D&D 5E The Paladin excerpt

[ZombieRoboNinja]

So, I absolutely love what I'm seeing here, but I do have one tiny nitpick. (Said nitpick applies even more to the ranger, working under the assumption that the ranger follows a similar pattern.)

I was really hoping that the game had left room for future non-spell-casting rangers and paladins through the use of subclasses. (I loved the 4E martial ranger as an option.) That would've been fairly smooth, simple to accomplish.

But it appears paladins (and rangers?) get spells a level before they choose their subclass. Which means, if there ever is to be a spell-less option, it'll require something clunkier/more encompassing than just a new subclass.

As I said, that's me being picky. I'm a huge fan of what we've seen so far, paladin-wise. I just could've been an even huger one.

I've come around on rangers since the 5e fighter and rogue look capable of managing most of what you'd want from a non-magical ranger, but I too was hoping for a spell-free paladin. Oh well. One consolation: in the alpha, smite is powered by spell slots, so if you're stubborn enough you can just refuse to memorize spells and smite every round!

 

[Gladius Legis]

According to TWSNBN, Paladins can indeed "fall," but it has to do with direct and willful violation of their actual Oath only. It has nothing to do with actions against alignment.

A very graceful solution, if it holds for the final release.

 

[Henry]

Edit: oops!

 

[vecna00]

Even someone who is Chaotic Evil could be doing things they feel to be "good." It could make for a great, if very deluded, anti-hero type, or the most despicable villain.

Nothing is more frightening than a villain who wholeheartedly believes they are doing the right thing for the greater good.

 

[drjones]

I like it. More interesting than the old school white knight Pally and the text is chock full of RP ideas.

 

[CrusaderX]

I was hoping for a Dragonborn Paladin for the main art example, but the Half-Orc looks pretty good. Can't wait to see more.

 

[bolo__]

Cool. I see symbols of Helm, 4e Corellon, and Lathander.

Interestingly, the text mentions Torm (Helm's 4e replacement), not Helm--but the symbol on the shield is surely not Torm's, since Torm's is specifically a right hand with palm forward (so the thumb would be on the viewer's right). It might not he Helm's, though, since there's no eye (though the gold spiral certainly implies it).

Unless they flipped the artwork for some reason.

"Appendix B lists many deities worshiped by paladins throughout the multiverse, such as Torm, Tyr, Heironeous, Paladine..."

Well, well, well! Look who's coming back from the dead. Since my paladin has been a devout follower of Tyr since was originally created back in the late 80s, Wizards has made at least one player very happy.

So Tyr died in the Realms update a few years ago? I really didn't know that. Huh. Just one more thing for me to dislike about the post-spellplague realms. He was one of my favorite deities in the FR.

As for the paladin, there's not enough for me to get excited about! Darn it, I want my book!

So I can't recall WHERE I read it but there was an article or a tweet or something from Wizards that suggested that ALL the gods are in the new FR setting.

I was checking because my wife's cleric needed to be a morninglord of Lathander because it fit her outlook on life so so well and the whole thing with Lathander actually having been Armaunator who then came back and all... any way as this image shows Lathander (the sunrise symbol top right of the first Paladin page's artwork) is back in his own right, if you want him to be.

Same goes with Tyr, Tor and Helm I guess... all the gods are back in play whether they died or were cast down or whatever previously or not.

 

[vecna00]

So I can't recall WHERE I read it but there was an article or a tweet or something from Wizards that suggested that ALL the gods are in the new FR setting.

I was checking because my wife's cleric needed to be a morninglord of Lathander because it fit her outlook on life so so well and the whole thing with Lathander actually having been Armaunator who then came back and all... any way as this image shows Lathander (the sunrise symbol top right of the first Paladin page's artwork) is back in his own right, if you want him to be.

Same goes with Tyr, Tor and Helm I guess... all the gods are back in play whether they died or were cast down or whatever previously or not.

Part of me wants to say they're giving us the ability to choose "when" to set our games, thus giving a more "full" listing of deities. I don't have any kind of proof, I just remember one of the designers talking about it in a random Q&A video when asked about campaign settings. Said they wanted to give the framework and let you choose the "when," "where," and "how."

I could be totally off with that, however.

 

[Remathilis]

So I can't recall WHERE I read it but there was an article or a tweet or something from Wizards that suggested that ALL the gods are in the new FR setting.

I was checking because my wife's cleric needed to be a morninglord of Lathander because it fit her outlook on life so so well and the whole thing with Lathander actually having been Armaunator who then came back and all... any way as this image shows Lathander (the sunrise symbol top right of the first Paladin page's artwork) is back in his own right, if you want him to be.

Same goes with Tyr, Tor and Helm I guess... all the gods are back in play whether they died or were cast down or whatever previously or not.

For What Its Worth, Lathander returned during the Sundering.

 

[vecna00]

For What Its Worth, Lathander returned during the Sundering.

There is also that. I have yet to read the Sundering novels, so I'm a little behind