Paladin

Lawful Evil Paladin

Lawful Neutral Paladin

Lawful Good Paladin

Paladin

Some warriors are driven by an inner fire, a true, utter conviction that wards them against fear, doubt and uncertainty that theirs is the one true way forward. When this inner certainty is one of enlightenment and goodness, the world is blessed by their presence. However, there is nothing that says such a driving goal has to be one of enlightenment and goodness. True believers in oppression are just as common and just as valid in their beliefs as holders to the tenets of goodness. So long as a warrior professes, and truly utterly believes down to their very soul, in a goal or vow, they gain strength from that belief, whether for good or ill.

Paladins are such warriors, and they are strongly influenced by deities who hold similar beliefs as their own. Paladins can be good, neutral, or evil, and in all cases, they are fearsome and deadly bastions of their beliefs in the face of any opposition the world throws their way.

Role: Paladins, regardless of alignment, serve as beacons for their allies within the chaos of battle. While deadly opponents of their foes in battle, they can also empower like-minded souls to aid in their endless battles. Their magic and martial skills also make them well suited to defending others and granting the fallen the strength to continue fighting.

Alignment: Any Lawful. Paladins are zealous defenders of their divine beliefs, though those beliefs need not always be 'good'.

Hit Die: d10

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 gp (average: 175 gp)

Class Skills: You may choose one skill during character creation and re-map that skill to use any ability score you wish, rather than the ability score it normally uses. Choose carefully, you only get one, and if you wish to re-map other skills you must use the Character Retraining system during play to do so.

Skill Ranks per Level: 7 + Int modifier.

Recommended Ability Score Priority: CHA (spells, many class abilities), STR (melee to-hit and damamge), CON (durability and fort saves). INT, WIS and DEX are optional, depending on character concept. INT is useful for gaining more skill points, WIS is useful for will saves (something Paladins are already pretty good at), and DEX can be helpful for AC and some skills, though heavy armor will reduce this utility.

Table: Paladin

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Emanation of Law, Detect Ethos, Smite Enemy 1/day+CHA	-	-	-	-
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Divine Grace, Lay on Hands 1d6	-	-	-	-
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Aura of Courage, Divine Health, Mercy/Correct/Scourge	-	-	-	-
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Channel Divinity 1d6, Smite Enemy 2/day+CHA, Lay on Hands 2d6	0	-	-	-
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Divine Bond	1	-	-	-
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Channel Divinity 2d6, Mercy/Correct/Scourge, Lay on Hands 3d6	1	-	-	-
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	Smite Enemy 3/day+CHA	1	0	-	-
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Aura of resolve, Channel Divinity 3d6, Lay on Hands 4d6	1	1	-	-
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Mercy/Correct/Scourge	2	1	-	-
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	Channel divinity 4d6, Smite enemy 4/day+CHA, lay on hands 5d6	2	1	0	-
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Aura of justice	2	1	1	-
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Channel divinity 5d6, Mercy/Correct/Scourge, lay on hands 6d6	2	2	1	-
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	Smite enemy 5/day+CHA	3	2	1	0
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Aura of faith, Channel divinity 6d6, lay on hands 7d6	3	2	1	1
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Mercy/Correct/Scourge	3	2	2	1
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Channel divinity 7d6, Smite enemy 6/day+CHA, lay on hands 8d6	3	3	2	1
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Aura of righteousness	4	3	2	1
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Channel divinity 8d6, Mercy/Correct/Scourge, lay on hands 9d6	4	3	2	2
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Smite enemy 7/day+CHA	4	3	3	2
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Channel divinity 9d6, Holy champion, lay on hands 10d6	4	4	3	3

Code of Conduct

A paladin must be of lawful alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an act which goes against her stated ethical beliefs and/or her alignment.

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 deeds in opposition to the paladin's Vows), and punish those who harm or threaten the righteous. This code applies even to Evil paladins, who can be truly awful people, but still have honor. An Evil paladin who has promised to murder your family should be taken very seriously.

• Associates: While she may adventure with like-minded allies, a paladin avoids working with characters of opposite alignment or with anyone who consistently offends her moral code. Under exceptional circumstances, a paladin can ally with heretical associates, but only to defeat what she believes to be a greater threat. A paladin should seek an atonement spell periodically during such an unusual alliance, and should end the alliance immediately should she feel it is doing more harm than good. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are aligned to her purposes.

Paladin's Vows

All paladins are driven to act by some greater purpose. This may be a divine prophecy or simply a need to change the world to suit them better. These purposes are all-consuming to the paladin, and all actions must be weighed against whether those acts will further her goals or merely delay them. While a paladin can go on quests unrelated to their grand designs, they won't be happy about it, and will constantly look for ways to turn the situation into something that brings their goals closer to fruition. Players wishing to play a paladin should think of what drives their paladin forward, and define it clearly with the GM within the first few months of the campaign. Failing to do so means the GM is likely to pick some things without the player's input, which can be challenging.

For a small sample of ideas for Vows, please refer to the Example Paladin Vows page.

A Note On Good and Evil

Paladins gain access to a number of spells and abilities which can be easily turned to purposes which are antithetical to the Paladin's Vows or code of conduct. It is important for players and GM's to note, however, that spells and abilities are merely tools, and HOW they are used dictates the morality of the act.

Lawful good paladins tend to be "spirit of the law" sorts, relying on their good judgement and divine guidance to interpret ambiguities and vagueries in the law to make the best call they can, and then execute that call with certainty and righteousness. The traditional lawful good paladin is an obnoxious do-gooder who constantly preaches "the right path" to anyone nearby, and berates anyone who acts in a way they feel is unjust. However, many lawful good paladins are not preachy at all, preferring to use their own deeds as example for the righteous to follow, or not as their conscious deems appropriate.

Lawful evil paladins are frequently "letter of the law" sorts, who will strictly abide by agreements, promises, contracts and laws, but interpret any vagueries and ambiguities to their own favor as often as they can. However, a promise from a lawful evil paladin is as certain a thing as a promise from a lawful good paladin. Just be sure you know exactly what is meant by the promise. "I promise to give you a fair reward for your assistance" can mean very different things when said by a lawful good paladin or a lawful evil paladin.

Lawful neutral paladins are, if anything, even more righteous than lawful good paladins. The law is their only basis for ethics, and ambiguous laws, to such a paladin, are generally seen as disgusting things created by weak men. Lawful neutral paladins can be impulsive adjudicators, certain in their own wisdom that their interpretation is "best". This leaves a wide array of role-playing opportunities as a player decides what "best" means.

However, all paladins are sticklers for HOW a thing is done. If it is not done right, within their code of ethics and within the guidance provided by their Vows, it is not to be done at all. This means that few lawful good paladins would ever commit a crime to stop a crime, for example, or do something wrong as an expedient way to achieve a goal. Even lawful neutral and lawful evil paladins will avoid acting outside their own beliefs for the sake of a "quick win", instead taking the harder path that lets them stay comfortably within their moral code the entire time.

Thus, while all paladin's have access to both the Pathfinder Paladin spell list and Anti-Paladin spell list, players and GM's should be very careful to decide if using some of these spells is fitting for a paladin's individual beliefs, Vows and moral code. When in doubt, most paladin's will avoid the easy route.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Paladins are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light, medium, and heavy armor, and with all shields (including war shields and tower shields).

Emanation of Law (Ex)

Beginning at 1st level, a paladin of an evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity's alignment (see Detect Evil (Spell) for details) equal to her paladin level.

Detect Ethos (Sp)

Beginning at 1st level, a Paladin can concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is evil, good, or chaotic (depending on the Paladin's alignment), learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it with Detect Magic (Spell) for 3 rounds. The paladin may only use Detect Ethos against a single object or creature, not an area or crowd.

Good paladins can Detect Evil, evil paladins can Detect Good, and lawful neutral paladins can Detect Chaos.

Using Detect Ethos is not the same as casting a spell, and is not normally detectable by the target, unless it has some special means of doing so. However, creatures may attempt to resist the detection by making a Will save, with a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the paladin's level + CHA modifier.

A paladin may use Detect Ethos a number of times per day equal to his CHA modifier + 1 per three Paladin levels (drop fractions). A paladin may not target the same item or creature with Detect Ethos more than once per 24 hours.

Smite Enemy (Su)

Beginning at 1st level, a paladin can call upon the powers of her god to aid her in her struggle against her foes. As a swift action during combat, the paladin chooses one target within sight to designate as the target of her smite ability. The target must stand in opposition to the paladin's expressed goals or faith. If the paladin targets a creature that has the same alignment as the paladin or which shares her goals, the Smite Enemy has no harmful effect. Even when Smite Enemy is in effect, the paladin must be able to see or sense the target in order to attack them.

Smite Enemy provides the following benefits to the paladin while it is active on an enemy which meets the above criteria:

• Smite Enemy grants a divine bonus to the paladin's AC equal to half her Charisma modifier, rounding down. This bonus also applies to the paladin's touch AC, but not to her flat-footed AC.
• The paladin adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls
• All of the paladin's attacks against the Smite Enemy target ignore any DR the creature might possess.
• The paladin adds her paladin level as bonus damage to damage rolls made against the target of her smite each round. If a paladin is wielding a two-handed weapon, this damage is instead one and a half times her paladin level (round down). Similarly, if the paladin is wielding two weapons, her main-hand weapon deals her paladin level in bonus damage, and her off-hand weapon deals half her paladin level as bonus damage (round down). This is bonus damage, not precision damage.

This ability is usable a number of times per day equal to 1 + the paladin's Charisma modifier. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the paladin may use her smite enemy ability one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: Paladin. Smite Enemy lasts until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the paladin rests and regains her uses of this ability.

A paladin's Smite Enemy is not considered a "condition" to which monster roles, such as tanks and threats, are partially immune.

Divine Grace (Su)

At 2nd level, a paladin gains a divine bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) on all Saving Throws.

Lay On Hands (Su)

Beginning at 2nd level, a paladin can channel divine energy through their hands. Touching with other body parts may also work, although we absolutely do not condone that sort of behavior. This may be either positive or negative energy regardless of the alignment of the Paladin, but ALL paladins must be careful that uses of this ability do not violate either their alignment or their Vow. Positive energy may be channeled to harm the undead or to heal wounds of the living (her own wounds or those of others) by touch. Negative energy may be channeled to heal the undead or harm the living. Only ONE of these effects may be expressed each time the Lay on Hands ability is used.

Each paladin's Vow is unique, so how it is obeyed while using this ability is between each player and the Game Master. Alignment violations are more complex, but may be abstracted if the Game Master permits that weal or woe (healing or damage) is an act of intent opposite from the alignment of the creature targeted. IE, channeling negative energy to damage an Evil creature is a Good act, but channeling negative energy to heal an Evil creature is an Evil act. Conversely, channeling positive energy to heal a Good creature is a Good act, while channeling negative energy to harm a good creature is an Evil act. Neutral creatures and neutral aligned paladins should be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis by the Game Master. As a rule of thumb, if it feels evil, it probably is.

Each day, a paladin of any alignment can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 her paladin level (round up) plus her Charisma modifier. With one use of this ability, a paladin can heal or harm 1d6 hit points of damage for every two paladin levels she possesses (round down). Despite the name of this ability, a paladin only needs one free hand to use this ability, which gives Paladins an incentive to use light or smaller shields.

Using Lay On Hands to heal damage (either channeling positive energy to heal the living or negative energy to heal the undead) is a swift action. Using Lay on Hands to inflict damage (channeling either positive energy to harm the undead, or negative energy to harm the living) is a standard action, requires a successful melee touch attack using the Paladin's BAB plus Strength Modifier and any other bonuses and penalties but WITHOUT their weapon's to-hit bonus. Using Lay on Hands does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Harmed enemies do not receive a saving throw against this damage.

Aura of Courage (Su)

At 3rd level, a paladin is immune to all of the status conditions in the fear-based status arrays, which are:

• Cowering → Trembling → Nervous
• Frightened → Cringing → Shaken
• Panicked → Startled → Anxious

Additionally, the paladin gains an aura with a 10-foot radius, granting each ally within it a +4 divine bonus on saving throws against fear effects. The Paladin's aura functions only while she is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead. This aura gains additional properties and a larger radius at higher levels.

Divine Health (Ex)

At 3rd level, a paladin is immune to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases, including mummy rot. (This immunity to the mummy rot disease in turn renders her immune to the curse element of mummy rot, though paladins are not immune to other curses.)

Mercy, Correct, or Scourge (Su)

Beginning at 3rd level, a paladin can remove ill effects from herself or her allies. Depending upon the alignment of the paladin, the name and expression of this ability changes, but mechanically, they are all the same:

• Good-aligned paladins imbue a sense of well-being and remove the effects via a mercy.
• Neutral paladins impart a sense of vast, dispassionate power to correct that which is awry.
• Evil paladins scourge their subjects of weakness and any improper states.

The abilities are named Mercies, Corrections, and Scourges, but will be referred to as mercies, for brevity.

Just as with Lay on Hands, using this ability is a swift action when the paladin uses it on herself or an ally. If using it on an ally, the paladin must touch the ally. When she declares she is using her Mercy ability, the paladin declares which status, from the list available to her (based on her level; see below) she wishes to cure. This is a spontaneous selection; no memorization or pre-selection is required. She chooses what condition she needs to cure (from those available) at the moment the Mercy ability is used. She then uses the appropriate action type, and that status is cured. The paladin may use this ability a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier. (Note that this ability is completely separate from Lay on Hands, unlike the core Pathfinder rules.)

Note that a mercy can remove a condition caused by a curse, disease, or poison without actually curing the affliction. Such conditions return after 1 hour unless the mercy actually removes the affliction that causes the condition. For example, mummy rot requires both remove disease and remove curse to completely cure; a mercy which only removed disease would only provide temporary relief.

At 3rd level, the paladin can select from the following initial mercies when granting the mercy:

• Anxious: The target is no longer anxious.
• Dazzled: The target is no longer dazzled.
• Deafened: The target is no longer deafened.
• Drowsy: The target is no longer drowsy.
• Fatigued: The target is no longer fatigued.
• Jostled: The target is no longer jostled.
• Nervous: The target is no longer nervous.
• Shaken: The target is no longer shaken.
• Sickened: The target is no longer sickened.
• Slowed: The target is no longer slowed.
• Torpid: The target is no longer torpid.
• Unsteady: The target is no longer unsteady.

At 6th level, a paladin adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected:

• Afflicted: The target is no longer afflicted.
• Baffled: The target is no longer baffled.
• Blind: The target is no longer blind.
• Cringing: The target is no longer cringing.
• Diseased: As the Remove Disease spell, using the paladin's level as the caster level.
• Disoriented: The target is no longer disoriented.
• Entangled: The target is no longer entangled.
• Exhausted: The target is no longer exhausted.
• Immobilized: The target is no longer immobilized.
• Rattled: The target is no longer rattled.
• Sluggish: The target is no longer sluggish.
• Startled: The target is no longer startled.
• Trembling: The target is no longer trembling.

At 9th level, a paladin adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected:

• Asleep: The target is no longer asleep.
• Confused: The target is no longer confused.
• Cowering: The target is no longer cowering.
• Cursed: As the Remove Curse spell, using the paladin's level as the caster level.
• Dazed: The target is no longer dazed.
• Fascinated: The target is no longer fascinated.
• Frightened: The target is no longer frightened.
• Incapacitated: The target is no longer incapacitated.
• Nauseated: The target is no longer nauseated.
• Panicked: The target is no longer panicked.
• Paralyzed: The target is no longer paralyzed.
• Petrified: The target is no longer petrified.
• Poisoned: As the Neutralize Poison spell, using the paladin's level as the caster level.
• Stunned: The target is no longer stunned.

At 12th level, and every three levels after that, the paladin gains one additional use of her mercy ability per day. Furthermore, beginning at 12th level, the paladin may spend two uses of her mercy ability during the same swift action to cure two status conditions from the lists above. However, curing multiple allies still requires separate uses of the mercy ability.

Channel Divinity (Su)

When a paladin reaches 4th level, she gains the supernatural ability to Channel Divinity like a cleric, except that she may use her preferred weapon in place of a holy symbol. Using this ability is a standard action that consumes 2 uses of her Lay on Hands ability. A paladin uses her level minus 3 as her effective cleric level when channeling divinity. This is a Charisma-based ability, meaning the paladin's base healing and save DCs are calculated using their Charisma rather than their Wisdom.

Spells

Beginning at 4th level, a paladin gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells which are drawn from either the Paladin Spells list. A paladin must choose and prepare her spells in advance.

To prepare or cast a spell, a paladin must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a paladin's spell is 10 + the spell level + the paladin's Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a paladin can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Paladin. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells). When Table: Paladin indicates that the paladin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Charisma score for that spell level.

A paladin must spend 1 hour each day in quiet prayer and meditation to regain her daily allotment of spells. A paladin may prepare and cast any spell on the paladin spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her paladin level -3.

Divine Bond (Sp)

Upon reaching 5th level, a paladin forms a divine bond with her god, granting her access to both of the following abilities:

Celestial Spirit Weapon

The first aspect of the bond allows the paladin to enhance her weapon as a swift action by calling upon the aid of a celestial spirit. This effect remains for up to 1 minute per paladin level. When called, the spirit causes the weapon to shed light as a torch.

At 5th level, this spirit grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus. For every three levels beyond 5th, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon bonuses to a maximum of +5, or they can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: Axiomatic (+2), Brilliant Energy (+4), Defending (+1), Disruption (+2), Flaming (+1), Flaming Burst (+2), Holy (+2), Keen (+1), Merciful (+1), and Speed (+3). Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's cost (see Magic Weapon Properties). These bonuses are added to any properties the weapon already has, but duplicate abilities do not stack.

If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added.

The bonus and properties granted by the spirit are determined when the spirit is called and cannot be changed until the spirit is called again. The celestial spirit imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the paladin, but resumes giving bonuses when the weapon is returned to the paladin. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon, but if desired a paladin may use the bond twice upon a double weapon as a single standard action, assuming they have enough uses to do so.

A paladin can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every three levels beyond 5th.

If a weapon bonded with a celestial spirit is destroyed, the paladin must re-summon the celestial spirit into a new weapon before it can be used again. The paladin may summon the spirit into any weapon she chooses.

Paladin's Steed

The second aspect of the bond allows a paladin to summon a loyal steed to serve her as she promotes her beliefs. This mount is usually a heavy horse (for a Medium paladin) or a pony (for a Small paladin), although more exotic mounts, such as a boar, camel, shark, or dog are also possible. This mount functions as a druid's Animal Companions, using the paladin's level as her effective druid level.

Once per day, as a full-round action, a paladin may magically call her mount from the celestial realms in which it resides. This ability is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one-third the paladin's level. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the paladin and remains for 2 hours per paladin level; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action. The mount is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the paladin may release a particular mount from service. A paladin can use this ability one additional time per day for every 4 levels after 5th level.

At 11th level, the mount gains the "celestial creature" and "advanced simple" templates and becomes a magical beast for the purposes of determining which spells affect it.

At 15th level, a paladin's mount gains spell resistance equal to the paladin's level + 11.

Should the paladin's mount die, the paladin may not summon another mount for 30 days or until she gains a paladin level, whichever comes first. During this 30-day period, the paladin takes a -1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

Aura of Resolve (Su)

At 8th level, a paladin is immune to charm spells and charm spell-like abilities.

In addition, the paladin's aura begins to grant a +4 divine bonus on saving throws against charm effects to any allies within its radius.

Aura of Justice (Su)

At 11th level, during combat, a paladin can expend two uses of her Smite ability as a free action to grant the ability to perform Smites to all allies within he radius of her aura. All allies who use this ability gain the smite bonuses of the granting Paladin, as a divine bonus, excluding any feats or abilities the Paladin has gained which improve its base effects. Allies must declare a valid smite target (one which stands in hindrance to the Paladin's Vows) before the start of the paladin's next turn or it is lost. Allies with an opposite alignment to the paladin gain no benefit from this ability. Lawful Neutral paladins cannot grant the benefits of Aura of Justice to any non-neutrally aligned allies.

Aura of Faith (Su)

At 14th level, a lawful good paladin's weapons are treated as good-aligned (Holy) for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction or exploiting vulnerabilities and weaknesses. A lawful evil paladin's weapons are treated as evil-aligned (Unholy) for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction or exploiting vulnerabilities and weaknesses. A lawful neutral paladin's weapons are treated as lawfully-aligned (Axiomatic) for the purposes of overcoming Damage Reduction or exploiting vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Note that this does not grant the bonus damage dice of the magic weapon properties of the same name.

Furthermore, any ally of the paladin who makes an attack against an enemy while they are within the radius of the Paladin's aura also gains this ability.

Aura of Righteousness (Su)

At 17th level, a paladin gains DR 5/lawful and immunity to compulsion spells and spell-like abilities. Each ally within the radius of the Paladin's aura gains a +4 divine bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects.

Holy Champion (Su)

At 20th level, a paladin becomes a conduit for the power of her god. Whenever she channels divinity or uses lay on hands to heal or harm a creature, she heals or harms the maximum possible amount, treating all dice as 6's.

In addition, her DR increases to 10/lawful. Whenever she uses smite enemy and successfully strikes an outsider, she can elect to inflict a Banishment (Spell), using her paladin level as the caster level (her weapon and holy symbol automatically count as objects that the subject hates). After the banishment effect and the damage from the attack is resolved, the smite immediately ends.

Ex-Paladins

A paladin who ceases to be lawful, who willfully commits an act against their god, or who violates her code of conduct or acts against her Vows, loses all paladin spells and class features (including the service of the paladin's mount, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any further in levels as a paladin. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see atonement), as appropriate.

Epic Paladin

Table: Epic Paladin

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
21st	+21/+16/+11/+6	13	7	13	Greater Aura of Courage, Mercy/Correct/Scourge	4	4	4	4	0	-	-	-	-
22nd	+21/+16/+11/+6	13	7	13	Channel divinity 60hp, Lay on Hands 66hp,Smite Enemy 8/day+CHA	4	4	4	4	1	-	-	-	-
23rd	+22/+17/+12/+7	14	8	14	Bonus Paladin Feat, Unyielding Dogma	4	4	4	4	1	-	-	-	-
24th	+22/+17/+12/+7	14	8	14	Channel divinity 66hp, Lay on Hands 72hp, Mercy/Correct/Scourge	4	4	4	4	1	0	-	-	-
25th	+23/+18/+13/+8	15	9	15	Greater Aura of Resolve, Smite Enemy 9/day+CHA	4	4	4	4	1	1	-	-	-
26th	+23/+18/+13/+8	15	9	15	Channel divinity 72hp, Lay on Hands 78hp, Chastising Smite	4	4	4	4	2	1	-	-	-
27th	+24/+19/+14/+9	16	10	16	Bonus Paladin Feat, Mercy/Correct/Scourge	4	4	4	4	2	1	0	-	-
28th	+24/+19/+14/+9	16	10	16	Channel divinity 78hp, Lay on Hands 84hp, Smite enemy 10/day+CHA	4	4	4	4	2	1	1	-	-
29th	+25/+20/+15/+10	17	11	17	Indictment	4	4	4	4	2	2	1	-	-
30th	+25/+20/+15/+10	17	11	17	Channel divinity 84hp, Lay on Hands 90hp, Mercy/Correct/Scourge	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	0	-
31st	+26/+21/+16/+11	18	12	18	Greater Aura of Righteousness, Bonus Paladin Feat, Smite 11/day+CHA	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	1	-
32nd	+26/+21/+16/+11	18	12	18	Channel divinity 90hp, Lay on Hands 96hp	4	4	4	4	3	2	2	1	-
33rd	+27/+22/+17/+12	19	13	19	Kneel Before God, Mercy/Correct/Scourge	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	1	0
34th	+27/+22/+17/+12	19	13	19	Channel divinity 96hp, Lay on Hands 102hp, Smite enemy 12/day+CHA	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	1
35th	+28/+23/+18/+13	20	14	20	Bonus Paladin Feat	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	2	2
36th	Apotheosis!

Epic Class Features

Channel Divinity

The paladin's ability to channel divinity continues to increase as detailed in Table: Epic Paladin. This continues to cost two usages of the paladin's Lay on Hands ability.

Lay on Hands

The paladin's ability to Lay on Hands continues to increase as detailed in Table: Epic Paladin.

Mercy/Correct/Scourge

At 21st level, and every three levels after that, the paladin continues to gain one additional use of her mercy ability per day. Furthermore, the paladin may now use an unlimited number of her mercies to cure as many status conditions as uses spent, with a single swift action. However, curing multiple allies still requires separate uses of the mercy ability.

Greater Aura of Courage (Su)

Beginning at 21st level, the paladin's aura expands its radius by ten feet, to 20 feet. All lower level effects of the Aura gain the benefit of this expanded radius. In addition, the Aura of Courage feature improves so that each ally within the aura gains a +8 divine bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Bonus Feat

At 23rd, 27th, 31st and 35th levels, the paladin may choose a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, he can choose a metamagic feat, or any other feat the paladin fancies. The paladin must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gets from advancing levels.

Spells

The paladin continues to gain spells above fourth level. These spells slots may be used to cast lower level spells or existing spells with metamagic feats.

Divine Bond

The paladin's Divine Bond continues to improve.

Celestial Weapon Spirit

The bonus for the weapon spirit increases by 1 for each three levels above 20th, to +7 at 23rd, +8 at 26th, +9 at 29th, +10 at 32nd, and +11 at 35th. Unlike normal Magic Item rules, the maximum enhancement allowed for to-hit and damage is +10, and the weapon may have up to +11 in weapon properties. The absolute bonus of a Divine Bond Weapon may never exceed 21 (Enhancement Bonus + Weapon Properties + Divine Bond).

Paladin's Steed

The paladin's steed improves as though it were a druidic companion. See Animal Companions

Unyielding Dogma (Ex)

Beginning at 23rd level, the paladin may add her CHA modifier to all melee damage rolls.

Greater Aura of Resolve (Su)

At 25th level, the paladin's Aura expands its radius another 10 feet, to a radius of 30. All lower level effects of the Aura gain the benefit of this expanded radius. In addition, the Aura of Resolve feature improves so that each ally within the aura gains a +8 divine bonus on saving throws against charm effects. This ability only functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Chastising Smite (Su)

Beginning at 26th level, once per round after the paladin successfully hits an enemy she has declared as her Smite target, she also deals 1d6 points of ability damage to an ability score of her choice on that target. If the paladin has more than one Smite target, she may use Chastising Smite on each smite target, up to once per round, as long as she successfully strikes each one at least once.

Indictment (Su)

At 29th level, as a swift action, a paladin can expend four uses of her smite when declaring a creature who stands in opposition to her Vows her Smite target. In addition to the normal effects of declaring a creature as your Smite target, the target creature immediately takes your level squared in damage (841 points at level 29), ignoring any DR the creature may have. The creature gets no saving throw against this damage.

Indictment may only be used against creatures which are not already your Smite target, meaning that the same target may not be struck multiple times in the same encounter with this ability.

Indictment is not considered a "condition" to which roles, such as tanks and threats, are partially immune.

Greater Aura of Righteousness (Su)

At 31st level, the paladin's damage resistance improves to DR 25/lawful and she gains immunity to compulsions (regardless of whether they are spells, spell-like, supernatural and extraordinary abilities). Each ally within her aura gains DR 20/lawful and also gains immunity to compulsions. This ability functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Kneel Before God (Su)

At 33rd level, any time the paladin voluntarily goes prone, she may use her Indictment power on any creatures within the radius of her aura, expending 4 uses of Smite Enemy for each creature she wishes to affect. Doing so is part of the same action as going prone. The only limit to the number of creatures within her aura's radius that she can affect are the number of smites she wishes to expend.