Paladin

Righteous defenders of the weak, Paladins use heavy shields and divine blessings to stand as a bulwark against their foes. The Paladin's large shield not only offers protection, but affords many opportunities to launch devastating counters in close combat.

This makes it easy to realize that one of the paladins great weaknesses are spell casters. He is designed to battle against physical attacks, as magic attacks do not trigger their better abilities.

Mechanics & Playstyle
The Paladin uses a combination of magic and physical attacks when fighting enemies, although their greatest aspect is their shield. When paladins block an incoming attack they will normally respond with one of their abilities that either benefits them, or unleashes a counter-attack on their opponent. The Paladin is a very defensive class, and their play style in general is based on reacting to being struck in combat.

The Paladins are not hybrids or front-line healers. They are aggressive tanks, a defensive Warrior calling. Paladins do have some healing abilities but these are purely for defensive purposes and self preservation. They should never be considered as "the healer" of a group. Their focus is to get the attention of the enemies, hold the attention, and survive the attention. If something goes wrong they do have a few lifesaver abilities to save the day.

Paladin History
When the chieftain of Clan Mathos united the scattered northmen to fight the Blood Storm Wars, he entrusted the safety of the land and people to his daughter, Amardis. But Telara's landscape and weather patterns shifted dramatically during the wars, as planar energy confused the worldís ecology. Crops withered, game grew scarce, and famine gripped Clan Mathos, until southern merchants brought an enticing proposition.

If the traders were allowed to mine sourcestone from caverns on clan land, the northmen would have all the food they required. Weak to the well-fed merchants' temptations, the people cried out for Amardis to accept the offer.

But the young leader felt ill-at-ease about the bargain, so she entered the caves to commune with Thedeor. She finished praying and opened her eyes, and before her lay her father's shield, newly affixed with a pulsing piece of sourcestone.

A voice spoke to Amardis: "Take it, daughter, and reveal the truth."

The next morning, as people gathered around the strangers' carts, Amardis came forward, girded for battle. Without warning, she sent the caravan master sprawling with a backhand blow from the holy shield. Gold coins stamped with the glowing mark of Laethys tumbled from his robe, and the clansmen realized they had nearly turned over their holy caverns to agents of the Golden Maw.

Amardis led the charge as Clan Mathos took up arms to drive out the cultists, intercepting blows meant for others and drawing the enemy away from weaker clan members. People would later report that a glowing aura surrounded her, crackling as she downed the dragon's agents with devastating blows from her sword and shield.

All seemed lost when one of the caravan's Cyclops guards dealt Amardis a devastating blow to the chest with his serrated blade. In a haze of pain, she struggled back to her feet, pressing her hand to the wound. Golden light seeped from her hand and closed the gash, and this miracle caught the Cyclops off guard. Amardis cleft his hideous head from his shoulders, breaking the Golden Maw offensive in a single stroke.

The Mathosians drove the remaining cultists into the mountains. Though they claimed the food and other goods from the caravans, Amardis insisted they melt down the gold to forge an altar to Thedeor. This monument would one day stand in the heart of Caer Mathos, the home of many Mathosian paladins for centuries to come. "'Though all the world falls under evil's sway and demands you bow before wickedness, stand fast, an immovable beacon, and demand that the world bow instead to virtue.'"

Additional Information

 * Paladin abilities
 * Amardis Mathos: Paladin (Book)