Spell-less Ranger confirmed by Mearls

[Pale Jackal]

Jumping on the "good" bandwagon.

 

[pukunui]

*Nods* Yup I am.


Don't ask me why, but whenever I talk about powers I always end up saying ability... confuses myself at times

No worries. Just wanted to make sure.

 

[Sitara]

For crying out loud.

Spell less paladin means a paladin that cannot cast SPELLS like a cleric can, not a paladin that cannot smite, lay on hands, etc.

I want the paladin to be all about smiting and all that. But I don't the paladin to draw upon the clerical powerlist as a class feature/power/talent/feat.

Even if Paladin are spell-less, they still smite using divine (ie, magical) energy. I mean, that's like their most defining trait.

Oh and btw, a little history lesson, paladin's only started smiting since 3e ok. Its hardly a defining trait (though I hope it becomes it, because I like it). Currently i would say lay on hands is more defining since pally's have been doing it since the beginning.

 

[FireLance]

Oh and btw, a little history lesson, paladin's only started smiting since 3e ok. Its hardly a defining trait (though I hope it becomes it, because I like it). Currently i would say lay on hands is more defining since pally's have been doing it since the beginning.

And lay on hands only started in 1e.

In BECMI, paladins were fighters that could ... cast clerical spells.

 

[hong]

Wouldn't Becmi be a pretty good name for a paladin, if not necessarily a rock band? Becmi, bane of Vecna.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Wouldn't Becmi be a pretty good name for a paladin, if not necessarily a rock band? Becmi, bane of Vecna.

hong, where have you been - I missed you!

 

[FireLance]

Wouldn't Becmi be a pretty good name for a paladin, if not necessarily a rock band? Becmi, bane of Vecna.

Actually, it kind of sounds like a swear word to me, but it might work in the right context...

Assassin sneaks through the corridors of the castle, rounds the corner and comes face to face with the paladin.

Assassin: Becmi!
Paladin: Sure! *Smites*

 

[Sitara]

Sadly, thanks to the new alignment system the assassin is either of a good alignment OR the paladin is evil (and can thus only smite good)...

Assassin: Uses death attack. Successfully.
Paladin *renumerates while dying in a pool of his own blood*: Dang!! Wish I had a varied and useful set of abilities that actually allowed me to do stuff instead of trying todo something another class can do much better. That is, cast clerical prayers (or whatever they are called.)Like say, one ofthose sweet COUNTERS that crusader got in that BO9S splat. Heck, I might even be alive now had I been able to use it.

Stupid crusader...stole my smites but gave me nothing in return. *sniffs*

 

[Aenghus]

Sadly, thanks to the new alignment system the assassin is either of a good alignment OR the paladin is evil (and can thus only smite good)...

AFAIK, smites are no longer limited by alignment. The paladin can smite any enemy, regardless of alignment. Normal societal and roleplaying consequences still apply to his actions, but he is likely not to be subject to arbitrary immediate power loss like in previous editions.

Universally applicable smiting is needed because with the reduction in aligned creatures, smiting based on alignment would be even weaker in 4e than it often was in 3e. Alignments in 4e are limited to Good, Evil and Unaligned AFAIK. Maybe unaligned paladins are possible in 4e, as paladins are now divine champions rather than paragons of LGness.

 

[FireLance]

Paladin *renumerates while dying in a pool of his own blood*: Dang!! Wish I had a varied and useful set of abilities that actually allowed me to do stuff instead of trying todo something another class can do much better. That is, cast clerical prayers (or whatever they are called.)Like say, one ofthose sweet COUNTERS that crusader got in that BO9S splat. Heck, I might even be alive now had I been able to use it.

Eh? Paladins can cast spells != Paladins can only cast spells.

EDIT: In any case, given how the 4e classes are shaping up, and how easy multiclassing is supposed to be, I'd say that there will be very little overlap of class abilities. If you want a 4e character like a 3e paladin that is able to smite and cast clerical spells, I'm guessing you will either need to multiclass or take a class training feat.