The Paladin in Dungeons and Dragons was first introduced in the Greyhawk supplement in 1975. Up until 4th edition the Paladin was a holy knight. The Paladin was a devout warrior. He or she was devoted to good. They did good deeds. They could not lie or cheat. They were required to give up most of their worldly goods and money. And they could not act dishonorably in any way.

A paladin in heavy armor and well armed

Paladins in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition

In 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons the Paladin was one of the most difficult classes to qualify for. Very high prerequisite scores were required. But it was also one of the most restrictive classes to play. One was required to be human. A paladin was required to be lawful good in alignment. They had to give away just about all of their magic items and treasure to charity or to the church.

But they were also potentially one of the most powerful classes to play.

They could use any armor or weapons

They used 10 sided dice for hit points

They could rise to (potentially) unlimited level

They had no requirement to fight others in their class for advancement (such as monks and druids)

They had the ability to lay hands and cure injuries

They had the ability to cure disease and were immune from disease themselves

All of their saving throws received a bonus of +2

They could detect evil at 60′

They had a constant protection from evil around them in a 1″ radius

At high levels they obtained clerical spells

They got their own warhorse at 5th level

They could turn undead like a cleric (but not quite as well)

With a holy sword they had even more powers. They could use their circle of power generated by having such a sword to dispel magic

Helms are overrated

As you can see this is a pretty impressive class to run in 1st edition. But it was too hard for most to qualify for.

Many players had difficulty staying within their alignment while playing a paladin. The paladin is a goody goody type of character. What most of the player characters would want to do the paladin could not condone or even go along with. Their alignment and faith defined them. And many a dungeon master has imposed penalties to a paladin character that did not follow their alignment. Such penalties might include losing spell casting and other paladin specific abilities until such time as the paladin atones for his or her transgressions.



A paladin in interesting armor

Paladins in Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition

Second edition still had high qualification requirements. It also required that the paladin be human. The Complete Paladin’s Handbook was later published which developed the paladin class even further.

Complete Paladin Handbook

This book goes into much more detail about the abilities of the paladin. For example, early on, it establishes clearly what the paladin’s detect evil ability can actually detect. It goes into great detail about alignment and the duties and responsibilities of the paladin. And it clearly defines many of the other abilities and restrictions of this class.

A paladin with a sense of style

Paladins in Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition

Third edition made it much easier to become a paladin. There were no specific ability score requirements. But obviously high scores would help one to be successful.

Many of the same abilities existed for 3rd edition:

Summon a warhorse

Immunity to disease

Turning undead

Casting clerical spells

Detecting evil

Charge!

Many of the same requirements also existed:

Had to be lawful good

Had to allow enemies to surrender

Could not commit evil acts

Could not sneak up and attack someone from behind except under extreme circumstances

Could not associate with evil characters

Unlike prior editions, however, third edition allowed any race to play a paladin.

A paladin riding off to do good deeds

Paladins in Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition

Fourth edition made the first drastic change to the Paladin. One no longer had to be a holy warrior. Instead a paladin could be the champion of some deity. Any deity. Of any alignment. No longer could the paladin lose his powers for failing to follow the strictures of their alignment. They also no longer had the innate immunity to disease or the innate ability to cure it.

In 5th edition a paladin does not have to be human. The paladin does not even have to be good aligned

Paladins in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition

Fifth edition continued the ability of paladins to be of any race or alignment. Although…….evil paladins are rare. The paladin chooses between sacred oaths which define their development and future abilities.

The Oath of Devotion is the 5th edition variation of the Cavalier. This form of paladin is dedicated to justic, virtue and order. The paladin is a knight in shining armor. Honor is paramount to this sort of paladin.

The Oath of the Ancients is more of a nature knight. The paladin is concerned more than just with the fight between good and evil. Darkness itself is the enemy of this paladin. This paladin loves nature itself and many of the abilities are more druidic than clerical.

The Oath of Vengeance is a solemn vow to punish those who have committed a terrible act. These paladins are sometimes called dark knights or avengers. This sort of paladin is most likely to be evil in alignment in 5th edition. They are more concerned with delivering justice than they are in being devout and holy themselves.

They are still a very powerful class choice for the player. They can wear heavy armor. They still gain the ability to heal others and smite the wicked and the undead. They have the ability to sense celestials, fiends or undead within 60 feet. They still have the ability to lay hands to heal. And they still acquire the ability to cast spells.

A Paladin in Hell

The color version of the Paladin in Hell from the cover of the module itself

One of the most classic images in Dungeons and Dragons is the picture on page 23 of the 1st edition players handbook. In this image a paladin is alone on a plane in hell fighting against devils. He is engaged in fighting a single horned devil as an ice devil, two more horned devils and a bone devil are approaching. Clearly this paladin is on a mission to destroy as many devils as he can before they take him down. The paladin is adorned in full plate mail and his aura of good can be seen around him as he does battle against his enemies.

Ultimately the inclusion of this image in the 1st edition handbook seems odd. Because the module for this adventure came out much later than the 1st edition players handbook. In fact it came out for second edition and not first. The module is clearly intended for higher level characters as they are expected to fight on the planes of hell itself.

Since that original image was published in the 1st edition PHB there have been many more color versions of the same subject matter. The module was written by Monte Cook and came out in 1998.

A Paladin in Hell

A paladin doing his duty

Paladins in Dungeons and Dragons Are Powerful

Ultimately, regardless of edition, the Paladin is a powerful character class. They were a much sought after choice in the early editions but were often difficult to qualify for. In the later editions they are played by virtually anyone as qualifications are no longer so exclusive. The holy warrior concept makes them appealing to those who wish to play a heroic character with special abilities and a sense of right and wrong.

A paladin who is living up to his oath of vengence