Paladin
by Orcin
with thanks to Moriah

Class: Any
Tag: PDN

Introduction

This paladin variant attempts to adopt the flavor of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules for a paladin class. The Baldur’s Gate game manual describes this class very well. "A paladin is a warrior bold and pure…a man of combat. However, the paladin lives for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry. He strives to be a living example of these virtues so that others might learn from him as well as gain by his actions."

The Diablo paladin variant is a role-playing pure character. He is restricted in the amount of gold that he can use and will have to find most of his finest items in the dungeon. However, he is not a strict LOL or "ultra-pure" character because he is allowed to buy items in town assuming he has the funds available. He will have magic capabilities, although they come later in his development. He primarily relies on the swift judgment of cold, hard steel.

Rules

The character name should be noted as a paladin with the (PDN) extension. A paladin would never use a name which is contrary to his belief system such as "EvilDude(PDN)".

A paladin must devote at least one attribute point per character level attained to each of Strength and Vitality, representing his prime requisites.

A paladin must tithe 10% of all his gold each time he enters town, including at the start of each new game. A paladin should pick up all gold found in the dungeon, in order to have more available for this purpose. The paladin can choose any convenient place to drop the gold, such as the building next to the town portal entrance. This gold must never be used under any circumstances.

The remainder of his gold must be carried on his person at all times, so that he will always be in a position to tithe the proper amount. It is recommended that paladins not sell excess items during the session to make this system easier, unless the gold is needed to fund repairs or immediately purchase an item from the merchants.

A paladin also may not accumulate large sums of wealth, as most of his gold will go to support others who are more needy. Therefore, a paladin may not carry more than 10,000 gold from game to game, and he may not keep excess rings and backup gear purely to act as a gold substitute. A paladin also may not have a pack character.

A paladin may only spend gold on items that he wishes to use in the fight against evil. Therefore, he can not use excess gold to "turn" the inventories of Griswold and Wirt looking for better items at the end of a session. He may buy what the merchants have to offer at that moment if he intends to equip it for some purpose (such as "reading glasses"). Adria's inventory will automatically change if he goes to the dungeon (which of course is acceptable), but remember that a paladin must tithe 10% of his gold each time he returns to town.

A paladin is allowed to buy all the potions and elixirs that he can afford.

Paladins must share with the other character classes. Therefore, all items that a paladin is restricted from using must be ignored. In other words, they cannot be used or sold for gold. As an example, a paladin kills Leoric who drops a unique axe. This axe must be left on the ground because two-handed weapons are not allowed. The paladin’s reward for killing Leoric is the satisfaction of knowing that he has won another battle in the fight against evil. This restriction also applies to Paladins while playing in solo games. A paladin may sell excess items that are allowed in his class (such as magical armor).

Items

Armor, Helm, Shield
Paladins may wear any normal armor, but may not wear rags, capes, robes, or cloaks. There are no restrictions on helms and shields. A paladin should strive to obtain the most powerful protection from evil possible.

Jewelry
All rings and amulets are allowed with the following exceptions. The constricting ring is not allowed because it reduces the paladin’s life force, which is a key component of his ability to fight evil. "Cursed" items are to be avoided, although items that reduce light radius are considered beneficial and therefore allowed.

Weapons and Shields
Paladins can only use one-handed weapons, and must always carry a shield. All one-handed weapons except daggers are acceptable. Two-handed weapons and bows are not allowed.

Enchantments
A paladin’s use of magical items is restricted by virtue of his belief system. A paladin may not use any item that "steals" life or mana, and a paladin may not use any "cursed" item (except items that reduce light radius). Of course, the base item restrictions apply as well; i.e. a paladin may not use any magical bow regardless of prefix or suffix.

Paladins may only wear Zodiac jewelry after they have attained the rank of Knight. Zodiac jewelry found before achieving the proper rank may be kept until it can be used.

Uniques
No unique item that "steals" life or mana (such as the Helm of Sprits) may be used. Unique items that reduce the prime requisites of Strength and Vitality are likewise not allowed. Paladins should also avoid unique items with dishonorable names, but the determination of which items is left to the individual paladin.

Otherwise, unique items are only restricted to the extent that the base weapon is not allowed; i.e. no unique bow can be used. It is left to the individual paladin to determine if any negative attributes associated with these unique items are detrimental to his ability to fight evil.

Paladins may only wear a Royal Circlet after they have attained the rank of Lord. A Royal Circlet found before achieving the proper rank may be kept until it can be used. Unique items are also restricted to the extent that the base weapon is not allowed; i.e. no unique bow can be used.

Shrines

Paladins are required to touch all Holy, Religious, Divine, and Spiritual shrines that they find. They can also choose one other shrine to be the symbol of their religious belief, and can use that shrine without limitations. This choice must be made at the time the character is created, and cannot be a shrine which reduces attributes, life, or mana in any way.

All other shrines, fountains, cauldrons, and goat shrines must be ignored forever, except that the paladin must leave 10% of his current gold at all other shrines (but not fountains, cauldrons, or goat shrines) as a symbol of his respect for the beliefs of others.

Spells

A paladin must prove his mettle and worthiness to gain the right to use spells. In AD&D, a paladin begins to gain his spells as a level 9 character. Character level 20 has been chosen as the appropriate time for a paladin in Diablo to receive his magic training.

Until a paladin has reached character level 20, his spell use is restricted to the following spells: Healing, Heal Other, Resurrect, Identify, Town Portal, and (of course) Holy Bolt. A paladin may not read, keep, or sell any other books or scrolls before he attains level 20. After level 20, a paladin may buy all books and scrolls to the extent that he has gold available, and can freely use any spell at his disposal to cleanse the world of evil.

Vows of Faith
concept and many ideas by Moriah

A paladin must adopt one or more of the following vows at the time of character creation. These Vows of Faith will have considerable influence over the paladin for his entire life. There is no limit to the number of these vows that may be adopted, but there is also no additional benefit for adopting multiple vows. Paladins may also create their own Vows of Faith, but should seek the guidance of a paladin of at least Knight rank to ensure that the Vow is suitable.

1) Vow of Integrity
A paladin may refuse to conduct business with Wirt out of concern for the questionable origin of his merchandise and disgust with his practice of over-charging. In exchange for this vow, the paladin may add the Hidden Shrine to his allowed list.

2) Vow of Enchantment
A paladin may refuse to deal with Adria because he fears that she has been influenced by evil powers. In exchange for this vow, the paladin may add the Enchanted Shrine to his allowed list, and may read or keep books at any character level (but still cannot cast restricted spells before level 20).

3) Vow of Sustenance
A paladin may choose to forego the goods and services offered by Pepin, thereby leaving more gold available to tithe. In exchange for this vow, the paladin may add the Eldritch Shrine to his allowed list and may use staves of healing (but only for the spell and not to wield as a weapon).

4) Vow of Maintenance
A paladin may choose to forego the goods and services offered by Griswold, thereby leaving more gold available to tithe. In exchange for this vow, the paladin may add the four "+attribute" Shrines (Abandoned, Creepy, Eerie, and Quiet) to his allowed list.

5) Vow of Glory
A paladin may choose to equip only items that equal or exceed the base type of his currently equipped items, as a symbol of his aristocratic heritage. (Read this carefully... magical properties do not enter into the decision.) In exchange for this vow, the paladin may carry up to 25,000 in gold from game to game and is no longer prohibited from carrying excess items and/or jewelry for "cash".

6) Vow of Might
A paladin may choose to forego the use of offensive spells (specifically including Stone Curse), as a symbol of his heritage as a melee warrior. In exchange for this vow, the paladin may freely use all two-handed melee weapons (not bows) that do not violate the restrictions on magical or unique items. Of course, staves may not be used to cast spells in this case.

Any shrine benefits accruing from Vows of Faith are in addition to the "free" shrine received as a symbol of the paladin's religious belief. Shrines that become acceptable via Vows of Faith no longer require a 10% donation per visit. Items that become available or restricted based on Vows of Faith also become free from, or subject to, the restrictions related to selling them for gold.

Quests and Ranks

There are three ranks that may be achieved by a paladin. These ranks are gained by successfully performing a quest.

1) Knight
A paladin may attain the rank of Knight by reaching character level 30 and successfully performing one of the following quests. As a Knight, the paladin earns the right to add the designation "Sir" to his name (example: Sir_Orcin_PLD), and can now use jewelry with the Zodiac suffix.

Completely clear levels 13-16 solo on NM difficulty (including Diablo), using no spells except Healing, Identify, and Town Portal. Level 15 must contain Soul Burners, and Diablo must be the last kill.

or

Purge the dungeon of evil by killing 15 of the 17 bosses that can be found on levels 13-16 in NM difficulty. The bosses must all die by the sword without the use of Stone Curse. This quest obviously spans several games, and can be done in co-op play although the paladin must actually kill the bosses himself without help. This quest may not be started before reaching character level 30.

or

Perform a 3 @ 30 run (i.e. kill Diablo in H/H difficulty as a level 30 character).

A paladin may also create a quest to attain this rank, but he should seek the guidance of a qualified Knight to ensure the quest is suitable.

2) Lord
A paladin may attain the rank of Lord by reaching character level 40 and successfully performing one of the following quests (see below). As a Lord, the paladin earns the right to replace the designation "Sir" with "Lord", and may now use the Royal Circlet as a symbol of his achievement. In only this case, a paladin may receive his Royal Circlet as a gift from another character.

Attaining the rank of Lord is a special time in the life of a paladin, and should be marked with an appropriate ceremony. To attain the rank, he must do one of the following quests (or all of them, if he likes).

Completely clear levels 13-16 on Hell difficulty using no spells except Healing, Identify, and Town Portal. Level 15 must contain Soul Burners, and Diablo must be the last kill. Also, the paladin must not die or leave the level once Diablo's room is opened.

or Purge the dungeon of evil by killing 15 of the 17 bosses that can be found on levels 13-16 in Hell difficulty. The bosses must all die by the sword without the use of Stone Curse. This quest obviously spans several games, and can be done in co-op play although the paladin must actually kill the bosses himself without help. This quest may not be started before reaching character level 40.

A paladin may also create a quest to attain this rank, but he should seek the guidance of a qualified Lord to ensure the quest is suitable.

3) Duke
A paladin automatically attains the rank of Duke upon reaching character level 50. As a Duke, the paladin earns the right to replace the designation "Lord" with the title of "Duke". Paladins who reach the level of Duke will be rare indeed, and a unique and creative ceremony or quest should be planned to mark the occasion.

Summary

The paladin variant is intended to infuse role-playing into the development of a conventional warrior, and is designed to be difficult. A paladin should become a strong warrior as a high-level character, but the journey will not be without sacrifice. Griswold may offer that King's Bastard Sword of Haste in a game where the paladin does not have enough gold unless he uses that which has already been tithed. It is at that moment that his belief system will be tested. If he fails, he becomes just a warrior with "PLD" after his name.