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Is Anyone Unhappy About Non-LG Paladins?
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6331632" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>I think when we're talking about the paladin and cleric classes (or samurais, or other knights, etc), for a mainstream fantasy RPG, we have to draw upon the mythical self-conception of those archetypes, rather than the historical reality.</p><p></p><p>I can't speak for 3E or 2nd ed AD&D, but in 1st ed AD&D and in 4e clerics and paladins are very much on a continuum.</p><p></p><p>In AD&D they both wear heavy armour, have decent hp and attacks, have decent saving throws, are healers, and can detect and ward against evil. There are differenes of mechanical implementation, and paladins have a min CHA, but it's the same archetype.</p><p></p><p>In 4e STR clerics and STR paladins fight in melee, and can heal, and can defend. Clerics are better healers, paladins better defenders. CHA paladins have more "spell" attacks (ie ranged attacks of various sorts) to go with their melee, and PHB WIS clerics are obviously casters (radiant attacks, etc). But again they are on a continuum.</p><p></p><p>Just to add to this: in early D&D material it's very common to see evil clerics described as "anti-clerics". Much as an evil "paladin" was called an anti-paladin. Even 4e recognises that evil paladins are often anti-paladins, and has a discussion in the DMG of how to reflavour their abilities (eg necrotic or acid rather than radiant). </p><p></p><p>For what it's worth, Tritherion (the Greyhawk god of freedom and liberation) is CG.</p><p></p><p>A paladin of Kord doesn't cause me any conceptual confusion at all: honourable, engaging in displays of prowess, scorning weaklings and cowards; if we don't allow that because of the alignment rules we've got a terrible case of the alignment tail wagging the archetype dog.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 6331632, member: 42582"] I think when we're talking about the paladin and cleric classes (or samurais, or other knights, etc), for a mainstream fantasy RPG, we have to draw upon the mythical self-conception of those archetypes, rather than the historical reality. I can't speak for 3E or 2nd ed AD&D, but in 1st ed AD&D and in 4e clerics and paladins are very much on a continuum. In AD&D they both wear heavy armour, have decent hp and attacks, have decent saving throws, are healers, and can detect and ward against evil. There are differenes of mechanical implementation, and paladins have a min CHA, but it's the same archetype. In 4e STR clerics and STR paladins fight in melee, and can heal, and can defend. Clerics are better healers, paladins better defenders. CHA paladins have more "spell" attacks (ie ranged attacks of various sorts) to go with their melee, and PHB WIS clerics are obviously casters (radiant attacks, etc). But again they are on a continuum. Just to add to this: in early D&D material it's very common to see evil clerics described as "anti-clerics". Much as an evil "paladin" was called an anti-paladin. Even 4e recognises that evil paladins are often anti-paladins, and has a discussion in the DMG of how to reflavour their abilities (eg necrotic or acid rather than radiant). For what it's worth, Tritherion (the Greyhawk god of freedom and liberation) is CG. A paladin of Kord doesn't cause me any conceptual confusion at all: honourable, engaging in displays of prowess, scorning weaklings and cowards; if we don't allow that because of the alignment rules we've got a terrible case of the alignment tail wagging the archetype dog. [/QUOTE]
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