<div class='pageNumber'>1</div> # Paladin Clad in plate armor that gleams in the sunlight despite the dust and grime of long travel, a human lays down her sword and shield and places her hands on a mortally wounded man. Divine radiance shines from her hands, the man's wounds knit closed, and his eyes open wide with amazement. A dwarf crouches behind an outcrop, his black cloak making him nearly invisible in the night, and watches an orc war band celebrating its recent victory. Silently, he stalks into their midst and whispers an oath, and two orcs are dead before they even realize he is there. Silver hair shining in a shaft of light that seems to illuminate only him, an elf laughs with exultation. His spear flashes like his eyes as he jabs again and again at a twisted giant, until at last his light overcomes its hideous darkness. Whatever their origin and their mission, paladins are united by their oaths to stand against the forces of evil. Whether sworn before a god's altar and the witness of a priest, in a sacred glade before nature spirits and fey beings, or in a moment of desperation and grief with the dead as the only witness, a paladin's oath is a powerful bond. It is a source of power that turns a devout warrior into a blessed champion. ### The Cause of Righteousness A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Different paladins focus on various aspects of the cause of righteousness, but all are bound by the oaths that grant them power to do their sacred work. Although many paladins are devoted to gods of good, a paladin's power comes as much from a commitment to justice itself as it does from a god. Paladins train for years to learn the skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. Even so, their martial skills are secondary to the magical power they wield: power to heal the sick and injured, to smite the wicked and the undead, and to protect the innocent and those who join them in the fight for justice. ### Beyond the Mundane Life Almost by definition, the life of a paladin is an adventuring life. Unless a lasting injury has taken him or her away from adventuring for a time, every paladin lives on the front lines of the cosmic struggle against evil. Fighters are rare enough among the ranks of the militias and armies of the world, but even fewer people can claim the true calling of a paladin. When they do receive the call, these warriors turn from their former occupations and take up arms to fight evil. Sometimes their oaths lead them into the service of the crown as leaders of elite groups of knights, but even then their loyalty is first to the cause of righteousness, not to crown and country. <img src='https://legendsofwindemere.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/paladin.jpg' style='width:325px' /> Adventuring paladins take their work seriously. A delve into an ancient ruin or dusty crypt can be a quest driven by a higher purpose than the acquisition of treasure. Evil lurks in dungeons and primeval forests, and even the smallest victory against it can tilt the cosmic balance away from oblivion. ### Creating a Paladin The most important aspect of a paladin character is the nature of his or her holy quest. Although the class features related to your oath don't appear until you reach 3rd level, plan ahead for that choice by reading the oath descriptions at the end of the class. Are you a devoted servant of good. loyal to the gods of justice and honor, a holy knight in shining armor venturing forth to smite evil? Are you a glorious champion of the light, cherishing everything beautiful that stands against the shadow, a knight whose oath descends from traditions older than many of the gods? Or are you an embittered loner sworn to take vengeance on those who have done great evil, sent as an angel of death by the gods or driven by your need for revenge? Appendix B lists many deities worshiped by paladins throughout the multiverse, such as Torm, Tyr, Heironeous, Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, DoI Arrah, the Silver Flame, Bahamut, Athena, Re-Horakhty, and Heimdall. \pagebreakNum <div class='pageNumber'>2</div> <div class='classTable wide'> ### The Paladin | Paladin Level | Prof Bonus | Features |1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th| |:----:|:----:|:-------------|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | 1st | +2 | Divine Sense, Divine Smite | — | — | — | — | — | | 2nd | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Fighting Style, Lay on Hands, Spellcasting | 2 | — | — | — | — | | 3rd | +2 | Sacred Oath | 3 | — | — | — | — | | 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Divine Health | 3 | — | — | — | — | | 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | | 6th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Aura of Protection (10', +2) | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | | 7th | +3 | Sacred Oath feature | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | | 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Aura Improvement (Courage) | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | | 9th | +4 | - | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | | 10th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Aura Improvement (15') | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | | 11th | +4 | Channel Divinity (2/rest) | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | | 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement, Divine Strike | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | | 13th | +5 | - | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | | 14th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement, Aura Improvement (20', +3) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | | 15th | +5 | Sacred Oath feature | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | | 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement, Aura Improvement (25') | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | | 17th | +6 | - | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | | 18th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement, Aura Improvement (30', +4) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | | 19th | +6 | Feat | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | | 20th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement, Sacred Oath feature | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | </div> How did you experience your call to serve as a paladin? Did you hear a whisper from an unseen god or angel while you were at prayer? Did another paladin sense the potential within you and decide to train you as a squire? Or did some terrible event - the destruction of your home, perhaps - drive you to your quests? Perhaps you stumbled into a sacred grove or a hidden elven enclave and found yourself called to protect all such refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your earliest memories that the paladin's life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on your soul. As guardians against the forces of wickedness, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct yourself before gods and mortals. Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behaviour that you have not yet attained. \columnbreak ## Quick Build You can make a paladin quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the noble background. ## Class Features As a paladin, you gain the following class features. #### Hit Points **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 10 + your Constitution modifier **Hit Points at 2nd and 3rd Levels:** The higher of 1d10 or 6 + your Constitution modifier per paladin level **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** Roll 1d10 (reroll a result of 1) + your Constitution modifier per paladin level \pagebreakNum <div class='pageNumber'>3</div> #### Proficiencies **Armour:** Light, medium and heavy armour, shields **Weapons:** Simple weapons, martial weapons **Tools:** None **Saving Throws:** Wisdom, Charisma **Skills:** Choose two skills from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion and Religion #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: * (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons * (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon * (a) a priest's pack or (b) an explorer's pack * Chain mail and a holy symbol ### Divine Sense The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses. ### Divine Smite Starting at 1st level, once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can invoke divine power to do additional damage. You may add a number of Smite Dice up to the number of your proficiency bonus to the damage dealt. Smite Dice are d8 and do radiant damage. You have a number of Smite Dice equal to your Paladin level and regain spent Smite Dice after a long rest. Smite dice are not weapon dice, so they are not rolled twice on a critical hit. ### Ability Score Improvement When you reach 2nd level and again at 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th and 20th level, you can increase an ability score of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. ### Fighting Style At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as a specialty. Choose one of the following options. When you gain a paladin level you may change your fighting style to another one of the ones listed here if you wish. \columnbreak #### Challenge You may spend a bonus action in combat to challenge a foe. The foe must have been the target of an attack you made this turn, or, alternatively, you may make a spoken challenge in which case the foe must be within 30 feet and understand the language that you use to make the challenge. The challenged foe will suffer a penalty equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) to any attack roll they make against a target other than you until the end of your next turn. #### Defense While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. #### Dueling When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon. #### Great Weapon Fighting When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit. #### Mounted combat When fighting from a mount you gain +2 to animal handling checks and +2 to damage rolls. #### Parrying When you have been hit by a melee weapon attack you may use your reaction to add half of your proficiency bonus (rounded up) to your AC, which may cause the attack to miss. #### Protection When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of You, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield. ### Lay on Hands Your blessed touch can heal. You gain access to the following spells at the level specified. Once gained the spell is always prepared and does not count against the number of spells that you can prepare each day. ##### Lay on Hands Spells | Paladin Level | Spells | |:----:|:-------------| | 2nd | Cure Wounds | | 5th | Lesser Restoration | | 9th | Remove Curse | ### Spellcasting By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the paladin spell list. \pagebreakNum <div class='pageNumber'>4</div> #### Preparing and Casting Spells The Paladin table shows how many spell slots you have to cast spells. To cast one of your paladin spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spells slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of paladin spells that are available for your to cast, choosing from the paladin spell list. When you do so, choose a number of paladin spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your paladin level. The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you are a 5th level paladin, you have four 1st level and two 2nd level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st level or a 2nd level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells. You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. #### Spellcasting Ability Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. **Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier **Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier #### Spellcasting Focus You can use a holy symbol (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your paladin spells. ### Sacred Oath When you reach 3rd level, you swear the oath that binds you as a paladin forever. Up to this time you have been in a preparatory stage, committed to the path but not yet sworn in. Now you choose the Oath of Devotion, the Oath of the Ancients, or the Oath of Vengeance. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th and 20th level. These features include oath spells and the Channel Divinity feature. #### Oath Spells Each oath has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the oath description. Once you gain access to an oath spell, you always have it prepared. Oath spells don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain an oath spell that doesn't appear on the paladin spell list, the spell is nonetheless a paladin spell for you. #### Channel Divinity Your oath allows you to channel divine energy to fuel magical effects. Each Channel Divinity option provided by your oath explains how to use it. When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your paladin spell save DC. Beginning at 11th level, you can use your Channel Divinity twice between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses. ### Divine Health By 4th level, the divine magic flowing through you makes you immune to disease. ### Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. ### Aura of Protection From 6th level, your will and presence is so strong that it manifests in a magical aura that surrounds you to a range of 10 feet all of the time as long as you are conscious. It has the effect of protecting you and all friendly creatures within the area. Its initial protective power is that when you or a protected creature must make a saving throw against an attack, you and the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw of +2. This bonus applies against attacks, it does not apply against a natural effect such as where you are required to make a saving throw against gaining exhaustion from a forced march. At 8th level, your Aura of Protection is enhanced with an additional kind of protection: you and friendly creatures within the aura cannot be frightened. At 12th level, the range of this aura increases to 15 feet. At 14th level, the range of this aura increases to 20 feet, and the saving throw bonus gained is +3. At 16th level, the range of this aura increases to 25 feet. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet, and the saving throw bonus gained is +4. ### Divine Strike Beginning at 12th level, all of your melee weapon strikes are infused with divine energy. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. You may combine divine strike and divine smite damage to devastate your foes. ### Feat At 19th level you gain one feat of your choice.