The Heroes of Thyrion: The Paladin

taken from the original game manual

The Crusader

The Paladin

The Assassin

The Necromancer

The Paladin

The Paladin, like the Crusader, is a holy man. But while the Crusader is principally a healer, and his skills emphasize defense, the Paladin is a true warrior. The favor of his warlike god protects him, but also gives him strength to smite his foes.

Few can match the Paladin in single combat. He lacks stealth and subtlety, instead relying on his mighty weapons and divine favor.

Profile of the Paladin

The Paladin is a devotee of Kravnos the War God. The Paladin makes his home in the Great Temple of Kravnos, in the city of Mur on Septimus. He blesses the warlike citizens who seek Kravnos’ aid, and like his holy brothers, he rides with the army of Mur whenever the city is threatened by external forces.

At the first coming of Eidolon, Mur was among the first cities to fall. Realizing a quick counterstrike would not succeed, the devotees of Kravnos took refuge in their temple. They bided their time and looked for an opportunity to strike, meanwhile honing their martial skills to a razor-sharp edge. A fortnight before their attack, however, their secret was betrayed. An army of Golems and Imps stormed through the temple at midnight, slaughtering unprepared devotees and destroying the holy relics of Kravnos. Only the Paladin, meditating in the bell tower atop the temple, was overlooked.

Cursing the informant who gave them away, and doubly cursing his brothers’ lack of preparation, the Paladin decided to act immediately. Casting aside the temple’s carefully-laid plans, he grabbed his mighty sword and marched on Eidolon’s stronghold. Without a clear plan of attack, his odds of success seem lean–but as the sole survivor of his temple, Kravnos will certainly be guiding his steps from afar.

The Paladin's Abilities

During endless hours of training, the Paladin has pushed his abilities to new levels. Invoking the power of his god, he has developed magical powers unknown to the common human.

Kravnos the war god has an affinity for water. As a minion of Kravnos, the Paladin is capable of moving underwater without the same restrictions as a normal human. While others are forced to laboriously swim, the Paladin traverses the depths as if they were air instead of water. When engaged in battle with a river or lake nearby, he prefers to carry the battle underwater, where he can use this ability to great advantage.

When brought to the brink of death by his enemies, the Paladin sometimes receives a great boon from Kravnos. As the lethal blow lands, the Paladin does not die. Rather, he enters a mystical state: he grows in strength and stature and becomes a holy scourge, seeking to avenge the evildoers who tried to lay him low. In this state the Paladin cannot be killed, and his powers grow to otherwise impossible heights.

The Paladin's Weapons

The Paladin’s weapons emphasize close-range power over long-range projectiles. This lack of range is sometimes a nuisance, but he often makes up for this deficiency by closing the gap quickly, and conducting most combat at comfortably close range.

	Gauntlets The Paladin is a true fighter, and often likes to use his armored fists as weapons. Though his Gauntlets may seem a puny substitute for sword or axe, the Paladin nonetheless is capable of felling mighty opponents with nothing more than these humble weapons. The Tome of Power has a supercharging effect on the Paladin’s mailed fists, allowing him to knock foes hither and yon like stuffed playthings, and making it difficult for them to counterattack.

	Vorpal Sword The Paladin employs a powerful sword during most combats. This sword can be used without mana to power its magic, but its damage correspondingly decreases when there is no such power source. When the Tome of Power is employed in conjunction with the Sword, both range and power are magically increased by a bolt of magical lightning. The Paladin can cleave an enemy in twain at fifty paces or more with the Sword thusly powered, and damage several foes in one mighty swing.

	Axe The Paladin’s axe is a mighty weapon. In addition to its brutal close-range power, the axe casts a projectile that ricochets from walls and obstacles. This projectile does not stop when it impacts the Paladin’s foe, but cuts right through and continues flying at lesser strength, potentially damaging several foes at once. The Tome of Power turns the Axe’s projectile into a razor-sharp wall of blades that issue forth from the Axe at various angles and explode upon hitting their targets.

	Purifier The Purifier is the Paladin’s ultimate weapon: it breathes a stream of glittering shards. These shards issue forth in a deadly twin stream, rending anything that breaks its brilliant path. The two halves of the Purifier must be found and joined together before the Paladin is able to devastate foes with this holy lance. The Tome of Power utterly changes the Purifier’s effect. Instead of firing a stream of small projectiles, the powered Purifier shoots a flaming fireball that unfalteringly seeks its target and explodes upon impact.