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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 1024282" data-attributes="member: 3424">Well, I must admit that I have a soft spot for paladins, and I am quite pleased by the upgrade they got in 3.5e (at higher levels, anyway).I suppose the question of whether the paladin fulfils his role depends on what you deem the role of the paladin to be.Should a paladin be a good fighter? In my view, yes.Should a paladin be the best person to oppose evil? In my view, yes.Should a paladin be the best fighter? In my view, not necessarily.Should a paladin be the best horseman or knight? Again, in my view, not necessarily.To me, the measure of a paladin is not how well he fights or how well he performs in a joust. Pure combat prowess is the province of the fighter.  A paladin is meant for other things.A paladin seeks to be the living embodiment of his code.  A paladin lives to oppose evil.  A paladin stands in the gap to protect those who are weaker than he is, even if it means dying in the attempt.  Combat ability is useful, but not essential for any of these things.On a more game mechanic level, who is the paladin supposed to outfight?  An opponent of equal CR?  By definition, such an opponent is supposed to be an "appropriate challenge" for a party of four characters of the same level.  If a paladin is clearly superior to such an opponent, he is probably "overpowered".Is the paladin supposed to outfight a fighter of the same level? There is an equally good argument that for balance reasons, a paladin should not outshine a fighter in his area of specialty.Within the constraints of a 20-level game then, a paladin has to make choices. Take fighter levels or stay on the paladin's path? Better combat ability or increased effectiveness against evil? This is a constraint I accept in the broader interest of the game.</blockquote>

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