Paladins; Will they finally get to shine in this edition?

[frankthedm]

I'm playing Age of Worms with a paladin, and I got a hippogriff mount (option straight out of the DMG). While the party fighter is clunking around with his pathetic 20 ft movement rate, my paladin zips around the battlefield on his mount. Mobility is so incredibly important in D&D.

Paladins are the one of the few classes that have a built in mount that might last at higher levels. Most of the other times the few HD Griffons, Pegusai and such tend to have means high flying mounts lead to fast falling riders.

Also, are you sure you had your encumbrance calculated right? Even with the STR boosts, a Hippogriff is going to be grounded at medium load when it has a rider, So after the exotic saddle, your weight, your armor's weight get added up, you may find the sky a bit out of reach. Also don’t forget your shield, all your weapons and any other trinkets you are carrying if you ain’t packing some extra dimensional storage.

 

[Colmarr]

I played a Paladin in 3.5. I liked it. I play a Dragonborn Paladin in 4.0 and forgetaboutit. My abilities just at level two completely outshine anything I did in the previous edition. Granted, I near death quite a bit due to my bold, heroic style and a little bit of over-achiever syndrome, but I have delivered some truly mighty blows. And yes, thank Kord for doing away with my need to be lawful. sheesh.

Sara, I assume from this that you have playtested 4e.

If so, thanks for the info, but isn't this a breach of your NDA?

 

[Jhulae]

I can't agree that Paladins didn't shine in earlier editions, such as 1st and 2nd, mainly because the entry requirements were fairly steep. And lets face it, the better the stats you rolled were (making the character better overall to begin with), the more powerful classes you could choose for that character.

So, not only did 1st/2nd edition paladins have a bunch of abilities, but they always had higher stats, too.

Compared to 3rd edition fighters, Paladins also were better. So, there weren't any 'choosable' feats, but if your character had a decent Charisma, up went the *all* the saves without needing any feats at all. I've seen so many weak Will save fighters get dominated/held/whatever, that just *that* ability paladins have is great. Add the other things like spells (and the feat choices that use turn attempts to power stuff) and I don't see how someone can think Paladins are 'subpar fighters'.

 

[Sara_G]

Sara, I assume from this that you have playtested 4e.

If so, thanks for the info, but isn't this a breach of your NDA?

I'm currently playing Keep on the Shadowfell. I'm on the D&D Brand team.

I'm not breaching a contract by letting you know how much I like my character. It's ok. As a matter of fact, if you corner me at D&D Experience I'll talk your ear off about her.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Also, are you sure you had your encumbrance calculated right? Even with the STR boosts, a Hippogriff is going to be grounded at medium load when it has a rider, So after the exotic saddle, your weight, your armor's weight get added up, you may find the sky a bit out of reach. Also don’t forget your shield, all your weapons and any other trinkets you are carrying if you ain’t packing some extra dimensional storage.

I assure you, I use a spreadsheet to keep weight calculated.

Not that my DM has ever shown any interest in seeing it. But if he did, I would be ready.

 

[Voss]

*shrugs* I liked them, but if they are as desemphatised, it's ok..

I like them in theory, but they way they were handled in D&D was... not good. The low point was 3e, where the alignment descriptions could actually be interpreted to justify law, neutrality and/or chaos. Take the examples with Mialee and Ember. One is 'following her discipline' and 'one is devoted to her art'. Somehow, one is neutral and one is lawful, even though neither has anything to do with morality, ethics or one's view of the universe. It has become, essentially, just grounds for pointless arguments.

 

[Zarithar]

I've always thought that paladins were a pretty badass class... and I've been playing since 1e. At higher levels their spells which you classify as uselsess can quite literally be lifesavers. They are not too shabby when it comes to combat and can take a decent amount of punishment as well.

I've never had an issue with the class... I just wish paladins in WoW were more like their D&D counterparts.

 

[Sitara]

I'm currently playing Keep on the Shadowfell. I'm on the D&D Brand team.

I'm not breaching a contract by letting you know how much I like my character. It's ok. As a matter of fact, if you corner me at D&D Experience I'll talk your ear off about her.

Well tell me this Sara, does the paladin get clerical spellcasting/powers at higher levels? Also, why would anyone choose a paladin over a fighter in 4e? In 3e it was because the fighter had more feats and could be any alignment, AND had less need for stats.

 

[Wormwood]

I've never had an issue with the class... I just wish paladins in WoW were more like their D&D counterparts.

Really? I would prefer the reverse, actually.

edit: healbots aside.

 

[Sitara]

You will both likely get your wishes, since many races now appear to grant buffs and aura's. :|