What class better suits an Elven defender of the forest--Paladin or Ranger?

[johnsemlak]

I was a creating an Elf character which I sort of viewed as a militant defender of their home forest. Actually, I ended up creating a Ranger/Druid.

However, it occured to me that in many ways the paladin might actually be more what I'm looking for, with an Elven spin of course.

I remember some years ago in 1e after UA came out there was an article in Dragon called "The Elven Cavalier" which gave some flavor and game information on building sort of an Elven Knight in line with the Cavalier Class (then the Paladin was a Cavalier sub-class). It substituted traditional elven weapons, and gave the Knight's code a more elven spin.

That kind of character really seems to be more what I want than a Ranger, who I sort of imagine as a loner not necessarily bound by a code or something.

I do prefer the Ranger for my concept for the archer feats and abilities, the druid spells, and the general woodsman feel and skills. But the Paladin's code, and greater armor flexibility, and possibly the mount are also things I imagine my character having, in an elven sort of way. Plus I'd like my character to be a more melee oriented type and I'm not into two-weapon fighting.

Anyway, how would you build an Elven paladin to make it appropriate for that race

 

[Crothian]

Okay, what if you take tyhe Range Class and swap out the Paladin Mount for the Animal Campanion? And you say you like the archer feats of the Ranger but want a melee fighter? The code is easy to adopt, no reason any class can't have one. If you want a drawback like the paladin who disobaeys the code then adding in like heavy armor wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

[TroyXavier]

Use the Paladin of Freedom from Unearthed Arcana. Stick to studded leather armor and wield traditional elven weapons.

 

[johnsemlak]

The UA options might be good.

House ruling it is a possibility but the DM might want to stick to something more official.

 

[Crothian]

What can be more official then a house rule??

UA does have some good options. I'm not sure there is much on Ranger like Paladins though.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

You could probably do fairly well with a ranger/paladin multiclass. Maybe Paladin 3 or 4 for the aura of courage, etc. and ranger the rest of the way. Select a horse as your animal companion and use it as a mount. (Or, alternatively, talk your DM into letting ranger and paladin levels stack for determining your mount's abilities and use the paladin mount table).

Ranger/cleric would also work pretty well. (Again, use the animal companion to get a mount).

 

[Thanee]

I think Ranger fits perfectly well for such a character.
Ranger's can have a code of honor, too. For free!

Maybe you could go Ranger/Holy Liberator, or if you want some more focus on melee, throw in a few Fighter levels as well.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Nifft]

CG Ranger, with a Code of Honor and a Patron God, so s/he gets some easier access to spells, and some bonus spells off the Good Domain list:

- Earlier access to Cure spells
1: Bless, Bless Water, Protection from Evil
2: Align Weapon, Aid
3: Magic Circle vs. Evil, Prayer
4: Holy Smite

In trade, no animal companion.

-- N

 

[CrusaderX]

I do prefer the Ranger for my concept for the archer feats and abilities, the druid spells, and the general woodsman feel and skills. But the Paladin's code, and greater armor flexibility, and possibly the mount are also things I imagine my character having, in an elven sort of way. Plus I'd like my character to be a more melee oriented type and I'm not into two-weapon fighting.

Just play an Elven Cleric for the mechanics, and roleplay the rest. Such a character would be good at melee, and have the armor flexibility that you're after. Pick the right Domains (Elf, and maybe War) and you'll also be a pretty good archer. Though the Animal Domain will give you Knowledge (nature) as a class skill and let you befriend animals, so you may want to consider that as well. There's alot of flexibility with the basic Cleric class, and you're free to roleplay any type of code, and any type of character, that you wish.

 

[Pramas]

I was a creating an Elf character which I sort of viewed as a militant defender of their home forest. Actually, I ended up creating a Ranger/Druid.

There's a new core class in our Corwyl: Village of the Wood Elves book (which ought to be in stores in two weeks or so) I think you might like. You can get a PDF preview of the book from our website. Here's an excerpt from the class:

Terellian Knights

The Terellian knights are an elite elven fighting force, skilled in woodland combat, and sworn to protect their homeland or serve as bodyguards or escorts to important elven nobles and dignitaries. They use stealth and their honed combat skills to take out opponents and protect their charges.

The knights were named for the famous Terellian Evrayn, who dedicated his life to protecting his brethren. Terellian was known as the quickest and most stalwart ranger of his day, and his loyalty and altruism rivaled that of a paladin's, although his methods were not always open and straightforward as his lawful counterpart’s.

This great defender fought with two summoned swords, and he died protecting his homeland against a demon led hill giant incursion. When not working covertly, the knights wear a symbol of two short swords crossed in front of a stout oak tree.