Paladin

Armored in plate head to toe, seated atop a mighty steed shines the paladin in righteous, holy glory. The paladin is the champion of his or her god, fighting holy wars and following a chivalrous path. Onward, truest of knights!

The fantasy paladin is an RPG gold mine, their great fighting skill and strength coupled with the power to heal allies and to smite enemies with righteous divine strikes making them a one-stop shop for RPG party requirements. All you need is a rogue sidekick to pick a lock or two and detect a trap and you can successfully hit the dungeons of any wacky DM.

The fantasy paladin fights with extreme skill, competent in full armour with gigantic weaponry (see Great Sword post) and huge kite shields. The can ride warhorses, command troops, and hold titles and lands in fealty to their lords. On top of this they can perform rituals and rites and cast spells in tune with their religious bent including such gems as healing, smiting, blessing, cursing, exploding the undead, detecting evilness, and seeing into the souls of cheaters, liars, and used car salesmen. So… the ability to fight in the front lines and use magic and cast spells all with some divinity who’s got your back… what’s not to like?

In story, the paladin is the “knight excellens,” always choosing the path of light, the moral high ground, the honorable way–sometimes even to their own detriment. They can be good to a fault, making them a beautiful choice for troubling narrative situations involving “temptation”. The paladin can stray from their path, presenting you with a great opportunity to narrate the crap out of their troubled soul!

Whatever path your fantasy narrative is taking, you can throw in a paladin for a ton of fun in epic extremes. Take a gander at all the ideas below and see if you can resist the faithful devotion of the paladin…

Paladin Descriptors

• paladin, holy avenger, high knight, champion of God, devout hero, righteous martyr, Lord’s commander, oathkeeper, honour-bound soldier, godly, godlike, stalwart protector of the good, right fighter, armoured missionary, evangelical warrior,
• saintly, devout, pious, holy, honorable, good, trustworthy, devoted, faithful, reverent, spiritual, religious, committed,
• ethical, morally upstanding, scrupulous, fair,
• law-abiding, lawful, dutiful, conscientious,
• sinless, sin-free, pure, virtuous,
• charitable, generous, valiant, glorious, beaming,
• noble, high-born, high class,
• naive, innocent, gullible, assuming,
• shiny, light, bright, gilded, sterling, pure, white,
• tall, impressive, powerful, buff, strong, sculpted, statuesque, square-jawed, muscular, towering, soaring, lofty, strapping, athletic, herculean, ripped, mighty, tough, trim, stout, robust, sturdy, brawny, hulky, hulking, hefty, beefed up, beefy, hardy, staunch, hardened, well-structured, substantial, virile, fit, firm, full-figured, virile, vigorous,
• armored, equipped, full kit, well-armed,
• defender, fighter, battle-hardened, battle-wise,
• intelligent, wise, thoughtful, considerate, contemplative, reflective, knowing, knowledgable, understanding, judicious, perceptive, astute, enlightened, careful, learned, scholarly, philosophical, sophic,
• soft-spoken, gentle, discreet, tactful,
• brand, tattoo, body art, piercing, holy mark, birthmark,
• honest, true, clear, concise,
• young, idealistic, quixotic, utopian, aged, mature, venerable, ancient, sagely, experienced,
• ironic or reversal: greedy, prideful, fiery tempered, spiteful, jealous, lustful, lecherous, lying, conniving, dishonest, oathbreaker, unscrupulous,
• paladin’s can be from a wide range of fantastic species: human, half-elf, high elf, half-orc, gnome, river dwarf, celestial being, lionkin (great manes!), centaur, turtle lord, royal hare,

Paladin Stuff

Paladins will have a mix of war tools and religious tools. There are way too many things here for any one paladin to cart around, so pick and choose the trigger words that resonate with your narrative brain…

• full platemail armor, chainmail, hauberk, padding, splinted armour, brigandine, breastplate, ringmail, leather, helm, fauld, studded leather, elf mail, greaves, bracers, rocktroll hide, cloak, scalemail, gambeson, jupon, tabard, doeskin breeches, tunic,
• tower shield, kite shield, heater, targa, small buckler, (invent your own shield in the shape of some holy symbol)
• weapon, sword, claymore, flamberge, lance, voulge, glaive, warhammer, war pick, battle axe, heavy axe, halberd, polearm, ahlspeiss, magic weapon, heavy flail, holy sword, mace, cudgel, trident, bearded axe, military fork, dagger, short sword, knife, falchion, set of dueling swords,
• heavy crossbow, longbow, recurve bow, javelin, arrows or bolts,
• holy symbol, amulet, chain and locket, emblem, sigil, token, medallion, necklace, insignia, scepter, weapon, sign, banner, device, mark of a covenant, creed,
• prayer beads, book, carpet, sceptre, candle, incense, censer, brazier, herbs, icon, statuette, totem, bean, marble, widget,
• military star, pin, medal, ribbon, band, standard, flag, colors, motto, marker, rank insignia, identification, badge, laurel, awards, trophies, hardware, shield, house heraldic symbol, braid, cordon, ornament, decoration,
• steed, horse, pet, familiar, companion animal, animal totem, war horse, super donkey, charger, destrier, rouncey, courser, giant dog, camel, orca (sea knight), palfry (riding horse), sumpter (pack horse)
• traveling gear: bedroll, tent, rope, torches, lamp, lantern, kindling, tinder, flint, trail rations, provisions, spy glass, mapping gear, matches,
• papers: map, heraldic papers, deeds, wills, official documents, plans, letters of mark, secret correspondence,
• valuables: treasure chest, key,
• smoking pipe, tobacco, holy weed,
• magic stuff: amulet, talisman, mushrooms, weapon, ark (chest, sealed box) containing a holy relic, blessed totem, scroll, angel’s tears (feathers, halo, essence), miracle ring, wish band, bracers (or other armour), more MAGIC STUFF here,
• healer’s tools,
• undead hunting kit: stakes, silver tipped arrows, magic stiletto, holy water, holy symbol, silver mesh net, silver rope,
• treasure chest, ancestral skull,

Characters around Paladins

• entourage or retinue: men-at-arms, squire, armorer, smith, cook, servant, assistant, hand, herald, torch bearer, porter, lackey, bard, chronicler, biographer,
• official, diplomat, administrator, officer, mayor, sheriff, marshal, adviser, court staff, escort,
• military personnel, troops, cavalry,
• queen, king, lord, empress, royalty, nobility, earl, baroness, lady,
• commoners, civilians, plebeians, fans, groupies, followers, gawkers, young maidens, doting folk, spectators,
• the poor, the needy, underprivileged, poverty stricken,  leper, beggar, weak, infirm, helpless, indigents, pauper, vagrant, penniless,
• spy, double agent, interloper, intruder, infiltrator, doppleganger,
• enemies to smite: undead, vampire, wraiths, skeleton warriors, poltergeists, evil priest, anti-paladin, death, demons, devils, evil spirits, evil overlord, orcs, goblins, trolls,

Paladin Environments

Here are some places paladins might hang out as well as places paladins might be encountered.

• castle, mansion, estate, palace, courtyard, court, royal houses, noble houses, lord’s manner,
• temple, sanctuary, sacred ground, church, cathedral, house of prayer, monastery, abbey,
• battlefield, military outpost, fort, fortress, wall, gatehouse, tollway, bridge tower,
• barracks, tent, mess hall, training ground, training ground, soldiers quarters,
• arena, jousting list, fair ground, games ground,
• poor house, soup kitchen, almshouse, infirmary, institution, asylum, hospital, hospice, hostel, religious charity,
• treasury, vault, safe, holding house, royal stores, treasury caravan,
• road, highway, country lane, range, crossroads, trade route, silk road, king’s highway, bridge,
• graveyard, catacomb, family grave plot, cemetery, barrow mound, battlefield cemetery, crypt,

Paladin Notes and Ideas

• You’ll have more fun with a paladin the more you can align your paladin’s behaviors, equipment, environments, and so on with his or her god’s symbols, totems, ideals, and rituals. This could include animals, colors, numbers, weapons, days of the week, shapes, or anything else that you can define as symbolic of the paladin’s god and their godly ways.
• The best part about really good people in narrative is that you have opportunities to tempt or destroy them. Turning a paladin from his or her devout path has lots of possibility whether in character backstory, story concept, or obstacles along the way. Simple temptation can work (lust, gambling, greed, avarice, covetousness, sexual perversion); the use of drugs or alcohol can bring out a dark side in your paladin; extreme wrath, rage, or anger can lurk in the depths of the paladin’s soul; a curse may befall the paladin leading to a great internal struggle to battle its effects;
• The paladin who is wracked with guilt over something that happened in the past can provide motivation and justification for their decisions and their unwavering drive. They may use the violence of battle to burn some of it off. Perhaps there are rituals of self-deprecation, self flagellation, self mutilation, painful body art, mad prayer, reconciliation, or penance to deal with their self-loathing.  What could sully the clean sheets of their purity? Maybe they: lost something; were unable to save someone dear to them; have a sordid past; cheated in a most vile manner; have a secret that sits poorly within their soul; made a deal with the devil; were spurned by a lover long ago. Check out BACKSTORY for more ideas.
• Start a character off as a paladin’s squire and learn the ropes through that experience.