Paladin code of conduct pathfinder A paladin can only associate with evil beings under exceptional circumstances for the greater good, but is free to associate with chaotic adventurers. I envision a long, elaborate, legalese code of conduct that does ultimately amount to: Worship asmodeus, be a champion of contracts and law and good, follow all the rules laid down by the above. The only Paladin Achetyp is the Grey Paladin ( LN, NG) In general Paladins have some kind of Code of Conduct they have to follow, so Paladins are more or less bound to be Lawfull in a Way Pathfinder has objective definitions for things like Honour, Evil, Chaos, and the like I don't think other characters lying to the guards in this case would seriously challenge the paladin's code of conduct, although it might make him a bit uncomfortable. I searched a few times He may use this ability an additional time each week every additional three levels, to a maximum of 5 times a week at 20th level. blackbloodtroll : Mar 3, 2014, 05:00 am: 1st RULE: You do not talk about the Paladin Code. He doesn't believe his code is universal in any way, just that it's what he's meant to follow. Paladins of certain deities could get away with it. As long as he stays a true LG paragon, he retains his Paladin powers. I suppose RAW, it doesn't say a paladin can't worship a Chaotic Good deity, however it's counterintuitive to the paladin's code: "Code of Conduct: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. Admittedly, their code of conduct can make it look like they're "law above all", but if a Paladin tries to slaughter innocent children because he happens to live in a reagion where the law says it should be done, he'd be a fallen Paladin A paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). Antipaladins also got the same treatment (albeit with fewer options). Contrary to Regil, youre allowed to get drunk as a lawful person. Though not all sacred sentinels are paladins, they all must follow the paladin’s code of Torag (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods 150). Can a Interestingly enough, the Pathfinder setting had a 3. Anything else is mostly bad roleplay. Those proven guilty must be punished for their crimes. A life for a life. By adhering to that deity's beliefs, aren't they in turn lawful? I suppose what I'm getting at is that this ends up being a question more akin to "What is alignment, anyways?" Paladin Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. Those people are rare, but in pathfinder, paladin won't have to be. Detect Evil: At 3rd level, she can detect evil as a 1st-level paladin. It works well providing a code of conduct for a chaotic character, and even Iomedae's Paladin's code of conduct: I will learn the weight of my sword. 5 rules Caydenite "paladin" PrC: the Chevalier. If we are taking about Golarion, you can be a paladin, or a paladin of a deity that has alternate codes of conduct than that "sponsors" paladins, their paladins are still lawful good though. What the Code: At 1st level, she must follow the paladin’s code of conduct and gains the paladin’s aura of good. I will channel her strength through my body. Code of Conduct: The oathbound paladin must abide by the listed tenets of her oath I think the answer is that the paladin should be able to consider any authority to be either legitimate or illegitimate based on his own moral and philosophical code. Look on this page about halfway down for the code of paladins of Abadar. You would still need to adhere to the Code of Conduct, and also being an oracle would not change that. A paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and class features (including the service of the paladin's mount, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). The three paladin variants presented here demonstrate examples of alternative-alignment paladins. You'll have to give me some time on the Paladin . It makes no such statement regarding a chaotic one. Given the existence of paladins of asmodeus, I wanted to see about developing with the community a code of conduct suitable to such. 5) Code of Conduct: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. They need to follow some sort of code of conduct, that's what sets them apart from clerics, inquisitors, crusaders, warpriests, etc. Enhanced Health (Ex): At 3rd level, a gray paladin is far less a stranger to poisons than a normal paladin. I could go straight paladin and just take traits that would grant intimidate, disable device, or sleight of hand. Talk to your GM about your paladin's code of conduct. While eyeing up the paladin, I noticed that several pathfinder deities offer alternate oaths that replace the standard paladin code of conduct. The paladin of freedom is chaotic good, dedicated to liberty and free thought. Code of Conduct. It's an Inquisitor, isn't it? Many people would argue that to be stealthy and espionage-y would go against the normal Paladin code of honor, but since this god is all about stealth, discretion, and his angelic posse is fond of divebombing from a mile in the air, I think that Tanagaar would be a strong advocate for a smite-and-sneak-attack focused Paladin. He's clearly playing some sort of crusader, a wrathful slayer of heathens. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good. This means if the Paladin code conflicts eith their deity code they need to choose between going against their deity or risking their own conviction/power as a Paladin. Grey paladin loosens that a bit, but there will likely never be a chaotic paladin archetype simply because that goes against what a paladin is as far as Pathfinder is concerned. So since he's playin a CE antipaladin, I say go no code and just follow the "no good or altruistic acts" rule In my games, I adopted the Way of the Wicked house rule on antipaladins and make them LE, then having a code makes sense. There are very very few Paladins of non-LG gods for this reason. Considering Nethys is basically the Harvey Dent of Pathfinder deities, it's not unreasonable that he'd support both Paladins and Anti-Paladins---which would be an interesting reunion: a Paladin and Anti-Paladin, both of which who worship the same deity. They've aways been Good first, Lawful second. This does not mean that an antipaladin cannot take actions someone else might qualify as good, only that such actions must always be in service of his own dark ends. I imagine something like this. Rovagug doesn't sponsor paladins, only antipaladins. The code of conduct is somewhat complicated, so we’ll break it down One Piece at a time. His job is illegal, but he also doesn't shun the rules of society, and doesn't stick to a personal code of conduct. For example, never lying because lying brings all Code of Conduct Paladins of freedom do not follow a strict code, other than to say that they always seek to uphold the tenets of liberty and goodness wherever they travel. The problem is that the paladin not only has an alignment restriction, they have a code of conduct that goes with it that some GMs are too eager to turn against players. 89 A character who chooses paladin as her secondary class gains the following secondary class features. What these things would change is that instead of martial prowess and damage-dealing, you would have much-superior spells—which is good, since it allows for better That's literally how the Pathfinder system plays paladins. Deity-specific paladin codes are about the only specific guidelines that exist beyond this sentence in the paladin's description: While all paladins have their own codes of conduct, either taught by an order, handed down from the gods, or inspired by personal conviction, an oathbound paladin devotes herself to a singular cause, which grants her additional powers but also gives further edicts she must follow. Find out what the code of conduct is, and how much of a hair trigger your GM's "fall" reflex is on. The code of conduct comes first; after that, paladins are obligated to observe what they view as From Lost Omens - Gods and Magic: Milani, the Everbloom. Anathema abandon those in need, enslave or oppress others, harm the innocent through direct or inadvertent action . I do like the Insinuator - the flexible code of conduct retains the "mirror to paladin" feel, but the fact that it's essentially opportunistically appealing to whatever outsider you're currently drawing power from, and you can violate their code without cutting off other sources of power, makes it much less sincere. Additionally, a paladin's code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or The following are the class features of the sacred sentinel prestige class. Note how it says, in the Oath of Vengeance description Code of Conduct: Never let lesser evils distract you from your pursuit of just vengeance. I am helping those in need, as my code requires. The exception is if they're Lawful Neutral, and only a paladin out of NOTICE: NOT JUST D&D A Knight has Chivalry, a Samurai has Bushido, and the U. Even though I don´t see a mention in the paladin class that they nedd to be max one step away from their deity if they get powers A lawful person lives by a code, a chaotic person takes everything case by case. In Pathfinder 2e, the Paladin class is expanded out to Champions. This is the biggest See more Paladin Code of Conduct from SRD: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / General Discussion / Paladin code of conduct Paladin Code of Conduct from SRD: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. They seek to preserve the integrity of rural life and communities. This is pretty easy. Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / General Discussion / Paladin code of conduct Not only that, but even non-Paladin classes that worship deities often try to emulate the teachings of their god. Caster level is equal to the anti-paladin's class level. If I Also, it's important to note that some paladin codes of conduct and faiths for some gods are ok(ish) with lying. And this archetype is a deeply personal code of conduct and ethics because he honestly doesn't have a moral stance himself. S. Paladin of Pathfinder Unchained / Variant Multiclassing / Core Classes Paladin Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. Having the Evil Subtype doesn't directly cause a character's Alignment to be Evil. She may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. (And in Pathfinder you can be an Antipaladin from level 1 if you prefer evil/ruthless over Paladin codes of conduct/honor, unlike blackguard in 3. Of course, being a paladin you have to make some hard decisions, but as a paladin, you will make those decisions and live with them. A paladin is very specifically a warrior dedicated to the cause of law and good. I would say it depends on how they go about it. Also, I'm sure Sarenrae would forgive his mistake but it is something he should If you have a neat idea and your GM OKs it, go for it. Even having only two levels of paladin, which is what I recommend, does not change that. Their mission is to right wrongs and eliminate evil at its root. The core rules don’t limit who a Paladin worships. Their Code of Conduct is also about being good, one way or another, which is Good. Which isnt even an aligned action. Lying is against all paladin code, it says it right on the Code of Conduct. Different gods have different codes, but the stuff listed there is the basic code that every paladin follows. Mechanics don't hold anything extra paladiny in them. I would certainly use it in pathfinder rules games, and if you allow its level 3 smite to work with character levels (which I think was intended) it actually becomes quite decent. 289 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood, Vic 3134, Australia PH: +613 9871 7555 · Fax: +613 9870 7715 © 2025 Australian Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church I think it's the code of conduct over everything else. It's just drinking. Therefore, Lawful Good. One could argue it conflicts with the Gray Paladin's Code of Conduct, but that is a double dose of complicated and unclear as to what the Gray Paladin changes and how it would interact with the Paladin Code of Conduct in general (specifically whether getting power from an Evil deity is inherently an "Evil Act" despite them having Neutral Code of Conduct: An antipaladin must be of chaotic evil alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if he willingly and altruistically commits good acts. The only requirement to be lawful good is to do what is right and just. But that's because he has a paladin archetype that informs us of what an Irorian paladin is like. As long as you are using a deities specific code, and not just the generic code of conduct descriptor in paladin. Paladin Code The paladins of Erastil are gruff, strict traditionalists. She's a very "down to earth" paladin and, by Pathfinder RAW, she perfectly qualifies as a LG paladin. Monks acquire otherworldly defense and protections, but lose the ability to advance in this development on becoming nonlawful. Edicts confront oppression in all its forms, defend the common folk, overcome despair to seize victory . Paladin Code of Conduct from SRD: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. You’re locked into an alignment. I will not turn a blind eye to wrongdoing. I will have faith in the Inheritor. Code of Conduct: A gray paladin must be of lawful good, lawful neutral, or neutral good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act (for example, casting a spell with the evil descriptor). They resist tyranny and oppression, lead others in fighting unjust rulership, and ignore laws which limit the free and fair choices of intelligent beings. Ex-Paladins. If I betray my heart, I have died. A Paladin is more likely to follow his/her own lawful code first and foremost. They're Lawful Good because they follow their Code of Conduct to a T, which is lawful. Code: At 1st level, she must follow the paladin’s code of conduct and gains the paladin’s aura of good. This ability replaces the paladin’s code of conduct and associated abilities and alters the section on ex-paladins. One of my player’s has a PC who is a Paladin on Cayden Cailean and he’s great. If a player said he wanted to say something along the of, "surrender and face the kings justice or you'll face my swords justice" I call that an intimidate and within the general paladin code. Anti-Paladin got an Archetyp called Tyrant, who is a Lawful Evil Paladin. Ex-Paladins A paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and class features (including the service of the paladin's mount, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). and the Pathfinder dev team - think a Paladin is. A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. The party has a Paladin PC, who takes his lawful goodness seriously, and I have a question about his Code of Conduct, and whether or not he Hello, I am playing a paladin and trying to stick rigorously to the code of conduct described in the srd. In addition to the tenets of ichimeiyo, the Empress of Heaven’s paladins are expected to obey the following precepts. They serve as examples to others, and their code demands they protect the weak and innocent by eliminating sources of oppression, rather than merely the symptoms. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. Or, I could do 1-2 level dip in rogue, ninja, or slayer and then go straight paladin after that. Even when she drinks daerun under the table. She should strive to act with honor and uphold the tenets of her faith, but failing to do so is not a violation A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good. A paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and class features (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, and Paladin Code. Being chaotic, i'd say your paladin doesn't expect others to follow the same code of conduct as himself. It's so much more interesting than "here take this bunch of rules, and follow it" in my opinion. Some paladins lean good more than lawful, some lean lawful more than good, that's a matter of personality, but all of them follow a code of conduct. Marines have their own code But a Paladin is something different Paladin is my favorite class, a holy knight with powers granted by the divine, dedicated to honor, courage, justice, compassion, love, and the virtues could go on and on Paladins are not just a paragon of If someone wants to specifically be a paladin then fine, it just requires a little retooling of abilities to work for the specific god. However, before you drop the paladin alignment requirements, take an actual look at the base paladin code of conduct. By their nature, a paladin follows a code, even if it's the code of a chaotic deity. So neutral on the law-chaos scale as well. What makes a paladin - paladin - is his code. 5 have to not only be Lawful Good, but in the PnP they have a strict code of conduct, for which a violation results in immediate loss of paladin powers (said code of conduct includes things like "cannot use poison or steal, or consistently associate with those who do" - this means that most Paladins have a stick up their ass and can sometimes take the lawful aspect Granted, Paizo never released a paladin code for her. Despite both these points, Paizo only has official Codes of Conduct (or Paladin Codes) for deities that can be worshiped by Lawful Good characters (Or Antipaladin Codes for their counterparts). Paladins have a specific code of conduct they have to follow, I would absolutely accept that explanation. I have always preferred using these paladin codes where able, as they are a lot more detailed and specific. The Champion of Irori prestige class does feature the following addition to the Paladin Code of Conduct: Code of Conduct: A champion of Irori embraces law and goodness as other paladins do, conducting himself with honor and protecting the innocent; he loses all class features if he ever willingly commits an evil act. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw a holy warrior without a code somewhere. I've come across a couple decisions and I'm In Pathfinder, a paladin is a mix between a cleric and a fighter, standing in the frontlines wielding holy power fueled by their faith. Player A: You're code requires you to drink and get laid? Paladin: Nay, it requires that I help those unable to help themselves. Denying a surrender is a lesser evil necessary to destroy a wicked heathen and enact vengeance and justice for his foul Paladin as a class is looked at as a mortal embodiment of the ideals of a deity. Antipaladin is not a paladin, it's it's own class entirely. This is the basics of the Pathfinder 1E Paladin's Code (a paladin of a specific god may have additional requirements): Code of Conduct: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and Additionally, a paladin's code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided I DM a Pathfinder game with RL friends. One death does not justify a hundred acts of Vengeance. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she Well, Nethys's whole shtick is a two-toned mask, half light, half dark. All paladins, regardless of deity, are expected to follow these base rules. A paladin who falls from grace may only regain their divine power by casting an atonement spell, or, more rarely, otherwise regains the respect of their chosen cause. Something that would allow for dealing Paladins Code of Conduct The Core book lists a Code of Conduct for a Paladin that he must adhere to, but each god has their own Paladin Code. If he does apply his code to all, fairly and equally, regardless how they feel about any one instance of this application, I am currently playing a Human Oracle 6/Paladin 2 in the Strange Aeons campaign. No idea where you get the idea that a Paladin isn't good. I've seen some very restrictive definitions of honor applied in games, and frankly it just makes the paladins look like they have no brains, and it makes them an absolute bore to play: with a restrictive definition of honor, instead of role-playing, your code of This is the basics of the Pathfinder 1E Paladin's Code (a paladin of a specific god may have additional requirements): Code of Conduct: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. It'll give you some specific advice on how that particular faith influences ideas of "good" or "honor". I guess that an argument can be made they are more an embodiment of Good than of Law but the alignment selection on the class screen still shows LG as being in the range for GD and brief This would seem to imply they do: " Code of Conduct: A gray paladin must be of lawful good, lawful neutral, or neutral good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act (for example, casting a spell with the evil descriptor). Once you have determined if you can play a paladin in the game and party without trouble, you need to work out the code of conduct. Read the paladin code of conduct in the Pathfinder SRD: a paladin who commits a single evil act falls immediately, no questions asked. If a paladin ceases to adhere to the causes of law and good, commits a heinously evil act, or otherwise violates their personal code of conduct, their divine gifts cease to function. The Paladin's entry states:. Paladin Code The paladins of Iomedae are just and strong, crusaders who live for the joy of righteous battle. Paladins in 3. It's a warpriest. Each one follows a specific code of conduct tailored to its specific alignment. I imagine that ninja has some options since it is also charisma-based. Specific deities may object though, take the Paladin Code of Sarenrae as one example Certain deities have paladin codes in PF1e, that also further define this. “Lawful” just means he following a code and his code is in line with Cayden Cailean’s tenants. An anti-paladin must be of chaotic evil Pathfinder Beginner Box Rulebooks Second Edition Rulebooks; First Edition Rulebooks; Adventures Adventure Path; Standalone Adventures; Organized Play Scenarios; First Edition Adventures; Setting Accessories Cards; Pins and Coins; Maps; Pawns; Pathfinder Battles; Unpainted Miniatures; Dice; Digital Tools; Other Accessories; First Edition Accessories No-one specifically mentioned it before so I'm just checking it's not a bug that upon selecting the Gold Dragon mythic path my Paladin's alignment was changed from LG to NG. A paladin’s code of conduct is as much a feature of the class as burn is for a kineticist. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. EDIT 1: In a hypothetical world where being a paladin is illegal, is being a paladin breaking the paladin code of conduct? Consult with your GM, but no, I wouldn't think so. That code of conduct basically necessitates a Lawful Good character, any character who actually follows it will be Lawful Good whether they want to or not. In general, paladins are supposed to be the inspirational exemplars of their deities, so moonlighting as spymasters could be a bit of a problem. My community comes first, and I will contribute to it all that I can. Jeremiah does not worship a single deity (as most oracles do), and instead I created my own code of conduct with my DM. I am writing a guide that goes over how to set up, play, and challenge a paladin's code of conduct. Paladin: I do not SLEAZE. Should help :) I know you're asking for 1e, but as far as I can tell, there's no defined code of conduct in Weirdly enough, Irori lacks a paladin oath. Take a Paladin of Shelyn for example: Shelyn is NG but she has a Paladin Code of Honor. I don't know how to make these synergize well with paladin. Also a Paladin can follow whoever they want and they can have their own code of conduct. Oh, wait. If you need more to convince your party, take the Pact Servant trait and worship Asmodeus as a Lawful Neutral Deity. She may not progress any further in levels as a paladin. The path of the sword is one of ballance, and every act of Vengeance may beget another. I will not give my word lightly, but once it is given, I will uphold a promise until my last breath. Wine and Beer are merely staples of drink and help others to relax. She gains a +4 sacred bonus on Most paladins must be lawful good. Code of Torag (Su): A sacred sentinel has dedicated her life to serving as a protective shield of Torag, and this is her first and highest calling. One can see paladins of Torag using deception to achieve tactical supremicy against an enemy, or Shelyn who is seamingly not against ok white lies and half-truths for greater good and beauty. I am currently looking for any suggestions for So lets see here; we need a code of conduct that allows Vengeance while upholding the ideals of selflessness, protection of the weak, honesty, and justice. 2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about the Paladin Code. Paladin consists of two parts: mechanics and code. So you can be a paladin who worships Calistria, you just don´t get any powers from her. Ethically we can judge the fuck out of him, Pathfinder and its antecedents have established that lawful alignments require inherently more toil than chaotic ones. Ragathiel already has a paladin code: I will avenge evil wrought upon the innocent. If you're playing in a character-focused campaign, you and your GM might want to consider a story arc for your paladin, and possibly Given the existence of paladins of asmodeus, I wanted to see about developing with the community a code of conduct suitable to such. If there is a law that is in contradiction to the paladin’s code of conduct a paladin should follow their code of conduct over the law. When you do so, talk to your GM ahead of time and ask Code of Conduct: A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act. Shelyn might frown on her chosen champions being too involved in skulking around, but I her code is a more focused on protection and redemption than honor. It's more than possible to be a Paladin with an Evil Subtype, as long as they continue to follow the Paladin's Code of Conduct. Courtesy of my faith I am immune to the vice itself, but it makes for good Paladin Code Much of Shizuru’s paladin code overlaps with the warrior code of ichimeiyo, which is so closely aligned with the goddess’s tenets that those outside the faith may perceive no distinction between them. Also talk to your GM about story/RP expectations. Enlightened paladins follow no universal paladin code—each paladin in his service creates his own code as part of his spiritual journey, seeing the adherence to such a self-formulated creed as one of the many tests one must face to reach perfection. Technically, you can be a Paladin of Rovagug and channel Positive Energy and all. Their tenets include the following affirmations. htyitm ihlul hfgausg osuwnd upw kdvr raxni mydlpv aniu wnzq