Class: Any
Tag: PDN
My favorite Baldur’s Gate character was the paladin. I thought it would be fun to play a paladin variant in Diablo, but the rules posted by Woody are a different flavor from the paladin that I played in BG. Woody’s paladin is, as he states, a spin-off of the Barbarian. I wanted a paladin that could eventually gain access to spells, and had role-playing restrictions that simulated the sacrifices that must be made by an AD&D paladin. So I used some of Woody’s ideas and some of my own to create this version of the variant. All due credit is given to Woody, without whom I never would have thought of creating a variant in the first place.
This variant is intended to infuse role-playing into the development of a conventional warrior. Experienced players could increase the challenge by making this character a low AC warrior or trying a 3@30 run. The paladin should be able to become a very strong warrior as a high-level character, but the journey will not be without sacrifice. Griswold may offer that King’s Bastard Sword of Haste in a game where the paladin does not have enough gold without using that which has been tithed. It is at that moment that his belief system will be tested. If he fails, he becomes just a warrior with (PDN) after his name.
This paladin variant attempts to adopt the flavor of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules for a paladin class. The Baldur’s Gate game manual describes this class very well. "A paladin is a warrior bold and pure…a man of combat. However, the paladin lives for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry. He strives to be a living example of these virtues so that others might learn from him as well as gain by his actions." This Diablo paladin variant is a role-playing pure character. He is restricted in the amount of gold that he can use, and therefore will have to find most of his finest items in the dungeon. However, he is not an "ultra-pure" character because he is allowed to buy items in town assuming he has the funds available. He will have magic capabilities, although they come later in his development. Most of all, he relies on the swift judgement of cold, hard steel.
The character name should be noted as a paladin with the (PDN) extension. A paladin would never use a name which is contrary to his belief system such as "EvilDude(PDN)".
A paladin must tithe 10% of all his gold each time he enters town, including at the start of each new game. The paladin can choose any convenient place to drop the gold, such as next to the town portal entrance. This gold must never be used under any circumstances. The remainder of his gold must be carried on his person at all times, so that he may be in a position to tithe the proper amount at any moment.
A paladin also may not accumulate large sums of wealth, as most of his gold will go to support others who are more needy. Therefore, a paladin can never carry more than 10,000 gold from one game to the next, and he can only keep rings and backup gear to the extent that they may be used in the fight against evil (not as a gold substitute). A paladin may not have a pack character. A paladin is on his honor with regard to these things, as he would never think of being dishonest.
A paladin can only spend gold on items that he wishes to keep and use in the dungeon. Therefore, he also can not use excess gold to "turn" the inventories of Griswold and Wirt looking for better items at the end of a session. He may buy whatever the merchants have to offer at that moment, but only if he intends to equip it for some purpose (such as reading glasses… not as a gold substitute). Adria’s inventory will automatically change if he goes to the dungeon (which of course is acceptable), but remember a paladin must tithe 10% of his gold each time he returns to town.
A paladin is allowed to buy all the potions and elixirs that he can afford.
Paladins must share with the other character classes. Therefore, all items that a paladin is restricted from using must be ignored. In other words, they cannot be used or sold for gold. As an example, a paladin kills Leoric who drops a unique axe. This axe must be left on the ground because two-handed weapons are not allowed. The paladin’s reward for killing Leoric is the satisfaction of knowing that he has won another battle in the fight against evil. This restriction also applies to Paladins while playing in solo games. A paladin may sell excess items that are allowed in his class (such as magical armor).
Armor, Helm, Shield
Paladins may wear any normal armor, but may not wear rags, capes, robes, or cloaks. There are no restrictions on helms and shields. A paladin should strive to obtain the most powerful protection from evil possible.
Jewelry
All rings and amulets are allowed with the following exceptions. The constricting ring is not allowed because it reduces the paladin’s life force, which is a key component of his ability to fight evil. "Cursed" items are to be avoided, although items that reduce light radius are considered beneficial and therefore allowed.
Weapons and Shields
Paladins can only use one-handed weapons, and must always carry a shield. All one-handed weapons except daggers are acceptable. Two-handed weapons are not allowed.
Enchantments
A paladin’s use of magical items is restricted by virtue of his belief system. A paladin may not use any item that "steals" life or mana, and a paladin may not use any "cursed" item (except items that reduce light radius). Of course, the base item restrictions apply as well; i.e. a paladin may not use any magical bow regardless of prefix or suffix.
Uniques
No unique item that "steals" life or mana (such as the Helm of Sprits) may be used. Otherwise, unique items are only restricted to the extent that the base weapon is not allowed; i.e. no unique bow can be used. It is left to the individual paladin to determine if any negative attributes associated with these unique items are detrimental to his ability to fight evil.
Paladins are required to touch every Holy and Religious shrine they find. They can also choose one other shrine to be the symbol of their religious belief, and can use that shrine without limitations. This choice must be made at the time the character is created. Most paladins will choose the Enchanted or Hidden shrine, but this choice is left up to the individual. All other shrines, fountains, cauldrons, and goat shrines must be ignored forever, except that the paladin must leave 10% of his current gold at all other shrines (but not fountains, cauldrons, or goat shrines) out of respect for the beliefs of others.
A paladin must prove his mettle and worthiness to gain the right to use spells. In AD&D, a paladin begins to gain his cleric spells as a level 9 character. Character level 20 has been chosen as the appropriate time for a paladin in Diablo to receive his magic training.
Until the paladin has reached character level 20, his spell use is restricted to the following spells: Healing, Heal Other, Resurrect, Identify, Town Portal, and (of course) Holy Bolt. A paladin may not read, keep, or sell any other books or scrolls before he attains level 20. After level 20, a paladin may buy all books and scrolls to the extent that he has gold available, and can freely use any spell at his disposal to cleanse the world of evil.