Paladin

Paladins are one of the playable classes in and.

Background
Paladins are extremely devoted, often fanatical, soldiers who have pledged themselves to a chosen cause, combining the zeal of a priest with the ascetic discipline of a monk. They have founded many elite fighting forces, from the original Darcozzi Paladini, a two thousand year-old order of palace guards, to the fledgling Fellows of St. Waidwen Martyr, zealous defenders of the Godhammer pilgrim trail.

Often found at the vanguard of many conflicts, paladins are natural leaders and have the ability to quickly assist their allies with targeted commands. A paladin's commands can stave off impending death, overcome fatigue, or hasten the charge to close breached defenses. And though they are not always pledged to the service of a god or gods, paladins are so singularly focused on their chosen cause that their souls are continually creating a wellspring of spiritual energy from which they can blast groups of foes in their immediate vicinity. Despite their often stoic presence and explosive combat style, paladins work best alongside allies. When isolated, they can be vulnerable, especially against singular powerful foes.

Abilities
Paladins powers are fueled by their wellspring of spiritual energy, brought through their strength and devotion to their chosen cause (not necessarily religiously-affiliated). They can enhance these abilities with modal auras, abilities which they can switch at will, such as single-target "commands" (buffs), passive buffs they grant to allies and limited healing ability.

List of abilities

 * Paladin abilities (in )
 * Paladin abilities and passives (in )

Zeal
Zeal is an additional "power pool" resource added in. Paladins begin combat with full Zeal (the amount of which is relative to their current level) and spend points to cast certain abilities, with more powerful abilities costing more points. After an encounter, Zeal is replenished.

Talents

 * Critical Focus - Grants allies affected by a paladin's Zealous Focus a 5% Hit to Crit conversion rate.
 * Deep Faith - The intensity of the paladin's faith deepens, granting them increased defensive bonuses to Faith and Conviction.
 * Greater Lay on Hands - increases the healing of Lay on Hands.
 * Intense Flames - Increases damage of Flames of Devotion.
 * Untroubled Faith - negates negative Disposition effects on Faith and Conviction.

The following talents are available only to members of specific Paladin orders:


 * Bleak Walkers
 * The Black Path - When the paladin defeats an opponent, nearby enemies are Frightened
 * Remember Rakhan Field - The paladin's Flames of Devotion does additional Corrode damage.
 * Darcozzi Paladini
 * Inspiring Liberation - Whenever the paladin uses Liberating Exhortation on an ally, the ally gains an Accuracy bonus.
 * Fires of Darcozzi Palace - Whenever the paladin uses Flames of Devotion, he or she gains a weak form of Flame Shield.
 * Frermàs mes Canc Suolias (Pallegina only)
 * Vielo Vidòrio - When the paladin uses Flames of Devotion, nearby allies gain increased Attack Speed.
 * Wrath of Five Suns - Whenever the paladin uses Sworn Enemy, five orbs of flame leap from his or her hand and fly toward the target.
 * Goldpact Knights
 * Enduring Flames - The paladin's Flames of Devotion leave behind a Burn DoT.
 * Bond of Duty - Whenever the paladin uses Liberating Exhortation on an ally, the ally gains a large defensive bonus against Charmed, Confused, and Dominated.
 * Kind Wayfarers
 * Strange Mercy - When the paladin defeats an opponent, nearby allies gain Endurance.
 * The Sword and the Shepherd - The paladin's Flames of Devotion restores Endurance to nearby allies.
 * Shieldbearers of St. Elcga
 * Shielding Flames - The paladin's Flames of Devotion grants a temporary Deflection bonus to nearby allies.
 * Shielding Touch - Whenever the paladin uses Lay on Hands on an ally, the ally gains a Deflection Bonus.

In

 * At character creation, paladins must select one order, and automatically learn the passive ability Faith and Conviction (the effects of which scale with their order's favoured disposition - or with their level in the case of NPCs).
 * A paladin's selected order grants them two unique talents that can be learned at any time (see below).
 * Paladins are able to select one ability at every odd level (1, 3, 5, etc.).
 * At every odd level (1, 3, 5, etc.), the next tier of abilities are unlocked.
 * As with other classes, paladins learn one talent at every even level (2, 4, 6, etc.).
 * Paladin abilities specify their own max uses and restoration type, independent of the paladin's level.

In

 * At character creation, paladins must pick an order (as their subclass), select one 1st level ability (active only), and automatically learn the passive ability Faith and Conviction. This does not change for multiclass characters. Most paladin subclasses grant the character a unique ability.
 * As with other classes, paladins pick 2 abilities at every level where a new power level is unlocked excluding the first (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19), and one ability at all other levels (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20). Ability points may be spent on active or passive abilities, and on any currently-unlocked power levels.
 * Multiclass characters pick 1 ability from either the paladin ability tree or the other class tree at all levels where a new power level isn't unlocked, and 1 ability for both classes at all levels where a new power level is unlocked (1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19).
 * Paladins use Zeal (a power pool resource) to cast abilities. As with other power pool resources, the paladin starts with a pool of 3 Zeal, which is increased by 1 at every power level, capping out at 11.
 * As with other classes, new ability power levels are learned every second level from level 1 (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13), then every third level from level 13 (16, 19). Multiclass characters may only learn up to (and including) power level 7 abilities, and unlock a new power level every third level from level 1 (1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19).

Orders
The power of the Faith and Conviction ability can be modified by a paladin's dispositions gained by their behavior and the reputations they develop from the choices they make.

When players make a paladin, they select an order. Each choice highlights two types of behavior that are celebrated and two types of behavior that are condemned by the given order. Acting in accordance to their order's preferred behavior will gradually increase the power of Faith and Conviction, while acting in a disfavored manner will cause the power of Faith and Conviction to diminish.

These changes are not dramatic, but reflect a measure of dissonance between the character's stated order and how they choose to conduct themselves. As of 1.05, this only affects Paladins created as the main character.

Faith and Conviction gains a bonus of +1 Deflection, +2 Fortitude, +2 Reflex and +2 Will per rank in any favored disposition. Conversely, they receive -1 Deflection, -2 Fortitude, -2 Reflex and -2 Will per rank in any disfavored disposition.

Either way, a Paladin is only affected by ranks up to rank 3; further ranks do not contribute, meaning that the maximum attainable bonus to Faith and Conviction from dispositions alone is +6 Deflection, +12 Fortitude, +12 Reflex, and +12 Will. Having the Untroubled Faith talent removes penalties from disfavored dispositions.

Playable Paladin Orders:

Subclasses
Paladins in must select one of six subclasses as their order: Bleak Walkers, Darcozzi Paladini, Goldpact Knights, Kind Wayfarers, The Shieldbearers of St. Elcga, and The Steel Garrote. A seventh subclass Frermàs mes Canc Suolias is exclusive to the companion Pallegina.

Unlike other classes, but similar to priests, paladins do not suffer from penalties or drawbacks that usually come from picking a subclass.

Suggestions
Paladins can provide huge defensive bonuses to themselves if you follow their code of conduct. For role playing reasons, this might seem interesting to you, and many opportunities will surface for practicing that code of your chosen Order. If that fails to appeal to you, then choosing a Fighter comes as your next best option. If you play a Bleak Walker or Steel Garrote for experiencing the darker side of things, then keep in mind that the Intimidate skill will benefit you much more over Diplomacy, and it opens conversation options you would not have other wise. For all the other Order types, Diplomacy comes preferable. This especially holds true if you choose a Paladin as your Watcher character. If you play with any Rogue characters in your group, then you may find playing this class an odd balancing act. Just remember to lead with your Paladin; not your Rogue. For Deadfire, it's very preferable to have what ever free Expansions downloaded that you can to complement what ever you purchased. Bug fixes take care of a few things.

A Paladin ranks probably among the lowest for the amount of damage it inflicts to your opponents in battle. However, you get abilities that quickly fire off when you need them and relatively free damage as you heal others on the front line. A poorly built Cipher consists as the lowest of all. A Paladin resembles a tankier version of a Chanter. While a Chanter should preferably hang back a bit, a Paladin can go right up against the enemy's front line to face incoming melee. Armor Rating comes as a very critical statistic for this class. Other classes will reach levels of Deflection way above a Paladin's maximum, meaning you will simply get hit more often. For this reason, you seriously need to consider some decent heavy armor.

The Paladin's aura functions much better at the front line, since you have an obvious place for the character to stop. In the back line, a Paladin's aura may not properly touch your group allies, since different spells and Weapons have varying ranges. The "front line" usually consists of a concentrated area, where your enemies rush into. The "back line" might consist of a half circle behind that where you first engage, and random battles can happen behind the "front" as certain opponents rush behind to meet character's in the back that draw too much aggression. In other words, the front line presents an easier place to distribute your aura's benefits, but if you find some thing that works for you in the back, then you have achieved some measure of excellence.

For a Multi Class, Wizard actually pairs very well with this class if you focus on its defensive and Weapon spells. How ever, that puts you into the position of wanting to rely on a tankier type more to fall behind. Chanter might mean you should wield a shield with what ever Weapon you choose, unless you prefer either One-Handed Style with a Rapier or Two Weapon Style with Sabres or Daggers. You should absolutely never use Swords or Estocs, because you will be critically hit hard. As a Paladin, you should favor keeping your Accuracy instead of losing it, including from your Weapon Modal of choice. Great Swords are fine, but their Weapon Modal causes you to lose Accuracy. If you choose Chanter as a Multi Class, then Pike and Quarterstaffs might not suit you well, since your opposition might easily fall beyond the reach of your Phrases. Pollaxes and Morning Stars provide superior options for Two-Handed Style if you feel your Paladin's Accuracy satisfies their Weapon attacks, and those two Weapon types match Paladin best. Barbarian provides an excellent Multi Class option for you if your character reliably hits often enough with a Pollaxe, Morning Star, Pike, or Quarterstaff at your immediate disposal.

Notable characters
Category:Pillars of Eternity s, 3 Category:Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire s, 3