Why do all paladins, monks, and druids seem exactly the same?

[Keeper of Secrets]

I definitely think there is a trap many people can fall into when they decide to play these classes. The paladin is often played as a knight in shining armor (sometimes he is played as the self-righteous knight in shining armor). The druid is often played as some wacky hippie who looks like the Its Man from Monty Python.

I certainly see how people are attracted to the sterotype but at the same time I don't se everyone doing it.

Actually, now that I think about it, I rarely see those classes played at all.

 

[Presto2112]

I can't speak for paladins or monks, as I've never played either, but druids? Dude, just because most can wild shape, doesn't mean they're all the same. For instance, the druid I played a while ago, Elmuentheryn, made frequent use of Wild Shape, but only one was it to change into a badass melee creature. Most times I used it for expanded mobility (Dire bat, crow, etc) to either overcome an obstacle or to get a better vantage point from which to use Natural Spell, or to enhance stealth (turn into a monitor lizard to blend in with the vegetation for stealth reasons). There are almostas many reasons to wild shape as there are animals to wild shape into.

 

[MongooseFamiliar]

I can't speak for paladins or monks, as I've never played either, but druids? Dude, just because most can wild shape, doesn't mean they're all the same. For instance, the druid I played a while ago, Elmuentheryn, made frequent use of Wild Shape, but only one was it to change into a badass melee creature. Most times I used it for expanded mobility (Dire bat, crow, etc) to either overcome an obstacle or to get a better vantage point from which to use Natural Spell, or to enhance stealth (turn into a monitor lizard to blend in with the vegetation for stealth reasons). There are almostas many reasons to wild shape as there are animals to wild shape into.

Bingo. My druid's favorite trick was to shift into a cat and go play with the shoelaces of the forces of evil as they were discussing their latest plot. It worked surprisingly well. Nobody pays attention to the kitty.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

A sword and board paladin is quite different from a large paladin with enlarge cast on him that wields a spiked chain and optimizes in tripping and attacks of opportunity.

A wild shaper druid is quite different from one that optimizes in summoning combined with the eberron summoning feats.

A Vow of Poverty grappling monk is different from a karate chopping monk.

I don't think so, (except for the VOP monk which is QUITE different) they fight different, may have different role playing aspects, but they are essentially the same. Not that thats a bad thing.

 

[takyris]

JRR, if they fight differently and have a different roleplaying style, what's left to be the same? I meean, yeah, the paladin probably isn't hunting for traps or stalking through the shadows in almost any build (at least, not until you get Shadowbane Stalker levels), but that's a fairly wide range.

wayne62682: Saying that paladins "abuse" Divine Might is like saying that Fighters "abuse" Power Attack. The paladin fights like the fighter, except without bonus feats, so he's got about half the options the average fighter does. He's getting Divine Might instead of, you know, Improved Critical or Spring Attack. He darn well better "abuse" it, if he wants to be able to toe-to-toe as well as his nonpaladinic plate-clad brethren.

 

[pawsplay]

Why do all paladins, monks, and druids seem exactly the same? Different editions. Different worlds. It doesn't seem to matter. Why do they all seem to be played pretty much the same?

jh

Because you haven't played with lots of different groups?

 

[Darklone]

Probably because there's only one real way to effectively play them.

Druids archers, summoners, wildshapers, spellslingers... four ways to play them. Effectively.

I don't agree at all. I had very different paladins, druids and monks in my groups, often at once.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Why do all paladins, monks, and druids seem exactly the same? Different editions. Different worlds. It doesn't seem to matter. Why do they all seem to be played pretty much the same?

Because you keep gaming with the same unimaginative group of players?

They don't seem the same to me at all.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Pity. I bet you didn't see a Vow of Poverty monk. .

Now there is a typical monk if I ever heard of one in any campaign that actually allows vow of poverty.

 

[Warren Okuma]

Now there is a typical monk if I ever heard of one in any campaign that actually allows vow of poverty.

The question is, how many of these did you actually seen played?