claimed another "source" of Divine Magic... but I wanted the Paladin to fit within the confines of Dark Sun, not be something that seems to be external to what already was lain (sic) out. So, I settled on the Sorcerer-Kings as the most logical choice for having Paladins. And Unearthed Arcana helped me with figuring out the composition/ideology of Paladins that are of Alignments other than Lawful Good.

I could have made the Paladins a new phenomenon, but I felt, once again, that would be a sort of "cop out" and makes them somewhat external to Dark Sun, rather than a part of Dark Sun innately. Then, I asked myself, "Why would there be no references of Paladins in Dark Sun, if they had existed as long as there were Sorcerer-Kings?" Well, the answer most obvious to me would be looking at other things around Dark Sun. There is a lot of evidence in the various materials that most people don't know the difference between Defiler and Preserver... so, what if people didn't necessarily know the difference between Templar and Paladin? What if there were orders of Templars that actually were Paladins? What if some of the duties of the Paladins were not so blatantly obvious? Basically, the Paladin would effectively be hiding in plain sight.

Hamanu was the most obvious Sorcerer-King for me to see Paladins with... Since Hamanu has a very militaristic sort of concept, his Paladins, to me, were his generals. Sure, there might be some Templars that are generals as well, but Hamanu, more definitively than the other remaining SK's, would have Paladins as his generals, leading his various armies into war. They don't rely on spells, but on cunning military tactics and their ability to inspire troops under their command to do what they want -- through fear, intimidation, and sheer physical strength.

For Lalai-Puy, it was a bit more difficult. I'd see her army primarily composed of Rangers, not Paladins... and I just don't see a Lawful Evil Paladin leading guerilla style warfare in forests. But, I do see a contingent of Paladins as her protectors (not that she needs them, but she keeps up appearances that she does... honestly, I think she'd potentially use them as cannon fodder at best to distract an opponent, or more deviously that she'd use them as a potential supply of life-energy for her to defile for a spell in a situation where she was truly threatened). But, I see Lalai-Puy as a very devious and manipulative individual, always playing herself off as one thing, when in actuality she is something completely different. Like the idea that she's actually trying to save the forests, or is somewhat aligned with the Preservers... I think it is all a charade, for her to try to get an edge or advantage over her peers.

For Nibenay... his Templars are already supposed to be his wives. So I'd rule the Paladins would be as well. And, I'd expect that the Paladins would be often used to keep the Templars in line, sort of a "secret police" of Nibenay's templarate. At the same time, leading the Nibenese armies in the continual fight against Gulg. AndNibenay would keep a selection of them around him constantly, possibly for a similar reason as Lalai-Puy... a back-up for him to use in case he becomes truly threatened. And, the Paladins would enforce his will ensuring the Templarate did what he wanted, even while he was busy working on his own personal schemes...

So, from all of that, I constructed the Paladin above. For other SK's, I had thought about them a bit. I could see Daskinor's paladins as being truly frightening -- meciless killers with no scruples and terrorizing the unfortunate citizens of Eldaarich (which the Prison-State of Eldaarich designs Athas.org has working fits quite well with what I envisioned for them). Dregoth's would most definitely be the generals of the Army of Light, they would all invariably be Generation 2 Dray (only the best are selected for such a position as the close servants of their god), training Dregoth's Army, and preparing to lead it in his campaign against his former peers.

Finally, there is Oronis... his Paladins would be on the one hand, the closest to a PHB paladin in ideals, while on the other hand, something completely different. I see Oronis as not wanting to make anyone a Paladin. But, I could see that there are people from New Kurn who feel that the Avangion needs to be protected, so they would volunteer for the task (something Oronis is loathe to see, as he can't stand the idea of more people dying for him or in his place). Their insistance has resulted in Oronis making these people into his Paladins... mostly so then they might "have a chance", as he sees it arms them better for the task than if he did not make them Paladins. I'd say his Paladins primarily are guarding and protecting him. They also are a primary source for keeping the people of New Kurn ready to defend their homes against incursion in general, or from Daskinor's madhouse specifically.

lhurgyof

Feb 28, 2008 14:22:58

How about Dray Paladins of Dregoth? In the game I play in, the only race that can be paladins are Dray, and they must (well, they really don't have to) try to convert people to worship Dregoth. Their mount is some big spider.

cnahumck

Feb 28, 2008 14:46:04

snip

Xlore... I love this stuff. Great take on a concept and showing how it could have always been there. I kinda wish it was part of the core DS rules.

#10

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Feb 28, 2008 15:53:02

How about Dray Paladins of Dregoth? In the game I play in, the only race that can be paladins are Dray, and they must (well, they really don't have to) try to convert people to worship Dregoth. Their mount is some big spider.

I explained Dregoth's paladins a bit after the write-up. As I said, I intentionally don't divulge information about Dregoth to my players in the "player's guide" book I pieced together, because Dregoth isn't common knowledge in Athas for my campaigns.

Yes, Dregoth's paladins would be Dray, exclusively. They would be his hand-picked elite, that serve as the military commanders and instructors of Dregoth's Army of Light. They would be fearsome, and would most likely only be found in capacities befitting those of such high position in New Giustenal's forces. They would be extremists, fanatics (fundamentalists?) of Dregoth's ideal.

Xlore... I love this stuff. Great take on a concept and showing how it could have always been there. I kinda wish it was part of the core DS rules.

Thanks, and I'll take that as a huge compliment. Unfortunately, since I am relying on non-OGL, non-core material (Complete Warrior & the Miniatures Handbook), I don't think it really could be fit into the DS core. Of course, it may be visited again when 4E comes out, especially as it appears there are class ideas in 4E that would fit quite well with this concept.

I'll admit that part of my inspiration was the Emperor's Royal Guard from Star Wars, as basically elite bodyguards of the Sorcerer-Kings, but there are other influences on the overall design as well.

Oh, and I understand there are those who dislike the idea campaigns with evil characters. But I figure that if the campaign allows for Defilers and Templars, not to mention cannibalistic/carnivorous races like the Halfling or Thri-Kreen already, there is room for this kind of Paladin. I tend to favor Dark Sun campaigns with characters that have Neutral or Evil alignments (or allegiances in my campaigns), over those with Good. I just tend to think the harsh nature of Athas ends up destroying most lofty ideas in favor of plain survival.