Paladins step boldly into the role of the party defender, using their high hit points, excellent defenses, and powerful class features to draw the enemy’s ire on the front line. Some excel at concentrating their attacks on a single target, hammering the foe with mighty weapon blows. Other paladins focus on skills and healing abilities, emphasizing their secondary leader role. Heavy armor and a good melee weapon are essential for all paladins, as is the courage to throw yourself into the heart of battle. This article offers a wealth of ideas on how paladins' class features make them a formidable force on the battlefield.

We take up arms neither for glory nor reward, but because we must. For a deluge of villainy spreads across the darkening world, and everywhere freefolk succumb to the twin evils of fear and faithlessness. We alone have been blessed with the gallantry to embolden our people’s hearts—and the strength to make the daylight come again.