Paladin
Similar to the cleric, Paladins have many options due to the religious theme of The Emblem of Ea. Like clerics they are the knights of a church and the champions of a specific cause. Held to an even higher standard then the clerics of these orders, Paladins are the epitome of conduct and missions of the divine. Paladins are not simply Lawful Good fighters but are those called to rise above the corruption evident in society and even within their own orders and to take stands when no one else will.
On the Emblem of Ea, all Paladins must have a patron deity although not all Paladins may be beholden to a specific church organization. Due to their lawful nature, most Paladins find it beneficial to work together and form Paladin orders but there have been cases of a few who choose to work alone and to honor their deities requests in a more personal matter. Any Lawful Good, Neutral Good and Lawful Neutral deity can support a Paladin. For Lawful Neutral deities this means that they may also have Lawful Evil members of their churches since the alignment step rule is in effect. To a Paladin character this simply means that their church has elements of corruption in it that must be weeded out and destroyed. No matter what, a Paladin represents the most lawful and good aspects of whatever deity they serve.
Paladin Options: Paladins benefit from a number of fighter feats as well as divine feats that have been added to the game. In addition to this, Paladins may also gain special types of mounts in accordance to the optional rules presented first in Defenders of the Faith and then reprinted in the 3.5 Monster Manual. Lastly, although normally held to a strict multiclassing rule, some Paladins have the option to take a few additional classes depending on which deity they serve. War Golem Paladins who receive the lay on hands ability can use that ability to heal themselves as well as other constructs.
Prestige Classes: Silver Maiden, Order of the Living Shield, and Knight of the Holy Sword are some prestige classes that might appeal to a Paladin. However, most Paladins are likely to stay true to their original path for the majority of their career.
Special Paladin Orders
Some faiths allow Paladins to multiclass freely with the Knight's Training feat and others do not. Paladin Orders are simply some examples of organized groups of Paladins.
Daeus: Paladins of Daeus are among the best loved heroes on Aeryth. They are often loosely organized into an organization known as The Templars of the Holy Sword, which also includes good fighters and serves as one of the arms of the military forces of the church. These Paladins tend to be more conservatives then their clerical counterparts. Daeus’ paladins may multiclass freely as clerics and fighters.
Althea: Paladins of Althea are often compassionate healers and protectors of the weak. They guard the weak and use their healing abilities on others in need. A Paladin of Althea may stop and allow a crime to go unpunished and an evil person to escape in order to heal someone who has been wounded and is in need. Mariel's Paladins may multiclass freely as Clerics, Dwarven Defenders and Shield Knights.
Reos: Reos has few paladins but those who exist are pretty much exclusively dwarven. These paladins are normally considered champions of dwarven kind, blending together all of the virtues of the dwarven race into their ultimate warriors. Reos’ Dwarven Paladins can freely multiclass as Fighters, Dwarven Wardens, Defenders and Avatars.
Eluna: Paladins of Eluna rarely gain full levels of paladins throughout their career and many times turn their attention to the development of arcane might or the gift of foresight. They often hunt down instances of evil magic and black spells, which bring harm to the world, and so have little to no problems working with magicians and other goodly aligned arcane spell users. Paladins of Eluna often become clerics or members of the Order of the Silver Maidens. Some even gain sorcery talents.
Navos: Paladins of Navos are often very somber, meditative but wise and knowledgeable knights. They are often called into service to defend ancient sites and locations and to protect scholars and travelers on their journeys to document the histories and mysteries of the world. They are rare but those who exist tend to be well learned and worldly in the matters of various nations. Paladins of Navos may freely multiclass as monks and often pursue both paths on the road to wisdom and enlightenment
Vardama: Paladins of Vardama are almost exclusively concerned with the hunting, slaying and destroying of evil Necromancers and killing of undead. Most of the time they remain Paladins for their entire career but a few enter The Hunter of the Dead class. Paladins of Vardama do not multiclass freely and are exceptionally rare.