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<blockquote data-quote="Gaiden" data-source="post: 1599246" data-attributes="member: 103">I played a paladin from 1st through 17th level.&nbsp; He was the divine might, spirited charge, leadership type of paladin.&nbsp; I found that he could be extremely effective (especially at higher levels) and could outdamage both the fighter and barbarian.However, this is with the caveat that he could do this a few times per day and that he and his mount were one trick ponies (his mount was a dire lion).&nbsp; If he could not charge, he could simply not dish it out the way a fighter or barbarian could.&nbsp; If he got locked in melee combat he simply could not dish it out like a fighter or a barbarian could.&nbsp; Basically, a fighter or barbarian (if played smart) could toast my pally with ease.The character was a saving monster with 3.0 version of armor of command, a cloak of charisma and defensive magic cast all the time.&nbsp; His AC at early levels was great, but past 9th level was relying more on his mobility than his AC.My conclusion with the character was that he was rather boring to play in terms of combat because it was just the same thing over and over again.&nbsp; Moreover, if a paladin is intended to be a tank - and there is no better, his role was trumped by the fact that he had to be so mobile while the rest of the party was not nearly so.&nbsp; This meant that to act as the main defense meant giving up attack power, and vice a versa.&nbsp; Paladins are no where near the fighting machines that are fighters or barbarians, and nothing beats the straight fighter.&nbsp; However, as everyone has already said, paladins have all that other jazz that keeps them balanced.&nbsp; From a purely mechanical perspective the ability for smackdown damage from around 12th level and up definitely could appear overpowered.&nbsp; However, with multiple encounters a day and an inability to charge with a large creature, the paladin's lack of versatility becomes all too apparent.I agree with the majority of people who consider the paladin's code a flavor thing.&nbsp; I don't think it is there for any real balance reasons.&nbsp; Look at the dragon magazine with alternative paladins if you are interested in classes with similar power but that have different alignment restrictions and codes of conduct.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Gaiden, post: 1599246, member: 103"] I played a paladin from 1st through 17th level. He was the divine might, spirited charge, leadership type of paladin. I found that he could be extremely effective (especially at higher levels) and could outdamage both the fighter and barbarian. However, this is with the caveat that he could do this a few times per day and that he and his mount were one trick ponies (his mount was a dire lion). If he could not charge, he could simply not dish it out the way a fighter or barbarian could. If he got locked in melee combat he simply could not dish it out like a fighter or a barbarian could. Basically, a fighter or barbarian (if played smart) could toast my pally with ease. The character was a saving monster with 3.0 version of armor of command, a cloak of charisma and defensive magic cast all the time. His AC at early levels was great, but past 9th level was relying more on his mobility than his AC. My conclusion with the character was that he was rather boring to play in terms of combat because it was just the same thing over and over again. Moreover, if a paladin is intended to be a tank - and there is no better, his role was trumped by the fact that he had to be so mobile while the rest of the party was not nearly so. This meant that to act as the main defense meant giving up attack power, and vice a versa. Paladins are no where near the fighting machines that are fighters or barbarians, and nothing beats the straight fighter. However, as everyone has already said, paladins have all that other jazz that keeps them balanced. From a purely mechanical perspective the ability for smackdown damage from around 12th level and up definitely could appear overpowered. However, with multiple encounters a day and an inability to charge with a large creature, the paladin's lack of versatility becomes all too apparent. I agree with the majority of people who consider the paladin's code a flavor thing. I don't think it is there for any real balance reasons. Look at the dragon magazine with alternative paladins if you are interested in classes with similar power but that have different alignment restrictions and codes of conduct. [/QUOTE]

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