Ah. Paladins. The first time I played one, I quickly became a plain old human fighter. I deserved it. So no complaints there. But this class has me scratching my head. Originally, the Paladin was the paragon good, law, wholesomeness and all that. They were Lawful Good and had to have that high Charisma. Plus they that wonderful Detect Evil ability that could have been named Start an Argument at the Table. Of course, soon after the Anti-Paladin was published and everybody wanted to play that. Later Editions played around more with the Paladin and gave them a more loose moral standard and made them out to be divine warriors which is sort of what a cleric is, right? YMMV.
So where does that leave me with Paladins for my own little heartbreak. Well, Rangers are badasses. So are Paladins. While the Ranger is the general badass. The Paladin is the fanatical badass Witch Hunter, Undead Slayer, and Demon Hunter.
Attacks and Saves: Per Standard Swords & Wizardry rules.
Hit Die: D6 (Yes, I’m still reserving that D8 just for Fighters but see below)
Class Abilities:
Detect Unclean: With a successful Instinct check, the Paladin may detect the presence of an arcane caster, undead, or demon (or other planar and eldritch creatures) within 60 feet. It doesn’t single out an specific individual only that such a being is in the area.
Divine Favor: The Paladin may cast one First Level cleric/day. The character chooses the spell at First Level and may only change when they gain a level.
Smite: The Paladin has a pool of points to do extra damage to foes (2 HP/Level).
Zealotry: If a Paladin’s Charisma score is 13 or greater then they gain an additional HP/Level.
Skills: Paladins gain a +2 Bonus to skills pertaining to Demons and Undead.
I know this version of the Paladin takes away a lot of what has become their stock class abilities. Part of my thought on this is that I want the Paladin to be something other than a cleric who fights real well or the party’s morality compass. Though many times they need one.

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