[3.5] Forgotten Realms and Paladins

[Bauglir]

Where are the rules for paladins and patron deities in the Forgotten Realms? I've been looking through Champions of Valor and the Campaign Setting, but haven't found them in the obvious places. In particular, I'm looking for the section that addresses how paladins determine their alignments, given that they can clearly have patron deities more than one step away from Lawful Good (there are substitution levels for them), even though the deities section says that characters should be within one step of their patron deity.

[littha]

Paladins are always LG...

The variant alignment paladins are essentially official house rules...

[Bauglir]

So, wait. How can you have Paladins of Sune (a Chaotic Good deity, for whom class substitution levels exist)?

Patron deities in FR have to be within one step of the character's actual alignment, and they don't have the Unearthed Arcana versions (the substitution level, for instance, retains the usual Aura of Courage, not the Aura of Resolve of a Paladin of Freedom). Are you sure?

[littha]

Fairly sure, I don't think I have ever seen an alternative alignment paladin outside of Unearthed Arcana or Dragon Mag.

I think you should be within 1 step of your deity, I don't think it is a hard rule.

[Halinn]

RAW, only clerics have deity-based alignment restrictions.

Edit: and favored souls

[Bauglir]

Doesn't FR have special restrictions on that? I'm aware of the rules outside of it, but I was under the impression that their deity system mandated that Paladins and other divine casters choose a deity or something like that.

[sirpercival]

From the FRCS, page 25:

All paladins of Faerûn are devoted to a patron deity, chosen at
the start of their career as paladins. Like paladins of other lands,
the paladins of Faerûn must be both lawful and good. The paladin’s
deity must be lawful good, lawful neutral, or neutral good. For
example, both Helm the Vigilant One (lawful neutral) and
Chauntea the Earthmother (neutral good) have lawful good paladin
worshipers. Sune, the goddess of beauty, love, and passion, is an
exception to the alignment rule, for her followers include paladins
even though her alignment is chaotic good. Additional information
on the paladins of some of Faerûn’s religions appears in the Special
Paladin Orders sidebar.

Emphasis mine.

[Bauglir]

Oh, they went the stupid way. Well, fair enough. Thanks.