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Simply seeking opinions on validity and viability of paladins devoted to nature deities. Now the only real reference I can find, though my sources are limited to FRCS and Faiths and Pantheons, are paladins of Chauntea. Also Nobanion is a nature diety whose listed worshipers include paladins. From these findings I would enter my opinion then that almost any nature diety where a character could maintain the one step rule also could foster paladins. Pitch in if you would. Thanks!

I was wondering something similar to this myself, a Paladin of Sune is possible, yet, that is two steps in alignment shift. What about Uthgar? I was thinking it -should- be possible, but, being that Uthgar is so much a barbarian, I have to consider what would the Paladin's dogma be? Perhaps, if you back down from a fight, it's committing a "sinful" act? Anyway, very curious to hear about other nature Gods as well. Sorry for the hijack!

Neither Sune nor Uthgar are 'Nature deities'. Sune supports paladins though, who are a kind of militant fashion police.

There's not a specific canonical reference I can cite for you, but I've always thought that paladins of Angarradh are entirely plausible.

Like you said, Nobanion is a nature god who is explicitly described as sponsoring paladins, so it's not much of a conceptual stretch. And I imagine several of the gods of the Mulhorandi pantheon are both lawful enough and narture-ish enough to get you where you're trying to go.

Some nature gods, though, I can't imagine as being supportive of paladins despite a paladin-compatible alignment. (Eldath springs to mind.) So I don't know that I'd go so far as to say there's any sort of inherent connection between support of nature and support of paladins. You'd want to judge it on a case by case basis, I think.

Anything that accepts LG, surely. (Check the deity system.) You'll have to make sense of it yourself, but there's no other general answer.

The only specific NPC I can think of is a paladin of Mielikki. Don't remember her name, but I'm pretty sure she was introduced in an online article on the old WotC website. The link is probably lost somewhere in the aftermath of the 4e reshuffling.

We had paladin of Mielikki on Amia before too. *nodnod*

Amarice-Elaraliel wrote:

We had paladin of Mielikki on Amia before too. *nodnod*

Sounds cool. How did that work out? What does a paladin of Mielikki do?

Would I not be playing Robert, I would actually make a nature paladin.

A mysterious knight with an ivy plum helmet, dressed in a green tabbard and an ancient platemail. His home is a tree like the headless horsemen has in sleepy hollow and he emerges from it to shed the blood of those who dare to defile the forest with divine fury. A few special nature abilities would be nice, perhaps exchanging the icky glowy divine shield vfx into the misty vfx that assassins have. I would even consider investing hide and ms.

Very_Svensk wrote:

What does a paladin of Mielikki do?

Uphold her dogma in a Lawful Good way, I suppose.

Operate an animal hospital and refuge.

Pony in my Kraut wrote:

Would I not be playing Robert, I would actually make a nature paladin.

A mysterious knight with an ivy plum helmet, dressed in a green tabbard and an ancient platemail. His home is a tree like the headless horsemen has in sleepy hollow and he emerges from it to shed the blood of those who dare to defile the forest with divine fury. A few special nature abilities would be nice, perhaps exchanging the icky glowy divine shield vfx into the misty vfx that assassins have. I would even consider investing hide and ms.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

And yes there is several Gods in Mulhorand that support naturey things and have paladins.

The short answer is: yes. There are plenty of nature gods that fit the bill for this, most of which have already been named.

QPR wrote:

Neither Sune nor Uthgar are 'Nature deities'. Sune supports paladins though, who are a kind of militant fashion police.

Although Uthgar is more correctly labeled a Barbarian God, he technically is a nature deity. He supports Druids, as well as Clerics and Rangers. He's no good for Paladins though, being that by the very nature of his combined totems, he's a chaotic deity with neutral tendencies at best.

Uthgar doesn't really have an alignment and doesn't act as a patron as himself, though. His totems span the entirety of the alignment spectrum, so those tribes with lawful good totem worshipers could theoretically produce paladins. But I do find it extremely unbelievable from a sociological/anthropological viewpoint.

I know that. Hence why I said this:

Gunz wrote:

He's no good for Paladins though, being that by the very nature of his combined totems, he's a chaotic deity with neutral tendencies at best.

He's quite possibly not even known as an actually God. He's worshiped strictly through the totems.

The reason he would be no good for Paladins is again, his chaotic/neutral tendencies and especially those of his faithful. The life of barbarians, tribesmen, etc. leave almost no room for a Paladins life. They would laugh at a Paladin of Uthgar and think he's a wuss.

It might be a cultural thing, but there are tribes and totems with lawful tendencies and LG followers. (I'll check which ones when I get my books back.) Indeed, a noble savage bound by the traditions of his people is, in my mind, one of the archetypes of LG. To be sure, the paladin institution is very integrated into civilized human life (I also have a hard time accepting elven paladins, even though I gave in to public opinion and wrote about them) and many of its associated norms, practices and symbols would seem alien in a tribal context. But I don't think it's a matter of alignment at all.

A Barbarian Paladin wouldn't have those kind of things, though. I don't think a lot of the rituals and whatnot are integral to the class of Paladin. A Barbarian Paladin probably wouldn't identify as being a Paladin, but I don't think that invalidates them from still -being- a Paladin, it's just a different flavor, so to speak. They'd be sort of a tribal champion and guardian.

Nature Dieties & Paladins

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