Advice for first time Pathfinder going Paladin?


Advice

1 to 50 of 51 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>

Hi there. So, I'm going to be at a convention in about three weeks and need some advice on how to make a Paladin that's fun. Pretty close to the ground up. The game is going to be Core, so I'm left with just the main rulebook and some traits. I'm hoping that someone out there can slap some advice down on me?

Thus far, what seems fun is a half-elf Paladin of Sarenrae. I wanted to specialize him in Disarm, so took Combat Expertise for starters. The Disarm's a good non-violent way to make a point. Plus, get the magic staff of doom away from the evil wizard type of thing. (Seriously, I ruined one poor GM's entire plotline by disarming one time. He had to call a break to decide what's next.)

I'm stuck a bit on my last few tweaks to ability scores if I need to, what I should have as my second favored class, character traits, and faction if any.

So, I'm imploring my fellow forum goers... I need help!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

First and foremost, if you haven't done so, consider checking some paladin guides from the class guide list.
Here it is
Second, check the thread on how to play a memorable paladin. The thread talks about how to play a good character instead of a disruptive presence. I bring this up because this class has a big potential to be disruptive if role played wrong.
Check it out

Good luck and have fun!


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

If you find a dead guy lying in the middle of the road somewhere, whatever you do, don't take his boots.


Have greatsword will travel?


If you are not going to multiclass, chosing your second favored class for being a half elf really doesn't matter :) If you do want to do minor multiclassing, look for something that has synergy with a paladin like a charisma based caster.

I like paladins a lot, but you are not going to have a lot of feats, so being a combat manuever type like you're describing will be challenging. You may want to think about finding a way to reduce the penalty for attacking nonlethally.


Paladins are good in Core (or anywhere, really). You're very survivable (great saves, swift healing, heavy armor).

Make sure to detect evil before smiting ;)

You're very low on feats and skills -- make sure they support what you want to do, and that they're not too narrowly specialized. Disarming can be very effective against people who depend on gear, but it doesn't help at all against creatures that don't.

Sword and shield works well at low levels; so does using just about any two-handed weapon.


One or two level fighter dips can be pretty healthy.


Ack. All the replies over 3 hours. I take my eyes off the thread to sleep and you guys posted all that.

Thanks for the advice, and I'm gonna have to break it down some, I guess?

bishop083 - Thanks. I looked over those guides. Very nice. Definitely thanks for the non-disruptive guide. I was worried about that, too!

taks - Nah, carry the body back to the nearest town so we can see who it is. Or at least something that looks like heraldry or the like.

Errant_Epoch - Uh, yeah, but not sure I want a greatsword just yet. I'm noticing Smite Evil in this tends to abuse the hell out of Crits as well, and being Sarenrae gives me a perfect excuse to run with scimitar instead.

RealAlchemy - Well, that's one thing I'm considering. You got any recommendations to look towards possibly? Monk and Sorceror are two I'm considering with a long term of POSSIBLY aiming at something like Dragon Disciple. They're good, helpful back ups if I'm not too happy with Smiting things.

tonyz - Thank you. Very, very nice advice. I was considering embracing the Sarenrae Paladin concept here. Run with the scimitar and shield, maybe have a two handed back up weapon.

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

For Sarenrae's sake, whatever you do don't fall. Do you have any idea how hard it is to lift someone up in full plate, with a shield and sword. How do you think that last guy ended up dead in the middle of the road?


I took a quick look at some traits and what stood out to me where:

Threatening Defender: lowers the penalty for Combat Expertise by 1.

Dangerously Curious: gives use magic device as a class skill adds a trait bonus. Seems good for extra utility at higher levels if you can get the bonus high enough.

Elven Serenity: Helps calm creatures with a trait bonus and eliminates the need to speak their language.

It would help imo if you had a weapon with the disarming trait as a backup weapon, if you have a heavy shield it'd be hard to switch into a two handed weapon, so it'd probably be a flail. A ranseur is a disarm weapon that also has reach.

Paladins with sword n board are good low levels, later it is harder to cast spells (paladins have a few good spells in the list, with core only you'd probably lose out less though). It also makes it harder to use lay on hands. Both of these assume you're using a heavy shield, a buckler lets you cast and lay on hands, but then you're still giving up a lot of offense for a little extra defense.

For the extra favored class: fighter since you'll probably need a few extra feats or bard for extra utility. Spell casting would be problematic, but you could probably use it at the end of the day when you're out of armor.


You could of course use sword and shield for a few levels, then replace them with other weapons -- by that time the cost will be trivial.


Also remember that you can wield a one-handed weapon in two hands if you so desire. If you decide you REALLY like flails, bastard swords, or what have you, and you also want to be able to use shields sometimes, consider keeping the shield but dropping it when you want to do extra damage or start casting spells.

Most one-handed weapons deal 1d8 damage. Most two-handed weapons deal either 1d10 or 1d12, so you're losing only a little bit of damage per hit. The main thing is that your weapon has good crit qualities if possible, so exotic weapon proficiency for a Bastard Sword or Dwarven Waraxe MIGHT be worth considering, but you have the Longsword, Scimitar, Warhammer, and Battle Axe available to you already. I personally don't think Exotic Weapon Proficiency is worth the cost if you're doing Core only.

(If you could get your hands on the Falcata, a 1d8 19-20 x3 weapon, that would be amazing, but it's from the Advanced Player's Guide and your GM for this event will not allow it. It's also a really awesome sword design from Iron Age Iberia.)

Either way, I'd definitely consider packing a ranged weapon (composite longbow) and a reach weapon (glaive, ranseur, guisarme) to poke at your enemies from 10 feet away when you're injured might not be a bad idea.

Grand Lodge

I'd take the Sword of Mercy trait, since you mentioned non-violent ways to make a point.


What sources are allowed for traits? Seeker gives you Perception (as does Eyes and Ears of the City, but it requires you worship Abadar). Intimidate is another really good skill, and there are several traits which help with that, my favorite of which is Extremely Fashionable which also gives a +1 to diplomacy.

You really can't go wrong with a two-handed BFW and Power Attack.


Oh man. I just realized that my favorite paladin spell ever made is from APG, not core. I know you're almost certainly not going to level at a convention event, but the thought of never having access to heroic defiance scares me. Immediate action use of Lay on Hands on yourself in response to falling unconscious/dying is AMAZING. And that doesn't even account for the extra d6 it gives you (which I almost always forget about anyway).

Glad I'm not in your shoes.


the Queen's Raven wrote:
For Sarenrae's sake, whatever you do don't fall. Do you have any idea how hard it is to lift someone up in full plate, with a shield and sword. How do you think that last guy ended up dead in the middle of the road?

But... but... they have levitation spells for that!


Markov Spiked Chain wrote:
I'd take the Sword of Mercy trait, since you mentioned non-violent ways to make a point.

Core game, so only those.


master_marshmallow wrote:

What sources are allowed for traits? Seeker gives you Perception (as does Eyes and Ears of the City, but it requires you worship Abadar). Intimidate is another really good skill, and there are several traits which help with that, my favorite of which is Extremely Fashionable which also gives a +1 to diplomacy.

You really can't go wrong with a two-handed BFW and Power Attack.

I was pointed to this page: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12bEd0Pjn9X58Twgoi_1SXP7FwlgftlaqIfA ms2vn40E/edit#gid=0

So I've been going off of there.

Another question for you guys out there. What factions are fitting with a Paladin's life style? Scarab Sages and Grand Lodge are two I'm eyeing for Perception bonus and class skill as a Half-Elf, for example.


bishop083 wrote:

Oh man. I just realized that my favorite paladin spell ever made is from APG, not core. I know you're almost certainly not going to level at a convention event, but the thought of never having access to heroic defiance scares me. Immediate action use of Lay on Hands on yourself in response to falling unconscious/dying is AMAZING. And that doesn't even account for the extra d6 it gives you (which I almost always forget about anyway).

Glad I'm not in your shoes.

Hey, it's cool. I'm happy to get brought in gentle than tossed into the madness of all these different rule sets than just the core. Paladin's also the least complicated next to Barbarian, and I kinda have been watching this series called Garo lately... now I just need a way to summon some cool looking armor and turn my scimitar into a falchion.


Thomas M. wrote:

Ack. All the replies over 3 hours. I take my eyes off the thread to sleep and you guys posted all that.

Thanks for the advice, and I'm gonna have to break it down some, I guess?

RealAlchemy - Well, that's one thing I'm considering. You got any recommendations to look towards possibly? Monk and Sorceror are two I'm considering with a long term of POSSIBLY aiming at something like Dragon Disciple. They're good, helpful back ups if I'm not too happy with Smiting things.

Because I'm wierd : (Not saying it's viable, but it will certainly be funny)

Highest two statistics Dex and Cha, multiclassed paladin and sorceror. You'll want magical knack : sorceror, point blank shot, precise shot, and maybe spell focus evocation. Specialize in rays and smite with them. Maybe even take one of the four elemental bloodlines for more random rays as a bloodline power. You'll get a bunch of confused looks.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Ray of Frost is a Ray, isn't it?

Personally, the Celestial Bloodline would be awesome for a Paladin/Sorcerer. I kind of want to do that as a Gestalt now.


Pathfinder Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Thomas M. wrote:
Another question for you guys out there. What factions are fitting with a Paladin's life style? Scarab Sages and Grand Lodge are two I'm eyeing for Perception bonus and class skill as a Half-Elf, for example.

I would suggest you read the Faction Journal Cards, as they give you an idea of what each faction wants you to do. My paladin of Erastil is a part of the Grand Lodge because he considers that the one that truly represents the Society. I think that a Paladin of Sarenrae could fit pretty well in the Scarab Sages -- wanting to rebuild what in their opinion was the greatest society ever.

There are two factions that I think could cause considerable problems for a paladin -- Liberty's Edge and Sovereign Court. It can be done, but can be much more tricky given some of the things those two factions get into.


BretI wrote:
Thomas M. wrote:
Another question for you guys out there. What factions are fitting with a Paladin's life style? Scarab Sages and Grand Lodge are two I'm eyeing for Perception bonus and class skill as a Half-Elf, for example.

I would suggest you read the Faction Journal Cards, as they give you an idea of what each faction wants you to do. My paladin of Erastil is a part of the Grand Lodge because he considers that the one that truly represents the Society. I think that a Paladin of Sarenrae could fit pretty well in the Scarab Sages -- wanting to rebuild what in their opinion was the greatest society ever.

There are two factions that I think could cause considerable problems for a paladin -- Liberty's Edge and Sovereign Court. It can be done, but can be much more tricky given some of the things those two factions get into.

The Silver Crusaders generally have a mission to redeem the Society itself from it's more negative tendencies.


Paladins don't have to be like they are in the movies.

Dexterity-based in light armor, casting Bard spells with Unsanctioned Knowledge, raging with some Bloodrager... lots of unique things to do.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Carry a ranged weapon


1 person marked this as a favorite.
The Raven Black wrote:
Carry a ranged weapon

I second this one. You have full bab, so not having a lot of dex, especially at 3rd level, is not a huge issue. And it will give you something to do until you get into melee. Also, don't be afraid to drop the bow on the ground. It probably won't get stolen mid combat. Just remember to pick it up again after combat is done.

Silver Crusade

Is there a reason you don't want to join the Silver Crusade faction?


BadBird wrote:

Paladins don't have to be like they are in the movies.

Dexterity-based in light armor, casting Bard spells with Unsanctioned Knowledge, raging with some Bloodrager... lots of unique things to do.

Actually, I'm probably gonna be closer to a Mongolian at the rate this is looking. So far selected gear is Hide Armor, a Scimitar, a Shield, and a Curve Blade. The Curve Blade is primarily for Smiting, of course. Still looking into my last trait here.


BadBird wrote:

Paladins don't have to be like they are in the movies.

Dexterity-based in light armor, casting Bard spells with Unsanctioned Knowledge, raging with some Bloodrager... lots of unique things to do.

Okay, this made me curious. How would a Dexterity based Paladin be setup? If you have an example character sheet of this, I'd love to see it. Not that I'm liable to play one, but just for kicks.


The Raven Black wrote:
Carry a ranged weapon

Good advice. I plan on doing so. I actually didn't consider that at all. Thanks!


PCScipio wrote:
Is there a reason you don't want to join the Silver Crusade faction?

Woah, didn't say I didn't want to join. I'm just eyeing options here. I prefer keeping my options open just in case I see something worthwhile towards the character and however my play style comes out.


RealAlchemy wrote:
Thomas M. wrote:

Ack. All the replies over 3 hours. I take my eyes off the thread to sleep and you guys posted all that.

Thanks for the advice, and I'm gonna have to break it down some, I guess?

RealAlchemy - Well, that's one thing I'm considering. You got any recommendations to look towards possibly? Monk and Sorceror are two I'm considering with a long term of POSSIBLY aiming at something like Dragon Disciple. They're good, helpful back ups if I'm not too happy with Smiting things.

Because I'm wierd : (Not saying it's viable, but it will certainly be funny)

Highest two statistics Dex and Cha, multiclassed paladin and sorceror. You'll want magical knack : sorceror, point blank shot, precise shot, and maybe spell focus evocation. Specialize in rays and smite with them. Maybe even take one of the four elemental bloodlines for more random rays as a bloodline power. You'll get a bunch of confused looks.

You said it, not me.

And that is tempting. I'll look into the options on that before I finalize my sheet on my next days off.

One thing I considered on the side was Dragon Disciple but that would take some levels to get to.

Inlaa that posted after you brought up an even better suggestion that I like and I am considering how to alter my ideas to fit better. The only thing stopping me is that the scimitar would be useless, and I kinda like the scimitar as a "starting" weapon or at least a "shield and sword" type for when needed.


Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
BretI wrote:
Thomas M. wrote:
Another question for you guys out there. What factions are fitting with a Paladin's life style? Scarab Sages and Grand Lodge are two I'm eyeing for Perception bonus and class skill as a Half-Elf, for example.

I would suggest you read the Faction Journal Cards, as they give you an idea of what each faction wants you to do. My paladin of Erastil is a part of the Grand Lodge because he considers that the one that truly represents the Society. I think that a Paladin of Sarenrae could fit pretty well in the Scarab Sages -- wanting to rebuild what in their opinion was the greatest society ever.

There are two factions that I think could cause considerable problems for a paladin -- Liberty's Edge and Sovereign Court. It can be done, but can be much more tricky given some of the things those two factions get into.

The Silver Crusaders generally have a mission to redeem the Society itself from it's more negative tendencies.

Thank you both. And I'll look more into the Silver Crusaders and Scarab Sages. I don't, overall, have a good idea of which faction I should put in at the moment.


Paladins just need strength and charisma. Wear a breastplate until you get to about level 5, then start wearing full plate.

In combat you want to protect your allies by blocking flanks and offering a lay on hands. You can swift action heal yourself and then standard action heal someone else making you potent in a difficult situation.

Remember to put 3 points into acrobatics so you can make your Total Defence go from +4 AC to +6 AC. Put your other points into your class skills and maybe climb.

At level 5 you get to choose one special boon. You can have a more powerful weapon or a special intelligent animal companion (For riding mostly). The weapon will allow you to deal a lot of damage when you hit things but the animal companion will make you move quickly around the battlefield (something paladins are terrible at even at high levels)

Here's some feat suggestions depending on what you want to take

Divine weapon
- Power attack
- Cleave
- Combat maneuvers

Divine mount
- Mounted combat
- Evolved companion
- Spirited charge

General feats
- Shield Focus
- Greater Mercy
- Fearless Aura
- Extra Lay On Hands
- Fearless Aura
- Adept Champion

I highly suggest you only use single hand weapons and have a shield in your other hand. As a paladin you need to always have high AC- remember that your smite will more than make up for any damage you give up from focusing on your defence. Good luck and stay rightous!


Thomas M. wrote:
BadBird wrote:

Paladins don't have to be like they are in the movies.

Dexterity-based in light armor, casting Bard spells with Unsanctioned Knowledge, raging with some Bloodrager... lots of unique things to do.

Okay, this made me curious. How would a Dexterity based Paladin be setup? If you have an example character sheet of this, I'd love to see it. Not that I'm liable to play one, but just for kicks.

TWF or archery for extra attacks means smite bonuses on all those attacks. Harder in core without the options for Dex-to-damage or a Swashbuckler dip, though. Granted, I wouldn't play it in a campaign where I was expecting grey morality and a lot of non-evil enemies, but if Smite Evil is likely to function against at least nearly all major threats...


Thomas M. wrote:
BadBird wrote:

Paladins don't have to be like they are in the movies.

Dexterity-based in light armor, casting Bard spells with Unsanctioned Knowledge, raging with some Bloodrager... lots of unique things to do.

Okay, this made me curious. How would a Dexterity based Paladin be setup? If you have an example character sheet of this, I'd love to see it. Not that I'm liable to play one, but just for kicks.

With the new Scaled Fist Unchained Monk, I'd probably do something like:

Paladin / Scaled Fist Unchained Monk 1

1Pa. Weapon Finesse / Weapon Focus: X
2Pa.
3Pa. Slashing/Fencing Grace: X
4Pa.
5SF. Crusader's Flurry: X / +Dodge
6Pa.
7Pa. Power Attack

With a bonus unchained flurry attack and Paladin buffing, going with one-handed DEX-to-damage is still plenty deadly. AC-wise, you can stack DEX and CHA onto AC without armor, which is going to be very solid.


Jader7777 wrote:

Paladins just need strength and charisma. Wear a breastplate until you get to about level 5, then start wearing full plate.

In combat you want to protect your allies by blocking flanks and offering a lay on hands. You can swift action heal yourself and then standard action heal someone else making you potent in a difficult situation.

Remember to put 3 points into acrobatics so you can make your Total Defence go from +4 AC to +6 AC. Put your other points into your class skills and maybe climb.

At level 5 you get to choose one special boon. You can have a more powerful weapon or a special intelligent animal companion (For riding mostly). The weapon will allow you to deal a lot of damage when you hit things but the animal companion will make you move quickly around the battlefield (something paladins are terrible at even at high levels)

Here's some feat suggestions depending on what you want to take

Divine weapon
- Power attack
- Cleave
- Combat maneuvers

Divine mount
- Mounted combat
- Evolved companion
- Spirited charge

General feats
- Shield Focus
- Greater Mercy
- Fearless Aura
- Extra Lay On Hands
- Fearless Aura
- Adept Champion

I highly suggest you only use single hand weapons and have a shield in your other hand. As a paladin you need to always have high AC- remember that your smite will more than make up for any damage you give up from focusing on your defence. Good luck and stay rightous!

Okay, I'm kinda going 'wha?' when I see something like this at the moment. Thanks for responding to my post asking for advice for a first timer, but... yeah. A bit too much information there. Thanks.


Kaladin_Stormblessed wrote:
Thomas M. wrote:
BadBird wrote:

Paladins don't have to be like they are in the movies.

Dexterity-based in light armor, casting Bard spells with Unsanctioned Knowledge, raging with some Bloodrager... lots of unique things to do.

Okay, this made me curious. How would a Dexterity based Paladin be setup? If you have an example character sheet of this, I'd love to see it. Not that I'm liable to play one, but just for kicks.
TWF or archery for extra attacks means smite bonuses on all those attacks. Harder in core without the options for Dex-to-damage or a Swashbuckler dip, though. Granted, I wouldn't play it in a campaign where I was expecting grey morality and a lot of non-evil enemies, but if Smite Evil is likely to function against at least nearly all major threats...

I had a flashback to Ronin Warriors with the Paladin Archery. I believe the catch phrase I'm looking for is 'Arrow Shockwave'? Nice idea, though, and if I decide to go the dexterity route, I'm gonna look into it. My only problem is figuring out how to be the defensive type as well. Thanks for the flashback and advice!


BadBird wrote:
Thomas M. wrote:
BadBird wrote:

Paladins don't have to be like they are in the movies.

Dexterity-based in light armor, casting Bard spells with Unsanctioned Knowledge, raging with some Bloodrager... lots of unique things to do.

Okay, this made me curious. How would a Dexterity based Paladin be setup? If you have an example character sheet of this, I'd love to see it. Not that I'm liable to play one, but just for kicks.

With the new Scaled Fist Unchained Monk, I'd probably do something like:

Paladin / Scaled Fist Unchained Monk 1

1Pa. Weapon Finesse / Weapon Focus: X
2Pa.
3Pa. Slashing/Fencing Grace: X
4Pa.
5SF. Crusader's Flurry: X / +Dodge
6Pa.
7Pa. Power Attack

With a bonus unchained flurry attack and Paladin buffing, going with one-handed DEX-to-damage is still plenty deadly. AC-wise, you can stack DEX and CHA onto AC without armor, which is going to be very solid.

Interesting. I might have to look into the Unchained classes. I've only got the Core and Advanced Player's Guide handy physically here.


There's also just good-old elven curved blade, either with the Agile weapon property, or with also having a decent strength score. You can also cross Bloodrager with Paladin just fine, since Bloodrager has no alignment issues. So for an angry Elven Paladin with some more unique tricks:

Paladin / Urban Bloodrager 1
Elven Favored Class Bonus: +1/2hp with Lay on Hands

1Pa. Weapon Finesse
2UB.
3Pa. Extra Rage
4Pa.
5Pa. Power Attack
6Pa.
7Pa. Unsanctioned Knowledge: Vanish, Mirror Image, Good Hope

A Paladin with Vanish and Mirror Image has some pretty interesting magic to play with, and Pearls of Power are fairly cheap at low levels. Urban Bloodrager lets you add to either STR or DEX when raging. Bloodrager Fast Movement, mithral breastplate and high DEX is both great protection and 40ft. movement speed.


I'm pretty sure that in the opening post it was stated that this game will be core only, but letting the op know of more options is cool too.

With that in mind, oracle is a common dip for paladins, especially with the life mystery which is often called an oradin. A paladin of Sarenrae would work well with flame oracle IMO.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Ah, my mistake with the Core part. Well, an Elven Paladin with an elven curved blade is still totally Core, and still very functional; something like 14STR, 15/17DEX, 14\12CON, 10/12INT, 8WIS, 14CHA and two-handing a curved blade with Power Attack does quite nicely by Core standards, and wears mithral medium armor very well.


BadBird wrote:
Ah, my mistake with the Core part. Well, an Elven Paladin with an elven curved blade is still totally Core, and still very functional; something like 14STR, 15/17DEX, 14\12CON, 10/12INT, 8WIS, 14CHA and two-handing a curved blade with Power Attack does quite nicely by Core standards, and wears mithral medium armor very well.

Actually, I'm looking at Half-Elven. One thing that is stopping me so far is the exotic weapon proficiency, but it's a sacrifice for curved bladed weapon insanity I say. That includes the scimitar I'm considering for when I want more defense than the curved blade is going to give initially whenever I want to sword and board/shield the group such as against a large number of evil minions or the like.


Thomas M. wrote:
BadBird wrote:
Ah, my mistake with the Core part. Well, an Elven Paladin with an elven curved blade is still totally Core, and still very functional; something like 14STR, 15/17DEX, 14\12CON, 10/12INT, 8WIS, 14CHA and two-handing a curved blade with Power Attack does quite nicely by Core standards, and wears mithral medium armor very well.

Actually, I'm looking at Half-Elven. One thing that is stopping me so far is the exotic weapon proficiency, but it's a sacrifice for curved bladed weapon insanity I say. That includes the scimitar I'm considering for when I want more defense than the curved blade is going to give initially whenever I want to sword and board/shield the group such as against a large number of evil minions or the like.

Well, if it's simply about the CON adjustment, consider that an Elf getting curved blade for free can spend that feat on Toughness and end up with the same HP as if they had +2CON.

I'm maybe just projecting though with the Elven thing... if I was going to play a Core character, there's no way I would be able to resist going with a classic Elven Eldritch Knight wielding a curved blade.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

For a combat maneuver character the most important thing you can do is know the rules. Everyone knows how to attack but bull rush disarm and grapple are so uncommon almost everyone has to look up the rules. Book mark the pages and read the rules multiple times. I would even write abbreviated rules out on cards. You could then use the cards as book marks.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Make sure you are crystal clear with your GM about your Paladin code and what you can and can't do. There are some GMs who will try to ambush you and make you unwittingly fall for the smallest infraction, while there are others who will give you more heads up. Paladins falling is one of the most inflammatory sorts of debates on the forum, and it's also one of the things that threads (no matter the type) often devolve into.

Also, be sure you have a character concept that isn't just a cookie cutter stereotype of a Paladin. I mean, sure, you can make one that is Paladin-shaped and behaves just like you'd expect one to, but has more nuance or more heart than a simple Lawful Good cloneadin. Whether you write your character to justify your mechanics, or build your mechanics around what your character would choose - that's up to you.


Thomas M. wrote:
the Queen's Raven wrote:
For Sarenrae's sake, whatever you do don't fall. Do you have any idea how hard it is to lift someone up in full plate, with a shield and sword. How do you think that last guy ended up dead in the middle of the road?
But... but... they have levitation spells for that!

Take a nice, long look at the Paladin spell list. Do you see Levitation on there?

If a Paladin falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, the Paladin is not getting up anytime soon.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
My Self wrote:
Thomas M. wrote:
the Queen's Raven wrote:
For Sarenrae's sake, whatever you do don't fall. Do you have any idea how hard it is to lift someone up in full plate, with a shield and sword. How do you think that last guy ended up dead in the middle of the road?
But... but... they have levitation spells for that!

Take a nice, long look at the Paladin spell list. Do you see Levitation on there?

If a Paladin falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, the Paladin is not getting up anytime soon.

Yes, but if I'm alone, then I have failed in my duty to protect the party. Thus, if I fall in the forest and no one is around I should lay there and let the world take my body as I am unable to complete the mission of redeeming everyone.

Thus, if I have done my job, and protected my party... they have levitation spells for carrying my poor body back.


TimrehIX wrote:
For a combat maneuver character the most important thing you can do is know the rules. Everyone knows how to attack but bull rush disarm and grapple are so uncommon almost everyone has to look up the rules. Book mark the pages and read the rules multiple times. I would even write abbreviated rules out on cards. You could then use the cards as book marks.

Good advice. I'll have to look those up as I go, even though my initial combat maneuver plan's been turned into "SMITE WITH GIANT SCIMITAR RAARGH" instead.


My Self wrote:

Make sure you are crystal clear with your GM about your Paladin code and what you can and can't do. There are some GMs who will try to ambush you and make you unwittingly fall for the smallest infraction, while there are others who will give you more heads up. Paladins falling is one of the most inflammatory sorts of debates on the forum, and it's also one of the things that threads (no matter the type) often devolve into.

Also, be sure you have a character concept that isn't just a cookie cutter stereotype of a Paladin. I mean, sure, you can make one that is Paladin-shaped and behaves just like you'd expect one to, but has more nuance or more heart than a simple Lawful Good cloneadin. Whether you write your character to justify your mechanics, or build your mechanics around what your character would choose - that's up to you.

Very, very good advice. Thank you. Contacted my GM and clarified that. Thank you!

1 to 50 of 51 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Advice / Advice for first time Pathfinder going Paladin? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.