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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jeff Carlsen" data-source="post: 5799410" data-attributes="member: 61749">It's obvious that there are two definitions of Paladin that are in conflict here.There's the original definition, which is a champion of law and goodness. It may be that the holy power of a paladin didn't even come from a god, but was something his dedication allowed him to access directly.Then there's a newer definition, which is the holy warrior of a god. This latter definition almost certainly comes as a result of the mechanics that closely associated the paladin with a deity.Now, normally I'm not comfortable saying somebody's preferred definition is wrong, but in this case I can't help but see the later definition as a perversion of the original, and something to get away from. The holy warrior concept pretty well defines the cleric mechanically and conceptually, while the paladin represents something different.Instead of the paladin being a devotee of a particular god, his overwhelming commitment to law and goodness has earned him the respect and loyalty of one or more gods. He doesn't have to ask for his powers. The gods give power to him because of who he is.The idea of the fallen paladin is so strong because it's the idea of a man so committed to an ideal who loses faith. Not in a god, because the gods are a real, stable, and visible part of the world, but in goodness itself.I'm not sure this concept can be effectively recreated for the other alignments, with the exception of the Paladin of Freedom, which is a devotee to goodness and liberty. Goodness is supposed to be hard. Evil is seductive, so being devoted to it isn't inspiring.I think the Paladin should stick to this concept, and clerics should start wielding swords more often.</blockquote>

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