SUMMARY: THE PALADIN (REF1)
 

Q. Is it possible to have a female
paladin?
A. The answer to this one is a definite
(non-sexist) yes.  The AD&D and
D&D games systems make no distinction
between male and female
characters, although 'he' rather than
'he or she' is used in the rules.
<Correction: The Game does make distinctions between the male and the female.>
(Imagine #14)

Upon becoming 1st level, a paladin can or is:

A paladin may not:

S12*, I9, W13*, D6, C9, Ch17
AL = LG <cf. Heaven>
A = Any
W = Any

<The paladin is a sub-class of the cavalier, and, gains the 11 abilities of the cavalier at level 1.>

A paladin character is a fighter sub-class, but unlike normal fighters, all <A paladin is a CAVALIER sub-class: see Paladin, UA>
paladins must begin as lawful good in alignment (q.v.) and always remain
lawful good or absolutely lose all of the special powers which are given to
them. They have both fighting abilities and limited spell powers (at high
level). To become a paladin a character must be human, have a strength
of not less than 12, a minimum intelligence of 9, a wisdom of 13 or more, a
minimum constitution of 9, and not less than 17 charisma. If a paladin has
both strength and wisdom in excess of 15, he or she gains the benefit of
adding 10% to the XP awarded by the DM.

Law and good deeds are the meat and drink of paladins.

If they ever knowingly perform an act which is chaotic in nature, they must seek a high
level (7th or above) cleric of lawful good alignment, confess their sin, and
do penance as prescribed by the cleric.

If a paladin should ever knowingly
and willingly perform on evil act, he or she loses the status of paladinhood
immediately and irrevocably.
All benefits are then lost, and no deed or
magic can restore the character to paladinhood; he or she is everafter a
fighter.

Q: What happens when paladins lose
their exalted status? Do they become
cavaliers or just fighters?

A: 'Fallen' paladins do become cavaliers,
but probably disgraced ones, regardless of
their alignment.
(136.52)

The benefits of a paladin are:

1. Detect Evil: Detect evil at up to 60' distance, as often as desired, but only
when the paladin is concentrating on determining the
presence of evil and seeking to detect it in the right general direction.

    Q: Can paladins detect the evil in all
    evil-aligned characters?

    A: The paladin's detect evil ability is like a
    detect evil spell, not a know alignment
    spell. Thus, it can detect the presence of
    evil alignment in other characters (see the
    spell description in the PH,
    page 44) and can even detect the degree,
    nature, and other alignment components,
    as per the DMG, page 41.
    (136.52)

    Q: In an earlier issue, you said a paladin
    ?s detect evil ability works just
    like a detect evil spell, and that it
    could detect evil characters. Isn't
    there a section in the rules that says
    detect evil spells don't work on evil
    characters?

    A: There sure is. Check out the 1st Edition
    DMG, page 60. Evil characters don't always
    radiate evil. Just for the record, I
    didn't actually say that; one of my editors
    did [It was me.--Roger]. While my editors
    are fine people whose timely interventions
    have more than once caught my errors
    before I embarrassed myself in print, the
    shoe was on the other foot this time.
    (156.57)

    <note that the special commentary in the DMG seems to contradict the above answer>

2. Improved Saving Throws: Make all saving throws (q.v.) at +2 on the dice.

3. Immune to Disease: Immunity to all forms of disease.

    Q: Will a paladin's immunity to disease
    protect him from the touch of a
    mummy, a harm or cause disease
    spell, lycanthropy, or green slime?

    A: The paladins immunity extends to ?all
    forms of disease? (Players Handbook, page
    22), so (by implication) any disease or
    condition that is cured by a cure disease
    spell cannot be caught by a paladin. Lycanthropy,
    however, may be considered a
    special case, as a cure disease or remove
    curse from a 12th-level cleric is required
    (DMG, page 22), so this condition is as
    much a magical curse as a disease. A previous
    rules question in POLYHEDRON?
    Newszine noted that lycanthropy could be
    caught by paladins for this reason, so this
    ruling shall stand.

    Of course, this still leaves an enormous
    number of things to which paladins are
    immune: normal infections, diseases from
    mummies, the effects of numerous monster
    plants (green slime, violet fungi, etc.)
    ? i.e., anything that can be cured by the
    application of a cure disease spell alone.
    Note that the effects of yellow mold cannot
    be overcome in this manner, as the
    cure disease is applied after the PC?s death
    and in conjunction with another spell.
    Some campaigns may restrict the effects
    of a paladin?s disease immunity to those
    diseases not contracted by magical means
    or from monsters, however.
    (136.52)

    Q: Can paladins become Lycanthropes?
    Are they immune to all disease?

    A: Paladins are indeed immune to all
    forms of disease. Unfortunately for them,
    Lycanthropy is as much a curse as it is a
    disease. The DMG uses an example of a
    paladin contracting lycanthropy and also
    mentions cure disease and remove curse
    as ways of eliminating it.
    -- HJ (Polyhedron #1)

    Q: Why does a paladin?s immunity to
    disease protect him from attack by
    green slime, violet fungi, and other
    plant monsters?

    A: In my opinion, it doesn?t. My editor [me
    again] assumed that since green slime can
    be killed with a cure disease spell, paladins
    must be immune to its effects. However,
    green slime is a monster with the ability to
    destroy flesh, wood, and metal. A disease
    is a malady caused by a pathogenic organism;
    a paladin?s immunity to disease does
    not protect him or his equipment from a
    green slime?s attack, its susceptibility to
    cure disease spells notwithstanding. Similarly,
    a violet fungi?s flesh-destroying attack
    works on paladins, even though cure
    disease spells halt its effects. Furthermore,
    paladins can get infected wounds (if your
    campaign considers them), as these are not
    diseases per se; cure disease spells also
    remove such infections.
    (156.57)

    Q. Can paladins become lycanthropes?
    Are they immune to all disease?
    A. Paladins are indeed immune to all
    forms of disease. Unfortunately for
    them, lycanthropy is as much a curse
    as it is a disease. The DMG uses an
    example of a paladin contracting
    lycanthropy and also mentions the
    spells cure disease and remove
    curse as ways of eliminating it.
    (Imagine #3)

4. Lay on Hands:

The ability to "lay on hands", either on others, or on his or her
own person, to cure wounds; this heals 2 HP of damage
per level of experience the paladin has attained, but laying on
hands can be performed but once per day.

5. Cure Disease: The ability to cure disease of any sort; this can be done once
per week for each five levels of experience the paladin has
attained, i.e. at levels 1 through 5 one disease per week, at
levels 6 through 10 two diseases, at levels 11 through 15 three
diseases, etc.

6. Protection from Evil: The continuing emanation of protection from evil (see
CHARACTER SPELLS) in a 1" radius round the paladin.

Question: Is a Paladin’s protection from evil in a 1” or 10' radius?

Answer: According to the PH, a Paladin continually emanates a protection from evil (as per the spell) in a 1” radius around him/her.
This translates in game distances to 10 yards outdoors and 10 feet indoors. — W. Niebling, J. Ward
(Correction: 10' indoors and 10' outdoors. The area of a spell is not tripled outdoors, only it's range)

Q: Can a paladin voluntarily drop his
protection from evil 10' radius in
order to fight a devil or other creature
from the lower planes? The
illustration on page 23 of the Players
Handbook would seem to indicate
that this is possible.

A: A protection from evil 10" radius from
any source will not hedge out a creature if
the caster allows the creature to enter the
area of effect. Once the circle is so broken,
the creature can freely attack anything
within the spells radius. Its attacks, however,
are still at -2 "to hit," and protected
creatures still get their +2 bonuses to
saving throws. The protection from evil
also continues to hedge out any additional
creatures not voluntarily brought within
the radius. If a creature subsequently
leaves the circle (or the circle shifts so that
the creature is outside the radius), it may
not reenter unless the circle is voluntarily
broken again. It is possible to break the
circle accidentally, but some DMs may
warn the paladin or spell-caster if this
might happen, if the PC is specifically
trying to avoid this. See Manual of the
Planes for spell effects on other planes (as
is the case in that particular illustration you mentioned).
(137.68)
 

Q: Will a paladins protection from evil keep ghouls at bay?

A: Yes, but ghouls are the only undead
creatures so affected. The paladin (or
spell-caster) can voluntarily break the
circle in order to melee the ghoul, but this
allows the ghoul to return the attack,
though at the appropriate penalty (see the
spell's description on page 44 of the Players
Handbook).

Furthermore:

7. Turn Undead: At 3rd level, the paladin gains the power to affect undead and
devils and demons as if he or she were a 1 st level cleric, and
this power goes upwards with each level of experience the
paladin gains; so at 4th level the effect is that of a 2nd level
cleric, at 5th it is that of a 3rd level cleric, etc.
(See The Cleric above.)

8. Summon Warhorse:

At 4th level - or at any time thereafter - the paladin may
call for his warhorse; this creature is an intelligent heavy warhorse,
with 5+5 hit dice (5d8 plus 5 hit points), AC 5, and
the speed of a medium warhorse (18"); it will magically
appear, but only one such animal is available every ten years,
so that if the first is lost the paladin must wait until the end of
the period for another.

9. If a paladin has a "Holy Sword" (a special Magic Sword which
your referee is aware of and will explain to you if the need
arises), he or she projects a circle of power 1" in diameter
when the Holy Sword is unsheathed and held; and this power
dispels magic (see CHARACTER SPELLS, dispel magic) at the
level of magic use equal to the experience level of the
paladin.
<there are 2 kinds of "holy swords": +5 and +6>

10. Clerical Spellcasting: At 9th level (through 20th level) of experience, paladins gain
the ability to employ cleric spells (q.v.). They may never use
scrolls of spells, however, except those normally usable by
fighters.

Q: At what level do paladins cast
their spells?

A: Paladins get their first spell at 9th level
and are treated as 1st-level casters at 9th
level, 2nd-level casters at 10th level, etc.
(137.68)

Q: Do paladins receive bonus clerical
spells for high wisdom?

A: No, only clerics and druids get them.
(137.68)
 

The following strictures apply to paladins:

1. They may never retain more than ten magic items; these may
never exceed:
 

* these include daggers, swords, etc.; and such items as magic
bows && magic arrows are considered as but 1 weapon

Q: Can high-level paladins use clerical
magic items?

A: No, not unless the clerical item?s description
specifically says that a paladin or
noncleric may use it. This holds true even
for paladins who can cast clerical spells.
(136.52)

2. They will never retain wealth, keeping only sufficient
treasures to support themselves in a modest manner, pay
henchmen, men-at-arms, and servitors, and to construct or
maintain a small castle. (Your DM will give details of this as
necessary.) Excess is given away, as is the tithe (see 3. below).

3. An immediate tithe (10%) of all income - be it treasure,
wages, or whatever - must be given to whatever charitable
religious institution (not a clerical player character) of lawful
good alignment the paladin selects.

4. Paladins will have henchmen of lawful good alignment and
none other; they will associate only with characters and
creatures of good alignment; paladins can join a company of
adventurers which contains non-evil neutrals only on a single expedition
basis, and only if some end which will further the
cause of lawful good is purposed.

5. If possible, paladins will take service or form an alliance with
lawful good characters, whether players or not, who are
clerics or fighters (of noble status).

Paladins do not attract a body of men-at-arms to service as do regular
fighters.
 

Question: My friend and I had a dis-
pute about whether or not a Paladin will
go on an adventure with neutral good characters.
I say no, because on page 24
of the Players Handbook it says “...they
(Paladins) will associate only with char-
acters and creatures of good alignment.”
I would like to know who is right.

Answer: Your friend is right. Neutral
good is a “good alignment,” just as law-
ful good and chaotic good are. Although
a Paladin greatly prefers to associate
with none other than lawful good char-
acters and creatures, it also notes on
page 24 of the PHthat
“paladins can join a company of adven-
turers which contains non-evil neutrals
only on a single-expedition basis.”
 
 

PALADINS TABLE

Experience Points	Experience Level	10-Sided Dice for Accumulated  Experience Points	Level Title	THACO *	Saves **	Notes ***	Proficiencies	NPC XP	SCL ****	1	2	3	4
(-1,500 to -501)	0	1d4 + 1	Horseman	20n	16.17.18.20.19	Start at 0 if not LUC+	1/1	-	-	-	-	-	-
(-501 to -1)	0	2d4 + 1	Lancer	20n	^	Start at 0 if not LUC+	2/1	-	-	-	-	-	-
0 ---- 2,750	1	1	Gallant	20	14.15.16.17.17	WOC	3/2	-	-	-	-	-	-
2,751 ---- 5,500	2	2	Keeper	19	^	-	^	-	-	-	-	-	-
5,501 ---- 12,000	3	3	Protector	18	13.14.15.16.16	Turn undead, WOC, Saddle vault	^	-	-	-	-	-	-
12,001 ---- 24,000	4	4	Defender	17	^	Warhorse	4/3	-	-	-	-	-	-
24,001 ---- 45,000	5	5	Warder	16	11.12.13.13.14	WOC, Mount SPEED	^	-	-	-	-	-	-
45,001 ---- 95,000	6	6	Guardian	15	^	-	^	-	-	-	-	-	-
95,001 ---- 175,000	7	7	Chevalier	14 (3/2)	10.11.12.12.13	WOC, Ride pegasus	5/4	-	-	-	-	-	-
175,001 ---- 350,000	8	8	Justiciar	13	^	-	^	-	-	-	-	-	-
350,001 ---- 700,000	9	9	Paladin (Knight - OSRIC)	12	8.9.10.9.11	WOC, Ride hippogriff	^	-	1	1	-	-	-
700,001 ---- 1,050,000	10	9+3	Paladin (10th level)	11	^	-	6/5	-	2	2	-	-	-
1,050,001 ---- 1,400,000	11	9+6	Paladin (11th level)	10	7.8.9.8.10	WOC, Ride griffon	^	-	3	2	1	-	-
1,400,001 ---- 1,750,000	12	9+8	Paladin (12th level)	9 (2/1)	^	-	^	-	4	2	2	-	-
1,750,001 ---- 2,100,000	13	9+10	Paladin (13th level)	8	5.6.7.5.8	WOC	7/6	-	5	2	2	1	-
2,100,001 ---- 2,450,000	14	9+12	Paladin (14th level)	7	^	-	^	-	6	3	2	1	-
2,450,001 ---- 2,800,000	15	9+14	Paladin (15th level)	6	4.5.6.4.7	WOC	^	-	7	3	2	1	1
2,800,001 ---- 3,150,000	16	9+16	Paladin (16th level)	5	^	-	8/7	-	8	3	3	1	1
3,150,001 ---- 3,500,000	17	9+18	Paladin (17th level)	4	3.4.5.4.6	WOC	^	-	9	3	3	2	1
3,500,001 ---- 3,850,000	18	9+20	Paladin (18th level)	3	^	-	^	-	10	3	3	3	1
3,850,001 ---- 4,200,000	19	9+22	Paladin (19th level)	3 (5/2)	^	WOC	9/8	-	11	3	3	3	2
4,200,001 ---- 4,550,000	20	9+24	Paladin (20th level)	3	^	-	^	-	12	3	3	3	3

350,000 XP per level for each additional level above the 11th.

Paladins gain 3 h.p. per level after the 9th.
Constitution-based HP adjustments no longer apply after 9th level. - OSRIC

<>
* THACO is based on per level progression
** Does not incl. +2 paladin bonus
*** Generally ignore this column if you are not playing with the UA rules. WOC = weapon of choice.
**** Spell Casting Level.
NB: Paladins do not gain bonus cleric spells for having high wisdom. This ability is limited to "true" priests, i.e. clerics or druids. - OSRIC
<>

<do paladins gain retainers? my guess: no>

SPELLS USABLE BY CLASS AND LEVEL -- PALADINS
                                       Clerical Spell Level

Paladin Level	1	2	3	4
9	1	-	-	-
10	2	-	-	-
11	2	1	-	-
12	2	2	-	-
13	2	2	1	-
14	3	2	1	-
15	3	2	1	1
16	3	3	1	1
17	3	3	2	1
18	3	3	3	1
19	3	3	3	2
20*	3	3	3	3

* Maximum spell ability.
 

QUESTION: Do Rangers and Paladins cast spells at their level or do they cast them as a first level?
Would a 9th-level Ranger cast a spell as a 1st-level MU or would he cast it as a 9th-level Magic-user?

ANSWER: He would cast it as though he were a 9th-level Magic-User.
I don’t agree with this, but I am informed that it is correct.
I still think they should cast spells as a 1st-level Magic-User.
(Correction: Rangers and paladins cast at 1st level when they first gain the ability to cast spells. See here.)
 

Question: Do Paladins and Rangers have to have special gods to pray to in order to obtain their spells?
Do their gods have to be patron gods of Paladins and Rangers?

Answer: No.
The only absolute restriction on the selection of
a deity by a Paladin or Ranger is based on alignment -- that is,
the character’s god obviously cannot be of an evil nature. While
a Paladin could be expected to only pay homage to a lawful
good deity, in general it would be possible for a Ranger (for
example) of neutral good alignment to pray to a chaotic good
deity. — J. Wells
 

Question: In our town of Terre Haute, there is an eighth-
level paladin that has a favorite saying, “Repent or Die.” On one
occasion he pulled back the arm of a captured orc, placed a
Ring of regeneration on his finger and then ripped his face off.
When the orc’s face healed, he would do it again. He says he
has a valid right to do this, because torture was very much a
part of the inquisition and he is saving the orc’s soul. This
raises two questions. First, is the paladin still a paladin and if
not, is he changed forever?

Answer: Inform the paladin he isn’t one any more. His new align-
ment is now lawful evil. Paladins tend to frown upon torture of any kind
for any reason and would not let it be done in their presence, let alone
do it themselves. Good and the process of law must be followed.
Everything a paladin does must obey laws of good and thereby insure
that all are treated fairly and just.
Granted, a lot of cruel and heartless things have been done in the
name of religion, but that doesn’t mean that it was good or right. Men
have always done strange things for even stranger reasons. For the
paladin to have tortured the orc was an evil act, and therefore he has
given up the right to be a paladin. I suggest that he not be allowed to
regain it, either, but if you decide to let him, make sure the quest is long,
hard, and nearly impossible to accomplish.

Q: What should a paladin character
do when he captures an evil opponent?

A: Let?s say that a hill giant
(encountered in its lair on a wilderness
adventure) surrenders to the
paladin, expecting mercy; can the
paladin kill it?
A careful reading of the alignment sections
of the Players Handbook (pages 33-34) and the DMG (pages 23-25) should be
helpful here. In your example, any of
several actions are justifiable in terms of
the lawful-good alignment ? if the DM
sees them that way:

1. The captive giant could be killed
immediately if it had committed great
crimes and represented a threat to the
community at large. Conversely, this could
be construed as a neutral-evil act in which
the strong dominate the weak and ignore
mercy.

2. The captive giant could be released if
it has committed no crimes, and if allowed
to live may remember this kindness and
become a useful member of society. Conversely,
this can be construed as a chaotic
act in which the rights of the individual
are held higher than the welfare of the
community at large.

3. The captive giant could be kept prisoner
and either forced to work in a manner
that would contribute to the common
weal, or it could be educated in the hopes
that it will change its alignment and
become good. Conversely, this can be
construed as a lawful-evil act in which a
creature is forced to serve the prevailing
order and conform to another?s interpretation
of what is right.

An aside: Is this option actually slavery?
Slavery was, historically speaking, not
always considered evil.
Prisoners of war,
whether civilian || military,
were enslaved to make them useful and to avoid killing them in the society of the victorious nation.
However, deliberate raiding for slaves is evil, and their treatment can easily become evil in any slave-owning society.
If the paladin in the example meant to force all hill giants to serve
humanity, then this would be slavery. The
DM must think his way through considerable
cultural relativism on this topic, but it
is recommended in the AD&D game that
slavery be considered an evil act. In this
event, prisoners convicted of evil deeds
and sentenced to hard labor cannot be
considered slaves.

4. The captive giant could be forced to
swear an oath to behave itself and work
for the common good of humanity (or, at
worst, to leave humanity alone). This
could also be held to be a chaotic act if the
giant?s trustworthiness is questionable.
Obviously, the paladin must do something
with the giant. Ultimately, it is up to
the paladin?s player to decide what should
be done, and up to the DM to decide if the
character?s motives were pure or otherwise.
It is strongly suggested that the
player and DM take a short halt in the
game to discuss this, so the PC isn?t unfairly
penalized for his actions.
(136.52)

In my first column I had a question concerning a paladin and his
sudden alignment change. That letter, like most, was extremely long
and it did not warrant a whole column. I only printed part of that
section. I, however, see the error of my ways. I should have explained
that the paladin had done many other evil things before and that
warranted an alignment change. It was not sudden. It was just that he
had to be informed that he wasn’t a paladin anymore. If I believed in
anti-paladins, that is what he would be considered by me.
 

Question: Can a Paladin put someone to death if the victim is severely scarred and doesn’t want to live?

Answer #1: Absolutely not!
The Paladin would try to find a reason for the person to live, if not with the world,
then shut away doing religious work where those who benefit from the aid would not care what he looks like.
The Paladin would also do all that he could to see that the
character did not succeed in taking his own life.

Answer #2: The "Sage Advice" column in  The Dragon #36  (Vol. IV, No. 10,
April 1980) contained some interesting questions and answers regarding "good" as related to Paladins and Rangers.
Let us examine these in light of the foregoing.

A player with a Paladin character asks if this character can "put
someone to death (who) is severely scarred and doesn?t want to
live." Although the  Sage Advice  reply was a strong negative, the
actual truth of the matter might lie somewhere else. The player does
not give the name of the deity served by the Paladin. This is the key
to lawful good behavior in AD&D  terms. Remember that ?good?
can be related to reality ofttimes, but not always. It might also relate
to good as perceived in the past, actual or mythical. In the latter case,
a Paladin could well force conversion at swordpoint, and, once
acceptance of ?the true way? was expressed, dispatch the new
convert on the spot. This assures that the prodigal will not return to
the former evil ways, sends the now-saved spirit on to a  better  place,
and incidentally rids the world of a potential troublemaker. Such
actions are "good," in these ways:

1. Evil is abridged (by at least one creature).
2. Good has gained a convert.
3 . The convert now has hope for rewards (rather than torment)
in the afterlife.
4. The good populace is safer (by a factor of at least 1).

It is therefore possible for a Paladin to, in fact, actually perform a
"mercy killing" such as the inquiring player asked about, provided
the tenets of his or her theology permitted it. While unlikely, it  is
possible.
 

Question: I am a 12th-level Paladin and I want to start a lineage.
Is this possible?
Can my Paladin get married, and if so, can he have children?

Answer #1: Well, most believe that Paladins practice celibacy.
I firmly uphold this belief and will not allow my Paladin, Guinivere, to marry.
This is a personal decision, or it can be made by your DM for you.
Even if they don’t marry, I am quite sure that Paladins are capable of having children.

Answer #2: Another case in point was that of a player with a Paladin character who wishes to marry and begin a lineage.
Again, our "Sage Advisor" suggests a negative. While many religions forbid wedlock
and demand celibacy, this is by no means universal. The key is again
the deity served, of course. DMs not using specific deities will harken
back to the origin of the term Paladin and realize that celibacy is not a
condition of that sort of Paladinhood. Also, although the Roman
Catholic church demands celibacy of its priests, the doctrines of
Judeo-Christianity hold matrimony and child bearing and rearing as
holy and proper, i.e. "good." So unless a particular deity demands
celibacy of its fighter-minions, there is no conceivable reason for a
Paladin not to marry and raise children. This is a matter for common
sense--and the DM, who, if not arbitrary, will probably agree with
the spirit of  AD&D  and allow marriage and children (This must be a
long-range campaign, or else its participants are preoccupied with
unusual aspects of the game. No matter . . .)
 

QUESTION: Is there an anti-Ranger and an anti-Paladin in AD&D?

ANSWER: It depends. I say no, but others say yes.
It doesn’t say that there is an anti-anything in any of the AD&D books.
If you play straight BtB, there is no anti-Paladin or anti-Ranger.
 

Question: Is there such a thing as a lawful neutral Pala-
din? We have a dwarf who is one.

Answer: No, there is no such thing as a lawful neutral Paladin—
and, for that matter, there is no such thing as a dwarven Paladin. All
Paladins must be human and must be lawful good in alignment.
 

Question: May a Paladin initiate melee or must he/she wait for provocation?

Answer: Just because a character or creature is lawful good does
not mean they will allow themselves to be placed in positions where
they can be taken advantage of. When dealing with beings that are
not lawful good, they will not only be constantly on their guard, they
will also deal with them as they would be dealt with by those of other
alignments. They will not allow a demon the first strike just to be sport-
ing, or let a band of orcs have the first arrow shots just because they
are far weaker than the paladin, or let a beautiful neutral illusionist CAST
a spell on them just because she is a woman (or pretty). The class sur-
vives because it innately knows how to deal with other alignments and
not be tricked by the lawless ways of others. — J. Ward, W. Niebling
l l l
 

Question: Can paladins contract lycanthropy?
Question: Will the rotting caused by Demogorgon have an effect on monks of fifth level or higher, since they are immune to disease?

Answer: Yes, a paladin can become a lycanthrope.
Answer: Yes, a high-level monk can be affected by Demogorgon’s rot-disease attack.
The immunity to disease that is enjoyed by paladins and by monks of
fifth level or higher applies only to “natural” diseases, such as
those listed in the table on page 14 of the DMG, and not to
“unnatural” diseases such as those caused by the attack or
touch of a monster. The same thing goes for the rotting disease
transmitted by a mummy or the “disease” caused by the spread
of green slime, for instance.
 

SA: Paladins & Marriage & Pregnancy
 

Q: Is it acceptable for paladin characters
to drink alcoholic beverages?

A: Whether or not paladins may consume
alcohol is up to the DM. In making such a
decision, the DM should consider the
beliefs and general tendencies of the paladin
?s religion. It is also helpful to keep in
mind that the only beverages which could
not be infected or spoiled in the Middle
Ages were alcoholic; the only major teetotaling
culture in the world at the time was
the Islamic Middle East. Balance this with
an understanding of the obvious effects of
overindulgence, of course; lack of moderation
was the offense that most concerned
real-world medieval society.
(136.52)
 
 

Related Article: Cavaliers and Paladins in the Forgotten Realms

As for AD&D questions, i find them pretty tedious, as the game system is out of print and not supported by any publisher. That said, I'll respond briefly:

Paladins are indeed meant to be the bravest, most loyal, and purest of knights. If there is societal proscription against something, including a knight using a bow, then a paladin would not do so unless it was to save the life of some honored figure, such as his liege lord. that duty would likely over-ride his honor. another example is the killing evil prisoners that have surrendered and asserted a change of alignment to the paladin's own. This is not generally unacceptable, for that act assures the former lost ones will go on to a better reward in the after life and no returning to their evil ways.

- Gary
 

Gary,

I had a situation come up. The group had been ambushed by a group of Ogres, and managed to fight them off and capture the remaining one. They questioned it(By tying it upside down and hanging it by its feet from a tree.) They learned that it was part of the assualt group that had just attacked a keep some days before. And this PC group was part of the defense of the keep. The paladin in the group, once finding out that no more harm will come from this tribe. That this is the last ogre, decides to execute the Ogre. Their mission is to get to the highfolk, and thus they dont have time to drag a ogre to authorities. Its clear the ogre will only slow them down. The Dwarf who was doing the questioning, gets pissed at the Paladin for jumping in and finishing off his prisoner. Walks over to the Paladins horse and ...

Phoebewedh walks over to Ivric's horse and slits its throat.
"Don't tarry when you run to catch up with us.
If you ever so much as interfere with my prisoners again I will gut you like a pig and feed you to my boar. " he says to the paladin.

I explain to the character that this is not a good act(the dwarf.), I am thinking that he needs an alignment change to CN from this act. Furthermore killing a Paladin of Heironeous's warhorse isn't going to sit lightly with the paladin, and likely a duel to the death will take place here. What would you do in htis situation(the dwarf is CG).
 

What would I do as the DM in the above situation?

I'd carefull referee the combat between the paladin and dwarf, for the former surely must not allow such an affront to occur or else lose his paladin status 

BTW, I'd give the paladin a +1 to both hit and damage his opponent due to rage at the foul act of sttacking a horse.

Cheers,
Gary
 

<>
So...

That is wasn't the paladin's warhorse makes the matter less serious, but only marginally so. the paladin's honor was besmirched by the dwarf, and as the DM I would call that to the attention of the player of the paladin if there was less than great umbrage taken.
To allow the incident to pass without punishing the offending dwarf would be a dark stain on the honor of the paladin.

Paladins are not stupid, and in general there is no rule of Lawful Good against killing enemies.
The old addage about nits making lice applies.
Also, as I have often noted, a paladin can freely dispatch prisoners of Evil alignment that have surrrendered and renounced that alignment in favor of Lawful Good.
They are then sent on to their reward before thay can backslide 

Cheers,
Gary
 

<>
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is by no means anything but Lawful and Good.
Prisoners guilty of murder or similar capital crimes can be executed without violating any precept of the alignment.
Hanging is likely the usual method of such execution, although it might be beheading, strangulation, etc.
A paladin is likely a figure that would be considered a fair judge of criminal conduct.

The Anglo-Saxon punishment for rape and/or murder of a woman was as follows:
tearing off of the scalp, cutting off of the ears and nose, blinding, chopping off of the feet and hands, and leaving the criminal beside the road for all bypassers to see.
I don't know if they cauterized the limb stumps or not before doing that.
It was said that a woman and child could walk the length and breadth of England without fear of molestation then...

Chivington might have been quoted as saying "nits make lice," but he is certainly not the first one to make such an observation as it is an observable fact.
If you have read the account of wooden Leg, a warrior of the Cheyenne tribe that fought against Custer et al., he dispassionately noted killing an enemy squaw for the reason in question.

Cheers,
Gary
 
 

Elfdart wrote:
Because there's so much contention over what is Good, what was Good and what might be Good, I always make it clear from the outset what would be allowed from a Paladin.
There's a big difference between a lawful execution and a lynching.
 

A paladin is qualified to be judge and jury--assuming he is acting according to the oath he took to gain his status.

Elfdart wrote:
If I'm going to have a Paladin in the group, I make sure he is given the legal power to dish out justice (like US marshalls used to) and the right to try and string up bandits and the like.
This way he is being both Lawful and Good.

That is logical and correct in my estimation.

Elfdart wrote:
As I wrote earlier, I don't believe in putting PCs in the position of "What do we do with all of these baby goblins now that we've killed the adults?".
I simply don't include them, or contrive some reason why the PCs don't have to deal with them.
In other words, I don't put PCs in the position where doing an FRPG William Calley is an option.

An astute manner of managing such a dilema.

Cheers,
Gary
 
 

Quote:
Also pertaining to Rangers, if they cast a spell like Animal Friendship, and they are say 12th level, is the Hit Die that the Ranger can get based on his Ranger levels, or only the levels he was able to start casting druid spells?

Thanks
 

Spells are case as 1st level when they are initially included in the capacity of a class.
Thus, the levels of non-spell-casting sort are ot counted.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally posted by CrusaderX
Gary, I'm curious about your thoughts on the D&D (or AD&D) Paladin class. Many gamers see the Paladin's Lawful Good alignment restriction as an essential part of this class. Other players, however, have no problem with allowing Chaotic Good Paladins, Lawful Evil Paladins, and Paladins of any and all alignments.

Do you think that the Paladin's Lawful Good alignment restriction is an appropriate, or even an essential, element of this class? I myself am all for having "Holy Warriors" of all alignments, but I've always viewed the "Paladin" title as being uniquely bound to the service of both Law and Goodness. Maybe I'm just a traditionalist.

Also, from where did the class concept originate? Is it true that Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions story is one of the main influences of the AD&D Paladin?

Thank you for your time, good sir! This is indeed a wonderful thread.
 

Welcome CrusaderX.
Pleased to be of service...and to have a bit of fun in so doing.

As far as I am concerned, the Paladin is Lawful Good--perior.
The class takes vows, swears an oath, and then follows it. <note: ceremony: special vows is an option>
The concept is drawn from some legend--Authurian--and some quasi-legend--the paladins of Charlemaine plus the code of chivalry as it was written, more honored in the breach than the keeping. As described in the game system, any characyer that was of paladin class would cease being so immediately his vows were broken.

Playing a proper paladin is often mishandled also. They are not stupid per se, only bound by oaths. For example I did allow paladins to slay dangerous prisoners if those individuals renounced Evil. In such a state of grace, killing them is actually a Good act, for they will then go on to a better life in another world instead of being sent to some dark and dismal plane to suffer for their ways after death. While a paladin will fight to the death if necessary, they are not usually bound to suicidal valor for no pirpose.

Anyway, while Poul Anderson in his excellent THREE HEARTS & THREE LIONS was treating Oiger the Dane as his protagonist, that work was not the source for the paladin class.
I did borrow a good deal from the troll he had in the yarn though

Cheers,
Gary

Quote:
Originally posted by ColonelHardisson
Three Hearts and Three Lions didn't inspire the paladin? Wow. I always thought it did. Another urban legend dispelled.
 

Well that's the way it goes

In truth I was using the older sources for the model of the paladin, and the 12 Paladins of Charlemaigne was my main inspiration.
Of course it didn't hurt that I had been told the story of Roland at about age three...
 

Paladin's Detect Evil Power

Howdy Ken 

Well, as the Paladin is supposed to be the virtuous warrior wholly dedicated to being upright and doing good, the Detect Evil capacity seemed natural.

I envisaged it as being one that the Paladin must use with active thought, that meaning when he is thus engaged he can be doing nothing else.
(It was not meant as an automatic sensing device akin to a Geiger counter detecting radiation level.)

The Evil needs to be an active force such as in a character or a spirit entity or at worst a semi-intelligent monster able to contemplate doing wicked things, or an active magical effect that has a sentient quality that triggers it malign effect.

Okay, there is is, and don't ask why this isn't quantified thus in the original PHB 

cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally posted by Joseph Elric Smith

So as a follow then why would people think it is rude for a paladin to detect evil? or would they, not that they do IMC, as it is considered part of there make up.
Ken

If in the company of gentle folk, certainly belted knights and nobles, for a Paladin to perform a detection for evil is clearly a gross insult to all those present!
Only if there is ample reason for a devoutly religious person to suspect some malign influence might the act be considered otherwise.
To do so before a sovereigh head of state, directed at that one, is certainly lesse majeste, perhaps a capital offense.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by LordVyreth
Second, there has been a fairly lively series of debates on the Wizards boards lately about alignment. A lot of people seem to be very vocal on the issue of alignment, and exactly what a good alignment creature can do to evil or potentially evil creatures. Some even went so far as to suggest it's right to kill all babies of a typically evil race like, say, hobgoblins, just because they'll probably grow up to be evil. Others suggest that detect evil should suffice for immediate punishment, especially for paladins. This could mean a paladin has the right to kill every greedy merchant and pickpocket he sees, just because he detects them as evil, without even witnessing the crime. What is your opinion on how a paladin should react in these and similar situations, or any good creature in general? I could post the links to the debates if you want.

Alignment was meant primarily as a role-playing tool.
(Despite what some of the "mature" and "sophisticated" gamers assert, roleplay was indeed a central feature of the AD&D game from the proverbial get-go.) the player was to be guided by it when role-playing his character, and the DM had the same benchmarks to use in judging the PC's actions.

The debates now make me regret that I ever included the system feature, as it is being taken beyond the pale.
Better to have the character's actions speak for their ethics and morality than some letter set.

Rhe main problem seems to be that the players are assuming alignment in a vacuum, without reference to any deities establishing and overseeing the matters concerned with such judgements and actions.
Bacause the main system fails to provide properly for deities to be active in such matters, abuses of the most eggregious sort take place.
A paladin is supposed to be the architype of the Christian knight.
that means focusing on doing right, spreading the word about the faith (in the deity the paladin serves), helping others of goodwill, protecting the weak, etc.
Judging others not opposing the paladin is quite out of the picture.

This is a subject that I could write a complete essay on, but it is bootless.
Let those who publish the system clean up the mess.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Calico_Jack73
... I'd like your view on the Paladin class and the features that make is supposedly "Unplayable".

Thank you so much for your input Gary.
 

First, many a Paladin PC has been played, and that done successfully generally following the rules for the class as written.

Lawful Good does not equate to stupid or foolish, It means the PC must follow the Law as determined by the deity the Paladin acknowledges, and thus promote Good according to that Law.

As I have pointed out at times, a Paladin might well execute a group of captives after they have converted from their former (Evil) alignment to Lawful Good, for that act saves their sould, prevents them from slipping back into error.

A Paladin will not normally sacrifice himself, fight needlessly, unless it is a situation where honor and duty demand that.
Such sacrifice would have to be demonstrably for the betterment of his deity, or else based on anoath the character made prior to the dire situation.

While in general a Paladin can not lie, that does not mean he must say anything, or can not answer evasively or mislead--if that is according to the tenents of his avowed LG deity.

A Paladin played by someone that doen not understand the basis of the Code of Chivalry taken to the extreme and attached to religion is likely unplayable, but that's the fault of the player, not the class.

Yes, I have played a Paladin character, but not for long, as I don't enjoy Lwaful Good characters much--too restrictive for a Chaotic sort of person such as I am 

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jyrdan Fairblade
Second, the actual question; what is your concept of the paladin's code? That seems to have been a particularly vexing problem in many campaigns, with paladin's slaughtering baby orcs, or alternately raising orcish children as their own, attacking thieves for the slightest infraction, or being guilty of enormous hubris and arrogance (Which goes against the high charisma required for the class).

that sounds about right.
The paladin is modeled on the medieval paladins of Charlemagne, and they were surely a conflicted lot.
What is and isn't chivalrous and honorable is up to the DM, but slaughtering baby orcs isn't likely to fall into either class.
Slaughterind adult orcs converted to Lawful Good is likely acceptable, as it sends them on to a better reward, prevents them from backsliding to evil ways.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by NewJeffCT
To take the paladin thing a bit further, we had a lengthy thread on here a few months back about whether paladins should be chaste/celibate, as in they do not engage in any sexual activity at all. I had started the thread because I was wondering why so many DMs seem to require paladins to be basically sexless when the various Player's Handbooks dating back to 1st Edition do not technically require it.

When you DM somebody playing a paladin, is this an unwritten part of your paladin code?

I will say that sex/love is not something that comes up every session in our games, but I was thinking about it a while back when a paladin PC of mine basically stood guard while the rest of the group was visiting our game's equivalent of the Castle Anthrax... And, I am also not saying that the paladin would be wildly promiscuous like a medieval era Wilt Chamberlin, but I could see a paladin in a committed monogamous relationship with a follower of the same deity.

Where on earth such a notion came from is quite beyond me...and beyond the pale.
Paladins have no requirement of celibacy, and those of the troubador bent can be unchaste as well.
How they fare with that is a matter of what deity they honor, of course.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by NewJeffCT
I think it comes from a time a bit later than Charlemagne - possibly the Templar Knights of the Crusades that aspired to things like celibacy and devotion to God above all earthly pleasures, though it rarely held true in actual practice. (To quote Monty Python & The Holy Grail, "I am Sir Galahad, the Chaste")

I had mentioned it because I have been playing D&D for over 25 years now and in many different groups and that sort of ideal always seems to be the unwritten rule of paladinhood.

Well that makes no sense for anyone to do, as the Templars were holy knights and warriors, not paladins.

As for anything serious based on Arthurian fairy tales, I scoff 

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gentlegamer
Yes, but then Lancelot was a Cavalier, not a Paladin! 

Heh,

You are interpreting the fabulous to suit your veiw
Lancelot was a knight as was Galahad, the only potentially celibate knight of the make-believe round table.
The only named paladins were the knights of Charlemagne such as Roland and Oiger.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gentlegamer
Merely giving my translation of certain literary characters into AD&D terms.  I've always conceptualized the difference between Cavalier and Paladin as that between Lancelot and Galahad. It rather fits, don't you think?

And of course, Ogier AKA Holger Carlson was the ONLY literary Paladin that exactly fits AD&D terms.

Who can argue in regards your translating one bit of fantasy into another?...I did that a lot when i designed the game.

However, I would argue that Roland was a model of the paladin, more so than even Oiger.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by TerraDave
Roland the model Paladin, and not the Holier then Holy Galahad?? In there best known forms, both are basically the best Knights the French could imagine (country of origin not withstanding)

Only one small difference...

There probably was a Roland, and there never was a Galahad.

cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
paladins weren't really supposed to be knights... thus, the cavalier. 
 

Well, not the typical knight anyway <nervous laugh>

Ciao,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Deuce Traveler
Gary, what were the more memorable paladins that you've seen played?
 

Heh,

There were only a few played in my campaign, but there were two that were remarkable,

That played by Don Arndt was the most cautious one I have ever experienced or heard of.
His behavior was so remarkable that the Artifict, "Invulnerable coat of Arn" was created to jape at such play.

The most paladin-like PC in the campaign was played by Mark Ratner with Aylerach, a paragon of bravery and virtue.
He was duped into freeing the demon Fraz-Urbluu from his prison in Greyhawk Castle, the delighted demon carrying both he and Erac back to his home in the Abyss as a reward. Sadly, both of Erac's Vorpal Blades alng with Aylerach's two-handed +5 Holy Avenger turned into useless bars of iron there. Although both PCS were reutrned to the PMP, neither was very pleased with me as their DM for that adventure.

Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry
That said, have you ever given an opinion on the "Paladin vs. an Orc Baby" scenario before? (Otherwise known as the "would you strangle baby Hitler?" moral question.)

Not directly.

If the infant orc was not able to reason, the paladin would not slay it, possibly see to its care somewhere until it reached a state where reason was possible;
but if and when the immature humanoid was able to reason, the paladin would make it swear its rejection of evil, confess its adherance to LG, and then execute it before it could recant.
Thus the orc would be guaranteed acceptence in a more benign afterlife.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by rossik
wow....that really changed my point of view about paladins...very good 

but in the other questiom, about turning evil dragons to good, the dagon would take much more time to reason, no?

would he kill in instants a red dragon?

(btw, love the info about he footlocker!)

Good Afternooon,

Note that the "converted" evil humanoid" is quite unlikely to remain so,
will return to its evil ways,
so thus the mercy killing by the paladin to assure that doesn't happen.
It is all for the good of the subject of course.

The same surely holds true of evil dragons.
A permanent conversion from the malign is most unlikely, the best outcome likely being a neutral creature with evil tendencies.
Thus I hold that a paladin will attack on sight any evil monster of that sort...assuming he believes there is a reasonable chance of prevailing.
Otherwise, the paladin will mark the location to return with a stronger force.

As for Footlocker nagic items, the class in a new, Grade 13 one, and it contains four progressively more powerful versions of the item. The most potent is reminescent of Luggage. 

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry
Of course there's that sticky problem of the paladin having now chopped down a publicly-declared "good" creature, but I have to admit I can appreciate the finality of the solution. 

Hi Henry,

That should pose no problem with those folk of the same persuation as the paladin, as they will understand and agree with that most caring dispatch of a reformed miscreant to a better place.

Of course those of the same alignment as the "converted" will absolutely hate the deed and its doer.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by dcas
...
A paladin would not have our modern notions of the death penalty. . . . 

What do you mean by "our"? Some of us are not nancy boys...or the like 

Cheers,
Gary
 
 
 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoffrey
On paladins: I definitely like violent paladins. Remember that in Rob Kuntz's first Maze module one of the PCs is assumed to be a paladin on a mission to assassinate the king! (Puts me in mind of Aquinas's and the Jesuit's justification of killing unjust kings.) My favorite model for a paladin is R. E. Howard's Solomon Kane. No Nancy-boy, he!

I quite concur in regards paladins.
Charlemagne's paladins fought the Saracens without mercy.

Cheers,
Gary
 

The paladin was likewise loosely drawn from the Paladins of Charlemagne and the Code of Chivalry.

Changes in both archetypes were mandated by the game system for which they were designed.
As they two are quite different archetypes, criticism of these classes on grounds of similarity is fatuois.
The purpose of each class in the campaign milieu is quite different.

Cheers,
Gary

1. SUBCLASS = cavalier
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM = LUC (01: LLC to UMC, begin at 0)
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
    STRENGTH = 15 (7d6)
    INTELLIGENCE = 10 (5d6)
    WISDOM = 13 (8d6)
    DEXTERITY = 15 (3d6)
    CONSTITUTION = 15 (6d6)
    CHARISMA = 17 (9d6)
    COMELINESS = 3 (4d6)
4. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE = half-elf, human <level limits for half-elves are not noted in UA>
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES = none
6. HIT DIE TYPE = d10 (1d4+1 at 0 level)
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE = 9
8. SPELL ABILITY = yes
9. ARMOR PERMITTED = any (A paladin will not wear leather, padded, or studded leather armor, because such garb is beneath the character's station.) <>
10. SHIELD PERMITTED = any
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED = any (Similary, a cavalier or paladin will not USE pole arms, missile weapons, or other types of arms that are commonly associated with the lower social classes. See the description of the cavalier class above for particulars.)
    Q: Unearthed Arcana says that cavaliers
    and paladins use pole arms and
    missile weapons only at high levels.
    How high is high enough?

    A: A cavalier or paladin must be proficient
    in all the class?s preferred weapons (<Weapons of Choice>: see
    Unearthed Arcana, page 14) before he can
    become proficient in pole arms, bows, or
    other weapons not on the preferred list.
    (137.68)
12. OIL PERMITTED = no (The use of oil in personal combat is unacceptable to the cavalier, but such characters may USE oil in siege warfare.)
13. POISON PERMITTED = never
14. ALIGNMENT = LG
15. STARTING MONEY = see Starting Money for Cavaliers
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = 3*, 1/2 levels (1st: 3, 3rd: 4, 5th: 5, 7th: 6, 9th: 7, 11th: 8, 13th: 9, 15th: 10, 17th: 11, 19th: 12) (Choose from the following list)
(*Lance (required at level 1), long sword, broad sword, bastard sword, short sword, horseman's mace, horseman's flail, horseman's military pick, dagger, scimitar, and javelin.)
(Add short composite bow for elven and half-elven paladins)
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY = -3
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = 2, 1/2 levels (1st: 2, 3rd: 3, 5th: 4, 7th: 5, 9th: 6, 11th: 7, 13th: 8, 15th: 9, 17th: 10, 19th: 11)
19. STARTING AGE = human (17 + 1d4: m21)
20. COMBAT = F
21. SAVING THROWS = F
22. MAGIC ITEMS = F, but no more than 10

* A 0-level Horseman has 1 WP, A 0-level Lancer has 2 WPs.
** 0-level Horseman and Lancers have 1 NWP.

<line 4: level limit for half-elf paladins?>
<line 4: UA.14 notes that only gray, dark, or high half-elves may become cavaliers>
<line 22: add age for half-elf paladins>
<check above against the errata>

<origin = Three Hearts &&& Three Lions, by Poul Anderson? not sure about this, check Gary's comments, above>

<note: there is a limited edition Gary Con "Paladin in Hell" miniature>