So I'm thinking of creating a new character for a campaign. I want him to be a follower of Abadar who specializes in hunting down and destroying evil to make way for the spread of civilization.
I'm having trouble deciding on whether or not that fits a Paladin or Inquisitor more thematically.
Paladin I see a Holy Guide, Sacred Servant, and Oath of Vengeance build who has survival skills, travel domain, and can smite.
The inquisitor would be a standard inquisitor.
The difference I'm weighin is that an Inquisitor would be more like a FBI agent focusing on domestic "terror" while the Paladin is the Special Forces operative going abroad ...or maybe I have it backward.
Does anyone see a clear distinction between the two or could they both fit rather well?
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I'm playing an Urban druid in a Kingmaker campaign right now who is a priest of Abadar, claiming terraforming as the ultimate form of symbiosis between civilization and nature.
He casts Bless regularly, constantly preaches on the advantages of living in cities and has 0 ranks in knowledge: nature. It took my party a good five sessions before they figured out I wasn't a cleric.
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Either of them could do either of those things. I fee like what you lose going Paladin is not worth what you get. Inquisitors aren't that far behind Full BAB classes in a fight, but they gain so much in skills, spells and class features. Inquisitions are super flexible. You can be a gunslinger, a mounted fighter, make all your social skills Wisdom-based, Rage like a Barbarian, etc.
Definitely check out some Inquisitor archetypes, by the way. Sanctified Slayer, Preacher, Sacred Huntsmaster, Monster Tactician, Hexenhammer, tons of options.
My vote is for Inquisitor, if you didn't notice already. Nothing against Paladins, but Inquisitors are just that cool.
Inquisitor. I just can't see how you can be goodly and worship Abadar, let alone be a paladin.
For what it's worth, Abadar isn't really against evil. Abadar has evil (LE)clerics. And probably (LE) Inquisitors. He's lawful neutral, he cares more about the advancement of civilization than he does about good or evil.
If you want to be a divine character for a deity who wants to advance civilization but also wants to root out evil.....I'd say play a Paladin of Iomedae as a better pick, but clearly has more of a focus on rooting out evil than advancing civilization.
If you want to focus on advancing civilization I would suggest you play a LN Inquisitor of Abadar. You can be against evil where you find it harming people in your town, but more because you feel it hurts civilization than you are worried about people being evil. You wouldn't root out evil, but you might stop when you come across it.
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You guys know there's literally a Paladin code for Abadar, right? Like, they're canon, and Abadar has lots of them.
I know Abadar has paladins, though I don't think numerous (can't remember source to verify).
But in general Abadar as a deity doesn't really care about evil, since he allows plenty of LE people to have power. I think this is part of the reason why I'm thinking that there aren't many paladins of Abadar.
There aren't many Paladins of Abadar, and again I'm thinking thematically vs mechanically. Not that I'm against optimizing, but I'm trying to figure out what suits my PCs personality best. Both of these classes can easily pull their weight.
The LG Paladin may not always agree with his God regrading his allowance for evil within the church but he understands/believes a great and lawful society will naturally steer towards GOOD. Cheliax be damned. that also might be why he spends so much time adventuring against evil rather tending to home fires.
I know it seems like my mind is made, but I'm actually trying to see why the theme would not for a paladin, though Dom has kind of agreed that either will work but Clax is right that Abadar isn't really against evil so much as anything that threatens order of civilization.
Perhaps Iomedae is better...which was my least favorite choice and Sarenrae is not an option (just played a cleric last campaign)
You guys know there's literally a Paladin code for Abadar, right? Like, they're canon, and Abadar has lots of them.
Maybe they are in canon and this is just a personal prejudice of mine.
However, based on Pathfinder wiki and Seven Days to the Grave -
"they do not donate healing services" (with some small exceptions)
"The clergy never give money"
"Clerics and paladins of Abadar are granted special favor with the preparation of the spell word of recall"
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So they normally only heal people that pay them (is this some kind of objection to 'socialized medicine'?), never give money to charitable causes and get special access to a spell to run away from trouble that no other paladins do. Very paladinic.
However, sanctified slayer inquisitor would really work here.
Also - if big on travel / survival / preparing to spread civilisation - Erastil is also worth a look.
So they normally only heal people that pay them (is this some kind of objection to 'socialized medicine'?), never give money to charitable causes and get special access to a spell to run away from trouble that no other paladins do. Very paladinic.
Really no different than many conservatives (except for the charity thing) and I wouldnt' say none of them are "Lawful good" or capable of being a Paladin. "Do for self"
That begin said I think I will stick Paladin and go for Kurgess as the deity. He travels to face evil as he sees it as the ultimate competiiton and the greatest sport of all...or something to that effect
That begin said I think I will stick Paladin and go for Kurgess as the deity. He travels to face evil as he sees it as the ultimate competiiton and the greatest sport of all...or something to that effect
That seems like a very strong choice.
I'm imagining Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist.
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One one hand, that's hilarious. On the other hand, how did you explain your lack of normal armour?I'm playing an Urban druid in a Kingmaker campaign right now who is a priest of Abadar, claiming terraforming as the ultimate form of symbiosis between civilization and nature.
He casts Bless regularly, constantly preaches on the advantages of living in cities and has 0 ranks in knowledge: nature. It took my party a good five sessions before they figured out I wasn't a cleric.
My party is relatively inexperienced in optimization. I use a scimitar as well but noone seemed to notice that a scimitar is not part of the clerics' standard weapon proficiency.
I could see Paladin working if you focus on what's harmful to societies. Like followers of Erastil;)
You might focus on things like helping the homeless, getting crime off the street, stuff like that.
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So they normally only heal people that pay them (is this some kind of objection to 'socialized medicine'?), never give money to charitable causes and get special access to a spell to run away from trouble that no other paladins do. Very paladinic.
Abadar is the deity of trade. Ergo, paladins can offer their services in exchange for something. Nothing says they can't offer good terms, just that they should ensure an exchange of services. In fact, most adventurers get some reward for their good deeds, so that is not necessarily a big issue. In fact, some services are built straight into the paladin code, so doing them is your job (for which you are, I expect, rewarded by the temple), such as protecting travelers.
Pass by a farm which had been attacked by orks? Well, you can rest there. In return, you heal the wounds of the hosts and help rebuild the barn. Sure, the "terms" are quite beneficial for the farmer family. But you get something, they get something, and you follow Abadar´s decrees. All are happy.
As for charitable causes, Abadarians don´t ignore those, they invest in them or pay for services. They also do all they can to ensure their investments bear fruit. Sure, that doesn't cover all possible causes, but Golarion is sort of pantheistic, so there are other cults that specialize in the other areas. In the meantime, Abadarians care that the community has a functional economy, that the guilds do their job right and that the labor market is fair, with everyone getting what they should. Again, the paladin can give money to any cause s/he finds justified, but since Abadar is about trade, s/he should get something back. It could be an agreement that the orphans are sent to learn a trade (and the paladin arranges they find it). Yes, the orphans get something out of that, too. But the important part is that society will benefit, and the goals of the Abadarite church will be furthered.
Sure, it is a bit weird for a paladin to sometimes have to pass what s/he thinks is right through the decrees of the faith, but then again Iroran or Shelynite paladins have their quirks as well. Frankly, the one that I find weirdest is the Torag code. "Against my people's enemy I will show no mercy. I will not allow their surrender, except to extract information. I will defeat them and scatter theirs families." Yeah, sure, this must be done in a way that does not dishonor you or Torag, but... I can see this leading to some situations that are a lot more unpaladinlike.
Anyway, back to the OP and the differences in flavor. Compared to an inquisitor, imo a paladin of Abadar is a lot more straightforward and prepared for action. An inquisitor may investigate a civil group for traces of a Rovagug cult or infiltrate a guild to see if it is trying to check its ledgers for traces they are trying to take over the market. The paladin leads patrols to clear the bandits gathered by a Rovagug preacher so the good people can pass through the roads unmolested and goes to the guild for an official inspection with a court order in her hand.
Basically, to me the inquisitor is the church spy and the paladin is the church sheriff. They both work towards the same end, but with different methods.
I just finished playing the kingmaker campaign and in it I played of an Inquisitor well a Friend of Mine played a paladin and I can say I honestly believe my Inquisitor could take their Paladin and head up fight not to mention being thrown away more skilled and flexible outside of anything other than possibly straight up head-to-head combat
against an evil opponent the inqusitior would probably get owned. good vs good, the paladin is supposed to lose. perhaps not even fight
Well, it also depends on how the characters were built, how they rolled stats if it was with rolled stats, etc.
Inquisitors are no slouches in a fight, especially after they get bane, but when they get their smite mojo on, paladins are just nasty - and if they want more direct damage, they can get extra power via the weapon bond at around the same time bane comes up. On the defense, they have awesome saves, LoH + mercy and their auras can end up being a lifesaver in certain fights. Both classes can be very valuable to the party, imo, just in a slightly different roles.