The specific case is the following. I want a Paladin to have the Ki Channel feat, so that he can act as a recharger for his Monk (Contemplative, Sensei, Ki Mystic, Qinggong) friend. Fine.
One of the requirements for the feat is that you have to be a worshipper of Irori. Now, if we were talking about a cleric, it would be clear what that meant, but Paladins don't have Patrons in the same way (unless they take the Sacred Servant archetype).
So, two questions really, one mechanical, and one more thematic
The mechanical one. If this Paladin "worships" Irori, in the sense of offering prayers, does that prevent him from worshipping other deities, and thus prevent him from qualifying for *their* feats? Rule references are appreciated if possible.
If the answer to the first question is "yes", does this character have to be a Paladin OF Irori. I mean, he could be, but it doesn't entirely fit the theme I was going for.
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The Golarion setting -
Please note that for the Golarion setting, it has been made clear by Paizo many times that in Golarion, all divine classes other then the Druids, Rangers and Oracles need to worship a deity. It is setting requirement. That is why you don't see deity-less clerics in Golarion. The world setting requires divine classes to have a deity.
The part of a Paladin or Oracle need could be deity-less in the CRB is part of a grandfathering of 3.5 rules into Pathfinder. Pathfinder is meant to be backwards compatible with 3.5 rules.
PFS campaign rule -
In PFS, as explained in the Guide to Society gameplay, it is a PFS rule that divine classes must choose and worship a deity. The Deity must also be one that is available for worship, aka it must be in the core assumption or in the additional resources. That is why you can't make a cleric of the outer gods, as an example.
(Please check the PFS guide for further clarification.)
On the mechanical and thematic question -
Yes, for PFS, you need to worship a deity, this will lock you out from the feat/spells options of other deities. You can role-play paying lip service to other deities, but you can't worship them the same way you do your chosen deity. If you want the Ki Channel feat, you have to worship Irori to access it. The worship is a requirement. For thematic reasons, threat it like it is something only Irorians knows.
If you are in a Golarion setting campaign, then you are required by the setting to worship Irori to access the feat. Again, it could be treated that the knowledge on how to Ki Channel is something only Irori Paladins knows.
However, if you are in a homebrew, even if it is one that is set in Golarion, then all the above is mooted, as it now totally depends on your GM. Does he or she, allows you to worship multiple deities? Does your GM require you to be a paladin or Irori? All this can only be answered by your gm.
So Summary,
PFS - Yes
Golarion setting - Yes
Homebrew - Ask your GM
Oh, sorry, I should have said I don't care about PFS, and saved you some trouble.
The rest of your answer, especially regarding the Golarion Setting (didn't realize that you had to have a deity as a Paladin; that is useful to know) is very useful, so thanks for that.
Oh, sorry, I should have said I don't care about PFS, and saved you some trouble.
The rest of your answer, especially regarding the Golarion Setting (didn't realize that you had to have a deity as a Paladin; that is useful to know) is very useful, so thanks for that.
I just want to say technically that is only true in PFS in a home game your GM can run adventures in the Golarion Setting but say that you don't need to worship a Deity as a Paladin/Cleric.
But as Secane said; PFS=Yes, Anything else=Ask your GM
There's no GM; this is a theoretical character, so I'm trying to figure out the best rule-supported view of the situation. :)
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Glad that it helps.
If its any consideration, Irori Paladins are noted by the designers to be very rare. And their relation as paladins to Irori is a very personal one, hence they are like the only Paladins that don't have an "order" or a fix set of paladin codes (Most other deities have a set of codes for their paladins.)
So feel free to whip up a set of paladin codes for your Irorian paladin.
I also have to assume you have seen the Iroran Paladin, paladin archetype and discarded that ideal.
So if Ki Channel is the focus of this build, why not try a Warpriest/Monk of Irori instead? Or a Cleric/Monk? May be something you can try out. I see such a character as more similar to real life Buddhist monks that do practice martial arts.
I had not seen the archetype, no, so thanks for that. However, it does not fit the concept I'm going for (and also doesn't have Channel Energy, so oddly can't do Ki Channel). The Paladin in question is one who seeks perfection through holiness. His personal path is to purge all wickedness and selfish instinct from his soul, and to fill it purely with compassion instead. I'll have to work on a specific code.
He has an adventuring partner, a Monk (Contemplative, Sensei, Ki Mystic, Qinggong), and the idea of the Ki Channel is that the two of them have been working together for so long that they have synchronized their life forces in a way: The Paladin's Ki Channel is a way of sharing his energies with his Monk buddy.
I do appreciate the suggestion of alternate builds, but I like the idea of a Paladin & Monk partnership more than two monk buddies.
I had not seen the archetype, no, so thanks for that. However, it does not fit the concept I'm going for (and also doesn't have Channel Energy, so oddly can't do Ki Channel). The Paladin in question is one who seeks perfection through holiness. His personal path is to purge all wickedness and selfish instinct from his soul, and to fill it purely with compassion instead. I'll have to work on a specific code.
He has an adventuring partner, a Monk (Contemplative, Sensei, Ki Mystic, Qinggong), and the idea of the Ki Channel is that the two of them have been working together for so long that they have synchronized their life forces in a way: The Paladin's Ki Channel is a way of sharing his energies with his Monk buddy.
I do appreciate the suggestion of alternate builds, but I like the idea of a Paladin & Monk partnership more than two monk buddies.
Faiths and philosophies introduced pantheon worship, so the rule that have to exclusively worship 1 deity is not a requirement anymore. Its the same for the green faith, that is a valid worship, yet not a single deity. Clerics are the only ones who are forced into singular worship.
If you want a paladin that worships every deity he finds useful. go right ahead. Paladins of the Godclaw certainly do.