Newcomers to Dungeons & Dragons. When the second edition of Pathfinder launched in 2019, Paizo made several noticeable changes to evolve its game from its classic Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 roots, with the champion being one such distinction. However, Pathfinder’s champion class allows players to become these holy crusaders while offering other options to those who see their characters as less sanctimonious.
For better or worse, one of the unique aspects of playing as a Paladin was role-playing the character according to its alignment prerequisite. In many tabletop RPGs, including Dungeons & Dragons, the righteous Paladin is often required to be played under the lawful good alignment, meaning players had to be as morally upstanding as possible in the eyes of their Game Master. Failure to do so would often result in the Paladin losing their class powers. Despite alignment being a touchy subject since the earliest days of TTRPGs, Paladins have consistently maintained this caveat. However, Paizo would use this aspect of the Paladin to shape a class unique to Pathfinder.
Pathfinder's Champion Gives Players A Moral Choice
The fundamental difference between Pathfinder’s champion and DnD's original Paladin is that champions may choose their alignment. Players may select from three Causes, which grant an archetype themed around different alignments. This alteration allows these Pathfinder characters to turn alignment rules from encumbrance to toolkits, as a champion receives a set of powers unique to each cause. As for the archetypes, the Paladin returns to represent lawful good, whereas the Redeemer and Liberator represent neutral good and chaotic good, respectively. Paizo expanded upon the champion with the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide, allowing more sinister players to embrace the evil side of the alignment grid with the Tyrant, Desecrator, and Antipaladin.
When In Doubt, Pathfinder Champions Keep To The Code
While champions must still follow their chosen alignment like the lawful Paladins of old, Pathfinder players may have an easier time role-playing thanks to another class feature called Tenets. Each champion cause includes a set of tenets - a code of conduct to be followed by the player to retain their abilities. What makes tenets so helpful is that they're listed in order of priority, preventing players from running into a few moral dilemmas a DnD Paladin may similarly encounter. For example, protecting the innocent is greater than upholding the law, which means players won't have to worry about favoring corrupt leadership over the downtrodden populace.
Pathfinder 2e is known for its abundance of choices, and with the champion, even something as flavorful as alignment can have a part to play in character creation. While the moral freedoms the class offers may seem tame, since players still must abide by their chosen alignment, the champion makes a valiant attempt to overcome the stigma of alignment restrictions by shaping the class to a player’s alignment rather than forcing it on the player. Player choice matters in any RPG, whether on tabletop or screen, and while Pathfinder can sometimes overwhelm players with character customization, the champion proves that Pathfinder is better off having these options compared to Dungeons & Dragons than not.
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