Introduction
To ride abroad redressing human wrongs,
To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it,
To honor his own word as if his god's,
To lead sweet lives in purest chastity,
To love one maiden only [...]
And worship her by years of noble deeds....
——credo of the Knights of the Round Table
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Idylls of the King)
What comes to mind when you think of the paladin? For many of us, his image is
indelibly linked to that of the medieval knight, the supreme hero of the
Middle Ages. Clad in shining armor, his lance gleaming in the morning sun, the
knight is the quintessence of gallantry, the champion of the powerless, and the
personification of courage—at least as we remember him from history.
Though The Complete Paladin's Handbook encompasses aspects of the historical knight, it casts a much wider net.
While you'll find the horse soldiers who served the lords of the feudal age, you'll
also meet riders of unicorns, killers of dragons, and nemeses of the undead;
men and women who ride majestic war horses and wield magical swords; and
worshippers of ancient religions and followers of arcane philosophies, some serving
powerful churches and monarchies, others answering only to their own consciences.
This book focuses on the paladin's motivations, special abilities, and unique
restrictions—that is, all of the elements that distinguish him from other
character types and make him so challenging to play. We probe the paladin's
personality, unravel his emotions, and try to understand what makes him tick; look at
his role in an adventuring party and in society as a whole; and examine what his
religion demands of him and what he expects from himself. Along the way, we
discuss more than a dozen new character kits, show you how to design a code of
behavior for your paladin, and describe new proficiencies and equipment.
For your convenience, this book compiles and summarizes all of the relevant
rules from the DUNGEON MASTER™ Guide (abbreviated DMG in the text) and Player's Handbook (abbreviated PH). It also includes a new set of character sheets in the back of the book,
designed to record virtually every detail about a paladin character.
Keep in mind that all of this material is optional. Every idea must have the approval of the DM™ before it can be incorporated
into a campaign.
All of the material in this book uses the AD&D® 2nd Edition rules. Players
using the original AD&D PH and DMG should carefully adapt this handbook to the campaign. For reference, the appendix of this book
summarizes original AD&D paladin rules.
The Unearthed Arcana book, a supplement to the original AD&D rules, declared the paladin to be a
sub-class of the cavalier. In the AD&D 2nd Edition game, this no longer applies.
The paladin remains tied to the fighter group, with the cavalier, in a
streamlined form, reworked as a character kit in The Complete Fighter's Handbook.
Many concepts in The Complete Paladin's Handbook draw heavily on the
proficiency rules introduced in the AD&D 2nd Edition PH. We strongly recommend you use proficiencies in your campaign and review the
rules before proceeding.
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.
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