[PF] Creating a pseudopaladin

[Communard]

I'm planning to create a character who pretends to be a paladin but is actually of an alignment...other than Lawful Good. Obviously (in character) the characters won't know what abilities the Paladin class is supposed to have, but it is more fun when a surprise for a character is also a surprise for the player :smallbiggrin:

So do you know of any way I can convincingly mimic the abilities of a Paladin? I'm thinking some kind of Fighter/Cleric multiclass...

[navar100]

There is an antipaladin write-up in Advanced Player's Guide. However, it might be too obvious in effect for your tastes since it switches references from Evil to Good. When the NPC smites the gold dragon, the players might suspect something is up. Perhaps he can convince the party the dragon is red in disguise?

Perhaps you can combine antipaladin with a paladin archetype that swaps out class features to give you an "excuse".

[SowZ]

I'm planning to create a character who pretends to be a paladin but is actually of an alignment...other than Lawful Good. Obviously (in character) the characters won't know what abilities the Paladin class is supposed to have, but it is more fun when a surprise for a character is also a surprise for the player :smallbiggrin:

So do you know of any way I can convincingly mimic the abilities of a Paladin? I'm thinking some kind of Fighter/Cleric multiclass...

There are variants of Paladin with all sorts of alignments. Most of them, really.
Paladin of Ayn Rand Freedom. Paladin of Tyranny, Slaughter... I mean, the extreme alignments.

[Blisstake]

There are variants of Paladin with all sorts of alignments. Most of them, really.

Not in PF.

Anyway, straight cleric might work. Maybe even taking levels of the Divine Scion PrC. Healing spells become lay on hands, and since smite doesn't necesarily have any visual effect, you could be "smiting" whenever buffed under Divine Power or something.

[SowZ]

Not in PF.

Anyway, straight cleric might work. Maybe even taking levels of the Divine Scion PrC. Healing spells become lay on hands, and since smite doesn't necesarily have any visual effect, you could be "smiting" whenever buffed under Divine Power or something.

Ohh, really? Oh, alright, never mind me. I don't play PF so I should probably not click on them, hehe.

[Andreaz]

Take away the alignment restrictions. Give instead a different targeting mechanism and code.

It might be someone specialized in hunting a certain type of creature, or a different religion.


For example a god paladin. Let's say you serve Mr Binky, god of ponies.
1)Code changes to: You may not harm a pony, unless it is to protect another pony. Always help a pony in need to the best of your ability.
2)Detect Evil changes to: Detect Pony Haters.
3)Smite Evil changes to: :smallwink:Smite Pony Haters.

[Blisstake]

Okay, I can't speak for the OP, but it sounds like he's looking for ways to pretend to be a paladin, as part of a character concept, not how to be a differently-aligned paladin.

[Communard]

There is an antipaladin write-up in Advanced Player's Guide. However, it might be too obvious in effect for your tastes since it switches references from Evil to Good. When the NPC smites the gold dragon, the players might suspect something is up. Perhaps he can convince the party the dragon is red in disguise?

Perhaps you can combine antipaladin with a paladin archetype that swaps out class features to give you an "excuse".
Yes, the problem is that I don't think the Antipaladin can convincingly mimic the Paladin, for example he doesn't even have Lay on Hands...


Not in PF.

Anyway, straight cleric might work. Maybe even taking levels of the Divine Scion PrC. Healing spells become lay on hands, and since smite doesn't necesarily have any visual effect, you could be "smiting" whenever buffed under Divine Power or something.
Hmm, I like this idea, I wonder if there is something I can use to simulate a Paladin's mercies though...
Another issue with that is that if I decided to make him evil, he would channel negative energy, which would rather give the game away. Is there any way to switch that out?


Take away the alignment restrictions. Give instead a different targeting mechanism and code.

It might be someone specialized in hunting a certain type of creature, or a different religion.


For example a god paladin. Let's say you serve Mr Binky, god of ponies.
1)Code changes to: You may not harm a pony, unless it is to protect another pony. Always help a pony in need to the best of your ability.
2)Detect Evil changes to: Detect Pony Haters.
3)Smite Evil changes to: :smallwink:Smite Pony Haters.
Haha, I like it, but I'd rather find a way by the rules if at all possible :smallwink:

[Baroncognito]

So do you know of any way I can convincingly mimic the abilities of a Paladin? I'm thinking some kind of Fighter/Cleric multiclass...

It depends upon the abilities you're going for, and how convincingly you're trying to pass.

You could consider Cleric/Holy Vindicator or Oracle/Holy Vindicator.

[SowZ]

You wouldn't need to multiclass fighter/cleric, would you? I mean, you could just be a cleric and buff your strength secretly, I should think, which would make you better at fighting. Can you wield holy weapons as a neutral aligned character in PF, and will they harm evil creatures? Just say, "Smite evil!" and do your holy damage and no one should know the difference.

[legomaster00156]

For example a god paladin. Let's say you serve Mr Binky, god of ponies.
1)Code changes to: You may not harm a pony, unless it is to protect another pony. Always help a pony in need to the best of your ability.
2)Detect Evil changes to: Detect Pony Haters.
3)Smite Evil changes to: :smallwink:Smite Pony Haters.
I'm so playing this. :smallbiggrin:

[grarrrg]

Well, some PrC's spring to mind (not sure what level you're looking for, so these may not be applicable)

Chevalier (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/c-d/chevalier): Generally Good aligned (usually NOT Law aligned though), has Aura of Courage, and 1/day Smite Evil.

Hellknight (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/e-h/hellknight): a Paladin of pure LAW > Detect Chaos, Smite Chaos, etc...

Holy Vindicator (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/e-h/holy-vindicator): basically a "PrC Paladin", the ONLY PrC that stacks for Channel Energy, has Full Bab and 7/10 casting.

Inheritor's Crusader (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/i-m/inheritor-s-crusader): nope, must be Lawful Good

Justicar (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/i-m/justiciar): sort of your basic "police officer", Law aligned, but not nearly as much as Hellknight.


On the Feat Front:
Channel Smite (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/channel-smite-combat) can fill in for Smite Evil

[Baroncognito]

Another issue with that is that if I decided to make him evil, he would channel negative energy, which would rather give the game away. Is there any way to switch that out?

If you make an oracle with the mystery of life you can be whatever alignment you like, you'll still channel positive energy. Likewise, even being evil, you'll have a choice at first level of either between knowing all the cure spells or knowing all the inflict spells.

[wayfare]

Seconded for straight cleric! War and Death domains.

On oddball choice would be Divine Bard, but its doable. Especially if you illusion yourself into looking like a heavily armored knight!

If your DM doesn't mind including 3.5, PrCing into chameleon allows you to literally fake being a Paladin (and anything else).

[WinWin]

The Green Knight. 'Paladin' of Erastil or Gozreh. Druid with the Menhir Savant ACF (LN or NG alignment, Erastil).

It can detect incorporeal and undead, among other things. There is your Detect Evil.

Nature's Bond provides your Special Mount.

You can 'lay on hands' by preparing some cure spells.

Still need to become fearless somehow, gain a smite-like ability and expand ability with weapons. Chevalier is a means to gain some of these abilities.

Armour could be a bit tricky, though you may be able to get away with an Ironwood Breastplate.

[Baroncognito]

Seconded for straight cleric! War and Death domains.

On oddball choice would be Divine Bard, but its doable. Especially if you illusion yourself into looking like a heavily armored knight!

If your DM doesn't mind including 3.5, PrCing into chameleon allows you to literally fake being a Paladin (and anything else).

If his DM minds including 3.5, I don't know how he'd be able to manage a divine bard.

[wayfare]

If his DM minds including 3.5, I don't know how he'd be able to manage a divine bard.

There's no PF divine bard? I could have sworn we had something like that 3 games ago...

Is there some template i could be misnaming?

[Baroncognito]

If there's a bard archetype that uses divine spells, it's a third party archetype.

There is the Inquisitor, it has medium BAB, same as a bard, it's a spontaneous caster, same as bard (well, except it keys off of wisdom instead of charisma), and it has the same spell progression for spells known and spells cast as bard.

That's about where the similarities end.

[Othniel Edden]

I wonder if you could do it a Ranger of Inquisitor...

[deuxhero]

Glory domain gets a lot of Paladin only spells if there is a spellcraft user in the party.

[NamelessNPC]

You can be a battle oracle: You gain martial weapon/heavy armor proficiency, you bab counts as 1/lvl with combat maneuvers, you can heal as a swift action, and your casting stat is charisma

[Prime32]

Well, what exactly does it mean to pretend to be a paladin? The world's inhabitants presumably have no concept of classes, after all.

How does one become a paladin in your game? By being chosen by a god? If so, is the character deluded into thinking he's chosen by a god or is he trying to deceive people? In the former case, you could actually use the paladin class and explain that he's so convinced he's a paladin that it gives him powers from the "worship an ideal" method.

[doko239]

You could go with a Razmiran Priest gish-type and pretend to be a Paladin of Razmir :smallbiggrin:

[Larpus]

Why not Zoidberg?

I mean, Inquisitor?

[Beowulf DW]

How about using the Holy Vindicator PrC? I think it takes a few levels of fighter and cleric, but it's basically a paladin without the alignment restriction.

[deuxhero]

You could go with a Razmiran Priest gish-type and pretend to be a Paladin of Razmir :smallbiggrin:

Skip the multiclassing. The class needs the UMD bonus to beat the checks on a 1 out of the gate. Plus divine spells give you enough gish stuff on their own.