The Complete Paladin

The Roots of the Paladin The life of the historical knight was less romantic than fictional accounts would have us believe. The word cniht was first used to describe the sons of French peasants who arrived in England following the Norman conquest in 1066. Crude in manner and appearance, the cniht soldiers attracted attention because of their expensive armor and horsemanship, a skill held in high regard. Despite these advantages, the cniht were still second-class citizens, a notch above peasants but decidedly inferior to the aristocracy.

With feudalism the status of the cniht (eventually Anglicized to knights) improved dramatically. The feudal era began when wealthy lords gave small pieces of land to groups of peasants in exchange for their labor, and struggling land-owners signed over their property to a lord in return for protection. The relationship was secured by a bond of honor and a clear understanding of their mutual responsibilities. In time, all parties in feudal relationships became part of the nobility, and feudal offers were extended only to those of acceptable stature. As a lord's holdings grew, so did his need for skilled warriors to defend against foreign invaders. Knights made ideal candidates. In the feudal tradition, lords secured their services by offering them property, grand estates including much farmland, many buildings, and even the peasants who provided the labor. As the knights acquired wealth, they also gained prestige, becoming a distinct and honored social class that was usually restricted to the sons of aristocrats.

The status of the knights solidified in the 11th century when the church, prompted by self-interest and a genuine desire to promote order in an increasingly anarchic society, gave its official sanction. Knighthood was declared a sacred calling, and the ordainment of new knights became a holy ritual. With this new accreditation came new responsibilities, formally defined in the code of chivalry, a set of principles based on religious ideals. While continuing in the lower ranks of the privileged class, the knight now symbolized the highest standards of moral behavior and was admired by peasants and royalty alike.

Though the knight commanded respect, he was rarely envied. His life was dangerous and brutal, marked by incessant confrontations and the constant threat of humiliation. Rather than adventuring for honor or pleasure, most engaged in a constant struggle for income, desperately seeking any and all opportunities to earn an honest living. The rigid chivalric code, which made abstract principles of loyalty more important than life itself, resulted in a death sentence for most knights. Few lived beyond age 30. Those who survived often spent their remaining years penniless and broken, depending on the charity of a society that had all but forgotten them.

Armor and Weapons As members of the warrior group, paladins can wear any type of armor. Regardless of the armor worn, paladins suffer no penalties to any of their special abilities. Paladins can also wield any of the weapons listed in Chapter 6 of the PH. As they increase in level, they can make more than one attack per round, as shown in Table 6. Table 6: Paladin Attacks Per Round

Level	Attacks/Round
1-6	1/round
7-12	3/2 rounds
13+	2/round

At 3rd level, a paladin gains the ability to turn undead. The number and type of undead

turned depends on the paladin's level, as per Table 10. A paladin turns undead just like a priest of two levels lower than the paladin. The player rolls 1d20 and consults the relevant column of Table 10. A result equal to or greater than the listed number indicates success. A "T'' means the attempt succeeds automatically; no roll is necessary. A "D'' means the targeted undead are destroyed. Turning attempts can't be made against categories of undead indicated by a dash. A successful roll, or a "T'' or "D'' notation, affects 2-12 (2d6) undead. Only one die-roll is made per turning attempt, regardless of the composition of the undead group.

Use the same die result on all applicable columns of Table 61. (See Chapter 2 for more about this ability.)

Table 10:

Turning Undead (Paladin)

Paladin	Category	of	Undead
Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
3	10	13	16	19	20	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	7	10	13	16	19	20	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	4	7	10	13	16	19	20	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	T	4	7	10	13	16	19	20	-	-	-	-	-
7	T	T	4	7	10	13	16	19	20	-	-	-	-
8	D	T	T	4	7	10	13	16	19	20	-	-	-
9	D	D	T	T	4	7	10	13	16	19	20	-	-
10	D*	D	D	T	T	4	7	10	13	16	19	20	-
11	D*	D*	D	D	T	T	4	7	10	13	16	19	20
12 to 13	D*	D*	D*	D	D	T	T	4	7	10	13	16	19
14 to 15	D*	D*	D*	D*	D	D	T	T	4	7	10	13	16
16+	D*	D*	D*	D*	D*	D	D	T	T	4	7	10	13

Key to Categories

1: Skeleton (or 1 HD undead)

2: Zombie

3: Ghoul (or 2 HD undead)

4: Shadow (or 4 HD undead)

5: Wight (or 5 HD undead)

6: Ghast

7: Wraith (or 6 HD undead)

8: Mummy (or 7 HD undead)

9: Spectre (or 8 HD undead)

10: Vampire (or 9 HD undead)

11: Ghost (or 10 HD undead)

12: Lich (or 11+ HD undead)

13: Special undead, including one-of-a-kind creatures, free-willed undead of the Negative

Plane, outer planes undead, and certain greater and lesser deities.

* An additional 2d4 creatures of this type are turned