Paladins and Priests is a 10-page PDF from Ancient Awakenings Publications. This product presents two fantasy staples, the paladin and the priest, revamped into 10-level advanced classes for d20 Modern. The layout is simple and concise, and the text is crisp and easy to read. Both print and screen versions are included, which is a feature I always enjoy. The artwork is minimal and appropriate for the subject.
Paladins:
The section on paladins begins with a blurb describing the role of paladins in a modern campaign. Not surprisingly, this is pretty close to their role in a fantasy campaign - battling evil and righting wrongs. An interesting bit of flavor text lays out that many modern paladins draw their power from those who believe in his cause, not from religion.
The mechanical requirements to become a paladin seem inline with most d20 Modern advanced classes, meaning that one could become a paladin around 3rd-4th level. One thing I would change if I were to use this class, however, is the requirement of Archaic Weapon Proficiency. When I think of a modern paladin, I think of an ideal policeman, or a heroic cowboy. Neither one of those would require knowing how to use a sword.
Mechanically, the class fills the niche well, with bonuses to saves, fearlessness, and a bonus to Sense Motive checks. In addition, the paladin can use a Sense Motive check to tell if a person or object is supernatural, which I find to be more flavorful than the D&D paladin's Detect Evil ability. The paladin gets to choose from two talent trees, which focus on laying on hands and smiting evil. The paladin gains no spellcasting ability or special mount.
Powerwise, I'd say the modern paladin comes out rather weak compared to the D&D paladin, and slightly weak compared to other advanced classes. Even if he puts all three of his talents into smiting evil, he can still only do it once per day (though he can use action points for additional smites). If he puts all three of his talents into healing, the total amount he can heal is about on par with a D&D paladin of equal level - but the modern paladin only has 10 levels of improvement compared to the D&D paladin's 20, so he eventually falls behind.
I do enjoy the flavor of this class, however, and could definitely see myself using the new version of detect evil in a low-magic fantasy game. For a modern game, I would probably replace the Archaic Weapon Proficency requirement with something a bit more universal - perhaps Skill Focus (Diplomacy).
Priests:
Unlike the paladin, the priest class focuses on spellcasting. It has a poor BAB and low hit points, but gains a great number of talents which help to accent his spellcasting abilities.
The requirements to become a priest are appropriate, requiring a modicum of knowledge in theology, diplomacy, and concentration. Unlike the paladin's requirements, I like these requirements because they're broad enough to cover a wide range of archetypes.
Like a D&D cleric, the priest focuses on spellcasting, healing, and turning. Spellcasting is similar to a cleric's, though the priest needs to use a talent in order to spontaneously heal. Other talents increase the potency of turning or healing spells, or allow the priest to increase his rank within the church.
One change that I really like is that the priest gets to choose which type of creature he can turn, be it undead, outsider, elemental, or other. At tenth level, the priest gains the ability to call down a miracle once per week, which essentially acts like a limited version of D&D's miracle spell. I like this addition and it's similar to something I've been allowing divine characters to do since the days of 1st edition.
Overall, I really like this priest class. It's sufficiently generic enough to be adaptable to any variety of archetypes, and provides a good base for a Excorcist-type character. With very little work, this class could also be the foundation for a D&D cleric that eschews the sterotypical full plate armor and heavy mace.
Conclusion:
I found the paladin class a little dull, though I did like a couple of the changes. I give that part of the product a 3/5. I really enjoyed the priest class, and would probably use it for a modern campaign that focused on elements of the supernatural. I give the priest a 5/5. Overall, that makes the product average out to a 4. I'd say it's definitely worth picking up if you plan to include divine magic in your modern campaign.
