Game Rule Information

Abilities:

Alignment: Lawful evil.

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills

The Paladin of Tyranny's (Pal) class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are concentration (Con), craft (Int), diplomacy (Cha), handle animal (Cha), heal (Wis), knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), knowledge (religion) (Int), profession (Wis), ride (Dex), and sense motive (Wis).

Skill Points at 1st level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4

Skill Points at each additional level: 2 + Int modifier

Table: The Paladin of Tyranny
Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1	+1	+2	+0	+0
2	+2	+3	+0	+0
3	+3	+3	+1	+1
4	+4	+4	+1	+1
5	+5	+4	+1	+1
6	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2
7	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2
8	+8/+3	+6	+2	+2
9	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3
10	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3
11	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3
12	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4
13	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4
14	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4
15	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5
16	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5
17	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5
18	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6
19	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6
20	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6

Table: Paladin Spellcasting
Level	Spells Per Day
	1	2	3	4
1	-	-	-	-
2	-	-	-	-
3	-	-	-	-
4	0	-	-	-
5	0	-	-	-
6	1	-	-	-
7	1	-	-	-
8	1	0	-	-
9	1	0	-	-
10	1	1	-	-
11	1	1	0	-
12	1	1	1	-
13	1	1	1	-
14	2	1	1	0
15	2	1	1	1
16	2	2	1	1
17	2	2	2	1
18	3	2	2	1
19	3	3	3	2
20	3	3	3	3

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Paladin of Tyranny.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Paladins are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).

Aura of Evil (Ex): The power of a paladin of tyranny's aura of evil (see the detect evil spell) is equal to his paladin of tyranny level, just as with the aura of a cleric of an evil deity.

Detect Good (Sp): At will, a paladin of tyranny can use detect good, as the spell.

Smite Good (Su): Once per day, a paladin of tyranny may attempt to smite good with one normal melee attack. This ability is otherwise identical to the standard paladin's ability to smite evil, including increased daily uses as the paladin of tyranny gains class levels.

At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the paladin of tyranny may smite good one additional time per day, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.

Divine Grace (Su): At 2nd level, a paladin gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.

Deadly Touch (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a paladin of tyranny can cause wounds with a successful touch attack. Each day she can deal a total number of hit points of damage equal to her paladin level x her Charisma bonus. An opponent subjected to this attack can make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 paladin level + paladin's Cha modifier) to halve the damage dealt.

Alternatively, a paladin of tyranny can use any or all of this power to cure damage to undead creatures, just as an inflict wounds spell does. This power otherwise functions identically to the paladin's lay on hands ability.

Aura of Despair (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a paladin of tyranny radiates a malign aura that causes enemies within 10 feet of him to take a -2 penalty on all saving throws. This ability otherwise functions identically to the paladin's aura of courage class feature.

This ability functions while the paladin is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.

Divine Health (Ex): At 3rd level, a paladin gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.

Rebuke Undead (Su): A paladin of tyranny rebukes undead rather than turning undead.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a paladin gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from the paladin spell list. A paladin must choose and prepare her spells in advance.

To prepare or cast a spell, a paladin must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a paladin's spell is 10 + the spell level + the paladin's Wisdom modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a paladin can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Paladin. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. When Table: The Paladin indicates that the paladin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Wisdom score for that spell level The paladin does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.

A paladin prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to spontaneously cast a cure spell in its place. A paladin may prepare and cast any spell on the paladin spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her paladin level.

Replace the paladin's spell list with the following spell list: 1st-bane, corrupt weapon, create water, curse water, detect poison, detect undead, divine favor, doom, endure elements, inflict light wounds, magic weapon, protection from chaos, protection from good, read magic, resistance, virtue; 2nd-bull's strength, cure light wounds, darkness, delay poison, eagle's splendor, hold person, inflict moderate wounds, owl's wisdom, resist energy, undetectable alignment; 3rd-bestow curse, cure moderate wounds, deeper darkness, discern lies, dispel magic, greater magic weapon, heal mount, prayer, inflict serious wounds, magic circle against chaos/good; 4th-break enchantment, cure serious wounds, dispel chaos, dispel good, dominate person, inflict critical wounds, unholy sword.

Special Mount (Sp): Upon reaching 5th level, a paladin gains the service of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade against evil. This mount is usually a heavy warhorse (for a Medium paladin) or a warpony (for a Small paladin).

Once per day, as a full-round action, a paladin may magically call her mount from the celestial realms in which it resides. This ability is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one-third the paladin's level. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the paladin and remains for 2 hours per paladin level; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action. The mount is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the paladin may release a particular mount from service.

Each time the mount is called, it appears in full health, regardless of any damage it may have taken previously. The mount also appears wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed. Calling a mount is a conjuration (calling) effect.

Should the paladin's mount die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The paladin may not summon another mount for thirty days or until she gains a paladin level, whichever comes first, even if the mount is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the paladin takes a -1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

Cause Disease (Sp): A paladin of tyranny can inflict disease with his touch (as the contagion spell) a number of times per week that a standard paladin of her level would normally be able to remove disease.

Righteous Cause (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a paladin is either rewarded with a bonus to form a lawful community or route out duplicitous intent. The paladin gains an additional bonus at 8th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, and 19th level. The bonus must be drawn from one of the following two abilities.

Inspiring Presence (Ex): A paladin can become the rallying standard for decency and fairness. If a paladin takes the Leadership feat, the character gains +1 to her leadership score, but only for the purpose of attracting 1st-level followers.

Discerning Insight (Ex): A paladin can recognize when a person is trustworthy or not, giving the character a +1 bonus on sense motive checks when trying to get a "hunch" about the subject's personality after a 1-minute conversation.

Code of conduct: A paladin of tyranny must be of lawful evil alignment and loses all class abilities if he ever willingly commits a good act. Additionally, a paladin of tyranny's code requires that he respect authority figures as long as they have the strength to rule over the weak, act with discipline (not engaging in random slaughter, keeping firm control over those beneath his station, and so forth), help only those who help him maintain or improve his status, and punish those who challenge authority (unless, of course, such challengers prove more worthy to hold that authority).

Associates: While he may adventure with characters of any evil or neutral alignment, a paladin of tyranny will never knowingly associate with good characters unless it serves his needs, nor will he continue an association with someone who consistently offends his moral code. A paladin of tyranny may accept henchmen and followers of any alignment, but may only accept cohorts who are lawful evil.

Ex-Paladins

A paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all paladin spells and abilities (including the service of the paladin's mount, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate.

Like a member of any other class, a paladin may be a multiclass character, but multiclass paladins face a special restriction. A paladin who gains a level in any class other than paladin may never again raise her paladin level, though she retains all her paladin abilities.

The Paladin's Mount

The paladin's mount is superior to a normal mount of its kind and has special powers, as described below. The standard mount for a Medium paladin is a heavy warhorse, and the standard mount for a Small paladin is a warpony. Another kind of mount, such as a riding dog (for a halfling paladin) or a Large shark (for a paladin in an aquatic campaign) may be allowed as well.

A paladin's mount is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal's HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats).

Paladin Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Str Adj.	Int	Special
5th-7th	+2	+4	+1	6	Empathic link, improved evasion, share spells, share saving throws
8th-10th	+4	+6	+2	7	Improved speed
11th-14th	+6	+8	+3	8	Command creatures of its kind
15th-20th	+8	+10	+4	9	Spell resistance

Paladin's Mount Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the mount's kind, but make changes to take into account the attributes and characteristics summarized on the table and described below.

Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Extra Hit Dice improve the mount's base attack and base save bonuses. A special mount's base attack bonus is equal to that of a cleric of a level equal to the mount's HD. A mount has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal's HD). The mount gains additional skill points or feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster's Hit Dice.

Natural Armor Adj.: The number on the table is an improvement to the mount's existing natural armor bonus.

Str Adj.: Add this figure to the mount's Strength score.

Int: The mount's Intelligence score.

Empathic Link (Su): The paladin has an empathic link with her mount out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The paladin cannot see through the mount's eyes, but they can communicate empathically.

Note that even intelligent mounts see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible.

Because of this empathic link, the paladin has the same connection to an item or place that her mount does, just as with a master and his familiar.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a mount takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage if the saving throw fails.

Share Spells: At the paladin's option, she may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) she casts on herself also affect her mount.

The mount must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the mount if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the mount again even if it returns to the paladin before the duration expires. Additionally, the paladin may cast a spell with a target of "You" on her mount (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A paladin and her mount can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the mount's type (magical beast).

Share Saving Throws: For each of its saving throws, the mount uses its own base save bonus or the paladin's, whichever is higher. The mount applies its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn't share any other bonuses on saves that the master might have.

Improved Speed (Ex): The mount's speed increases by 10 feet.

Command (Sp): Once per day per two paladin levels of its master, a mount can use this ability to command other any normal animal of approximately the same kind as itself (for warhorses and warponies, this category includes donkeys, mules, and ponies), as long as the target creature has fewer Hit Dice than the mount. This ability functions like the command spell, but the mount must make a DC 21 concentration check to succeed if it's being ridden at the time. If the check fails, the ability does not work that time, but it still counts against the mount's daily uses. Each target may attempt a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 paladin's level + paladin's Cha modifier) to negate the effect.

Spell Resistance (Ex): A mount's spell resistance equals its master's paladin level + 5. To affect the mount with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the mount's spell resistance.