Oh no, this was written ages ago. Dragon 106 according to my Google Fu, which would be Feb 1986. It's not like the idea of different alignment paladins is something new with 4e. Good grief no. Paladin's for every alignment is darn near as old as paladins themselves. Heck, it's an idea that not only can vote and drink, it's married and has kids now.
/edit
I just took a few minutes to read through the article. Funny how the descriptions of the paladins in that article pretty much mirror exactly what TQ has been saying in his blog. The idea that a paladin isn't defined specifically by a LG code, but, simply by a code of conduct that makes sense for whatever alignment that paladin follows. So, the LE Paladin (Illrigger) is an assassin by trade, charged with foiling the works of good aligned churches and creating a network of power through guile and stealth that venerates his diety. Different from a cleric since clerics of a LE god would be more likely to use magic than sneak into someone's room and strangle them. More like a ninja really.
I would post the link to the article but since I am new it won't let me. If you Google "A Plethora of Paladins" it will bring up the info. Sorry.
Didn't think to google it -- didn't realize in fact that people actually copy-paste mag articles on the net!
Anyhow, wow, what a blast from the past! My gaming life only goes back to 2e, but A Plethora of Paladins sure has a similar vibe to the 2e stuff I remember -- the implications that LG is the goodest good and CE is the evilest evil, the silly-players-these-paladins-are-for-DMs injunction, the stat minimums, the percentile strength, and the attacks-per-round tables. (To this day, I still don't know if 3/2 means a 2-1-2 or a 1-2-1 routine!)
At the same time, the tables are incomplete; obviously under the assumption that the reader could work out the details himself. But to me it's rather arcane -- the article notes when each paladin variant gains spell ability, but doesn't specify what that ability is. Does the paladin suddenly gain the spell ability of a cleric of equivalent level, or possibly the spell ability of a 1st level cleric, or something else? And what's with the oil allowances? Was burning oil a big thing in 1e?
Anyhow, Cristopher Wood, one of the guys who copy-pasted this article, made a comment that really struck a chord with me: "...the concept of paladins being more than
cookie-cutter, armored up, Sir-Galahad-wannabes." (Edited for grammar.) I've been reading internet rants about 'cookie-cutter' builds for years, but I never realized how well the term applies to my feelings about the traditional D&D paladin. The traditional paladin isn't just a specific alignment -- it's a
single slice of a specific alignment! Not saying there isn't wiggle room within the Code for personal characterization -- but it's hard to imagine anything more cookie-cutter! A straight-up pregen character with a pre-written personality is the only thing that comes to mind.
