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This page is specifically for the paladin class in the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur's Gate II; for the paladin in the original Baldur's Gate, refer to Paladin (Baldur's Gate).

Introduction[]

Paladins are warriors devoted to law, justice, piety and chivalry and are an example to others in society. For this reason paladins can only have an alignment of Lawful Good. They can use all kinds of weapons and armor and have special abilities to fight and protect others from evil.

Player character paladins, with the exception of blackguard, can become fallen if they kill an innocent or if party reputation drops below 7 (the same is true of rangers). Fallen paladins lose a lot of experience points and all of their paladin special abilities. Redemption is possible if, during the events of Shadows of Amn, the player obtains a paladin stronghold and completes all class-specific quests associated with it. Paladin companions can't fall, but will instead leave the party at low reputation, because they must have lawful good alignment.

Only humans may choose to be paladins. Though humans can generally dual-class, paladins may not, nor can they be dual-classed into.

Character abilities table[]

Character Ability Score Minimum Score Blackguard
Strength^ 12 12
Dexterity 3 3
Constitution 9 14
Intelligence 3 3
Wisdom 13 3
Charisma 17 14

During character creation, rolls below the minimum value for the class will be increased to that value. This table uses the values for Humans, other Races have modified ability scores.

^ Paladins have access to percentile Strength

Special abilities of the paladin[]

Turn Undead[]

Paladins may Turn Undead once they reach level 3, but unlike clerics, whose turning powers scale fully with their levels up to 40, paladins only scales with 2 levels less, and maxes at 32.

When this mode is activated, there is a possibility the undead in range of the character will stop attacking their targets and run away from the character until the effect is worn off. At higher levels, this mode may destroy undead. Blackguard control the undead instead, just like the evil clerics do.

Lay on Hands[]

Heals the creature paladin touches for 2 HP/level. A paladin of level 1 will only heal 2 hitpoints, but this ability scales all the way to level 34, granting up to 68 HP recovery on touch.

Detect Evil[]

This ability is identical to the spell Detect Evil, but has a reduced casting time of 1. All evil-aligned creatures in the area of effect will glow red. The paladin receives 4 uses per day at level 1, and an additional use each level thereafter.

Protection From Evil[]

This ability is like the spell Protection From Evil but cast at faster speed. All evil aligned creatures will receive a -2 penalty to their attack roll when targeting creatures protected by the spell, the protected creature receive +2 bonus to all saving throws from when targeted by evil creatures and also prevents creatures summoned by spells such as Cacofiend, Summon Fiend and Gate from noticing the protected individual.

Saving throws bonus[]

They gain a passive -2 bonus to all saving throws. Thus their saving throws are 2 better than the other Warrior classes (Fighters, Rangers).

Cleric spells[]

Paladins are able to use cleric spells when they reach level 9. They may only use spells levels 1 to 4. The caster level for these spells is calculated as eight levels less than the current Paladin level, but maxes out at level 9 in classic versions. In the Enhanced Editions, the caster level continues to increase normally with the penalty (up to a max of 26 at level 34).

Paladins do not gain wisdom based bonus spell slots.

Paladin lvl Casting lvl (Classic) Casting lvl (EE) Spell slots per spell level
1 2 3 4
9

Siege of Dragonspear LOGOSOD00001 Icon SoDBaldur's Gate:
Siege of Dragonspear
(2016)
This icon indicates content from the Siege of Dragonspear campaign of the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition.

1 1 1
10 2 2 2
11 3 3 2 1
12 4 4 2 2
13 5 5 2 2 1
14 6 6 3 2 1
15 7 7 3 2 1 1
16 8 8 3 3 2 1
17

Shadows of Amn LOADCNTR00004 Icon SoABaldur's Gate II:
Shadows of Amn
(2000)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn campaign.

9 9 3 3 3 1
18 9 10 3 3 3 1
19 9 11 3 3 3 2
20-34

Throne of Bhaal LOADCNTR00004 Icon ToBBaldur's Gate II:
Throne of Bhaal
(2001)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal campaign.
Shadows of Amn LOGOSOA00001 Icon BG2EEBaldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Shadows of Amn (2013)
This icon indicates content from the Shadows of Amn campaign of the Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.

9 12-26 3 3 3 3

Class kits[]

Paladin[]

A Paladin is a warrior bold and pure, the exemplar of everything good and true. Like the Fighter, the Paladin is a person of action and combat. However, the Paladins live for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry and strive to be a living example of these virtues so that others may learn from them as well as gain by their actions

Class features:

  • May wear helmets
  • May wear any armor and use any weapon
  • May not exceed Specialization (two slots) in any fighting style and allocate three slots in Two-Weapon Style
  • May use Lay On Hands ability once per day to heal a target for 2 Hit Points per level of the Paladin
  • May cast Detect Evil once per day per level (starts at 1st level with 4 uses)
  • May cast Protection From Evil once per day per level (starts at 1st level with one use)
  • May Turn Undead as a Cleric two levels lower, starting at level 3
  • May cast cleric spells starting at level 9
  • Receives a -2 bonus to all Saving Throws
  • Alignment restricted to lawful good
  • Hit Dice: d10

Gameplay

  • Paladin kits are generally superior to the standard paladin, as they provide immunity to commonly used status effects and bonus abilities with minimal penalties 
  • Companion Ajantis is a paladin

Cavalier[]

This class represents the most common picture of the knight: the chivalrous warrior who epitomizes honor, courage, and loyalty. The cavalier is specialized in battling "classical" evil monsters such as demons and dragons.

Advantages:

  • -3 bonus to THAC0 and +3 to damage against the demon and dragon races[1]
  • May cast Remove Fear as an innate ability once every day for every level
  • Immune to charm, poison, fear and morale failure
  • 20% resistance to fire and acid

Disadvantages:

  • May not use missile weapon except throwing axes, throwing daggers and throwing hammers.

Gameplay

  • The early purchasable Azuredge in Shadows of Amn campaign is a good ranged weapon choice for Cavalier
  • Immunity to fear effect is very valuable in Watcher's Keep maze level
  • If the player has no plan of using ranged weapons with paladins, Cavaliers are the superior choice than the pure paladin

Inquisitor[]

The Inquisitors have dedicated their life to finding and eliminating practitioners of evil magic and defeating the forces of darkness, and their god has provided them with special abilities toward that end..

Advantages:

  • May use the spell Dispel Magic as an innate ability. Gains one use at level 1 and an additional use every 4 levels thereafter.
  • May use the spell True Sight as an innate ability. Gains one use at level 1 and an additional use every 4 levels thereafter
  • Immune to Hold creature, Paralyze and Charm Creature

Disadvantages:

  • May not Turn Undead
  • May not Lay On Hands
  • May not cast cleric spells, but may still learn Summon Deva HLA as an innate ability

Gameplay

  • The fast casting True Sight is powerful if you don’t have other substitutes such as Thieves' HoodThrone of Bhaal LOADCNTR00004 Icon ToBBaldur's Gate II:
    Throne of Bhaal
    (2001)
    This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal campaign.
    , Gem of SeeingShadows of Amn LOGOSOA00001 Icon BG2EEBaldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Shadows of Amn (2013)
    This icon indicates content from the Shadows of Amn campaign of the Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.
    ; Dispel is cast at double the Inquisitor's level (maxing out when the caster's Inquisitor level reaches 20) and is quite useful, but keep in mind that being incapable of using Armor of Faith makes Inquisitors more susceptible to damage than other paladin kits
  • Companion Keldorn is an Inquisitor

Undead Hunter[]

These holy avengers have honed their abilities toward the destruction of the undead and other unnatural creatures and is immune to many of the creatures' most devastating abilities

Advantages:

Disadvantages: 

  • May not Lay On Hands

Gameplay

  • The passive immunities of this kit are not only useful against undead, but also demons and enemy mages who are fond of draining and paralyzing spells and attacks. The loss of Lay on Hands is a negligible disadvantage, as it can be easily replaced by abundant healing potions, Cure Wounds spells from the Undead Hunter's spell book or a Ring of Regeneration.
  • Offense-wise, the ample selections of anti-undead arsenal such as Sunray, Mace of Disruption, Protection From Undead etc, can match the Undead Hunter's strength against Undead in the lategame.
  • The Shield of Egons boosts the Turn Undead level of Undead Hunters by 2, letting them turn as a Cleric of the same level. 

Blackguard (EE only)[]

The Blackguard epitomizes evil and is nothing short of a mortal fiend. The quintessential black knight, this villain carries a reputation of the foulest sort that is very well deserved. Consorting with demons and devils and serving dark deities, the Blackguard is hated and feared by all. Some people call these villains "anti-paladins" due to their completely evil nature.

Advantages:

  • Immune to fear and Level drain
  • May turn undead as a Paladin of the same level
  • May use the Absorb Health ability once per day. Deals 2 points of damage per level to an enemy, healing the Blackguard the same number of Hit Points
  • May use the Poison Weapon ability once per day. Gains one use at level 1, one use at level 5, and an additional use every 5 levels thereafter
  • 3rd level: May use the Aura of Despair ability once per day. When this ability is activated, all enemies within 30 feet of the Blackguard suffer ill effects based on the Blackguard's level:

3rd - All enemies suffer a +1 penalty to THAC0 and -1 to damage rolls and a +2 penalty to Armor Class for 1 turn
6th - All enemies suffer a +2 penalty to THAC0 and -2 to damage rolls and a +2 penalty to Armor Class for 1 turn
15th - All enemies suffer a +4 penalty to THAC0 and -4 to damage rolls and a +4 penalty to Armor Class for 1 turn; enemies with 8 or fewer Hit Dice are panicked as well
20th - All enemies suffer a +4 penalty to THAC0 and -4 to damage rolls and a +4 penalty to Armor Class for 1 turn; enemies with 18 or fewer Hit Dice are panicked as well

Disadvantages:

  • Alignment restricted to evil
  • May not cast Detect Evil
  • May not cast Protection From Evil as an innate ability
  • May not Lay On Hands

Gameplay

  • Companion Dorn is a Blackguard. He’s naturally immune to the fear curse from Durlag's Goblet
  • Poison Weapon adds additional poison damage per strike. On a failed save, it also deals poison damage over time which makes it practically impossible for enemies to cast spells. Compared to Assassins, Blackguards have more chances to apply poison because they have more attacks per round, are less likely to miss due to better THAC0, and can tank hits better because they have access to better armors and have more hitpoints.

High-level class abilities[]

High-level class abilities are added in the expansion Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. For warrior group and Monks, the pool of abilities can be accessed from the special abilities menu. These abilities are available once they reach the level beyond 3,000,000 xp

Table for experience, weapon proficiency points and hitpoints[]

Level Level
Cap
XP
Required
Hit Dice Attack per Round Weapon
Proficiency
THAC0 Saving throws
D/W/P/B/S
No. of HLA
1 0 1d10 1 +4 20 12/14/13/15/15
2 2,250 2d10 1 19 12/14/13/15/15
3 4,500 3d10 1 +1 18 11/13/12/14/14
4 9,000 4d10 1 17 11/13/12/14/14
5 18,000 5d10 1 16 9/11/10/11/12
6 36,000 6d10 1 +1 15 9/11/10/11/12
7 75,000 7d10 1.5 14 8/10/9/10/11
8 Baldur's Gate LOGOBG00001 Icon SoDBaldur's Gate:
Enhanced Edition
(2012)
This icon indicates content from the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition campaign.
150,000 8d10 1.5 13 8/10/9/10/11
9 Siege of Dragonspear LOGOSOD00001 Icon SoDBaldur's Gate:
Siege of Dragonspear
(2016)
This icon indicates content from the Siege of Dragonspear campaign of the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition.

The Black Pits LOGOTBP00001 Icon SoDThe Black Pits (2012)
This icon indicates content from the Black Pits campaign in the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition.

300,000 9d10 1.5 +1 12 6/8/7/7/9
10 600,000 9d10+3 1.5 11 6/8/7/7/9
11 900,000 9d10+6 1.5 10 5/7/6/6/8
12 1,200,000 9d10+9 1.5 +1 9 5/7/6/6/8
13 1,500,000 9d10+12 2 8 3/5/4/3/6
14 1,800,000 9d10+15 2 7 3/5/4/3/6
15 2,100,000 9d10+18 2 +1 6 2/4/3/2/5
16 2,400,000 9d10+21 2 5 2/4/3/2/5
17 Shadows of Amn LOADCNTR00004 Icon SoABaldur's Gate II:
Shadows of Amn
(2000)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn campaign.
2,700,000 9d10+24 2 4 1/3/2/2/4
18 3,000,000 9d10+27 2 +1 3 1/3/2/2/4 1
19 3,300,000 9d10+30 2 2 1/3/2/2/4 2
20 3,600,000 9d10+33 2 1 1/3/2/2/4 3
21 3,900,000 9d10+36 2 +1 0 1/3/2/2/4 4
22 4,200,000 9d10+39 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 5
23 4,500,000 9d10+42 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 6
24 4,800,000 9d10+45 2 +1 0 1/3/2/2/4 7
25 5,100,000 9d10+48 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 8
26 5,400,000 9d10+51 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 9
27 5,700,000 9d10+54 2 +1 0 1/3/2/2/4 10
28 6,000,000 9d10+57 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 11
29 6,300,000 9d10+60 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 12
30 6,600,000 9d10+63 2 +1 0 1/3/2/2/4 13
31 6,900,000 9d10+66 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 14
32 7,200,000 9d10+69 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 15
33 7,500,000 9d10+72 2 +1 0 1/3/2/2/4 16
34 Throne of Bhaal LOADCNTR00004 Icon ToBBaldur's Gate II:
Throne of Bhaal
(2001)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal campaign.

Shadows of Amn LOGOSOA00001 Icon BG2EEBaldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Shadows of Amn (2013)
This icon indicates content from the Shadows of Amn campaign of the Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.
Gladiators of Thay LOGOTBP00001 Icon BG2EEThe Black Pits II:
Gladiators of Thay
(2013)
This icon indicates content from the Black Pits II: Gladiators of Thay campaign in the Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.

7,800,000 9d10+75 2 0 1/3/2/2/4 17
Total 15 17

Stronghold[]

Paladins receive the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart as their patron and the duty responsibilities after they complete Rescue Garren's child from Firkraag in the righteous way.

Class exclusive items[]

Paladins have access to two of the best ranking weapons in Baldur's Gate 2 as well as a special pair of bracers. One is a two-handed sword, Carsomyr the Holy Avenger, that obliterates evil monsters and can cast dispel magics. The other is a bastard sword called the Purifier. The Paladin's Bracers introduced in Watcher's Keep are a Paladin only item, and can be further upgraded to the Blessed Bracers making it one of the best hand-slot items in the game.

Class group exclusive items[]

Recommended items[]

Achievements[]

Main article: Achievements
Oathbreaker Achievement icon BG1EE

Oathbreaker BG1[]

Become a Fallen Paladin or a Fallen Ranger during Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition or Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear.

Oathbreaker Achievement icon BG2EE

Oathbreaker BG2[]

Become a Fallen Paladin or a Fallen Ranger during Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.

Orderly Surroundings Achievement icon BG2EE

Orderly Surroundings[]

Acquire the paladin stronghold during Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.

Epic Warrior Achievement icon BG2EE

Epic Warrior[]

Reach level 30 with a Fighter, Ranger, Paladin, Monk, or Barbarian during Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.

Gameplay (community)[]

~Write your insights below, different from the Gameplay section above, you may use your signatures here, example page~

Paladin's Turn Undead only works on weak enemies, in such case you dont want them to run away for Pal to waste time chasing after them. It sure looks nice on paper design, though.Laclongquan (talk) 16:07, April 2, 2019 (UTC)


Paladins who kill an innocent while affected by confusion don't become fallen, at least in BG1 EE.

-Blitzgob, june 6, 2020

External Links[]

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 THAC0 cannot be altered by more than one THAC0 vs. type bonus effect (ID 178) when attacking an applicable creature type. As a result, the passive -3 THAC0 bonus will be overridden by bonuses from items in this table.
    The passive +3 damage bonus is plagued with a similar drawback (effect #179), but in Enhanced Editions can only be overridden by Modron Heart, and only against chaotic-aligned opponents. The list is significantly larger in the original edition.
  2. Passive abilities automatically acquired at level 1 through SPCL242.SPL
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