Level Up (A5E) Adepts, Heralds, & Berserkers

[rules.mechanic]

Vowed is a good call for Herald/Paladin. To be fair, it's just a name and not a big deal, we can call them what we like at our own tables. But for me a paladin is the holy muscle to the cleric's holy messenger. Or the Paksenarrion to the cleric's Goldmoon. The guardian angel to the cleric's herald angel.
PS Paragon?

 

[Horwath]

Vowed is a good call for Herald/Paladin. To be fair, it's just a name and not a big deal, we can call them what we like at our own tables. But for me a paladin is the holy muscle to the cleric's holy messenger. Or the Paksenarrion to the cleric's Goldmoon. The guardian angel to the cleric's herald angel.
PS Paragon?

yeah, Cleric is messenger, paladin is the message!

 

[Aldarc]

I like Vowed! Although that almost makes more sense than the Herald for the no-longer-Paladins, since they take oaths to get their powers. (I'm tellin' ya: aladins are just socially acceptable warlocks.)

In Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, the monk equivalent class was called the Oathsworn because they would forego weapons, armor, mounts, sleep, drink, food, aging, etc. as long as they were in pursuit of the oaths that they had vowed. I preferred this vow-based angle to the monk than the ki-based monk of D&D because it roots it in something more fantastical and less orientialism. The paladin equivalent in AE was the Champion, and its subclasses were more equivalent to cleric domains.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

In Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, the monk equivalent class was called the Oathsworn because they would forego weapons, armor, mounts, sleep, drink, food, aging, etc. as long as they were in pursuit of the oaths that they had vowed. I preferred this vow-based angle to the monk than the ki-based monk of D&D because it roots it in something more fantastical and less orientialism. The paladin equivalent in AE was the Champion, and its subclasses were more equivalent to cleric domains.

Part of why I loved that setting. The class was basically the Bloodguard from Thomas Covenant.

 

[Lycurgon]

Except that it is already a subclass of the Barbarian, I think Berserker fits okay.

Adept is okay except it doesn't convey what the class is about. It denotes a degree of competence but not what that competence is in. Could be a spellcasting class or a martial warrior or a skill master.

But both of those I am okay with. I really don't like Herald as a name for Paladin. Herald is either an official position or they are messengers. They should either be working for some government or leader, or promoting some message. I don't think either of those connotations suit a paladin style character. I think paladins should be trying to fulfil their Oath, living up to its ideals, to embody their Oath, but not necessarily actively promoting their Oath's ideals to others. It is not their job to proselytize. Leave that to the clerics.

 

[The Green Hermit]

Except that it is already a subclass of the Barbarian, I think Berserker fits okay.

Adept is okay except it doesn't convey what the class is about. It denotes a degree of competence but not what that competence is in. Could be a spellcasting class or a martial warrior or a skill master.

But both of those I am okay with. I really don't like Herald as a name for Paladin. Herald is either an official position or they are messengers. They should either be working for some government or leader, or promoting some message. I don't think either of those connotations suit a paladin style character. I think paladins should be trying to fulfil their Oath, living up to its ideals, to embody their Oath, but not necessarily actively promoting their Oath's ideals to others. It is not their job to proselytize. Leave that to the clerics.

I think of Adepts as magicians.

 

[Lycurgon]

I think of Adepts as magicians.

I think a lot of people probably will too. For me, the first image that comes to mind when I hear Adept is a spell caster in a computer game I played as a kid (don't even remember the name of the game). The name has been used as an NPC spellcaster class in 3e so some will likely associate it with that. The name doesn't inherently have a spellcasting connection, but I think it has probably been used more often for spellcasters in fantasy games and fiction than for non-spellcasters.

 

[Morrus]

I think of Adepts as magicians.

After your first game with an adept in it you won't.

 

[jmucchiello]

Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved had Oathsworn as a class. (I'm not suggesting looking at MCAE's Oathsworn. Just throwing the name out for paladin.)

 

[Aldarc]

After your first game with an adept in it you won't.

Which do you mean? Your first game in general with a magical class called an Adept (e.g., Blue Rose, Blue Rose AGE, True20, Stars Without Number, etc.)? Or do you mean the first game of Level Up with the brawling Adept class?