Paladin

A paladin is a holy crusader, crusading in the name of his or her deity, and a divine spellcaster. Though paladins are typically considered lawful good, evil paladins and those of non-lawful alignments can exist, though all paladins must be of the exact alignment of their patron deity. A paladins are expected to be a paragon of their alignment and a model for others of their faith.

Most paladins serve actual gods, though a few act as champions of a primordial, demon, or devil though in the latter two cases they must commit atrocities such as the sacrifice of sapients in order to retain their powers. All paladins, regardless of whom they serve and how they act, are expected to serve as sworn defenders of the faithful, smiting the unholy.

Probably the best known paladin of Toril was Gareth Dragonsbane, who later went on to become the king of Damara.

Abilities
Paladins, like clerics, are granted their divine powers, known as prayers, through strength of faith and devotion to their divine patron, and like clerics can enhance these prayers with a holy symbol. Paladins have the ability to funnel the power of their patron through their own body in a prayer known as channel divinity. This power allows paladins a number of abilities, such as warding off a malign effect on an ally or increasing the power of their attacks. Paladins may have special variations of channel divinity dependent on the specific god they worship, with a paladin of Bahamut and one of Oghma having different abilities.

In battle paladins are exceptionally good combatants, equivalent in power to fighters or swordmages, trained in the use of all forms of armor and most melee weapons. Lightly powered offensive prayers are frequently called strikes and can be wielded by trained paladins on a frequent basis. Moderately powerful offensive prayers wielded by paladins in battle are known commonly as smites and are tiring enough that most paladins require a short rest before using a particular smite again. Most if not all strikes and smites require a paladin to be wielding a weapon when casting. Paladins can also use their divine power to protect their allies, scorching foes who attack their companions with radiant power that interferes with the enemy's attacks.

Paladins are also trained in healing, though to a lesser extent than clerics. In particular, all paladins know the lay on hands prayer, which instantly heals the wounds of a comrade and helps them get back on their feet.

Paladin Orders
Most paladins are knights or priests (or both), working for their church or an order. Qualifying for an order is often difficult, and membership always requires that the paladin follow a specific code of conduct. These orders often allow non-paladins as members, with good-aligned rangers and fighters being the most common sort of non-paladin members. Paladins can serve in the military force of an aristocrat sanctioned by their religion, or within some autonomous church-based military order established for defense.


 * Brotherhood of Those Who Smile in the Face of Death: This order serves as the militant arm of the church of Osiris in Mulhorand.
 * Eternal Order: The main order of paladins of Kelemvor, whose duty is to hunt and destroy powerful undead.
 * Hammers of Grimjaws: This order is comprised of the very elite of Tyr's paladins.
 * Holy Warriors of Suffering: An order of paladins sponsored by the church of Ilmater.
 * Knights of Mystic Fire: A knightly order of paladins who are sponsored by the church of Mystra.
 * Knights of the Merciful Sword: Paladins who are dedicated to Tyr.
 * Knights of Holy Judgment: Paladins who are dedicated to Tyr.
 * Order of the Chalice: The order of the demon-slaying paladins.
 * Order of the Radiant Heart: A lawful good aligned order of knights located in Amn. They venerate Torm and Helm.
 * Vigilant Eyes of the God: This is the order of the paladins who worship Helm, all of whom may join this guild after squirehood.