Pathfinder RPG Alternate Paladin's Code
Pathfinder RPG Alternate Paladin's Code
Pathfinder RPG Alternate Paladin's Code
More complex, specialised codes can be used, although the player and DM should be
careful not to constrain the paladin too much. It is easy, for example, to design a holy
knight dedicated to defending the king, protecting the honour of the king, bringing justice
in the kings name and who fights in the kings wars. However, such a specialised
character really has no reason to do anything that is not directly related to the king. Give
the character some leeway for independent action and adventuring. Think of the standard
adventure plots (dungeon crawl, murder mystery, epic quest, characters in charge of some
fortress or business, survival in the wilderness and so on) and ensure that the code will
allow the character to participate fully in each of these.
Choosing Tenets
The next step is selecting which tenets will apply to the paladin. As mentioned above, the
number of tenets should be 15 for a moderate code and 20 for a strict code. Try to avoid
tenets which radically contradict themselves; the ideals of the code will never perfectly
apply to situations in the real world but the code should not force the paladin to breach it
on a daily basis.
List the tenets on the Paladins Code sheet. Once both player and DM are satisfied with
the code design, a copy of this sheet should be kept by both and consulted when the
character is in danger of breaching his code.
insightful nature and charming demeanour (high Wisdom and Charisma), few paladins
are adept at either lying or spotting trickery in others. Many of them are innocents at
heart.
0: The paladin is expected to tell the truth but may lie without penalty.
1: The paladin may lie only to prevent harm or protect another. In all other matters, the
paladin must be perfectly honest, telling the truth to the best of his knowledge and ability.
He may make lies of omission (not volunteering information, leaving things out), but
only when necessary. He may lie to deceive evil creatures but only when absolutely
necessary. He may conceal his status as a paladin when necessary.
2: The paladin may lie only when no other valid option permits itself. He should consult
with a religious mentor, confessor or other moral guide before doing so and may lie
only when telling the truth would be an evil act. The paladin may conceal his identity but
only when protecting himself or others from evil.
3: The paladin may not lie under any circumstances. He may not conceal his identity or
status as a paladin; he may not use deceit or treachery. He embodies truthfulness. Any
willful mistruth is a breach of the paladins code.
Law and Justice
While the paladins code may not precisely align with the local laws, the paladin is an
agent of Law as well as Good. He must try to obey whatever laws and customs he
encounters, as long as they are lawful in nature. A culture where might makes right and
the law is equivalent to the whim of a warlord is not lawful; the land of Darkon where
necromancers create zombie serfs toil in the fields and the nobility of vampires in
Necrovi is lawful, though evil. The paladin must respect the local laws.
0: The paladins respect for the local laws is a notational one he may breach them
freely in the pursuit of his paladin duties. Obviously, a paladin who breaks the law risks
retribution from the city watch or other civil authorities but he does not risk breaching his
code.
1: The paladin must obey the local laws, save where doing so would endanger the greater
good. A paladin could steal in order to obtain a necessary item but only if there is no
legal way to obtain it. He must co-operate with the local authorities when requested; he
must also respect those in positions of authority and obey them under most
circumstances.
2: The paladin must obey the local laws at all times. He may only break them if there is
no other alternative and may only take this step after a period of reflection and
consultation with a moral guide. The nature of the laws makes little difference to the
paladin all laws are worthy of respect.
Similarly, he must respect those in positions of authority and obey their commands save
in the most extreme situations.
3: The paladin may not break the law under any circumstances, no matter how important.
He is permitted to ignore laws that directly conflict with his morals (i.e. he would not
have to obey a law that called upon him to murder all elves on sight) but wherever
possible he must conform to the laws of the state, even when doing so would greatly
inconvenience him or put him in great danger. Any willful breaking of any law, even
inconsequential ones, breaches the paladins code.
2: The paladin must destroy any evil creatures he can. If it is within his power to destroy
an evil, then he must destroy that evil. This tenet does not demand that the paladin not
retreat or not use certain tactics those are the province of other tenets but it does
demand that the paladin not spare an evil creature, or permit evil to exist if he can
possibly destroy it.
3: Any evil the paladin encounters must be destroyed immediately, if he can do so.
Furthermore, anyone who opposes the paladins efforts against evil is also deemed to be
evil and must be destroyed. Let nothing stop the paladins holy crusade against the
darkness.
Treachery and Tactics
The rules of engagement apply to the paladin at all times. He must obey the conventions
of war even in informal combats, such as skirmishes in dungeons. Depending on the
severity of the paladins code, he may be permitted to waive this tenet when fighting
those such as demons or undead who deserve no mercy, no quarter whatsoever. In other
situations, though, the paladin must treat his foes with respect; even a dragon or orc can
have a knightly soul.
0: The rules of warfare are not part of the paladins code; he may use ambushes,
treachery, poison and other forms of covert combat. All is fair on the field of battle.
1: The paladin may not use false alliances or poison but may use deceitful tactics such as
attacking from hiding or ambush, attacking in unusual methods (flooding a dungeon,
collapsing the ceiling) and so on.
2: The paladin must obey the rules of warfare he must:
present himself to the enemy,
challenge them openly on the field of battle,
engage them in direct combat,
allow the injured and dead to be retrieved from the battlefield,
not attack downed or helpless foes or non-combatants.
Basically, the character must have a stand-up, toe-to-toe fight with the enemy, treating
them as honourable foes.
If the enemy breaches the rules of engagement, then the paladin may too.
3: The paladin must obey the rules of warfare at all times, even when fighting enemies
that use treachery and evil tactics. A band of ambushing, poison-using kobolds must
be treated with the respect and honour due to a band of knights. The paladin must always
fight in an honorable and dignified manner.
Duels and Challenges
Formal duels, jousts and challenges are part of the paladins code. He is a champion of
good and therefore must be ready to be the spearhead in the war against evil, engaging
the rival champions of evil in single combat. The nature of the duels that the paladin is
expected to partake in varies; jousts and swordfights are traditional, but at the higher
levels of this tenet, the paladin must be ready to accept any challenge issued to him.
0: The paladin is under no special restrictions when it comes to duels and challenges; he
is not bound to engage in any sort of stylised or ritualised combat. He may ignore
challenges issued to him if he deems them unfair.
1: The paladin is bound to accept challenges to single combat from his peers (other
fighters and paladins) but not monsters such as dragons or giants. He should also issue
such challenges to such rivals before fighting them and respect the rules of single combat.
2: The paladin is bound to accept challenges to single combat from all foes worthy of
respect (this includes dragons but does not include most undead, nor does it include evil
outsiders). He should issue such challenges to such rivals before fighting them.
3: The paladin is bound to accept all challenges not just ones to single combat, but
challenges of any sort that the paladin can compete in. He should issue challenges to any
champions of evil he encounters. Failure to issue a challenge or to accept a challenge is a
breach of this tenet.
Valour and Foolhardiness
The paladin is expected to be brave and heroic at all times. He must honour this tenet
through heroic and self-sacrificing deeds. Some see these acts as sheer foolhardiness and
certainly the paladin must go where angels fear to tread. The higher this tenet, the higher
the degree of bravery demanded of the paladin.
0: The better part of valour is discretion; the paladin is not expected to display any
bravery beyond that of a normal champion of good. He may retreat as needed and need
not charge into battle. He is under no restrictions with regard to valour.
1: The paladin is expected to be the first into every fight and the last to leave. He may not
show cowardice in the face of danger, but may retreat if reduced to one-quarter of his hit
point total or if faced with grave danger. He may choose not to enter a fight if
outnumbered (use Hit Dice as a guide when dealing with large numbers a 10th level
paladin facing 10 HD goblins may not retreat without breaching his code).
2: The paladin must be at the forefront of every battle. He may retreat only if reduced to
one-tenth of his hit point total, or when facing overwhelming odds. He may choose not to
enter a fight if outnumbered two-to-one or more.
3: No surrender, no retreat. The war against evil knows no bounds; he may choose not to
enter a fight only if death is absolutely certain (outnumbered five-to-one or more).
Once he enters a battle, he may not retreat under any circumstances.
Prisoners
The ethical treatment of prisoners is one aspect of the paladins code that causes all sorts
of problems in-game. Characters are often faced with the problem of having captured an
enemy but being unable to secure their prisoner. If the apprentice of an enemy wizard is
captured, can the characters risk dragging a hostile enemy along with them as they travel.
This is especially common in dungeon crawls the party wipes out all the warriors of an
orc tribe but what do they do with the orc women and children?
0: The paladin is permitted to deal with prisoners as he sees fit while he is encouraged
to deal with them in a kind and honourable fashion, the needs of a higher cause should
guide his actions. The character does not have to take any special care in dealing with
them.
1: The paladin must scan all prisoners with detect evil. Those who are evil may be slain
out of hand those who are not evil should either be freed or tried by the secular
authorities. A prisoner under the paladins care must be healed to prevent them from
dying and must be given food, water and a certain amount of dignity.
2: The paladin must scan all prisoners with detect evil only those who are Moderately
evil (or worse) may be killed.
All others should either be freed or tried by the secular authorities.
3: All prisoners are sacred the paladin may not kill any who have surrendered to him,
not even the most depraved and despicable individuals. The paladin may take whatever
reasonable steps are needed to prevent a prisoner from escaping, but they should still be
treated humanely.
Dealing with Evil
The paladin is expected not to associate with evil creatures under any circumstances;
what could a paladin have to say to such beings, other than prepare to die, fiend? That
said, this is a fallen and corrupt world and a paladin may find himself having to
compromise his ethics in pursuit of a greater good. The level of this compromise varies
depending on the Tenet of Dealing With Evil.
This tenet applies only when the paladin knows or suspects those he is dealing with are
evil. Actions such as trading items, commerce and just spending time in the company of
others are covered by this tenet.
0: The paladin is expected to have the strength of will to deal with evil and not be
corrupted by mere contact. The paladin may speak with evil creatures and even work
with them for mutual gain, as long as such an alliance directly and immediately furthers
the cause of good. The paladin must also be constantly vigilant to ensure that such an
alliance does not corrupt him; every action taken in association with evil must be
carefully examined from a moral standpoint.
1: The paladin may parlay with evil creatures and deal with them on a limited basis when
required. He may ally with them only if there is no other way whatsoever to accomplish
his mission and then only after all possible alternatives have been exhausted. This
alliance must directly and immediately further the cause of good.
2: The paladin may parley with evil creatures and deal with them if there is no other way
to obtain a particular item or piece of information. He may not under any circumstances
ally with evil creatures, even if it seems that all hope will be lost if he does not.
3: The paladin should not even speak with evil creatures if he can avoid it. He should
avoid dealing with them, nor may he ally with them. Any contact with evil endangers the
paladins soul, so he should minimise such contacts. Evil is utterly untrustworthy, utterly
base any true words spoken to evil beings are as stones dropped down an endlessly
deep well.
Noblesse Oblige
These tenets cover the paladins duties unto others. Some paladins are defenders of the
common people, while others are champions of higher powers and so concentrate on
greater goals. These tenets tend to interfere with adventuring, as the paladin is called
away to aid the weak and unfortunate when he might prefer to be questing for glory.
Aid and Succour
The Tenet of Aid and Succour covers the paladins duty to help those who are presently
in need. This tenet applies when the paladin encounter anyone currently beset by
enemies. As the paladin is expected to be a generous and heroic individual, any breaches
of this tenet are treated especially harshly increase the breach level by +1.
0: The paladin is under no special requirement to give aid; it is expected of him,
certainly, but he does not breach his code if he fails to give aid. It is up to the paladin
what aid to give and how the aid is secured a farmer might ask for the paladins aid in
driving a druid out of the neighboring woodlands but the paladins code would not be
breached if the paladin instead persuaded the druid to allow the farmer to remain.
1: The paladin must give aid to those who ask for it, so long as giving aid does not
prevent the paladin from accomplishing some higher goal and those who are asking for
aid are not evil.
2: The paladin must give aid to those who request it, so long as they are not evil.
3: The paladin must give aid to any who request it.
Charity and Healing
This tenet describes the paladins responsibility to aid the common folk by distributing
his recovered treasure and his healing ability. Should the paladin not have any healing
ability remaining to him that day, he is obliged to either wait until he has replenished his
lay on hands ability or to use his own stored healing potions and scrolls to provide aid.
The paladin need not fully restore the hit points of an injured creature as long as the
creature is not in immediate danger of dying, then the paladin has done his duty.
0: The paladin is under no special requirement to give either money or healing magic to
those in need, although his personal conscience may guide him to do so; he does not
breach his code if he fails to do so.
1: The paladin is obliged to heal any good creatures in need. He must also give 10% of
any treasure he recovers to the common folk, distributing it among the poor or using it to
fund good works.
2: The paladin should heal any wounded non-evil creature he encounters. He must also
give 25% of any treasure he recovers to charities.
3: At this level, any wounded creature that the paladin can help, he must help. Even evil
creatures should be healed by the paladin, except where this would put other good
creatures in immediate danger. He must also give at least half his treasure to charities and
good works.
Protection and Defence
This tenet covers the paladins responsibility to defend the common folk. The Tenet of
Aid and Succour covers immediate problems, while this tenet is more long ranging.
There is a degree of overlap, of course, but this tenet focuses much more on monstrous
and supernatural dangers that threaten the people.
0: Failure to give protection does not breach the paladins code, although he is still
expected to do his duty in the defence of the land.
1: The paladin must always respond to dangers that present an immediate threat to the
common folk. The danger must be a clear one mere shadows of danger, such as orc
scouts or tales of coming evil are not enough. If the paladin fails to respond to a clear
and present danger, though, he breaches this tenet.
2: Not only must the paladin respond to immediate threats, but he must also take steps
to prepare for coming dangers. If the paladin is ever found to be unready to defend the
common folk when danger threatens, he breaches his code.
3: At this level of the tenet, the paladin is considered the first and last line of defence for
the common folk. Should rumours of a rampaging dragon or rising darkness reach his
ears, and the paladin fails to investigate, then he breaches his code. Eternal vigilance is
required of the paladin.
to the supreme monarch of the land if the king grants a duchy to Lord Alain and he
gives a barony to Baron de Winter, and Baron de Winter is the paladins liege lord, then
any of these three good nobles may command the paladins.
3: The paladins first and foremost duty must be the defence of the realm. He must be
constantly vigilant for threats to the land; any injury to the realm is a breach of the
paladins code of honour.
Feudal Dues
The paladin owes a certain amount of service to his liege lord; the higher this tenet, the
more he owes. Note that money spent on feudal dues do not count towards obtaining
a Grace.
0: The paladin owes nothing more than whatever his lord asks of him in most cases this
will be nothing.
1: The paladin must give 5% of his treasure to his liege lord; alternatively, he may pay
this through service, sending soldiers or other agents.
2: The paladin owes 10% of his treasure to his liege lord.
3: The paladin owes 25% of his treasure to his liege lord.
0: The paladin should guide his companions on the path of righteousness but their
stumbles and failures do not necessarily reflect poorly upon him.
1: The paladins code applies to his companions but all its tenets are reduced by two for
example, if a paladin has a tenet at level three, then it applies to his companions and
followers at level one.
2: As above, but the level of the tenets is reduced by only one.
3: As above, but the code applies with full intensity to the companions of the paladin
Breaches
If the paladin breaks any one of the tenets of his code, he has committed a breach and
will be punished in some fashion.
The greater the severity of the breach, the more the paladin will suffer. The severity of a
breach is determined using the breach level, which is calculated as follows.
Firstly, the initial breach level is equal to the level of the tenet that was broken, +1 (so,
breach level two for a level one tenet, breach level three for a level two tenet and breach
level four for a level three tenet).
The following modifiers are then applied.
Mitigating Factors
Conflicted Code: The paladin avoided breaking a higher tenet by breaking a lower one.
For example, a paladins code demands that he obey the orders of his superiors (level one
tenet), but does not kill innocents (level three tenet). A superior commands him to set fire
to a town, which would lead to the death of innocents. The paladin refuses and breaches
the level one tenet in his adherence to the level three tenet. This reduces the breach level
by 1.
Unknowing Breach: The paladin was unaware of certain factors when he made his
decision, so he did not know that his actions would constitute a breach of the code.
Perhaps he was unaware that an evil doppelganger was masquerading as another paladin
and forgot to use detect evil before handing over an important holy artifact. While
ignorance is no excuse, it is a mitigating factor. This reduces the breach level by 1.
Minor Breach: While the paladin has technically broken his code, no ill came of it and it
was only a minor contravention of his tenets. If the breach was truly an inconsequential
one, a breach that nothing other than a divinely appointed agent of Law would notice,
then the breach level is reduced by 1.
Compulsion: The paladin was under the effect of a mind-altering spell or substance. This
factor only applies if the paladin was unwittingly placed under this effect a charm spell
cast on the paladin or a hallucinogenic poison slipped into his food counts but the paladin
getting drunk and stabbing someone in a knifefight does not. If the paladin was under a
compulsion, the breach level is reduced by 1.
Exacerbating Factors
Dire Breach: The paladins actions are a complete and utter violation of the tenet if the
code demands that he not lie and he forges a history book and then uses his honourable
reputation for perfect honesty to endorse it to ensure that no one ever knows the truth,
then he has not only broken his code, he has trampled on it. A dire breach increases the
breach level by 2.
Wilful Breach: If the paladin knows that he is about to violate his code, is warned about
the consequences of his actions, but continues anyway, this constitutes a wilful breach. If
the warning came from a lay friend of the paladin or a stranger, the breach level is
increased by 1.
If the warning came from a fellow paladin, a cleric or a moral guide, then the breach level
is increased by 2. If the warning came from an angel or other celestial being specifically
sent to warn the paladin about his actions, the breach level is increased by 3.
Multiple Breaches: A single action has breached several of the tenets of the paladins
code. Add the level of each tenet to the breach level (so breaching two level three tenets
at once is a level seven breach).
Repeated Breach: The paladin has breached this tenet before a paladin is expected to
learn from his mistakes, and not sin in the same way again. This increases the breach
level by 1.
Once the breach level has been calculated, the effects are applied to the paladin. At each
breach level, the penalties applied to the paladin and suggestions for what he must do
to atone are listed.
Breach Level 0: No Breach
While the paladin may have technically violated his code in the strictest sense, there is no
true sin or harm in this case.
Penalties: None.
Cures: None required.
Breach Level 1: Venial Breach
A venial breach is a breach that deserves punishment but is eminently forgivable and
does not separate the paladin from the divine. A venial breach does not greatly affect the
paladins supernatural abilities.
Penalties: Guilt-wracked dreams and 2 sacred penalty to Charisma when dealing with
celestials and high ranking church officials.
Cures: Prayer; 100 gp donation to the church or charity; minor acts of contrition.
Breach Level 2: Minor Breach
A minor breach is a significant breach, one that has notable consequences for the paladin.
Those trained in observing such things will notice a minor stain on the paladins aura
of good.
Penalties: Loss of divine grace or radiance.
Cures: Prayer and penance; 500 gp donation to the church or charity; acts of contrition
such as a quest in the service of the god without hope of reward. The paladin must also
increase one of his tenets by +1.
Breach Level 3: Dangerous Breach
A dangerous breach puts the paladin at risk of severing his link to the divine; it is a
warning that the paladin has jeopardised his holy standing. At this level, the paladin
requires atonement or a similar significant act of contrition to make up for his failing.
Penalties: Loss of divine grace, radiance, and righteous cause; or loss of exalted mount
Cures: Atonement; quest lasting for two weeks per level of the paladin in the service of
the paladins god or ethos; 1,000 gp donation to the church or charity. The paladin must
also increase two of his tenets by 1.
Breach Level 4: Major Breach
If a paladin has committed a major breach of his code, he has failed, pure and simple. He
has exiled himself from the light of heaven and abjured his status as a paladin. He
therefore loses all his paladin abilities save one of his choice he must use this one
remaining ability to rebuild his relationship with the divine and hence restore his abilities.
Penalties: The loss of all paladin abilities save one of the characters choice.
Cures: Atonement; quest lasting one month per level of the paladin in the service of the
paladins god or ethos. The paladin must also increase three of his tenets by 1.
Breach Level 5: Utter Breach
An utter breach completely severs the paladins connection to the heavens. The character
instantly loses all his paladin abilities and his status as a knight of the church. At this
level, the paladin teeters on the edge of corruption an evil outsider such as an imp will
be dispatched to visit him and offer him the chance to become a blackguard.
Penalties: Loss of all paladin abilities.
Cures: Atonement cast by a cleric of higher level than the paladin, major quest in the
service of the paladins god or ethos, 1,000 gp/paladin level donation to the church. The
paladin must also increase four of his tenets by 1.
Breach Level 6: Mortal Breach
At the level of a mortal breach, the paladin has not only ruined his standing as a paladin,
he has also imperiled his immortal soul. If the character fails to atone within a year and a
day, his alignment will move towards evil unless he takes steps to prevent this. He will
also be visited three times by evil outsiders, tempting him with levels of blackguard.
Penalties: Loss of all paladin abilities, eternal damnation.
Cures: Atonement cast by three clerics of higher level than the paladin, major quest in the
service of the paladins god or ethos, 2000 gp/paladin level donation to the church. The
paladin must also increase five of his tenets by 1.
Breach Level 7: Unforgivable Breach
A paladin who commits an unforgivable breach has
committed sins that damn him instantly and eternally. He loses all paladin abilities and
cannot regain them under any normal circumstances only the direct intervention of a
god or its avatar can offer the slightest hope of redemption for the paladin. If the
character chooses, he may instantly become a blackguard and trade in paladin levels for
blackguard levels even if he is below the 11th paladin level. A character who commits an
unforgivable breach shall be a black mark in the annals of the paladins order for all time.
TENET
0 1 2 3
Honour and Justice
Personal Reputation
Lies and Truth
Law and Justice
Torture and Mistreatment
Oaths
The Field of Battle
Murder and Combat
Treachery and Tactics
Duels and Challenges
Valour and Foolhardiness
Prisoners
Dealing with Evil
Noblesse Oblige
Aid and Succour
Charity and Healing
Protection and Defence
Religion and the Church
Religious Observation
Religious Tithes
Duty to the Church
Sexual Purity
Chivalry and Feudalism
Duty to the King
Feudal Dues
Associates and Companions
Companions
Fellowship