The Forsworn Alternate Class (PFRPG) PDF

I love this take on classic mythology. It is a bit restrictive in the code of conduct, but a group/GM that gets in on the character stories will enjoy this class.

Ssalarn nicely summed up the mechanics of it: I'll talk flavor.

The gender restriction/eunuch stuff is mostly fluff. It's totally easy to ignore if it doesn't float your boat, and I recommend you get over it because this alternate class is so pumped full of clever flavor that I salivate just thinking about it.

There are essentially two options available (pegasus or unicorn), and both are bomb - particularly at low-level. For those campaigns that might not get far, this allows your paladin to truly stand out. The level 1 start with a magical mount can make for unusual and refreshing takes on the ol' stalwart paladin. In some ways, the added emphasis on the mount makes this class stray into cavalier territory, and trust me, if you're going for a mount that early, you're not gonna want to let your character get separated from it.

I can imagine many DMs frowning at getting the magical mount so early, but it's not the full creature (it advances at certain points), and on top of that the paladin gives up some major, significant abilities in order to get there. In the end, however, it's really no different to have a level 7 paladin with an optional-variant unicorn mount AND full Lay on Hands progression when compared with a level 7 forsworn and Bard-progression of a few druid spells. The forsworn pally just had a funner time getting there.

4/5 stars, great for low levels, new takes on an old class, and stunning for the low price of free. excellent material.

I wrote a huge breakdown of this supplement only to have it devoured by the internet gremlins that lurk in the Paizo servers, so I may make this a little more succinct than I would otherwise.

The Forsworn is a Paladin archetype that is really more of an advanced class trying to save on page count. While it uses the base Paladin chassis, several of the changes are very noticeable and make a huge difference in playstyle-

*The class uses a 3/4 BAB progression instead of the traditional Paladin full BAB.

*The class gains 6 level spellcasting off the druid spell list starting at level 1 instead of the normal delayed 4 level spellcasting.

*The class does not gain Lay on Hands or Mercies.

*You gain the services of a loyal unicorn or pegasus mount starting from 1st level.

*You have an extremely strict and expanded Code of Conduct

A lot of these features are cool, some of them are a little more questionable, not in whether they're thematic, but more as to whether they were completely necessary. One of the biggest items is the fact that you lose both Lay on Hands and your Paladin code prohibits you from receiving touch spells from allies. In the case of the unicorn riding Forsworn this also creates a small amount of confusion, as technically, according to their code, they cannot even receive the benefits of the unicorn's Cure spell SLA's, which I'm fairly certain were intended to help compensate for the loss of Lay on Hands.

Still, the class makes a great addition to a group of true heroes, drawing on Arthurian inspirations and providing unique and flavorful options both in and out of combat. In some ways the class is uniquely "complete", in that from levels 1-20 you really feel like you're playing the exact character concept you signed up for.

For a free supplement, this is an incredible deal.