Shadowdark Alternate Shadowdark Paladin: Looking for Ideas

[Bill Zebub]

In the New & Improved General Shadowdark Thread [+} I described the "Paladin" I would want for Shadowdark as follows:

I guess what I've been thinking is that an Arthurian knight just doesn't fit into the dark, gritty, world of Shadowdark. I am envisioning a Paladin as a flickering flame surrounded by darkness, bearing the burden of duty. So instead of galloping around in shining plate armor, waving around a lance with a pennant, he is in a nondescript cloak and hood, going where he is not welcome, hoping to not attract notice.

So...maybe more like a Jedi in the period where they are being hunted?

I would keep the Inspiring Presence ability from the official Paladin (improves death saves for nearby allies; negates Morale immunity).

And then I have an idea for a "negative ability", which is that you subtract their Charisma bonus from Reaction checks with Chaotic creatures.

I know I do NOT want to just port abilities from D&D Paladins. I want new, original, interesting stuff. And no spellcasting.

But that's all I got.

Anybody have ideas for a character who is dedicated to holding back the darkness, for whom the burden of doing so weighs heavily?

 

[Brendan Byrd]

I’ll state my near complete ignorance of SD upfront.

Having done so…are there any luck mechanics that the character could draw on? (The Fates smile upon the character.)

 

[JasonZZ]

It's not quite what you described, but Runeforged Tabletop's "Knight of the Old Code" is inspired by the movie Dragonheart, so it might suit some of your needs.

 

[Bill Zebub]

It's not quite what you described, but Runeforged Tabletop's "Knight of the Old Code" is inspired by the movie Dragonheart, so it might suit some of your needs.

I'll take a look; not familiar with that. Thanks!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Having done so…are there any luck mechanics that the character could draw on? (The Fates smile upon the character.)

Yep. Shadowdark gives out luck tokens. There's definitely room to work with that mechanic, either by getting more of them, letting them do more things, or both.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Yep. Shadowdark gives out luck tokens. There's definitely room to work with that mechanic, either by getting more of them, letting them do more things, or both.

Now I'm starting to envision an entirely different class that does all kinds of twisted things with Luck tokens....

 

[Scribe]

Now I'm starting to envision an entirely different class that does all kinds of twisted things with Luck tokens....

I've got 2 classes messing around in this space, a knight and a totally not Constantine Caster.

 

[Brendan Byrd]

Now I'm starting to envision an entirely different class that does all kinds of twisted things with Luck tokens....

Brandishes Luck Token
“These are not the druids you are looking for”
“These are not the druids we are looking for”
“Move along”
“Move along; move along”

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Anybody have ideas for a character who is dedicated to holding back the darkness, for whom the burden of doing so weighs heavily?

You might want to take a look at Green Ronin’s Book of the Righteous, a 3Ed era book on how to make clerics and holy knights of various faiths (and alignments). If nothing else, it could spark some ideas.

The last 3.5Ed Paladin I played was not actually a Paladin, but a multiclassed martial arcanist PC with Int and Cha based abilities that mimicked those of true paladins. He was a Marshal/Duskblade/Bttl Sorc w/Stalwart Sorcerer ACF. Marshal got him some auras, the other classes got him armored arcane spellcasting. Celestial Sorcerer Lance and the Knowledge Devotion feat gave him some punch.

The core of the character (and the supporting structure I put into his background*) was as much about fighting ignorance and controlling & disseminating knowledge as about fighting evil.

IOW, finding a different perspective on paladins might depend on finding different aspects of evil to fight.



* The Illuminated Society of Thoth (which could have been linked to Prometheus in the alternative) felt ignorance and abuse of knowledge was one of the greatest evils in the world. So they sought to educate and teach people as much as defeat the brigands & monsters that attacked them.