Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Bye bye Paladin Deities

Official ruling from Jeremy Crawford(Sage Advice):

Q: Are paladins required to follow a Deity? I thought that their power came from their Oath and Conviction?
A: Some paladins serve a god or a group of gods. Some paladins don't.

Q:If a Paladin doesn't follow a God, then what's the source of his/her divine power? Conviction?
A:A paladin's oath is a powerful bond. It is a source of power that turns a devout warrior into a blessed champion" (PH, 82)

Q:Blessed by whom though?
A:That's a question to be answered by you and your DM.


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While some Paladins choose to serve a single god, some simply serve an ideal, while others might serve a Pantheon of gods.


If you accommodate Paladin of Tyr, why wouldn't you accommodate a Paladin of a pantheon?
It might be a cumbersome conversation option to have:

1) Yes, I will help you.
2) No, I won't help you.
3) (Paladin of Selûne and Bahamut and Lathander and Eilistraee and Tyr and Ilmater) I swear by my pantheon of Selûne and Bahamut and Lathander and Eilistraee and Tyr and Ilmater that I will help you.


Regardless of what your Paladin swears their oath to, in 5e it's the nature of that Oath that distinguishes Paladins.

Note that Crawford is speaking generally. Not specifically about the Forgotten Realms. 'Some' paladins serve a god or a group of gods. Paladins from the Forgotten Realms would fall into this category.

And again, I point to mr Greenwood's comments. The Oath is a pact made in the name of a deity the serve. Piss off that deity and don't expect to keep your powers.

You are misrepresenting how polytheism works in the realms. A paladin of Helm might say a prayer to Umberlee before boarding a ship. That doesn't make them a paladin of umberlee because umberlee isn't their divine patron. Except in a select few circumstances such as Masked Traitors (Vhaeraun/Lolth) or the Triadic Knights (Tyr/Ilmater/Torm) you don't see multiple gods empowering the same individual. If you are a Paladin of Helm, that's it.

WotC’s point of view:

Sorcerer is to Wizard as Paladin is to Cleric as Ranger is to Druid.

First set are In fused with innate magic no matter the source.

Second set get their magic from direct manipulation of the weave via god or study.

Sorcerers in the Realms are still associated with the weave though.

And the weave doesn't exist outside the realms.

You don't become a wizard purely through study in the realms. You need to have innate capacity 'the gift', or you are essentially a muggle and can never learn magic, no matter how many books you read. The difference between the sorcerer and wizard is how strong the gift is in them. A sorcerer's gift is strong enough that they begin to manifest magical powers intuitively, whereas most wizards need to be taught spellcasting.

In essence they can't offend others at the table with their real life ideals on religion. If a person believes in no God, we have that option. 1 God? sure. 15 gods? Why not. We won't let you be offended. So, here have all the options.

How is having deities in a fantasy world an offence? How is fantasy religion in dnd an offence? I really dont get it. If you choose to play a class with divine powers that are given/sponsored by the deities, then thats ones choice. If "offended" by it play a different class, or for tabletop, play in a setting without deities.

I for one wholly support it as it is in the Forgotten Realms.

I have the opposite of an agenda on this, Im a stonewall atheist in real life. I do however love to play cleric or Paladin in D&D, and I always choose a deity for that class. Heck I always choose a preferred deity for any class I play. Why? Because its what makes sense in the setting of Forgotten Realms. The vast majority of in world humanoids follows a deity in particular, whilst also sometimes offering prayers to other deities (before a sea voyage, at the passing of a friend/family member etc etc.). It makes sense in that game world. Whether one is religious/believe in a god/gods or not in RL, should have no bearing whatsoever on your feelings on this subject. Atheists arent really a thing in Forgotten Realms, 99% of its humanoid inhabitants are very much aware that gods exist in one way or another. Hence why I never play a character that is one. Because there is so much evidence for the deities existence and actual history of them written inside the setting (not to be confused with holy books). And those few that are atheists in FR, get a rude awakening in the afterlife. Again in the forgotten realms that is, not speaking of RL. Thats not headcannon or something, Im just explaining forgotten realms settings rules/lore on this one.

Bottomline, one shouldnt compare our real world with that of a fantasy setting when it comes to this and many other subjects. The particular settings "in game" logic, rules, history, cultures etc etc. is what really matters. Not your personal beliefs or political views, that is part of the reason its called Roleplaying. You step into another world, playing a character that is not yourself (well thats the idea anyway).

That seems like a highly unserious guiding principle.