tweaking the Witch's Grey Lore for a Paladin

I’m new to the forums, and to ACKS in general. I’ve had the pdf for some time, but it sat unread on my hard drive until I got the Companion.

I like the Paladin as presented in the Companion; however, I’m really missing the ability to turn undead. I don’t want to totally reinvent the wheel and create a new paladin from the ground up–especially since the rules specify that turning undead is not a custom power (and I get why for balance reasons), so I can’t just add it anyway.

I was thinking about swapping a custom power for a tweaked version of the Voudoun Witch’s Grey Lore custom power. Here’s my take on it for a Paladin (the title is a reference to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series):

White Lore:
The paladin has studied ancient tomes and prayed in crumbling monasteries; his knowledge and faith allow him to turn undead as a cleric of 1/2 his level. Additionally, the paladin’s conviction in the face of these terrors affords the paladin’s Aura of Sanctity protection to any companions within 10’.

I’ve replaced the Witch’s bonus on using fear spells with the Paladin’s ability to share his Aura of Sanctity bonus.

I’m not sure which of the core Paladin’s powers I’m going to replace; probably sanctified body or lay on hands.

I’m looking for some input. Do you think this makes the core paladin too powerful? Is the power itself unbalanced? In particular, is sharing the Aura of Sanctity bonus too powerful? What else, if anything, would you consider using in place of the Witch’s bonus on fear spells. Any input would be appreciated!

I think your overall approach is solid.

I’d probably replace Divine Blessing (+2 on saves). Since it’s a static bonus rather than an active power, it doesn’t detract from the “feel” of playing the paladin (why can’t I lay on hands??) and it’s easy to add back in with a proficiency if the player really wants it.

You could also just make White Lore available as a class proficiency if you want to let paladins choose to be able to turn.

I like replacing Divine Blessing–it’s replacing one static bonus with another. I hadn’t thought about it. Also, I really like the proficiency idea–that’s a part of the class system that I hadn’t really absorbed yet. Thanks!