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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mlund" data-source="post: 5914245" data-attributes="member: 50304">I think the restriction to Lawful alignments makes perfect sense if the defining characteristic of the Paladin is the selfless devotion to his code. That code could require respect for the lives and dignity of other people. On the other hand, that code might treat all unbelievers as sub-human infidels that must be converted, subjugated, or brutally murdered. What matters in the framework of the paladin is that the code comes first. It comes ahead of profit, romance, or fear.I like that they pointed out smiting isn't alignment-restricted. If someone's an infidel or apostate in your eyes you can smite them.I'm glad that the "detect" mechanic is like a spider-sense rather than an evil radar. I hope that it's actually not purely the ability to detect evil, but the ability to detect the general presence of profound good and/or evil in an area. IE - "this is a sacred place to the gods of good" or "the very air is defiled, thick with the aura of the demonic and profane."I like the idea of Turn Undead working against Outsiders. I actually think the Paladin might be better off if it only worked against extra-planar creatures like Angels, Devils, and Demons.My big concern, however, is that the Paladin's niche between a melee cleric and a fighter may be too narrow to justify it as a class rather than a background / theme combination on the Fighter or the Cleric. I mean, what about a Fighter with the background of "Templar" or a Cleric with a theme of "War Priest?"It seems like the critical parts of the Paladin:- Code of Honor- Fearless- Heavy Arms and Armor- Divine FavorCould easily be cobbled onto either class. Give each one the code, smiting, and fearlessness. Give the Cleric access to Heavy Armor and Martial Weapons. Give the Fighter access to minor Divine Magic. Done.I seriously think there either just needs to be a Background or Theme package called "Paladin" that has the prerequisite of "Fighter or Cleric Class" (low risk, moderate reward as development goes) or the Paladin needs a solid niche of unique abilities and characteristics that progress up through each level without stepping on anyone's toes (high risk, moderate reward for developers).The AD&D Paladin's design was awful (too front-loaded, too mount-centric). The 3rd Edition Paladin's design was also awful (less diverse fighter with worse buffs than a CoDzilla). The 4th Edition Paladin's played better, but the mechanical descriptions were mind-numbing (basically you get a pittance of holy zapping damage whenever you ignore the Paladin, woo-hoo). - Marty Lund</blockquote>

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