Clerics: The way a cleric behaves depends on his race (and this race's usual characteristics), his ability scores his patron deity, his alignment, and on the domain he has chosen. And of course on how you want to play the character, but the other things are good guidelines (they affect each other, of course: a claric with the knowledge domain will usually have a good Int score, a cleric of a war god will probably be strong).
Examples (Using the FR deities):
Tormus, Human Cleric of Tymora. Has good Cha and Int, decent Dex (Wis is not bad, too, of course, since he needs it to cast spells). AL CG ("A brave heart and willingness to take risks beat out a carefully wrought plan nine times out of ten"). Domains Luck and Protection: Tormus is a daredevil, doing things that seem foolhardy by others - and usually gets away with it. He's charming and graceful, and has has no problem talking or wriggling himself out of situations he has brought himself into. If things go not as planned, his magic can protect him.
Karg Stoneaxe, Shield Dwarf Warpriest of Clangeddin Silverbeard. High Str and Con, decent Wis. AL LN (Keeping a strict discipline). Domains War and Strength: When he's not fighting the foes of his clan and church, he's preparing for the next fight. He fights fiercely, usually on the very front, destroying foes with his battleaxes and his battle spells, or buffs his allies up so they fight better. Doesn't have much social skills (to tell the truth, he doesn't have any) but will never forsake his allies in a fight, and is usually the last to leave the field (and the first to enter).
Kalin Nightwind, Gold Elf Feywarden of Corellon Larethian. High Int, Dex, and Wis. AL CG. Domains Elf and Protection: Kalin's a master tactician. He's entrusted with the defense of a sizeable elven community, directing the efforts of wizards, bladesingers, and other clerics to patrol the area and fight every enemy that ventures to near. Trust every elven war party under his direct lead to have a good plan, and another half-dozen for several contigencies - and if something unexpected happens, he's good at improvising. He wears mithral chain mail, a large shield and wields his deities favored weapon - the longsword - with skill, using his magic to protect and speed up himself and his allies.
Todd, Lightfoot Halfling Rogue/Cleric of Brandobaris. High Int, Dex, Cha (and Wis). Al CN. Domains Travel and Trickery: Todd is part Rogue, part Priest, favoring stealth over open conflict. He prides himself that he can enter almost every site, get almost everything that isn't nailed down (and that have to be good nails), and when they realize he was there, he's far away already. He doesn't consider it cowardly to retreat, for a dead halfling cannot be brave. If he's forced to attack, he strikes from the shadows and returns there, using his mobility and small size to his advantage.
Paladins:
The Behavior of a Paladin depends on his Deity and Orcer. Some orders defend beauty or other ideals, some defend the weak, others prefer to destroy evil. Some paladins are kind and friendly to everyone, others arrogant and haughty, but most possess a personal magnetism that makes others do what the paladin wants, and these people often even won't realize it.
Humans are obviously a good choice for paladins: they can be almost everything, and until recently, they were the only ones that were allowed to become a paladin.
Dwarves make decent paladins, too, because of their lawful nature. They like the thrills of battle, and dwarven paladins are usually of the warlike sort.
Elves usually don't become paladins: they value their freedom to much, and none of their deities support paladin orders, so they have to turn to human gods. Half-elves fall somewhere between elves and humans
Half-Orcs who favor their human side more sometimes become paladins, but thats far from common.
Gomes have no use for champions of their folk that draw to much attention to the folk. They like to be left alone.
Halflings have some paladins, often either holy warriors of Arvoreen or holy defenders of Yondalla.
