Restricted Gods for Paladins

[Buri]

On a few occasions, I talked about making a paladin of Cayden Cailean and my GM and a friend said you couldn't do that. They mentioned that you had to be within one step and as paladins have to be LG, the twain could never meet. Looking into this, I only see this one step alignment restriction on clerics. They're heavy PFS players. Is this a PFS provision or is this mentioned somewhere else?

[Starglim]

This is a PFS rule. As you say, the paladin class as written doesn't restrict what alignment the paladin's deity can have, nor does it require her to worship a deity. The GM might rule on which deities have orders of paladins in a setting or whether a lone paladin's association with a particular deity would "consistently [offend] her moral code" (page 64).

I'd say Cayden Cailean could work well as a patron, though he's unlikely to have an organised paladin order.

[blahpers]

Concept idea: A paladin of Cayden Cailean whose life's mission is to "rehabilitate" his own deity.

[Buri]

A paladin of Cayden Cailean would almost double a little as an inquisitor: to make sure in all the partying everything is consensual. ;)

It never made sense to me. I should introduce one in the game I run. Muwahaha.

[Krodjin]

blahpers wrote:

Concept idea: A paladin of Cayden Cailean whose life's mission is to "rehabilitate" his own deity.

I like it. I like it a lot.

[Michael Sayre]

As mentioned, PFS is the only place where Paladins have anything resembling an official restriction on what deity they can serve. I'm not sure that even that rule existed before the infamous ""Paladins of Asmodeus" scenario.

[blahpers]

Heh, I love that scenario.

[Dieben]

I play a paladin of Shelyn who is medic dependent on a fluff-version of LSD (no mechanical effect beyond role playing and giving an explanation for my Wisdom dump stat.

In my opinion, paladins should be able to worship any LG, NG, CG, or LN deity.

[Bizbag]

Paladins are mentioned as drawing their power from deities in the fluff, but nowhere mechanically. As long as the deity doesn't inherently run contrary to the paladin's oaths (like evil deities would), a Paladin could see himself as serving any deity they like; they're bound to law and good, not to a deity's agenda.

[phantom1592]

interestingly, the Faiths of Purity book seems to go with the 'one step' philosophy too. There are alternate Paladin codes for Erastil, Sarenrae, Shelyn Torag, and Iomedae.....

Basically any deities that are LG or NG.... the CG deities seem right out.

I do think that if the god has a specific set of values... and Paladins have to be LG and can't MATCH those values... then he's not really the pinnacle of that god's following.

The one step may have only been listed on the cleric, but I think that in Golarion that's the way they want to play it with Paladins too.

[Buri]

Interesting observation. That could allude to something.

[The Golux]

I'm pretty sure it's difficult to follow a god at all if you're more than one step removed without being at least slightly heretical.

[jlighter]

phantom1592 wrote:

interestingly, the Faiths of Purity book seems to go with the 'one step' philosophy too. There are alternate Paladin codes for Erastil, Sarenrae, Shelyn Torag, and Iomedae.....

Basically any deities that are LG or NG.... the CG deities seem right out.

I do think that if the god has a specific set of values... and Paladins have to be LG and can't MATCH those values... then he's not really the pinnacle of that god's following.

The one step may have only been listed on the cleric, but I think that in Golarion that's the way they want to play it with Paladins too.

It's also in Faiths of Balance, giving a Paladin code for Abadar. It doesn't give one for Irori, the other baseline LN deity, but I imagine that's more because worshipers of Irori would incline toward Monk-hood before Paladin-hood.

I think intent has long been that Paladins can only be associated with deities within one step of their required alignment, hence 3.X's alternate Paladin ideas (Tyranny, Freedom, etc.).

[Buri]

Not at all. It's the same ideal to inquisitors of otherwise pacifistic gods. They're perfectly legit. But, instead of trying to embody the entirety of their god's ethos, they gravitate to a part of it and exemplify it. It's a legitimate way to conduct worship.

[Steven "Troll" O'Neal]

Personally I would allow Paladins of any non-evil non-chaotic deity.

[blahpers]

I care more about the paladin's ideals and behavior than in whose name the ideals are sworn and deeds done. But some of it is fluff-dependent; if the paladin's powers are specifically granted by that deity, it's going to get complicated. If the powers are simply divine "energy", or self-manifesting, then the deity is more like a focus for the paladin, and doesn't need to be placated to avoid falling. In fact, a paladin worshiping a nonstandard god (or even a standard LG one!) might have to go against even his deity to uphold his ideals of law and good.

Challenging role play--and, therefore, potentially great fun.

[VRMH]

LG paladins of a CG deity would need to keep their Lawful tendencies to themselves, maintaining personal discipline while being tolerant of Chaotic people and situations. Which would be tough, but I suppose it can be done.
Mostly by kindergarten teachers.