Lore and Rules
Paladins are warriors in whom a deeper power has awakened. +Most people believe that a Paladin receives this power from a god, a sacred oath or a belief strong enough to manifest miracles. Often, that is also how Paladins themselves understand it. But the deeper truth is that this power was already there, sleeping within them.
Paladins are born with an inherent gift, a dormant force that does not awaken in everyone and never in the same way. A deity, a vow, a cause, a moment of revelation or even sheer personal conviction may awaken it, but none of these things truly create it. They merely call it forth.
This means Paladins are far broader than the old image of the lawful holy knight.
- Some are noble and kind.
- Some are stern and neutral.
- Some are zealous, unstable, or harsh.
- Some are driven by justice, others by faith, mercy, vengeance, duty, or obsession.
- Some serve a god, others serve an oath, a people, a cause, or only themselves.
If you strip away culture and morality, what remains is this:
A Paladin is a trained martial warrior, proficient in the use of armor and weapons, with an awakened supernatural gift that allows them to stand against Chaos, resist magic and strike with force beyond that of ordinary mortals, that gift is their true signature.
Starting Hit Points
Torso: 4 HP
Limbs: 2 HP each
Paladins are tougher, more disciplined, and physically better trained than the average person. They are built to hold the line, take punishment, and keep going.
Equipment, Weapons & Armor
Paladins are not fragile mystics or lightly armed wanderers. Even when their style differs, they are still first and foremost trained and ready for battle.
Armor
Paladins are trained in the use of armor, including heavy armor. Unlike most others, they are expected to know how to move, fight, and survive while wearing it.
Armor only counts on the area it is protecting.
Armor values for Paladins:
(These replace the values of the Erindor LARP – Rules & Guidelines (v2.0)
- Soft leather: 2 armor points
- Thick leather, fur, and gambeson: 4armor points
- Chain mail: 8 armor points
- Plate armor: 12 armor points
While the head is never a location, wearing a helmet in-game still provides extra protection.
- Gambeson hood or fur hat: 2 extra armor points
- Plate helmet: 5 extra armor points
These extra points may be used first when the armor gets hit.
+Heavy armor is not mandatory, but it is completely fitting for the archetype if it suits the character concept.
Weapons
Paladins are proficient with a broad range of martial weapons. Their exact style depends on training, culture, and personal preference.
Common choices include:
- swords
- axes
- hammers or maces
- spears
- shields
- two-handed weapons
Your gear reflects how your Paladin fights, what they believe in and how they survive.
The Gift
A Paladin’s supernatural power is not the same as spellcasting.
It is not studied in the same way an Arcanist studies magic, nor is it unstable in the same way an Enhanced body is. A Paladin’s power is more direct, more instinctive, and more forceful. It answers not to knowledge, but to conviction.
This gift often manifests through:
- a god
- an oath
- a vow
- a sacred duty
- a belief
- a personal truth
- or an inner force the Paladin may not fully understand
Whatever form it takes, it grants the Paladin a rare and specific talent:
A natural ability to ward off Chaos and magic.
This gift is what sets them apart from ordinary fighters, this is what makes them feared by the corrupted, the cursed and those who rely too much on raw chaos power.
Core Traits
Warding
A Paladin may call upon their gift to reject a magical attack or magical effect.
This is the Paladin’s signature ability. It is not a standard spell and it should not feel generic. Instead of using one universal shout, the Paladin calls out something deeply personal to them, such as:
- a vow
- a prayer
- a power word
- the name of a god
- a line of conviction
- or something else that fits the character
If the ward holds, the next magical effects fails against them for the next ten seconds.Those who cast magic are briefed that if a magical effect suddenly fails, it is not automatically cheating or confusion. There may simply be a reason in play.
Warding is one of the few gifts in the world that can directly stand against Chaos and hostile magic through sheer awakened force.
Warding can be used once, after which it must be “recharged” during a moment of rest. This recharge is entirely roleplay-based and depends on your character’s place in the world, and on how they view the “gift” given to them, but we expect at least ten to fifteen minutes of RP to be spend on a “recharge”.
Taunting an enemy
A Paladin can draw the focus of an enemy through force of will, presence, and supernatural conviction.
Call: “Ad Imperium: Fight Me!”
Effect:
The target is compelled to meaningfully focus their aggression on the Paladin for that moment, rather than ignoring them completely. This is not mindless control, but it does mean the target should acknowledge the Paladin as the immediate threat.
*This does not count as “casting” or doing “spellwork” such as an arcanist does, we use Ad Imperium for practical reasons only, to limit the shout terms in our game.
Smite
A Paladin may unleash a devastating empowered strike through the weapon it wields, sheer will and the “gift”.
Smite is not meant to be casual. It is a last resort, a hidden edge, a moment where the supernatural force within the Paladin breaks through in a direct and violent way.
A Smite may:
- Break armor
- Hit certain threats especially hard
- Shatter or strain magical barriers
- Serve as the Paladin’s “secret weapon”
This ability should be limited to a very small number of uses per event and treated as something rare, powerful, and memorable. The exact balance of Smite can still be tested further, but the intention is clear: It is one of the Paladin’s strongest tools, and not something to be wasted lightly.
*The use of SMITE triggers an effect in the world, a Paladin feels this, other entities too. Some even claim that the forces of Chaos see it as an invite or a challenge of a strong force in the mortal realms.
Absorb Chaos
A Paladin may sometimes attempt not only to ward Chaos away, but to absorb it.
This is never automatic and never simple.
Chaos corruption is different in every case. A corrupted wound, cursed person, tainted object, ritual site, magical scar, unstable place or living abomination may all react differently.
Because of that, Absorb Chaos is always a roleplay and crew-based situation.
A Paladin can attempt it because their gift gives them a unique relationship to hostile supernatural force. But success is never guaranteed and consequences are very possible.
This is not a clean “remove corruption” skill. It is a dangerous gift that exists to create heavy roleplay, difficult choices, and meaningful outcomes.
Paladins and Chaos
Paladins are one of the few archetypes with a natural talent to confront Chaos directly.That does not mean they are immune to corruption, exhaustion, temptation, fear, or failure. It means they can endure what would break many others, and sometimes even take it into themselves. This is part of what makes Paladins so powerful, it is also part of what makes them dangerous.
Design Philosophy
Paladins are not just “holy knights.” (they can be tho, if that’s what you want for your character!)
They are durable, martial, high-pressure characters with a supernatural gift tied to conviction, presence, and resistance. They are at their best when they feel like people who can stand where others cannot, both physically, mentally and spiritually.
Play toward:
- strong conviction
- presence
- duty, belief, or obsession
- inner force
- resistance against corruption
- the burden of being the one who steps forward
A Paladin does not have to be good, noble, lawful, or even kind. But a Paladin should always feel like someone carrying something heavier then it’s armor.
Erindor 