Paladins represent the martial branch of their church. They rely on a deity to provide them with the power to overcome challenges. The deity relies on the conviction of their followers to maintain power (and, indeed, existence). The Paladin is one of the examples of this conviction. He knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that his faith is what grants his powers. Paladins are often called upon to be representatives of their church in more dangerous and wild frontier areas.
Characteristics: A variety of faiths means that paladins find a variety of feats to benefit them. A paladin of the god of war finds different feats useful than a paladin of the god of the sun. The same is true of spell selection. Paladins have a limited skill selection and limited skill points, so it’s usually best for them to focus their skill points in a few areas. Paladins call themselves by many different titles, depending upon what their particular religious tradition calls for. A few sample names are: Paladin, Blackguard, Tyrant, Ravager, Exemplar, Liberator, Brother, Friar, Templar, Hospitaller, Priest, or Adherent. There are many more titles that paladins may use to describe themselves, and that title has little meaning outside the church hierarchy or outside the region it is used in.
Religion: Religion and paladins go hand in hand. It is a paladin’s faith that powers his class abilities and provides him with spells. The quantity of gods means a paladin character always has a god to worship. In fact, without a deity to worship, paladins lose their class abilities.
Classes: As an organizational class, paladins will run into characters to which they are in direct conflict with. The class does not require animosity, though the paladin’s church may expect it. These details should be worked out with the Dungeon Master before a player ever chooses to advance a character in this class.
Role: The strengths of the paladin is the mixture of his martial prowess and his divine spells. With such a wide variety of spells available to them, paladins can fill many different spellcasting roles within an adventuring group. With his spellcasting reduced compared to a cleric’s, a paladin is served better many times by taking utility spells, buffing spells, and curative spells instead of targeted offensive spells, or those that function better with a high caster level.

Game Rule Information
Paladins have the following game statistics.
Abilities: As the martial sect of his church, a paladin will be called upon to use his strength, dexterity and constitution for combat. As a divine spellcaster, charisma and wisdom are important to paladins.
Hit Die: d6+4

lvl    BAB      F      R     W    Class Abilities
1       +1      +2    +0    +1    Hand of the Church, Smite Infidel 1/encounter, Detect Planar Taint
2       +2      +3    +0    +1    Lay on Hands, Armored Casting, +1 divine spellcasting level
3       +3      +3    +1    +2    Aura +4 / 10 ft. (Resolve), Favored Weapon
4       +4      +4    +1    +2    Divine Grace, +1 divine spellcasting level
5       +5      +4    +1    +2    Smite Infidel 2/encounter, Special Mount
6       +6      +5    +2    +3    Turning, +1 divine spellcasting level
7       +7      +5    +2    +3    Aura +5 / 15 ft. (Health), Favored Weapon
8       +8      +6    +2    +4    Improved Lay on Hands, +1 divine spellcasting level
9       +9      +6    +3    +4    Smite Infidel 3/encounter, Improved Armored Casting
10    +10      +7    +3    +5    +1 divine spellcasting level
11    +11      +7    +3    +5    Aura +5 / 20 ft. (Free Will), Favored Weapon
12    +12      +8    +4    +6    +1 divine spellcasting level
13    +13      +8    +4    +6    Smite Infidel 4/encounter
14    +14      +9    +4    +6    Greater Lay on Hands, +1 divine spellcasting level
15    +15      +9    +5    +7    Aura +6 / 25 ft. (Life), Favored Weapon
16    +16    +10    +5    +7    +1 divine spellcasting level
17    +17    +10    +5    +7    Smite Infidel 5/encounter, Supreme Lay on Hands
18    +18    +11    +6    +8    +1 divine spellcasting level
19    +19    +11    +6    +8    Aura +6 / 30 ft. (Faith), Favored Weapon
20    +20    +12    +6    +9    Ascendancy, A Hero Never Falls, +1 divine spellcasting level
Class Skills: The paladin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are concentration (con), craft (int), diplomacy (cha), handle animal (cha), heal (wis), intimidate (cha), knowledge (religion and cosmology)(int), profession (wis), ride (dex), sense motive (wis). See the Player’s Handbook Chapter 4: Skills for skill descriptions.
Skill Points per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features
All the following are class features of the paladin.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Paladins have proficiency with Basic Weapons Group, two other weapon groups of their choice and the weapon group that their deity’s favored weapon appears in. They are proficient in all armor and all shields.

Hand of the Church: As a class with strong organizational ties to his church, the paladin receives several benefits. These vary from church to church, and even within a single religion depending upon the region the paladin finds himself in. Most often, this reflects in the paladin receiving a small room in the rectory while he visits, as well as simple meals and help tending his animals and equipment, and possibly spells cast without charge (unless an expensive material component is required.) Depending upon the fame of the paladin and his contributions, he may receive more than this. However, a paladin that is out of favor with the church leaders or has not been diligent in his duties may find himself in the opposite circumstances, with many of these services not being offered, or, in extreme cases, the paladin is no longer welcome. Players would be wise to heed these events as a sign the character is straying from the paladin’s path.

Detect Planar Taint (sp): At level 1, a paladin may use detect planar taint as a spell like ability. This power is usable once per round as a standard action. The paladin may maintain concentration to receive the benefits of the second and third rounds of detect planar taint. If he moves from his current location, he must revert back to the first round of detect planar taint.

Smite Infidel (su): At level 1, and then at levels 5, 9, 13 and 17, the paladin receives the ability to smite infidels. An infidel is any creature that is acting in opposition to the paladin or to his church. He must declare his use of smite infidel before making an attack roll. The paladin adds his charisma modifier to his attack roll. If he hits, he adds his class level to the damage dealt. If the attack is made against a creature that does not qualify as an “infidel”, then the smite infidel has no effect, though it is still used up. Usually, outsiders and clerics of other churches automatically qualify, as does any creature that has attacked the paladin. Unintelligent creatures, or those with an intelligence less than 3, never qualify as infidels because they do not possess higher thought processes necessary for such action independently. After using up his allotment of Smite Infidel for that encounter, a paladin must pray for 10 minutes to regain his uses of Smite Infidel.

Aura (su): At level 3, a paladin begins to continually radiate an Aura to bolster his allies. This aura grants the paladin various effects as he advances in level. It also grows in strength and the area it affects, and provides his allies with similar benefits.

Resolve (su): At level 3, the paladin's aura grants him a +10 sacred bonus on saves against fear effects. It also grants any allies within the aura the listed bonus on all saves v. fear.
Health: At level 7, the paladin’s aura grants him a +10 sacred bonus on saves against disease and poison. It also grants any allies within the aura the listed bonus on all saves v. disease and poison.
Free Will: At level 11, the paladin’s aura grants him a +10 sacred bonus on saves against [compulsion] effects. It also grants any allies within the aura the listed bonus on all saves v. [compulsion] effects.
Life: At level 15, the paladin’s aura grants him a +10 sacred bonus on saves against death effects, negative energy, and ability drain effects. It also grants any allies within the aura the listed bonus on all saves v. death effects, negative energy, and ability drain effects.
Faith: At level 19, the paladin’s aura grants him the effects of the Maximize Spell feat whenever he casts any spell of the [healing] sub-school. This does not increase the spell level or casting time of the spell when he uses this. It also grants any allies (himself included) within the aura the listed bonus to each die when casting any spell of the [healing] sub-school.

Spells: Beginning at level 2, a paladin learns to cast divine spells, which are drawn primarily from the cleric and paladin spell lists.

A character must take levels in paladin to gain access to paladin spells. Other divine casters only gain access to paladin spells if they take the following minimum number of levels in paladin:
1st level paladin spells: 2 levels of paladin.
2nd level paladin spells: 6 levels of paladin.
3rd level paladin spells: 10 levels of paladin.
4th level paladin spells: 14 levels of paladin

Armored Casting: Paladins gain Armored Casting as a bonus feat at 2nd level.

Lay on Hands (su): A 2nd level paladin may cure wounds by calling upon the power of his deity. Each day, he can heal a number of hit points equal to 2x his charisma modifier x his class level with a touch. This healing does not need to be all at once. The paladin may split this healing up among as many uses as he wishes, with a minimum of 1 hit point healed each time.

Favored Weapon: Each deity has a favored weapon and paladins gain a special boon when using that weapon.
At 3rd level, paladins receive a +1 to hit when using that favored weapon.
At 7th level, paladins receive +2 to damage when using that favored weapon.
At 11th level, paladins double the threat range when wielding that favored weapon.
At 15th level, paladins instead receive a +2 to his when using that favored weapon (this replaces the 3rd level bonus).
At 19th level, paladins instead receive a +4 to damage when using that favored weapon (this replaces the 7th level bonus).

Divine Grace (su): At level 4, a paladin may add his charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws. The bonus to saves may not exceed his class level.

Special Mount (ex): At level 5, a paladin receives a mount which gains in special powers and abilities. The mount may be purchased by the paladin, it may be given to him by his church, or he may go on a quest to find it. The special abilities gained by the mount follow the progression of paladin in the player’s handbook (though this is a real mount, not a summoned creature). The paladin must bond the mount to himself in a special ceremony that takes 4 hours to perform. If the mount dies, the paladin must replace it with a new mount that the paladin must again bond to himself.

Turning: At 6th level, a paladin gains the Turning ability as a cleric. The paladin’s effective level for turning is 3 less than his class level.

Improved Lay On Hands (su): An 8th level paladin gains the ability to heal ability damage with his Lay On Hands ability. By spending 10 points of healing from his Lay On Hands, he may choose to heal a creature touched of one of the following afflictions: 1 point of ability damage, any [fear] effect, any disease, or any poison. This also heals the recipient 10 hit points.
 
Improved Armored Casting: At 9th level, a paladin receives Improved Armored Casting as a bonus feat.

Greater Lay On Hands (su): A 14th level paladin gains the ability to cure a creature touched of any poison or disease with a touch. By spending 25 points of his Lay On Hands, he may choose to heal a creature touched of one of the following afflictions: any [compulsion] effects, 1 negative level, or 1 point of ability score drain. This also heals the recipient 25 hit points.

Supreme Lay On Hands (su): A 17th level paladin gains the ability to cure ability drain with a touch. By spending 50 points of his Lay On Hands, he may heal choose to heal a creature touched of one of the following afflictions: all ability drain that the creature has taken or all negative levels a creature has. This also heals the recipient 50 hit points.

A Hero Never Falls (Ex): At 20th level, the paladin's sheer strength of will drives her on when death would claim lesser men. Once per day when a paladin would be reduced to 0 or less hp or otherwise killed (such as by a death effect), she instead is reduced to 1 hp. If the paladin would be killed by having an ability score reduced to zero, that score is instead reduced to 1.

Ascendancy: At level 20, a paladin becomes a mortal embodiment of his deity’s principals and ideals. His type changes to outsider with the prime material plane as his native plane. Aging no longer gives the paladin penalties, though age bonuses still accumulate, he still appears to age, and he still dies when his time is up.

Sidebar: Planar Taint
I have removed all mechanical considerations of alignment from the game, yet I find that I needed something to represent a character’s ability to interact with entities that actually represent the malevolent and wicked (fiends), or the virtuous and benevolent (celestials), or any other extreme viewpoints represented by the outer planes.

Now, I know people are going to say something like, “Just make them start using it right!” That might work with some people, and for games where that tactic will work, I encourage the DM to keep on using alignment. The removal of the alignment mechanic isn’t for everyone.

This variant I’ve decided to switch to is fairly simple and is ignored with most of the classes. The paladin and a few spells are the main place the change becomes readily evident. Because of that, switching from one to the other is relatively easy.

Some time back, I read a variation that used Planar Taint instead of Detect Evil or Protection from Evil. The basic premise was used to divorce those players from alignment that couldn’t get past a narrow stereotypical view of what alignment represents. Most often, it happened with paladins, thus the explanation here.

Planar Taint is something that can affect any entity that spends time on another plane of existence, or that constantly interacts with beings from that plane. What that means is no more auto-smite of anything that sets the radar off. A Diabolist would register as having strong Nine Hells taint, but so would a paladin that had spent time in Hell battling devils.

Planar taint wears off with time, and the paladin mentioned above would slowly lose that Planar Taint: Nine Hells. Even the Diabolist could potentially lose that planar taint. Natives to those planes, on the other hand, can never lose their taint through the mere act of being away from that plane.

There are five levels of Planar Taint: Faint, Weak, Moderate, Strong, and Overwhelming. Merely coming in contact with that plane, one of its natives, or items strongly tied to it will give a character Faint planar taint. For each day this contact continues, the strength increases by one step. Characters must spend 3 days away from that taint to lower the strength by one step.

Note that it is possible for a character to have multiple planar taints, if it traveled to the Abyss (less than 1 day, faint), Seven Heavens (less than 1 day, faint), and then rested on the Astral plane for 3 days (strong).

The main reason I changed this was to help players get away from the alignment stereotype that is very prevalent. Alignment is supposed to follow actions. A heroic character that does lots of “good” will have his alignment follow his “goodness”. A heroic character that has “good” written on his character sheet is not forced into “goodness” by that character sheet entry. Most often [that I’ve seen], players use a mixture of this process. At times it works just fine; other times it causes problems. In my experience, getting rid of the baggage makes it easier for those players stuck in a rut to adapt and overcome that ingrained thinking.

The paladin ability (and the spell) detect planar taint functions in much the same way as many other detect spells. On the first round, the character chooses a planar taint to search for and discovers the presence or absence of that planar taint. One the second round, the character discovers the quantity of creatures or objects with that planar taint. On the third round, the character discovers the exact location of each creature with that planar taint. In order to switch what planar taint he is looking for, the character spends a standard action to restart the detection process from the first round.