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Fallen Paladin

"There isn't anything worth fighting for except your own ambitions. Get used to it."

Fallen Paladin Overview

Cadmar had thought his long journey was finally complete. He had travelled across Altius to find Achilles and had convinced the fallen paladin that he owed Cadmar a debt. He had travelled even further by ship to the frozen shores of Iota and there had had plotted with people of ill repute to slay his (admittedly) dishonorable family member.

And now the duke was dead.

But the Jester had betrayed them all. Furthermore, it seemed the Jester was intent on invading the mainland of Aeturnum, himself. The duke must only have been another pawn.

It was shameful to the paladin. Cadmar had thought his uncle, the duke's, actions were insane, building an army to attack Murgana. But to know that he was doing so in service to the Jester. Well, it made Cadmar think more about why Achilles had chosen to become a fallen paladin, after all.

Fallen Paladin Class Strengths

Note that these values are not specifically used in Eternity TTRPG. Instead, these representative stats are meant to provide an overall idea of how the class plays. Definitions of these representations are provided below, which do directly align with the Eternity TTRPG system.

Fallen paladins have the following "class stats":

• 9 Attack
• 10 Defense
• 2 Intuition
• 7 Magic
• 5 Special
• 0 Quickness
• 6 Utility
• 6 Versatility

Value Definitions

The following stat definitions roughly cover the class' strengths and weaknesses, in a representational way.

• Attack: the overall ability of the class to deal damage and set the tempo in a battle.
• Defense: the innate ability of the class to reduce damage and negative effects taken, both from physical and magical attacks.
• Intuition: represents skills such as perception, stealth, or sixth-sense abilities to help them avoid otherwise unforeseeable harm.
• Magic: the innate ability of the class to manipulate the very fabric of Altius and The Dream, turning those powers to their will.
• Special: not all unique "powers" are magical in nature, and some classes have magic-like, "special" abilities.
• Quickness: the overall speed, mobility, and initiative of the class.
• Utility: the ability of the class to bolster allies, debilitate enemies, or provide useful effects in various out-of-combat situations.
• Versatility: the class' ability to adapt to any situation or environment, both in and out of combat.

Fallen Paladin Stat Bonuses

Fallen paladins gain stat bonuses upon leveling up, based upon the "Critical Option" chosen for each ability. These class-based stat bonuses provide roughly half of the overall stat benefits for your character, making them integral to your character's advancement.

The three categories of stat bonuses/ specialization for fallen paladins are: sword of shadows (+1 Strike Bonus or +1 Faith), shield of corruption (+2 Dodge and +1 Resilience), and blood healing (+2 Will and +1 Resilience).

Fallen Paladin Roleplay Powers

In Eternity TTRPG, each class has its own unique set of "Roleplay Powers," which enable players to feel truly outstanding. It gives each character something that sets them apart from the rest of their adventuring party.

Roleplay Powers either provide auto-successes on specific skill or knowledge checks related to the class, or provide unique effects that make players feel like they're living in the world of Eternity TTRPG with their chosen class.

Dominate

Auto success against Fate Rolls related to persuading NPCs to follow your orders, which the Storyteller deems as “non-critical” to the story. To a fallen paladin, people are peasants, and pawns. If they are not used as such, then the game is lost, and opportunity squandered.

Prayer of Shadows

Create darkness that only fades at your will, and reaches up to your current Level multiplied by 5ft in distance. Negates "Prayer of Light." Fallen paladins may reach into their own heart of darkness, spreading forth what is contained within to obscure the sun, or any form of light.

Shadow Aura

You exude a malevolent “Shadow Aura.” You automatically detect Light Aura units within 100 yards, and you are immune to shadow damage. As a chosen champion of one of the Eternals of shadows, the fallen paladin exudes the ominous aura of their benefactor.

Fallen Paladin Spells and Abilities

The following fallen paladin spell and ability descriptions provide summaries of their actual in-game effects.

Blight (Magic)

If this Spell hits, you gain increased hit chance against the target. Additionally, it becomes easier to hit the target with ongoing “Desecration” damage, and when the target takes damage, you it becomes easier for you to cause healing from that damage, with “Life Eater.”

Blood Spiller (Magic)

After you cast this Spell on yourself, every time you attack an enemy, you have a chance to deal additional damage. You can  choose to continually maintain this Spell.

Dark Hold (Magic)

If this Spell hits, the target is Dazed for 2turns.

Desecration (Magic)

Up to 3 enemies if this Spell hits, on every one of each affected enemies’ turns, they have a chance to take damage. You can choose to continually maintain this Spell as an aura, making it an Instant Action at the start of every Battle.

Dread March

This Ability can only be used when you drop to 0HP. Instant Action, heal some HP.  This effect also Fatigues you, giving lowered Resilience, Dodge, and Will.

Life Eater (Magic)

After you cast this Spell on yourself, whenever a nearby enemy takes damage, you have a chance to heal one ally. You can choose to continually maintain this Spell.

Nihilism (Magic)

Up to 3 enemies, all affected targets have lowered hit chance against every target but you. Even if this Spell misses, all enemies you targeted also have minor increased hit chance against you.

Oathbreaker

If this attack hits, it deals shadow damage (deals additional damage to Light Aura Units). Also, if the target isn’t healed by the end of their next turn, they take additional damage.

Shadow Aura (Faith of Darkness)

Every turn, you have a chance to gain immunity to all damage and negative effects the next time you are attacked. Gaining immunity from this effect also Fatigues you, giving lowered Resilience, Dodge, and Will.

You also automatically detect Light Aura units within 100 yards and you are immune to shadow damage. Once this Ability is chosen it becomes a passive effect, always active, and cannot be dispelled.

Wicked Armor (Magic)

After this Spell has been cast, the target gains additional Will. When you cast this Spell on yourself, the Will gained is increased. You can  choose to continually maintain this Spell.

Class Origin

In 80BK, in an event that came to be known as “The Great Betrayal,” Ranroth used the Dreamblade to infiltrate to the deepest heart of the Tree of Life, and kill the world-god Altius’ avatar, within its depths.

In so doing, he also killed the original Renrys, who was intimately tied to the original Tree of Life, as the enormous tree was felled from the inside. 

The lands around the tree became severely diminished, though not destroyed entirely. On that day, Ranroth became the most vilified being in all of the Dream and Altius. 

Many believe that fallen paladins were thus born as a result of people’s interpretations of Ranroth’s actions. It is of this date that history begins recording/ delineating “fallen” paladins, versus “paladins.”

However, paladins don't live to do “what's right.” But they do follow the path they believe in, with all their being. A fallen paladin (or paladin) derives their powers from an Eternal, though only a select number of Eternals have ever given of their powers to paladins.

Paladin powers and priorities have also always been shaped by the Eternal (most often, singular) that they serve.

Fallen paladins are not those who have forsworn their oaths, or their path. A “fallen” paladin is actually just a “paladin,” of an Eternal with vastly different priorities from those of Hy-Rasyl and Vyros (from whom Ranroth, the original paladin, gained his powers).

These paladins value the ability to dominate, exude a shadow aura, and may connect to their patron Eternal via a prayer of shadows.

If one does neglect their paladin path, in most cases, their powers are not lost or diminished. They become a “rogue paladin/ rogue fallen paladin,” disconnected from the calling of their patron Eternal.

Once a person becomes a fallen paladin, they are free from that point to do as they wish with the powers granted to them, without consequence of loss of that power. This is why even after Ranroth’s transgression against his patrons, he remained (and even grew) as a powerful being.

So, fallen paladins had been in existence from some time after St. Ranroth became the chosen of Vesth and Vyros, but very much before the date of 80BK when they were first recorded in historical tomes.

Fallen Paladin Playstyle

When it comes to combat, the fallen paladin is a true force of both raw offensive and defensive power. It's an absolute blast when you get the experience of starting your first turn with a successful roll from "Shadow Aura," granting you immunity to the next attack against you, so you can charge into your enemies with reckless, dark abandon.

For maximum damage, you can combine uses of "Oathbreaker" with "Bloodspiller," which forces your enemies into using healing effects, or they'll take even more damage. "Desecration" is another way to chip away at multiple enemies at a time.

If you want to focus on protecting allies as a fallen paladin, "Dark Hold" lets you Daze enemies, while "Nihilism" works as a form of Taunt, so your allies are protected against enemy attacks.

Finally, "Blight" increases the effectiveness of all your attacks and abilities against one target, which improves your chance to heal from "Life Eater," as well, allowing you to sustain difficult fights for longer periods, as you and your allies receive ongoing healing. If things get desperate, you also have "Dread March" available as a last resort, to make sure you finish battles on top.

Fallen Paladin Lore

The Jester had to be killed. The invasion of Murgana could not come to pass - especially with the Maliance family named tied to it. So, they left to hunt the Jester, who had already traveled to the mainland.

The journey to Eboncrest, re-crossing the icy sea, was noisier than it should have been. Klanhorn and Soliel had left. Hong had gone full werewolf and ran off somewhere in the frozen wastes. The rest of the group they had briefly met in Belladonna had all gone their own ways. So of the original “heroes” traveling to Iota, only Achilles and Cadmar remained.

But just before leaving the port town of Belladonna, Achilles and Cadmar had inadvertently freed a group of slaves from the mainland.

Crimson the trinati pyromancer, Armageddon the trinati oracle, and Andiel the loveable dark elf had all sworn their loyalty after Achilles had killed the human guarding them over a minor racial dispute. Achilles, it turned out, did not agree with the practice of slavery where fellow dark elfs were concerned.

Cadmar and Achilles stepped foot on Eboncrest soil intent on finishing their mission. The paladin wanted the Jester dead to protect Murgana and to bring honor to his family name. The fallen paladin wanted the Jester dead because he had taken Achilles’ home, the duke’s old manse, as his new base of operations. Andiel revealed himself to be an assassin by trade, and loved death in general, so he was in.

Eternity TTRPG Races

Eternity TTRPG has nine unique playable races, each with their own lore, racial powers, and variety of options for play. Choose from races you know such as humans or treants, or dive into the entirely unique world of Eternity TTRPG with crour, espers, ateri, empyrean, jadori, stoneborn, and yzarc.

Core Rulebook Classes

Take a look at other Eternity TTRPG class pages from the Eternity TTRPG Core Rulebook to learn more about each. Characters gain their class at Lv.1 (after starting with only a race at Lv.0). Classes provide characters with stat boosts. along with spells, abilities, and roleplay powers entirely distinct from one another.