Paladins

[Maccabe]

   When building a standard "priest" you can add a limitation to their abilities that those said abilities only work when advancing their patrons cause.

Now I'm curious about paladins-aren't they usually more limited then priest types??  A priest might err and be forgiven but usually if a paladin "falls" they

can never be a paladin again.

 

What level of power limitation would you give to such a build?

[Lucius]

I probably wouldn't, but if for some reason I were going to, I'd look into the Limitations for Expendable Focus and/or Charges Difficult to Recover.

 

One way might be to use Multiform:

 

Preternaturally Pure, Potent, and Positive Paladin Power!:  (Total: 80 Active Cost, 8 Real Cost) Multiform (400 Character Points in the most expensive form) (80 Active Points); 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4), Extra Time (1 Year, Only to Activate, -3), Personality Loss First Roll After 1 Turn (-2), Must Be Used At Full Power (-0) (Real Cost: 8)

 

Give the Multiform a Complication:

 

Accidental Change:  Major Impurity Always (Uncommon)

 

If the paladin commits a significant violation of precept, they change back to their pre-paladin identity. Since the Multiform has only one Charge that was expended to become a paladin in the first place, they're stuck.

 

Unless you want to allow redemption, in which case they can rewrite the power:

 

Preternaturally Pure, Potent, and Positive Paladin Power!:  (Total: 80 Active Cost, 8 Real Cost) Multiform (400 Character Points in the most expensive form) (80 Active Points); 2 Charges which Never Recover (-3 1/2), Extra Time (1 Year, Only to Activate, -3), Personality Loss First Roll After 1 Turn (-2), Must Be Used At Full Power (-0) (Real Cost: 8)

 

Doesn't even cost any points to get a second nonrecoverable charge. But there's a reason the power has that Extra Time, and it shouldn't be an easy year for the penitent either.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says it only costs one point to get a third charge, but by that point don't you think either the paladin should give up on the Gods, or vice versa?

 

 

[LoneWolf]

The idea that once a paladin falls it is forever is kind of a D&D thing.  Even the later editions of D&D relax this.  I don’t require this for any games I run.  I do require all the paladins powers to have religious restriction on them.  If you want to make it more difficult for a paladin to atone the best way would be to increase the value of the restriction. 

 

Typically the difference between a paladin and a priest is how they purchase their powers.  The priest is usually a spell caster so they tend to have more limitation on the spells.  Things like incantations, gestures, foci, and require a roll are fairly common limitations for a spell.  With Paladins they tend to have less limitations.  They are more like talents then spells.  Some of the talents are actually perfect for a paladin.  Just add the limitation religious restrictions to them and they work fine. 

[Ninja-Bear]

Back in 4th Ed there was the limitation Independant that could be put on. Focus power which was an additional -1. The thing was, if you lost the focus, you lost the points. So I would go with -2 then if you wanted something THAT severe.

[Doc Democracy]

I actually like the idea of purity being the equivalent of an obvious inaccessible focus.  It might not be able to be disarmed but you might tempt a paladin into losing his focus.  Finding it would be the subject of a quest...

 

:-)

 

Doc