Image: Cabal Paladin MtG Art from Dominaria by Lius Lasahido
The base text for Block, Dodge, Parry contains a whole slew of careers, which cover most of the fantasy archetypes – especially when mixed and combined. Aragorn, for instance, would be a Noble, Wanderer, Soldier, Hunter.
However, a lot of versatility comes from Wardens limiting Career options and/or making their own. The Paladin-archetype, for instance, is absent, which is by design; introduced as a Fighter/Cleric hybrid, one could simply take the Priest and Soldier Careers, and pick skills that form a Paladin.
Or, perhaps, Paladins are a big focus of the setting, and the Warden wants to offer it as a Career choice right at the start of the campaign. That’s easy to do! Simply check out the list of Skills, and combine them into a new Career. Version 2.0 makes this easier than ever, grouping Skills in easy categories.
Let’s try and do that right now:
Paladin for Block, Dodge, Parry (and Cairn)
Holy warriors devoted to a cause or deity, Paladins blend martial prowess with divine magic, striving to uphold righteousness and protect the innocent.
Common knowledge: You know about divine law, holy rituals, and the art of war.
- “What is the best course of action to stay true to my oath?”
- “How can I best protect this group from evil forces?”
- “What is the most righteous path in this situation?”
Skills:
- Devotion: You gain +1 Faith Die, up to a total of 4.
- Commander: Once per combat, issue a single command to an ally to enhance their next attack, or to heal them for 1d6 HP.
- Inspiring: Allies automatically pass morale saves.
- Hard to Kill: Once per day, reroll your Save for Critical Damage in case of failure.
- True Strikes: For 1d4 WIL damage per attack, you can perform unarmed strikes that do 1d8 damage, ignore Armor, and can strike ghosts.
- Lay On Hands: Once per day, cure someone of a disease or poison, or heal 1d6 STR.
- Protect: If allies are in the same melee as you, you can give up your action to draw all attacks to yourself instead. Declare this at the start of a round.
- Savage Strikes: Make an enhanced attack at the cost of 1 Fatigue.
Trinket (d4):
- A small, silver holy symbol
- A torn page from an ancient scripture
- A worn, blood-stained piece of cloth from a fallen comrade
- A fragment of a shattered sword with inscriptions
