OSE House Rules - Paladin

Changes and extensions to the OSE Paladin Class (Available in the OSE Advanced Fantasy Rules)
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Basic Information

Requirements: Minimum PHYS and CHA 11
Alignment: Lawful
Hit Points at First Level: 8
Hit Dice: d8
Armour: Any including shields
Weapons: Any
Starting Languages: Common
Bonus Language Choices: Draconic, Giant, Low Common, Undercommon
Starting Gold: 3d6 x 10sp (minimum 60sp)
Starting Equipment: A holy symbol of the chosen deity

Spellcasting: Paladins use the Cleric spell list
Holy Resistance: Paladins are immune to all disease
Laying on Hands: Once per day, Paladins can heal 2HP/level by touch. This is a Main action
Cure Disease: Beginning at 5th level, Paladins can cure disease once per week. This is a Main action
Sacred Vow: Paladins must swear a sacred vow to their chosen deity. See below for more information
Holy Charger: A Paladin of 4th level may summon a mount blessed by his deity. See below for more information
Turn Undead: Beginning at 3rd level, Paladins are capable of forcing back or even destroying undead. They are treated as a Warpriest of 2 levels lower than their Paladin level when doing so. See Turn Undead for more information

Paladins are the sworn knights of a religious order, exemplars of their deity in thought and deed. They are skilled in arms to defend the faith and carry out its tenants and wield a small measure of their deity's power in order to bring succor the faithful. Paladins are treated with a respect that boarders on awe by common folk. Rulers usually treat paladins with deference, though they are sometimes vexed by the zeal and honesty with which Paladin's pursue their objectives.

Sacred Vow

• Paladins swear a vow to a chosen deity and hold this vow as a sacred, uncompromising bond
• The exact details of the vow vary depending on the deity, but the vow always contains adherence of the deity's core tenants and usually one or more of the following:
  • Poverty: The Paladin may own no more than one set of magical armor, one magical melee weapon and one magic shield. Vulgar displays of wealth or prowess are prohibited
  • Tithing: The Paladin must tithe at least 10% of all income to his deity's Church
  • Protection: The Paladin must offer protection to the faithful and must not abandon them to their enemies or to depravations of the wild
  • Hospitality: The Paladin must offer hospitality to the faithful and can expect the same in return
  • Honor: The Paladin will not engage in unfair or unethical practices, and will not lie, cheat or break their word once given. They will not disparage others or seek to humiliate them. The Paladin will not associate with dishonorable folk
  • Temperance: The Paladin will not drink to excess or otherwise become intoxicated
  • Chastity: The Paladin will not take a spouse, lover or share intimacies with another
  • Martyrdom: The Paladin must never compromise or renounce their faith, regardless of the outcome to themselves or others. If forced to chose between their life or their faith, they must choose their faith. If forced to choose between renouncing their faith or allowing others to suffer, the Paladin must endure the suffering and deaths of others
• Violating this vow or losing the Lawful alignment immediately causes the loss of all Paladin benefits. The Paladin is treated as a Fighter of the same level thereafter. It may be possible to perform a quest to restore Paladinhood and atone for transgressions
• Despite this vow, most deities do not expect their Paladins to be perfect. Paladins are free to exercise their own judgement to best bring about the deity's goals and may be placed in positions where carrying out one aspect of the vow causes another aspect to be broken. In these cases, the Paladin is expected to act in good faith and to use common sense (as well as prayer, of course) to arrive at a resolution that accomplishes the greatest good on behalf of the Paladin's patron

Holy Charger

• A paladin of 4th level or higher may summon a holy charger - a warhorse with base AC of 14, 5+5HD and a movement rate of 60ft (Tactical) and 35 miles per day (Overland). It attacks as a war horse
• The holy charger begins with 5+5HD but adds 1 HD for each level of the Paladin until it reaches 9HD+5 for a Paladin of 8th level or higher
• When summoned, the holy charger always has maximum hit points per die (so 45hp at Paladin level 4, 53 hp at Paladin level 5 and so on)
• The holy charger is exceptionally intelligent for a horse and will respond to verbal or sound queues to execute a wide variety of maneuvers. The Paladin should make a CHA check if a particular maneuver is in doubt
• When ridden by its owner, the holy charger has saving throws equal to its Paladin owner's saves. Otherwise, it saves as a normal war horse with a +2 bonus
• The holy charger draws at least a portion of its strength from the deity's power and therefore needs only half as much food and water of a similar, normal animal
• Should the holy charger be killed, the Paladin must seek forgiveness from the clergy of his faith and undertake a quest to atone for the loss. Completing this quest allows the Paladin to summon a new holy charger

Advancement
When you have gained enough experience to increase your level, do the following:

• Roll the number of Hit Dice per the table below, apply your PHYS modifier (if any) to each die rolled and compare the total to your current hit points. If your current hit points are less than the total, set your hit points to this new total. If your current hit points are equal to or more than the total you rolled, add 1 to your existing hit points.
• The Referee will also roll one die matching your hit die. You may use this roll in place of one of your rolls if desired.
• Roll to determine if any of your Ability Scores increase

Stronghold

• A paladin is restricted from owning land or building a Stronghold until 9th level

Experience and Level Table

* Modifiers from PHYS no longer apply