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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6151995" data-attributes="member: 42582">There's no archeypical difference.Gygax in AD&D tells us that clerics are modelled on the crusading orders (Knights Templar, etc). This is exactly the same archetype as a paladin - they are all Christian warriors called by god to defend the faithful.The 2nd ed AD&D PHB tells us that the paladin "lives for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry." That is indistinguishable from the self-conception of a knight of the crusading orders.The difference between a cleric, a fighter-cleric and a paladin has always been purely mechanical (inc the fall mechanics for paladins, which are different from the fall mechanics for clerics set out by Gygax in his DMG).Traditionally, the class itself can heal by touch ("the hands of the king are the hands of a healer"), is resistant to magic (save bonus), and radiates an aura of protection.In 3E, the character also smites evil.In 4e, the power design is such that the PC will only shine when acting valiantly to bolster and defend its allies.These strike me as thematic elements of the class that express the conception of the chivalric warrior touched by god.</blockquote>