Polythiest Paladin

[Martijn Donker]

I was wondering: is a polytheist paladin possible in the rules of Pathfinder/PFS?

For example, you ask to Pharasma to bless your sword while fighting some undead, you call on the aid of Erastil to track down a fugitive in the wood, the power of Cayden Cailean in the protection of a ale house against some goblins or the blessing of Sarenrae to heal someone. Just naming some crazy examples.

Can't really find anywhere in the books (Core, Adv. Players Guide, Inner Sea World Guide) that it isn't possible, just that their moral code is more important than their choice of deity. And with the Pragmatic Polytheist trait from the Pathfinder Player Companion People of the River it will make an interesting character.

Just hoping to clarify some things. :)

[blahpers]

Paladins don't actually have to worship a deity at all, so there's little reason to believe that a paladin cannot worship more than one.

[Serisan]

In PFS, a Paladin must worship a single deity within 1 step of their alignment, just like a Cleric. Pharasma is not a valid choice due to being 2 alignment steps away.

In a home game, blahpers is correct.

[Kazaan]

Consider real life Ancient Greece. People didn't just believe in one of the Greek Gods; they believed and revered all of them. Sure a sailor may have a preference for Poseidon and a soldier may have a preference for Aries and Athena, in a poletheistic religion people believed and revered all the Gods. But a devoted cleric of Athena would be a different story; he still believes in all the Gods just as any other, but it is his job to pay particularly close attention to one specific God. So if the Paladin in question wants to revere several deities in the pantheon, that's fine. In fact, the 1 step of alignment rule doesn't even come into play because he isn't deriving his Paladin mojo from his belief in the Gods (except for a Sacred Servant). He gets his mojo by shear, unmitigated preten... Goodness, I was gonna say Goodness. By the same token, a Druid gains their mojo from "Nature", not any particular deity that represents nature. But they can still revere several different natural deities.

[chbgraphicarts]

Paladins are Polytheists in Pathfinder by default. They're just devoted to one specific god.

Think of it as real-life Paladins; they all believed in the Holy Trinity and in all the Saints, but may have been devoted to one particular Saint over the others.

Now replace "Saint" with "Deity" in Pathfinder and voila.

All Priest-esque classes do the same, as well.

[LazarX]

Martijn Donker wrote:

I was wondering: is a polytheist paladin possible in the rules of Pathfinder/PFS?

For example, you ask to Pharasma to bless your sword while fighting some undead, you call on the aid of Erastil to track down a fugitive in the wood, the power of Cayden Cailean in the protection of a ale house against some goblins or the blessing of Sarenrae to heal someone. Just naming some crazy examples.

Can't really find anywhere in the books (Core, Adv. Players Guide, Inner Sea World Guide) that it isn't possible, just that their moral code is more important than their choice of deity. And with the Pragmatic Polytheist trait from the Pathfinder Player Companion People of the River it will make an interesting character.

Just hoping to clarify some things. :)

You can certainly invoke multiple dieties, but can only get mechanical benefit from worshiping one of them. And you can't get out of your alignment restrictions on who you venerate or why.

Thing is though, Paladins by nature aren't pragmatic... they are devoted people to their ideals, if nothing else.

[Martijn Donker]

Thanks for the replies.

Did found the entry in the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play (PFRPG) I was looking for. That describes Serisans post, helped focusing where to look.

Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, under Step 11, page 10.

To bad as a PFS character but for a home game it's fair game :)

[Orfamay Quest]

chbgraphicarts wrote:

Paladins are Polytheists in Pathfinder by default.

So is anyone, really. Golarion is a world where the gods go around throwing rocks through atheists' windows. And monotheists', too, for that matter.

No one with any sense will disbelieve in Rovagug. It's up to you whether you want to venerate him or endure him.

[Michael Sayre]

Serisan wrote:

In PFS, a Paladin must worship a single deity within 1 step of their alignment, just like a Cleric. Pharasma is not a valid choice due to being 2 alignment steps away.

In a home game, blahpers is correct.

Pathfinder lore actually specifically includes polytheistic paladins. Read up on the Order of the Godclaw, led by the paladin Regan Vashan. So there is at least one paladin in Pathfinder lore who specifically venerates 5 deities.