Paladin new player guide

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This is a page for the Paladin specific page for the Newbie Help Guide. Whenever possible, overlap with the general guide should be minimized.

For details, rules, and the other pages involved, see Category:Newbie Guide Contest.


Introduction

A Paladin is a Holy Warrior, touched and graced by the gods themselves. Through a path of righteous dedication to the guild's teachings and through service to the Immortals, the worthy are rewarded for their valor and honor with abilities blessed from the deities and emerge into an extreme force to reckon with. Woe to the villain who stands before the Paladin submerged in deceit and evil ways!

Paladins are often described as holy warriors. However, unlike Clerics, whose powers are derived from their direct connection to the gods they serve, Paladins draw power from their sanctified souls, grounding divinity into the mortal world directly through their actions.

Paladins excel in the defensive arts, although they can also be potent fighters. Their holy magic and other divine powers can augment their physical abilities, protect others, and enhance their effectiveness as leaders in combat.

Role-playing Considerations

Of paramount importance to the Paladin is the sanctity of the Paladin's soul. Certain actions (such as stealing, murdering, and practicing necromancy) are harmful to the soul. Allowing the soul to decay doesn't just weaken a handful of abilities. It jeopardizes the very existence of the soul.

Officially, the guild teaches its members to promote goodness and justice and to oppose evil. Paladins are expected to tell the truth, keep their word, defend the innocent, and help those in need. This philosophy has been summarized as the Paladin Code and is often OOCly described as the Lawful Good alignment.)

The institutionalized "lawful good" approach isn't the only valid approach to being a Paladin, however. As GM Armifer once said, "While there is a very well known and institutionalized approach to being a Paladin, any path that does not sully the divine soul can be said to be to be a right and proper path to being a Paladin."

Dark Paladins

While an "evil Paladin" is seldom seen (as it is a contradiction), a commonly discussed alternative is that of the "dark Paladin." A dark Paladin is willing to use questionable means in order to achieve a greater good -- and accepts the consequences. GM Armifer described dark Paladins thusly:

The ethic of the Dark Paladin can be described with deceptive simplicity, "Do what you must -- and then pay for it."


The Dark Paladins enter the picture as alternative paths toward divine purity. Despite popular conception, a functional Dark Paladin is not someone who allows their soul to decay. A Paladin who allows the divine fire to gutter is not an anti-hero; he is even less than a human, having opened his soul up to a greater reality and found himself wanting. The taller the pillar, the longer the fall.

Successful paths of the Paladin inevitably revolve around ethical responsibility. While Dark Paladins are known for presenting a harsh edge to the world -- for doing what they perceive as necessary even if honor dictates otherwise -- they do it within a framework of sacrifice and ethical responsibility. Dark Paladins are not bullies and they are not irreverent madmen, they are crusaders who know exactly where to draw the line between divine wrath and human failing. When done with honest intention and impeccable wisdom, the universe has been known to judge even horrendous actions as worthy -- and when he missteps, the Paladin still knows that the sacrifice of their soul is worth the cause.

The dividing line between a coward and a Dark Paladin often comes down to payment: if successful Paladins are defined by responsibility, then a successful Dark Paladin is defined by a willingness to accept the punishment for his actions. A murderer and a Paladin may both strike a man dead for his sins, regardless of what the law says, but what defines the Paladin's ethic is he will then stand and accept responsibility for his action. Sometimes it is as simple and painless as a murder fine, but often enough the contrived web of ethics and perceived necessity drive the Dark Paladin to bitter ends, exile, and acts of unmourned sacrifice that would cause their more romantic, honor-focused brothers to weep.


Getting Started

How Stats Affect Paladins

Unlike other guilds, which can still be successful despite having low values in one or more "dump stats," Paladins need all eight stats to varying degrees. For a full description of what each stat does, see Attributes.

Defensively, Paladins benefit from stamina (overall vitality), reflex (affects all defenses), and discipline (affects shield usage and resistance to some spells/effects). Offensively, Paladins rely primarily on strength and agility.

Charisma improves the size of your soul pool, which powers certain Paladin abilities. In the long run, charisma should not be neglected. However, early on, other stats are probably more valuable.

Choosing a Race

Any race is capable of succeeding as a Paladin, so you shouldn't feel like you have to choose a particular race. However, some players choose their race based on mechanical considerations of which stat bonuses and penalties are most compatible with the guild. You can see a comparison of starting stats and racial stat costs here.

Typically, players who choose a race for mechanical reasons want to choose races that have good stamina, strength, and/or reflex -- or at least don't have any severe penalties to those stats.

Extra strength and/or stamina can be particularly valuable early in the game when you are trying to work your encumbrance down. (Plate armor is heavy.) Gnomes have a particularly difficult start, as their low strength and stamina make even the lightest plate feel like a great burden. (This can be mitigated, but only at a substantial cost in TDPs.)

Joining the Guild

In Crossing or Riverhaven, you can type DIR PALADIN to get directions to the guildleader. Then type JOIN to begin the initiation process.

Finding Equipment

The Newbie Walkthrough explains how to exchange your items with the Veteran or Robyn. This approach is recommended if you are starting on a shoestring budget, as you can get one weapon and one type of armor that you will actually use (as opposed to the leather armor you started with).

You can buy additional weapons, armor, and accessories from local shops. In Crossing or Riverhaven, Typing DIR WEAPON and DIR ARMOR will take you to these shops.

Milgrym's Weapons: Crossing (DIR WEAPONS)
Tembeg's Armory: Crossing (DIR ARMOR)
Noel's Arms: Riverhaven (DIR WEAPONS)
Seli's Armory: Riverhaven (DIR ARMOR)
Bantheld's Ironworks: Riverhaven (DIR IRONWORKS)


As soon as you can afford it, you will want to acquire a shield and armor that covers your entire body (head, eyes, neck, chest, abdomen, back, arms, hands, and legs). You can tell what a piece of armor protects by appraising it.

Most Paladins wear plate armor, as it offers maximum protection. Plate armor is more hindering than other types of armor, but with training, Paladins can move in plate more effectively than any other guild.

Shields come in three types: large, medium, and small. (You can determine the size of a shield by appraising it.) Most Paladins prefer large shields, as they offer the most protection. (Paladins are also the only guild that can block while wearing a large shield on the arm, freeing up both hands.) However, as a novice, you lack the shield ranks to take full advantage of large shields. Therefore, many novice Paladins start with a smaller shield and upgrade to a larger one as they improve in skill.

Training Stats

Once you have your basic equipment, it's time to train stats. (Waiting until after you have your weapons and armor has the advantage of allowing you to see how much burden you need to work down.) If you type INFO, you will see that you have 600 TDPs or Time Development Points to spend. (You will gain additional TDPs as you advance in the guild and gain ranks in skills.)

  1. Train strength and stamina equally at least until it says "Encumbrance : None" when you type INFO. (Ideally, get these stats to about 15.) Having no encumbrance is critical, as a heavy burden will penalize your evasion and cause you to tire quickly in combat.
  2. Train reflex to about 15. This improves all of your defenses (shield, parry, and evasion).
  3. Spend your remaining TDPs however you want. Many players recommend training intelligence and wisdom to learn more quickly. (These stats are equally important. See Experience for more information.) Agility is also helpful, as it improves the accuracy of weapons and targeted spells.

Choosing Your First Spell

As a novice, you can choose from one of three introductory spells:

  • Aspirant's Aegis: This is a warding spell that reduces the amount of physical damage that you take. It is most effective when cast on yourself.
  • Heroic Strength: This is an augmentation spell that improves your strength (and therefore anything that depends on strength). This may not seem like much, but it opens the door to some of the Paladin's most useful spells, so I would recommend it as a first choice.
  • Stun Foe: This is a debilitation spell that stuns a single target. (The stun effect temporarily inhibits a target's ability to attack and defend.) This spell is a requirement for learning more advanced attack spells.


If you want to be an effective mage, you will want to learn one spell for each skill (augmentation, warding, utility, debilitation, and targeted) as soon as possible so that you can train all skills. See Paladin Spells for a list. (Make sure you don't choose a spell that you lack the skill to cast, as spell slots are precious.)

Training Your Paladin

Now that you have equipped yourself, trained your stats, and chosen a spell, it's time to begin your training in earnest. This section offers recommendations for skills that Paladins should train. For a detailed explanation of how to train each skill, see the General Newbie Help Guide and Skills.

All guilds have certain minimum skill requirements to advance. (See Paladin circle requirements for a full list.) However, it is recommended that you train additional skills to be a well-rounded adventurer.

Combat

As a combat-oriented guild, most of the guild's requirements are in combat skills.

Active Defenses: Paladins will often rely most on their shields, but the guild also requires them to train parrying and evasion. You will learn whatever defense you are currently using. The Stance command allows you to change your defensive stance. (STANCE HELP will tell you how to do this.) Additionally, as you defend yourself in combat, you should automatically gain experience in the defending skill (another guild requirement).

Body Armor: The armor skills are the Paladin's primary skillset, so you will have the most rigorous requirements in these skills. The options are plate, brigandine (formerly known as light plate), chain, and light (bone, leather, and cloth). Most Paladins primarily focus on plate armor. However, they often train one or more of the other skills for the extra TDPs. Unlike other guilds, Paladins do not suffer additional hindrance for wearing multiple types of armor, so it's not uncommon to see them training three or even four types at once.

Weapons: Weapons are a secondary skillset, so the guild imposes modest requirements. You must train two different weapon skills; you learn them simply by using them in combat. The weapon skills can be whatever you want, but Paladins often prefer heavy-hitting melee weapons, such as swords, hammers, and spears.

In order to have a variety of options, it is commonly recommended that you train at least one edged weapon, one blunt weapon, and one ranged weapon. Polearms are another popular skill, especially among those who joust.

Paladins who use ranged weapons tend to use heavy thrown or a crossbow, as those weapons are more compatible with shields. (Wearing a large shield makes it difficult to load and aim a bow.) Although light thrown weapons and slings are not affected by shields, they don't do as much damage as the other options.


Tactics: This skill allows you to analyze and exploit your enemies' weaknesses. This is a guild requirement. See Tactics skill for training instructions.

Lore

Lore is a secondary skillset for Paladins, so the guild imposes modest requirements. You must train scholarship, tactics (see above), and at least one other lore.

Scholarship: This skill determines how effectively you can teach and learn from classes. It is best trained by teaching classes or observing other teachers' classes.

Appraisal: This vital skill allows you to glean important information about items and creatures that you encounter. With enough skill, you will see precise weapon and armor stats and detailed information about how a creature compares to you and how well you might learn from it.

Performance: This skill allows you to play instruments. Currently, there is no mechanical reason to train this skill (besides TDPs), but since it is so easy to train, most people do.

Crafting: The crafting skills are forging, engineering, outfitting, alchemy, and enchanting (not yet released). Traditionally, Paladins were the best armorsmiths (a discipline of forging), but now any guild can succeed at any craft with enough training and techniques. See Crafting if this interests you.

Magic

Magic is a tertiary skillset for Paladins, so the guild imposes only minimal requirements. You must train at least three magic skills. They can be anything but sorcery. (You can train sorcery, but it won't count toward your guild requirements.) See the General Newbie Help Guide for a basic explanation of magic.

Attunement: This skill allows you to perceive and harness the mana around you. As you can't function effectively as a mage without it, you should train it.

Arcana: This skill allows you to power your spells with cambrinth. It also lets you use other magical devices and memorize spell scrolls. Train it.

Augmentation: This skill allows you to cast spells that buff your skills or stats. You should train this skill, as Paladins have more augmentation spells than any other type of spell.

Warding: This skill allows you to cast spells that provide defensive effects. As this complements the Paladin's natural defensive abilities, you should train this skill.

Utility: This skill allows you to cast spells that provide beneficial effects not covered by augmentation of warding. These spells are not likely to be ones that you use every day, but they do fill some essential niches.

Targeted Magic: This skill allows you to cast spells that inflict damage on opponents. Paladins do not excel in this area, but it's a nice option to have in your arsenal.

Debilitation: This skill allows you to cast spells that disable or debuff without causing direct injury. Paladins do not excel in this area, but they do have a few spells.

Holy Magic: Also known as "Primary Magic," this skill acts as a "mastery skill" for the five spell-casting skills. If it's higher than those skills, you will find those spells a little easier to cast. If it's a lot lower, you may find them more difficult to cast. You don't need to make a specific effort to train this skill, as you should learn it any time you cast spells.

Sorcery: This skill takes the place of Holy Magic when you cast spells that are designed to be powered with something other than holy mana. Training this skill may or may not fit into your RP concept, as sorcery is illegal and inherently dangerous. See Sorcery for possible RP implications. If you do decide to train sorcery, you should avoid doing so in a justice zone, as visible backlash will result in charges of forbidden practices.

Survival

Survival is a tertiary skillset for Paladins, so the guild imposes only minimal requirements. You must train evasion (see above), first aid, and at least three other survival skills. (Do not train thievery. It harms your soul and puts you in bad standing with the guild.)

First Aid: This determines your ability to staunch bleeding wounds. With enough skill, you can instantly and completely halt even the most severe bleeding. Tending the wounds of a non-Paladin is also good for your soul. This is a guild requirement and an essential skill for adventurers.

Perception: This determines your ability to detect hidden people and trails. It is also the best defense against stealing. Train it.

Athletics: This governs your ability to climb and swim, among other things. It's an essential skill for getting around. At high levels of skill, you can bypass slow public transports. Train it.

Skinning: This governs your ability to recover skins and other parts from the creatures you hunt. Early on, it's more of a nuisance than a money maker, but later in the game, you will seriously hurt your earning potential if you don't skin.

Locksmithing: Some of the creatures you hunt may drop locked boxes of treasure. This skill allows you to disarm traps and pick locks. This will increase your earning potential, but not nearly as much as skinning. It's also very time-consuming and must be done outside of combat while not wearing armor.

Outdoorsmanship: Formerly known as animal lore and foraging. It's not really needed unless you want to forage your own alchemy ingredients or mine for metal. However, it's often trained at the same time as perception via the Collect command.

Stealth: This governs your ability to hide and ambush opponents. While the stealth skill is not inherently detrimental to Paladins (unlike Thievery), it's not practical for Paladins to train this skill, as they can't advance, retreat, or attack while hidden without tarnishing their souls. Additionally, a Paladin's heavy armor often makes hiding impossible.

Thievery: Do not train this skill. Having any experience in this skill, even if you just listened to one pulse of a class before joining the guild, will put you in bad standing with the guild, preventing you from circling or undertaking quests until you atone. Once you have joined the guild, learning this skill (by any means) will also damage your soul.

Paladin Abilities

Magic

Paladins use holy magic, although not as effectively as Clerics. Since they are magic-tertiary, they gain spell slots at a slow rate:

  • circles 1-100: 1 slot every 2 circles
  • circles 101-150: 1 slot every 3 circles
  • circles 151-200: no slots


At 150th circle, the Paladin will have 68 spell slots. These can be spent on Paladin spells, Analogous Patterns spells, and Magical Feats. See those links for full details on what those spells do, how many ranks are required, etc.

The following spells are recommended (not necessarily in this order; they may require prerequisites that are not listed here):


Among the Magical Feats, it is strongly recommended that you learn Deep Attunement, Raw Channeling, and Efficient Channeling. These feats will help you manage your limited attunement.

Soul System

Paladins who maintain the purity of their sanctified souls will find some of their abilities (see below) more powerful. In short, noble, selfless acts will purify your soul, while ignoble or cowardly acts will debase it. See Soul system for a list of such acts.

Warning: learning thievery (even in a class before you join) or attempting to steal will not only harm your soul but put you in bad standing with the guild, requiring you to complete a quest of atonement before you can circle or go on guild quests.

Other Abilities

Some of these abilities, such as Glyphs and Smite, draw from your soul pool. Below is a summary of abilities that Paladins can learn.

Quests cannot be undertaken unless you have a pure soul. The sentry is in the Crossing guildhall.

Ability When to Learn How to Learn Description
soulstone use circle: 1 learned automatically check the state of your soul and soul pool
Sixth Sense circle: 1 learned automatically detect stealthy actions against you or your group
wearing large shields circle: 1 learned automatically block with any shield worn on the arm
missile weapon parrying circle: 1 learned automatically knock aside bow aimed (within range) at Paladin
advanced shield appraisal circle: 1 learned automatically see a more detailed shield protection scale
protect coin circle: 1 learned automatically protect coins (more than other guilds)
lead circle: 2 ask [guildleader] about lead boost offensive and defensive abilities of Paladin's group
protect deflect circle: 5 ask sentry about protect attempt to parry/block incoming weapon attacks against someone
Glyph of Warding circle: 5 ask [guildleader] about quest protect contents of person's grave; inhibit target from aiming weapons/targeting spells
mixed armor penalty reduction circle: 10 learned automatically wear 2 armor types without an additional hindrance penalty
Glyph of Bonding circle: 10 ask [guildleader] about quest bond dropped weapon to the hand of its dead owner
extra stance point every 50 ranks of Defending learned automatically 1 extra permanent point to allocate to offensive/defensive stances
recall Immortal scholarship: 55; intelligence: 16 learned automatically information about the 39 Immortals
Glyph of Light circle: 15 ask Eamonn about quest light source; perception buff
Smite circle: 18 learned automatically powerful attack for melee weapons
mixed armor penalty reduction circle: 20 learned automatically wear 3 armor types without an additional hindrance penalty
mounted combat circle: 20 ask [stablemaster] about combat fight while mounted on your horse
Glyph of Mana circle: 20 ask [guildleader] about quest boost holy mana in room
advanced jousting circle: 25 ask [stablemaster] about joust improve your performance in jousts
Glyph of Ease circle: 25 ask Darius? about quest make corpse easier to drag; decrease target's fatigue
mixed armor penalty reduction circle: 30 learned automatically wear 4 armor types without an additional hindrance penalty
Auto-Glyph circle: 30 learned automatically* automatically use Glyphs of Warding and Bonding upon death
mount horse in combat circle: 35 ask [stablemaster] about mount mount your horse during combat
protect cover circle: 40 ask sentry about protect parry/block incoming weapon attacks against someone (or take the hits for him)
Holy Weapon circle: 50 ask [guildleader] about holy weapon increase damage and accuracy of one melee weapon; Bless effect
Glyph of Renewal circle: 50 learned automatically* recharge Holy Weapon
perceive item (Sacred Insight) circle: ??? ask Cleworth about quest identify and locate owner of grave good
perceive theft (Sacred Insight) circle: ??? (requires perceive item) ask Aalar about trouble identify those tainted by grave goods
perceive person (Sacred Insight) circle: 50? (requires perceive theft) ask Aalar about trouble detect grave goods that a person has
protect assess circle: 60 ask sentry about protect actively look for people to protect
protect self circle: 80 ask sentry about protect remove stun/prone/immobile/web effect
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