The Quintessential Paladin
| Author | Alejandro Melchor |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2002 |
| OGL Section 15 | qpal |
The material below is designated as Open Game Content
Weapons
Flail, sprinkling: The head of this flail is hollowed out, with several small apertures. It is essentially the warlike application of a priestly censer, the hollow meant to contain holy water that is sprinkled about as the wielder swings it. The holy water inside deals 1d4 extra damage to undead and evil outsiders. The reservoir inside the weapon can contain enough holy water for six attacks, whether they are successful or not.
Lance, barbed, heavy and light: This lance has a barbed metal tip designed to tear at wounds and cause more damage with a successful hit. The light version is intended for Small characters.
Lance, blunt, heavy and light: The point of this lance is blunt and rounded. It deals subdual damage but the wielder gains a free trip attempt if hitting as part of a mounted charge. The light version is intended for Small characters.
Lance, dire: This extraordinarily long lance was designed to fight Large and bigger creatures. It must be used with both hands, which poses additional problems for mounted combatants (see jousting shield in the Armour section). It has a 15-foot reach, but the character cannot attack opponents closer than that.
Martial Weapons – Melee
| Weapon | Size | Cost | Damage | Critical | Weight | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flail, sprinkling | One-handed | 12 gp | 1d8 | x2 | 5 lbs. | Bludgeoning |
| Lance, barbed heavy | One-handed | 14 gp | 1d8 | 19-20/x3 | 10 lb. | Piercing |
| Lance, barbed light | Light | 10 gp | 1d6 | 19-20/x3 | 5 lb. | Piercing |
| Lance, blunt heavy | One-handed | 8 gp | 1d8 (s) | x3 | 10 lb. | Piercing |
| Lance, blunt light | Light | 7 gp | 1d6 (s) | x3 | 5 lb. | Piercing |
| Lance, dire | Two-handed | 20 gp | 2d6 | x3 | 15 lb. | Piercing |
Weapon Extras
Many warriors replace their weapons bit by bit, changing handles, blades or heads at different times. Weaponsmiths profit from this by offering different ‘models’ of those components, some are merely ornaments, while others have a practical purpose.
Sword guards, ornate: A weapon’s blade may be normal, but its guard can be a masterwork. A masterwork guard adds 100 gp to the weapon’s market price and serves little purpose but to indicate its owner’s status.
Sword guard, catcher: This utilitarian sword guard has two prongs parallel to the blade. They can ‘catch’ an opposing sword when the wielder parries and lets the enemy blade slide towards the prongs, which grant a +2 bonus to attack rolls for disarm attempts.
Sword handle, ornate: Inlaid with silver or gold filigree, the ornate sword handle is another status symbol that merely improves the look of the sword while sheathed.
Sword handle, grip: Made of soft wood, the grip handle is custom-made for a specific user. Using a clay model the intended owner grips, together with measurements of his arm, reach and fighting style, the artisan can craft a tailor-made handle for the discerning customer. Grip handles give their intended owner (and nobody else) +2 enhancement bonus to resist disarm attempts.
Sword pommel, ornate: Special pommels are often carved with family crests or other heraldic symbols, marking the ownership of the blade.
Sword pommel, holy: A pommel may be crafted as a holy symbol that a cleric or paladin can use when praying and turning undead. Paladins have no difficulty using a holy pommel but a cleric’s god must favour swords as a weapon if he wishes to use the pommel as a holy symbol.
Sword pommel, weighted: Weighted pommels are lead balls with gold or silver plating that attach to the sword’s handle to provide a balance more suited for an individual owner. It takes the wielder one month of constant practice to get used to the weight, at which point he enjoys a +1 bonus to damage. If a bastard sword has a weighed pommel, it can be used onehanded at a -2 penalty rather than the normal -4 if the character does not have the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat.
Handle Tip: Used to secure the shaft of a mace, morningstar, flail or axe, handle tips are sometimes used to imprint a family seal or other symbols, especially if the weapon is intended to be magical.
Ornate flail/mace head: Ornate mace and flail heads are the staple of many religious orders that gift their paladins with weapons. The heads do not confer any additional benefit except recognition and reputation.
Weapon Extras
| Extra | Price add |
|---|---|
| Sword guard, ornate | +125 gp |
| Sword guard, catcher | +15 gp |
| Sword handle, ornate | +100 gp |
| Sword handle, grip | +100 gp |
| Sword pommel, ornate | +150 gp |
| Sword pommel, holy | +25 gp |
| Sword pommel, weighted | +150 gp |
| Handle Tip | +15 gp |
| Ornate flail/mace head | +30 gp |
Armour and Shields
Brigandine: Brigandine armour consists of metal splints sewed upon canvas, linen, or leather and covered with similar materials. Unlike splint mail, the metal splints are wider and lighter, and resemble padded armour until hit.
Shield, jousting: Called this because it finds use in jousting tournaments, this shield has a round cleft on its right upper edge, designed to fit a lance for better stability. Using a jousting shield during a charge action with a lance gives a +1 circumstance bonus to the attack roll.
Armour Table
| Armour | Cost | Armour Bonus | Max Dex Bonus | Armour Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigandine | 250 gp | +5 | +4 | -4 | 20% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 25 lb. |
| Shield, jousting | 30 gp | +2 | - | -2 | 15% | - | - | 10 lb. |
Armour Extras
Aventail: This is a short piece of chainmail that hangs loosely from a helmet to add protection to the neck.
Tabard, Padded: This rectangular piece of cloth is worn over armour. Normal tabards are meant to bear the wearer’s coat of arms or other symbols, but armoured tabards add protection. A padded tabard is made of many layers of heavy cloth that can be worn over any armour.
Tabard, Chain: Chain tabard consists of two layers of cloth with a middle layer of chainmail. It cannot be worn over heavy armour as it hampers movement too much.
Surcoat: Similar to tabards, a surcoat is a cloth garment worn over armour to identify its wearer. It is long and flowing like a tunic and some paladins use it as their holy symbol if it is emblazoned with their deity’s icon.
Besagues: These circular plates are tied to the elbow joint and in front of the shoulders of full and half plate armour for additional protection.
Extras
| Extra | Cost | Armour Bonus | Armour Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avantail | 20 gp | +1 | - | +5% | +1 lb. |
| Besagues | 50 gp | +1 | - | +5% | +2 lbs. |
| Surcoat | 2 gp | - | - | - | 1 lb. |
| Tabard, chain | 55 gp | +2 | -1 | +5% | 15 lb. |
| Tabard, padded | 15 gp | +1 | -1 | +5% | 5 lbs. |
Piecemeal Plate
Many poor warriors (or paladins under a vow of poverty) find themselves forced to scavenge battlefields for armour that is not too dented or ruined. They assemble a ‘poor man’s plate’ out of all the pieces that will never provide the same amount of protection and mobility of true full plate, but it will serve their needs.
The following listings are for the parts of a full plate. The information assumes that it is being strapped over padding or chainmail, and it does not include gauntlets. The parts cannot be strapped over medium or heavy armour.
Armour Bonus: Some parts, taken in and by themselves, only provide a fractional armour bonus; the total bonus of the pieces worn is rounded down.
Maximum Dexterity Bonus: Take the smallest number of all the parts worn and subtract the armour check penalties from the rest to obtain the maximum dexterity bonus to AC, with a minimum of +1.
Armour Check Penalty and Arcane Spell Failure: The penalties and chances of failure for each part are added together so that, in the end, the character is better off looking for matching pieces of armour or saving for a custom-made suit of full plate.
Speed: Wearing from one to four parts (not joints or breastplate) is equivalent to light armour, from five to eight parts (not joints or breastplate) is equivalent to medium armour; the breastplate always adds one category (no armour becomes light, light armour becomes medium, etc.) and the joints do not count.
Torso
The armour piece for the torso is the breastplate, but this is not the armour type of the same name found in the SRD; this is just the plating that covers the back and front of the torso. The armour bonus and weight are halved if the character is only wearing the front or the back piece, but all the other statistics remain the same.
Arms
If both parts of an arm’s plate do not belong to the same suit of armour, the character may wear only one or the other, but not both.
† Rerebrace: Covers the upper arm.
† Vambrace: Also called bracer, it covers the forearm.
Legs
If both parts of a leg’s plate do not belong to the same suit of armour, the character may wear only one or the other, but not both.
† Fauld: Short armoured skirt that covers the character below the waist. Tassets are triangular pieces of plate that hang from the fauld, adding protection to the area between cuisses and breastplate. The fauld can be from a different suit as cuisses and greaves.
† Cuisses: Cover the thighs.
† Greaves: Cover the lower leg.
Joints
Armour for the joints is a special case; they are seldom effective if they are not all present, for the additional protection they provide by themselves is almost negligible.
† Gorget: A piece of plate that covers the neck, resting at the shoulders. If the gorget is not part of the same suit as the breastplate, add -1 to the armour check penalty.
† Pauldron: Large curved plate covering the shoulders.
† Couter: Covers the elbow.
† Poleyn: Covers the knee.
Plate Pieces
| Part* | Cost | Armour Bonus | Max. Dex | Armour Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breastplate | 160 gp | +2 | +4 | -3 | 10% | 15 lb. |
| Arm (rerebrace) | 50 gp | +0.5 | +8 | -0.5 | 5% | 3 lb. |
| Arm (vambrace) | 50 gp | +0.5 | +8 | -0.5 | 5% | 3 lb. |
| Fauld (with tassets) | 80 gp | +1 | +6 | -1 | - | 5 lb |
| Fauld (without tassets) | 30 gp | +0.5 | +7 | -1 | - | 2 lb |
| Legs (cuisses) | 60 gp | +0.5 | +5 | -1 | 2% | 4 lb. |
| Legs (greaves) | 60 gp | +0.5 | +4 | 0 | 2% | 4 lb. |
| Joints (full set) | 150 gp | +1 | - | -2 | 5% | 5 lb. |
| Joints (individually) | 30 gp | +0.2 | - | -0.4 | 1% | 1 lb. |
* All information is given for a single piece, not a pair, with the exception of the joints.
Equipment
Banners: Seen especially among members of an order, banners are rectangular, square or triangular shaped cloth with the symbol of the order the paladin belongs to, or the symbol of his god, appearing upon them. By itself, a banner has little effect but, while carried by a paladin, it can inspire others when it is seen in a large combat. A standard bearer customarily carries a banner but sometimes the paladin himself carries it. In oriental cultures, the banner is strapped to the warrior’s back to free his hands for combat. Common banners are nothing more than symbols but sacred banners have special effects for paladins. A paladin can pour positive energy into a sacred banner by spending two turn undead attempts. Doing so results in his aura of courage extending an additional 10 feet per class level for a number of rounds equal to his class level. A sacred banner must be blessed by a cleric of the paladin’s religion (or alignment) in a simple ceremony.
Pennants: Also called pennons, these small and commonly triangular pieces of cloth tie near the point of the lance to identify the warrior more specifically than does a banner. As with banners, a pennant lets everybody know where its owner is when it is raised high and tends to get bloodstained when the paladin attacks. Normal pennons give others a +2 bonus to Spot checks when trying to locate the paladin by sight in the midst of battle. Sacred pennons let paladins call upon their faith and self-confidence, allowing them to call for divine help by spending three turn undead attempts, in return they receive a +1 sacred bonus to all saving throws for one round per class level. All pennants are custom-made and will not work for another paladin, let alone a member of another class.
Scabbards: Taking care of his blade is of paramount importance to a warrior, and that includes sheathing it in a proper scabbard. Scabbards can be works of art themselves, made with precious goods and lined by gold and silver, with studded jewels along its length, with the softest of velvets in the interior. Paladins, who cannot afford to generalise their combat training like a fighter would, tend to specialise with swords, and therefore see scabbards as an important tool rather than just a place to keep a sword near their sword arm. The following are some of the scabbard types that paladins use, which are open for use by any other sword-wielding character.
Container: The length of the scabbard is fitted with one to three small pockets, mostly used to keep the tools to maintain the blade, but that also hold other things. Each pocket is large enough to contain two vials.
Dagger: Often seen as cowardly or underhand by a paladin, more worldly members of the class know that it could save their lives. The scabbard is one hand-span longer than the blade it is supposed to sheathe as it hides a small, spring-loaded dagger that slips through the scabbard’s point to become a slightly unwieldy weapon that deals 1d4 damage.
Secret Container: This scabbard has a hidden compartment that can fit one vial, built on the side of the scabbard that rests against its owner’s body, or at its tip. It is useful for keeping holy relics and tokens, but it can also smuggle small doses of special substances, such as holy water.
Fancy: These scabbards are treasures, sometimes worth even more than the sword they were made to store. Fancy scabbards are adorned with the finest, richest materials and are ripe for enchantment.
Prayer Book: Devout paladins have little space to carry religious items or to risk them being damaged in the often dangerous situations they find themselves in. These prayer books are smaller than regular books, though far easier to reference. Frequently embossed in gold, with prayers and teachings specifically chosen to cut to the heart of a matter they are far easier for a divine spellcaster to reference when in a hurry. Using a prayer book cuts the time a divine caster spends preparing his spells down to half-an-hour instead of one hour.
Prayer Beads: These beads serve a similar purpose to the prayer book, but in a more compact form. They are wooden or clay beads tied together by a string that the paladin holds to remind him of his daily prayer. While meditating and praying with the beads, a divine spellcaster may spend a turning check in order to gain a +1 bonus to his next Will save so long as the beads are held in his hand at the time of the save.
Field Healer’s Kit: Although trained in the healing arts, paladins often do not have time to tend to a fallen comrade when he runs out of healing magic, or when the magic does not apply. The field kit is a small box with the absolute minimum equipment necessary for five applications. Using a field healer’s kit grants a character a +1 circumstance bonus to Heal checks, but using it in combat is considered a move-equivalent action instead of a standard action.
Equipment Table
| Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Banner (normal) | 350 gp | 10 lb. |
| Banner (sacred) | 450 gp | 10 lb. |
| Field Healer’s Kit | 55 gp | 1 lb. |
| Pennant (normal) | 200 gp | - |
| Pennant (sacred) | 300 gp | - |
| Prayer Book | 100 gp | 2 lb. |
| Prayer Beads | 10 gp | - |
| Scabbards | 4 gp | 1 lb. |
| Container | 6 gp | 1 lb. |
| Dagger | 12 gp | 2 lb. |
| Secret Container | 9 gp | 1 lb. |
| Fancy | 1d6 x 100 gp | 2 lb. |
Special and Superior Items
Reliquaries
While battle rages on, paladins have little time to rummage around their pouches for a magical item, which is why they invented reliquaries, special containers custom-made for relics of religious importance, or for magical items. A reliquary is specially blessed to allow anyone holding it to use the properties of the magic item contained within at will, bypassing some methods of activation.
Making a blessed reliquary requires a divine caster with the Craft Wondrous Item feat. If it was sold, a reliquary would have a market price of 10,000 gp plus the cost of the item. The most important feature of a reliquary is that it does not fill a limited space for magic items, regardless of the form it takes. A medallion reliquary could still be worn next to a magical pendant, and a reliquary pouch could hang from a magic belt with no problem whatsoever.
The second great advantage of a reliquary is that, depending on the form it takes, it help its wielder activate the powers of a magic item by willing it so (this still takes the normal activation time of the item), and channelling its power through the reliquary, as long as the reliquary is in contact with the wielder (although shrine reliquaries have a special property that bypasses this). Items with a constant effect do not benefit much from being stored in a reliquary, as they are not active unless commanded, which may be too late to be useful in an ambush.
A reliquary must be crafted to fit a specific kind of magic item and cannot hold any other. A reliquary made for rings cannot fit a potion, for example. Reliquaries made for rings and potions can fit any ring or potion, but those made for rods, wands and wondrous items can only fit that specific item due to the uniqueness of its shape. Potions are poured inside a reliquary and the contents evaporate when their power is invoked, as if the reliquary’s wielder had imbibed the potion from a flask or vial. Arms and armour, staves and certain wondrous items can only be placed in a shrine reliquary.
A reliquary can take a number of shapes and forms, but none of them are unassuming. They are finely crafted items with rich ornaments or at least the symbol of a religion. In most cases when a reliquary is found as part of a treasure, it holds the magical item it was made to safe keep, but seldom any indication that it is more than a simple container.
Medallions: Reliquary medallions are slightly larger than normal, sometimes as big as the palm of an adult human. The face opens to reveal the compartment within, and it is carved with images both relating to the religion that made it and the function of the item it was made to contain.
Sword Pommels: Paladins prize this form of reliquary the most, as it allows them to use the magic item while fighting without distracting their attention from their opponent. Pommels cannot be larger than a closed fist without unbalancing the weapon.
Rings: Reliquary rings are larger than common rings, for they must have space for the magic item, which is often a gem. This is the smallest kind of reliquary.
Pouch: The size of a spell component pouch, it is more a box that can be strapped to a belt than a normal pouch. The lid is secured with locks and ribbons, and is the largest of the portable reliquaries, able to hold the smaller varieties of rods and wands.
Shrines: From small altars to entire buildings, shrines are an exception to the rule when it comes to reliquary-making. With a special ceremony that involves an entire night of praying and intercession from the deity that sponsored the shrine’s building, a divine caster (and only a divine caster) is keyed to the shrine to act as its champion and guardian. This champion can invoke the power of the enshrined magical item as a spell-like ability from any location within one mile per divine class level. Only one person can be keyed to the reliquary, and the position can only be passed on voluntarily. If the champion dies, a new one must be selected, who then must undergo the ceremony.
Tokens
Tokens are priceless items in more ways than one. For one, they can be anything; from a lump of rock to a princess’s scarf of finest silk. The true power of the token does not lie in its material value, but in what it represents for its owner. Only paladins have the faith and conviction to create tokens, which are symbols of their cause, of a quest, an oath, their honour or their devotion.
Creating a token is fairly simple. Upon undertaking a quest, an oath, a vow or when making a promise, the paladin picks up the object most significant to what he is about to do and charges it with his own soul, spending experience points to make the item into a token. A token can be imbued once only (it may not be recharged) with up to 25 XP per class level.
As the token is a reminder of his dedication, having it close provides the paladin with an incentive to fight on and never give up. Tokens have two uses: to give bonuses to certain dice rolls or to allow the re-roll of a failed check. Spending five of the invested experience points gives the paladin a +1 bonus to an attack roll or ability check, while spending 20 XP allow the re-roll of a failed skill check or saving throw (the second result stays, even if it was lower than the original). The paladin can invoke the power of his token once per day per Charisma modifier, and only gains a +1 bonus or a single re-roll, regardless of how many invested XPs he spends. Invoking the power of a token is a free action that provokes an attack of opportunity.
If the paladin loses his token, he suffers a -1 circumstance penalty to attack rolls, skill checks and saving throws for a day. If he has not recovered the token before the day passes, it loses all power, and all the remaining experience points are lost. When the paladin spends all of the invested experience points in the token, it becomes a normal item without adverse consequences.
Mounts and Related Gear
Barding
Although some special mounts may have natural protection, warhorses and the more common mounts do not, and if the paladin is going to charge into battle on it, it is better that he does not rely entirely on the Mounted Combat feat to deliver it from attacks.
The SRD lists the formulae to calculate the information for barding, and the following table lists it in expanded manner for ease of reference.
Barding Table
| Armour | Cost | Armour Bonus | Max Dex Bonus | Armour Check Bonus | 40 ft. | 50 ft. | 60 ft. | Weight* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Armour | ||||||||
| Padded | 20 gp | +1 | +8 | 0 | 40 ft. | 50 ft. | 60 ft. | 20 lb. |
| Leather | 40 gp | +2 | +6 | 0 | 40 ft. | 50 ft. | 60 ft. | 30 lb. |
| Studded Leather | 100 gp | +3 | +5 | -1 | 40 ft. | 50 ft. | 60 ft. | 40 lb. |
| Chain mantle | 400 gp | +4 | +4 | -2 | 40 ft. | 50 ft. | 60 ft. | 50 lb. |
| Medium Armour | ||||||||
| Hide | 60 gp | +3 | +4 | -3 | 30 ft. | 35 ft. | 40 ft. | 50 lb. |
| Scale barding | 200 gp | +4 | +3 | -4 | 30 ft. | 35 ft. | 40 ft. | 60 lb. |
| Chain barding | 600 gp | +5 | +2 | -5 | 30 ft. | 35 ft. | 40 ft. | 80 lb. |
| Heavy Armour | ||||||||
| Splint barding | 800 gp | +6 | +0 | -7 | 30 ft. | 35 ft. | 40 ft. | 90 lb. |
| Banded barding | 1,000 gp | +6 | +1 | -6 | 30 ft. | 35 ft. | 40 ft. | 70 lb. |
| Half-plate | 2,400 gp | +7 | +0 | -6 | 30 ft. | 35 ft. | 40 ft.** | 100 lb. |
* Information for Large size creatures, such as horses. Halve for Medium-size creatures such as ponies and riding dogs.
**A mount wearing heavy armour moves at only three times its normal walk speed when running, rather than four times.
Saddles
Despite the empathic link between paladin and mount, he still needs something to hold on to while riding, so that he does not fall off during the sharp turns and manoeuvres of mounted combat, so he still needs a saddle. Riding and military saddles are common items that paladins can find in any well-stocked store, or he can commission the crafting of a special saddle. There are other kinds of saddles, suited for different purposes and a questing paladin (not to mention rich or picky) will have two or three safely carried by a pack mule, led by a squire. The following prices and characteristics assume the saddle is meant for a warhorse, if the mount is rather more exotic, multiply the price by three and add five pounds to the weight.
Amazon: Noble ladies ride ‘amazon’ or ‘side-saddle’ style to protect their, ahem… virtue. Both legs hang from one side of the mount, and the amazon saddle accommodates this position for both females and males. It takes a bit more practice to ride sidesaddle, requiring the rider to have at least 2 ranks in Ride for normal riding, and 5 ranks for combat riding. The benefit of riding side-saddle is more a matter of elegance and grace, granting the rider a +2 circumstance bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy and Performance checks. The rider may not guide the mount with her knees in order to use both hands in combat (although empathically linked mounts need no such direction), but the DC for a fast mount or dismount is 15 instead of 20.
Cutting: One of the most stable of saddles, it is the favourite of explorers who must navigate difficult terrain. Thanks to its build, it allows the rider to stay centred in the saddle and provides strong grips so as not to fall. It gives the rider a +2 circumstance bonus to Ride checks for guiding the mount through difficult terrain and staying in the saddle. However, it is not too comfortable in the long run, with the rider suffering a -2 on Constitution checks for forced marches or Fortitude checks related to exhaustion.
Fitted: Not really a kind of saddle really, but more the way the saddle is made. Any fitted saddle was crafted for the specific mount it is used on, and allows the mount greater comfort while carrying a rider. While using a fitted saddle, a rider gains a +1 on all Ride or Handle Animal checks.
Light Cavalry: Meant for light warhorses or very mobile mounts, this saddle has very short stirrups that allow the rider to manoeuvre his mount with great flexibility. A character with the Mounted Combat feat gains a +2 on Ride checks meant to avoid damage to the mount and may make a Ride check (DC 15) to stop a charge action and move 20 feet in any direction. However, the rider suffers a -2 circumstance penalty to Ride checks to stay in the saddle when hit in combat.
Travel: Lighter and better secured than an ordinary saddle, the travel saddle is meant for comfortable long rides for both rider and mount. Both gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Constitution checks for a forced march. The saddle is not as useful in more agitated conditions, with the rider suffering a -2 circumstance penalty on Ride checks when guiding the mount through difficult terrain or during combat.
Saddles
| Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 12 gp | 20 lb. |
| Cutting | 15 gp | 30 lb. |
| Light Cavalry | 12 gp | 20 lb. |
| Travel | 10 gp | 25 lb. |
| Fitted* | +5 gp | +5 lb. |
*Add price and weight to base saddle.
