Templars are the bane of an errant spellcaster, neutralizing enemy mages’ most dangerous abilities so that the party can close for the kill.

When becoming a Templar, you gain the following benefits:
+2 Magic
+3 Mental Resistance

As a Templar you gain access to the following talents.
More detailed information about each talent can be found on their individual pages.

Righteous Strike	Description	The templars are enforcers specifically chosen to control and slay mages. Each of the templar's melee hits against an enemy spellcaster drains its mana
Type	Passive	Cooldown	-	Requirements	none
Activation	-	Upkeep	-	Fatigue	-
Range	Personal	Target Type
Cleanse Area	Description	The templar purges the area of magic, removing all dispellable effects from those nearby. Friendly fire possible.
Type	Activated	Cooldown	30s	Requirements	Level 9
Activation	40 Stamina	Upkeep	-	Fatigue	-
Range	Personal	Target Type	Area of Effect, Sphere (10m), Self Centered
Mental Fortress	Description	The templar has learned to focus on duty, gaining a large bonus to mental resistance.
Type	Passive	Cooldown	-	Requirements	Level 12
Activation	-	Upkeep	-	Fatigue	-
Range	Personal	Target Type
Holy Smite	Description	The templar strikes out with righteous fire, inflicting spirit damage on the target and other nearby enemies. If the target is a spellcaster, it must pass a mental resistance check or else loses mana and takes additional spirit damage proportional to the mana lost. All affected enemies are stunned or knocked back unless they pass physical resistance checks.
Type	Activated	Cooldown	40s	Requirements	Level 15
Activation	75 Stamina	Upkeep	-	Fatigue	-
Range	Medium (25m)	Target Type	Area of Effect, Sphere (5m)

Specializations in Dragon Age: Origins are not available from the start of the game. In addition to having a free Specialization Point, the character must have found a trainer willing to teach him the specialization before a point can be spent on training it.

Specialization unlocks are persistent between games, meaning that once unlocked in your player profile, your characters can learn a specialization without having to find the trainer first. They can also be unlocked even if the player character does not have the right class to actually learn them.

Spoilers below this point

The Templar specialization is taught by Alistair by pursuing his personal story. Alternatively it is offered by merchant Bodahn in the party camp.

Spoilers above this point