Paladin of Erastil


Advice


Couple questions:

1.) why would a paladin of Erastil go adventuring if Erastil I'd all about helping your community and raising a family?

The campaign doesn't involve a local town, but rather large scale wars and intrigue, perhaps culminating in an interplanar war. Erastil is appealing though for his simple beliefs and lack of preachy messages that may annoy the party. I've also been wanting a dexterous knight character for awhile as well.

2.) would a dip into ranger be mechanically viable?

It makes sense from the perspective that the character is from a small town/ hamlet village thing, and was a hunter and militia man before becoming a paladin. A one or two level dip seems quite effective, but perhaps straight paladin is better?

3.) what feats are good beyond the usual archery feats, for a paladin?

Any help is appreciated!


1) Perhaps the town you felt responsible was wiped out in the start of that war and you are about to find those responsible or searching for survivors?


Hm... Not bad. I was leaning towards a proactive "protection" that brings the fight away from home.

We have an ongoing joke in my group about family/villages being killed/pillaged/burned. We had a guy whose backstory was always this, and then seeking revenge or being mentored/taken in and be trained. No matter his class, or whether taken in by a thieves guild or church, it was the same, and the character hated x creature/organisation.

It kind of spoiled the basic revenge backstory for the rest of us.


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Hector Gwath wrote:
1.) why would a paladin of Erastil go adventuring if Erastil I'd all about helping your community and raising a family?

Paladins are under no more obligation to be preachy than clerics or druids are. Lead by example. And a city/nation/world are communities just as much as a village is.

Hector Gwath wrote:

2.) would a dip into ranger be mechanically viable?

It makes sense from the perspective that the character is from a small town/ hamlet village thing, and was a hunter and militia man before becoming a paladin. A one or two level dip seems quite effective, but perhaps straight paladin is better?

Divine Hunter is a great archetype for the paladin of Erastil, and a couple of others are also appropriate for Erastil. Dipping ranger is viable if you run up against a certain kind of foe a lot, and want the skill-ranks, but pure Paladin works just fine too.

Hector Gwath wrote:
3.) what feats are good beyond the usual archery feats, for a paladin?

That depends on the role you intend to fulfil. Taking the archery feats will probably push your feats to the limit in any event, but Extra Mercies and Extra Lay on Hands are good if you are going to end up Party Healer as well as archer, and Forbidden Knowledge is a good one to add some spells to your list.


I am aware Paladins need not be preachy, i refuse to play them unless i have come up with a very convincing, thorough, and unique story that MUST include a lack of preachiness. I have seen too many poorly played paladins, I won't fall into that trap.

I don't like Divine Hunter. So... I was planning on core Paladin.

I am going to end up being a healer I think, I was planning on Extra Lay on Hands. Helps me or them, as the situation demands.

As for Forbidden Knowledge, I do love that feat. However, do you not need access to a domain?

EDIT: Unsanctioned Knowledge, right? right, just Paladin spells, Im not sure where i got the idea you needed a Domain...

Lantern Lodge

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1) All the women in the town have snubbed your Paladin. Desperate to start a family, he goes adventuring to find a wife. (Works vice versa for a lady paladin.)

:P


Erastil sends you on the Epic Crusade. The search for the Holy Veil! A high priestess of Erastil in distress, being kept who knows where! She is being kept by an evil sorcerer who must have her for himself, and is slowly eroding her will to stand against him. Will the Paladin save her in time, will she fall madly in love with her Savior?


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Paladin of Erastil works best in a story where you are adventuring to directly protect your community. If you don't have that, consider making a Paladin whose race doesn't normally worship Erastil & who are themselves not normally allowed into communities who do. Then your character may be adventuring to find a community to protect/join. As far as preachy-ness goes, it's real simple, do you talk about what is wrong, or do you do something about what is wrong? If you are playing a Paladin of Erastil, that choice should be simple. Apply the Weatherwax maxim.

If the name doesn't make it obvious, that is what I did with this character.

Silver Crusade

1. A Paladin of Erastil may go adventuring because:
- He wants to send money to his home village.
- His village is protected/well cared for already, and he striking out to find his own community.
- His village is destroyed and he is seeking vengeance, or he has achieved vengeance and now he wants to strike at evil at its heart.
- He's young, and slightly restless, and wants to explore the world a little before settling down.
- Erastil said in a dream, "Get off your lazy butt and start working on this problem before everyone is hurt by your inaction." Or by omens. Or by a band of 13 dwarves and their wizard friend.
- The cleric of Erastil told him he would be a better protector with a little real world experience.
- He has a true calling to Erastil, but was born where the worship of Erastil is difficult, such as Egorian (the capital of a large devil worshiping country).
- There is something his village needs, information, and new disease resistant crop type, a cure for the wasting disease, to recover the founding stone of initiation, ect.
- He fell in love with the ancient mayor's young wife, and leaving the village is a lesser crime against his vows.

2. A core Paladin my take a level dip into Ranger because:
- RP requires a favored enemy.
- Expanded skill list. Bonus feats.
- Adds additional Ranger spells to your spell list. Even if you don't reach Ranger spell casting levels, wands which cast Ranger spells will be helpful.
- You want to be like your favorite Paladin/Ranger from fiction: Lone Ranger, Aragorn, (some depictions of) Robin Hood, Hiawatha.

3. Options a Paladin with a smattering of Ranger may think about (non-core, obvious):
- What race are you? Straight up human. A bow and two-weapon wielding Halfling on a war dog is a legitimate choice for a dexterity based paladin.
- Word of Healing (UC) to Lay on Hands at a distance as you seem to want archery.
- Boon Companion (seeker of secrets), +4 to effective druid level for animal companions up to you level. Assuming you get an animal companion, will eliminate some the multiclassing penalty.


You could always have started as a Ranger at first level for flavor. Then maybe something happened that supplanted your community. A war, politics, a flood, maybe famine or drought or poverty dispersed the community. But if they had only stayed together maybe they could have toughed it out and saved their community. Specifically, what I mean is that it doesnt have to be a revenge thing or a catastrophic disaster.

This could have deeply affected your character such that he became a Paladin and swore to travel and help others against whatever forces threaten to undermine their communities. If he has no community or home of his own, at least he can travel and try to protect and motivate others.

Anyway then from level 2 onward, rock the Paladin action.


I was thinking of a sort of rustic protector, a local sheriff drawn into bigger problems. You know, he hunted the occasional threatening monster or brigand, maybe rare local murderer. Nothing big.

The only reason I am going with Erastil is that rustic, small community feel, and the archery bit that goes with it.

IF there was another god that fit the bill as well, but maybe promoted travel more.

EDIT: I like a lot of the ideas posted above, I'm going to have a good think about this, thanks everyone!

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Hector Gwath wrote:

Couple questions:

1.) why would a paladin of Erastil go adventuring if Erastil I'd all about helping your community and raising a family?

The campaign doesn't involve a local town, but rather large scale wars and intrigue, perhaps culminating in an interplanar war. Erastil is appealing though for his simple beliefs and lack of preachy messages that may annoy the party. I've also been wanting a dexterous knight character for awhile as well.

Proactive is better than reactive, you're right. If your community is going to be threatened, better to meet the threat where it is now than wait for it to come home. And of course, a paladin might feel a sense of community with a larger range than just a village.

Hector Gwath wrote:

2.) would a dip into ranger be mechanically viable?

It makes sense from the perspective that the character is from a small town/ hamlet village thing, and was a hunter and militia man before becoming a paladin. A one or two level dip seems quite effective, but perhaps straight paladin is better?

One or two levels won't hurt you too bad. It's all about what abilities you want and what suits the character. Plus, not everyone hears the call at first level.


Some people, mostly children, have been disappearing around the country and you have decided to return them to their Families. And to remove the cause of them.


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Azaelas Fayth wrote:
Some people, mostly children, have been disappearing around the country and you have decided to return them to their Families. And to remove the cause of them.

That is just Plain EVIL!

1. Your going to save the kids. Good

2. Return the kids to their families. Better

3. Kill the kids parents as they are the reason for the kids. Evil, especially now your doing it in front of the the saved kids who are now orphans. WTG!

Please ignore my RAW humor....just having some fun while I am sick at home and can't sleep.


Hector Gwath wrote:


1.) why would a paladin of Erastil go adventuring if Erastil I'd all about helping your community and raising a family?

The campaign doesn't involve a local town, but rather large scale wars and intrigue, perhaps culminating in an interplanar war. Erastil is appealing though for his simple beliefs and lack of preachy messages that may annoy the party. I've also been wanting a dexterous knight character for awhile as well.

<snip>
It makes sense from the perspective that the character is from a small town/ hamlet village thing, and was a hunter and militia man before becoming a paladin.

Saying that some deity is "all about x" is usually too much of a simplification to really capture the many different things a god is about. Helping a local community and raising a family are certainly important, but clearly Erastil isn't all about that or he'd be doing it too. His example suggests there is space for helping communities far and wide and dealing with broader issues as necessary. And I think you are on the right track to doing so in an Erastilian way. You just need to give yourself permission to see Erastil as being about something beyond being "all about helping your community and raising a family".

Being a paladin, helping people out far and wide with simple beliefs and non-preachy messages even if not directly involved in a single community or family sounds like a great idea to me.


Dont forget, you could be a Paladin of the Neutral Good deities out there. Ylimancha is a Neutral Good deity who favors the bow. Of course, Ylimancha is more of a coastal / port / birds / ocean spray kinda entity. But there are probably lots of other Neutral Good deities and Empyreal Lords out there.

But Erastil is cool. I hate most of the neutral and good major/top-tier Golarion deities for the most part, but Paizo did succeed in making about the only Lawful Good deity I have ever liked in a fantasy setting, ever. Well not counting female halfling goddesses of marriage and such. :)

So kudos on the Erastil character. Good stuff.


Yeah, Erastil is the only lawful good god I've ever really WANTED to be a paladin for... i got forced into a Paladin of Lathander in 3.5 which i ended up enjoying, but its not the same.


Yeah Erastil is pretty slick. You could play up the rustic aspect and have him dip/chew. :)

"Now son, thats just not right. Comin' around these parts and hitting old ladies? Well I cant let that pass. No sir." *spit* *drawSword*

Silver Crusade

Here's a feat from Faiths of Purity, common to the faith of Erastil.

Bullseye Shot (Combat)
You slow your breath, calm yourself, and hit the bullseye, just as you were trained to.
Prerequisites: Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, base attack bonus +5.
Benefit: You can spend a move action to steady your shot. When you do, you gain a +4 bonus on the next ranged attack roll you make before the end of your turn.


Yeah, i have access to faiths of purity... I was actually more excited about the "extra" spells in gods and magic... they specify certain spells that clerics and paladins of a given god can cast (Erastil, if I recall, allowed animal messenger and goodberry, for example). And whatever that touch attack shocking arrow spell under Erastils entry is, thats pretty nifty as well.


Rogar Stonebow wrote:
Azaelas Fayth wrote:
Some people, mostly children, have been disappearing around the country and you have decided to return them to their Families. And to remove the cause of them.

That is just Plain EVIL!

1. Your going to save the kids. Good

2. Return the kids to their families. Better

3. Kill the kids parents as they are the reason for the kids. Evil, especially now your doing it in front of the the saved kids who are now orphans. WTG!

Please ignore my RAW humor....just having some fun while I am sick at home and can't sleep.

Yeah sorry that was meant to say the cause of them disappearing. My freaking Laptop hates me. And Erastil is my favorite Deity.


The Hospitaler archetype seems to fit this character. His main focus is healing and helping people rather than combat and hunting. If you are human and spend a couple of points on INT you will have enough skill points to pick up some skills. Use traits to get some extra class skills and you should be good. With an oath of charity you will be able to match a cleric for healing while still having decent combat ability.

As for feats you probably want precise shot which also means point blank shot. If you are concentrating on combat the next feat should be rapid shot. Deadly aim is not as necessary for a paladin as other archers since he has smite evil to add some damage.

You also have some good noncombat feats. Greater Mercy will boost your healing even more. Rewards of life will allow you to heal others and get some healing for yourself as well. Word of healing will allow you to heal at range.


Hector Gwath wrote:

Hm... Not bad. I was leaning towards a proactive "protection" that brings the fight away from home.

We have an ongoing joke in my group about family/villages being killed/pillaged/burned. We had a guy whose backstory was always this, and then seeking revenge or being mentored/taken in and be trained. No matter his class, or whether taken in by a thieves guild or church, it was the same, and the character hated x creature/organisation.

It kind of spoiled the basic revenge backstory for the rest of us.

That still leave the possibility of rescue/closure route if people are taken as slaves/sacrifices/afternoon snacks. It would provide you with a very community based reason to adventure, provide your GM with plenty of material to throw around, and can be generally fun. While playing Liam Neeson with a bow and armor might not be original, it can end up being memorable at least.

Starting as a ranger and becoming a paladin as you quest to protect your town would be a good character arc. The Fey foundling feat is typically suggested for paladin optimization, but since you will have a rather decent connection with nature, you might be able to play it off well. It would also help to give you a deeper connection with the whole community rather than just a single family as they shared the responsibility of raising you.


These are all great ways to put it , but how about magic and technology being the same ( ex. heavy armor and spells )as evil as they can reference greed and power. Erastil being a traditional god can mean light, with this referencing star wars and being one with nature ?

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