History Main / ThePaladin

*** There is also Sir Zeliek, an Undead paladin and one of the Four Horsemen who in spite of being undead continues to wield the [[LightIsNotGood power of the Light]] due to his [[{{Pun}} undying]] faith.

Paladins are warriors [[IncorruptiblePurePureness dedicated to furthering the cause of all that is good]]. Holy crusaders, they combat the forces of evil wherever they are found, and [[WeHelpTheHelpless defend the helpless as much as possible]]. Above all else, paladins are ''[[AlwaysLawfulGood good]]''. An evil paladin is a literal contradiction of terms; a paladin that turns evil [[FallenHero ceases to be a paladin]].[[note]]Though in settings with GreyAndGrayMorality, antagonistic paladins may still exist.[[/note]] As holy warriors, they're almost always associated with TheOrder, which is usually religious, or at least spiritual, in nature. While their Order may be tied to a [[TheChurch specific church]] worshiping a GodOfGood, they are just as often dedicated to a [[SentientCosmicForce more general power]] (frequently [[LightIsGood The Light]]). As such, paladins are frequently {{Church Militant}}s and may have aspects of the WarriorMonk. Paladins are often TheChosenMany, with new paladins just beginning to learn about their powers being found and taught by older, more experienced paladins. When not part of TheOrder (or if their order is disbanded), a paladin will usually be a KnightErrant instead. Their weapon of choice will typically be a long sword (usually with shield) or a hammer (maybe two handed).

** As a continuation of the UsefulNotes/D20System ''D&D'' line, this game also has the classic paladins. They're a bit beefed-up compared to what they were in 3.5. Optional rules give them different versions of [[TheFettered the paladin code]] depending on what god they follow.

* Paladins are one of the 4 classes in ''VideoGame/{{Tibia}}'' and originally introduced as the games designated [[ArcherArchetype Ranged class]], but was later also given access to class exclusive [[LightEmUp Holy magic]]. Allowing them to also act as [[WhiteMagic healers]] and [[HolyHandGrenade spellcasters]] to some extent.

** The Space Marines in general arguably have this flavour if seen [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation sympathetically]], with their existence being militaristic and fighting in the most important warzones where needed, and generally their devotion to the cause of the Emperor and the Imperium (and by that extent, humanity in general) is encouraged to border on religious fanaticism (though also generally ''just'' off the mark from religion). Played dead straight by the Salamanders chapter, who are especially protective of Imperium citizens whenever the Salamanders see them, have their own chapter-personal cult which extols the values of self-reliance, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, and mostly utilize flame weapons and [[DropTheHammer Thunder Hammers]] -- fire and hammers being fairly common iconography of ThePaladin.

* ''VideoGame/{{Kindergarten}}'' has the [[CollectionSidequest Monstermon card]] Holy Knight. He used to be a priest before he found out those weren't allowed to court women.

* ''Literature/TalesOfInthya'': The Order of the Sun has these, knights sworn to never [[WillNotTellALie tell lies]], [[TheTeetotaler drink alcohol]] or gamble while protecting people against evil gods and monsters. Orsina though then clarifies that it's just actually drunkenness that's forbidden, not drinking overall.

* Paladins are one of the 4 classes in ''VideoGame/{{Tibia}}'' and originally introduced as the games designated [[ArcherArchetype Ranged class]], but was later also given access to class exclusive [[LightEmUp Holy magic]]. Allowing them to also act as [[WhiteMagic]] healers and [[HolyHandGrenade spellcasters]] to some extent.