Why Paladins Rock

[The Lemon Merchant]

Personally, I like the look on players faces when the "assasins" they've been tracking down turn out to be paladins hunting cultists and trying not to let the whole cult know they've been made.

"But....you're wearing black!"
"Yeah, it makes it easer to set ambushes at night if you aren't seen."
"Ambushes? But...but...you're a paladin! Isn't that, I dunno, illegal?!?"
"If the target was just an elven warrior strong enough to lift a horse and with a few centuries of experience, I would consider an open confrontation. But when it's an undead fiend that can turn to mist and fly away at the first sign of danger, I'll go with an ambush.
Now do you mind shutting up? You're making a lot of noise."
"...!!!!"

Oh...my party is going to be in for such a surprise. Thank you Kigmatzomat, your inspiration is going to make my party's paladin's head explode.

 

[Lars Porsenna]

Yep. There are all kinds of reasons why a paladin would wear plate armor. Many of them have nothing to do with game mechanics. Is it a role-playing game or a roll-playing game???

I run a paladin in our previous (may again become current -- hard to explain) campaign. There were some -- very good -- RP reasons why he became one, and it definitely fits his character. As for being sneaky, leave the paladin behind with the dwarfs as back-up. If you need to be sneaky, that's when you break out the thieves, rangers, and (if high enough level) mages. That's why you have a party with (ideally) balance.

Damon.

 

[shilsen]

Hey, what do you know - this thread survived April 1 and turned into a serious one! Who'da thunk?

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

Hey come in shilsen, you did include the word "paladin".

I'm thinking it has a 50% chance of making 3 pages.

 

[MoonZar]

I'm tired of paladins always ruining our game. Everyone else in our group will have compatible goals and good hide and move silently skills, and one player will want to play a paladin and wear field plate and go clanging through our planned stealth missions like a kitchen's worth of pots and pans. And they aren't even really roleplaying characters - the Lawful Good alignment, in general, is just an excuse for the DM to micromanage and railroad anyone playing a paladin, and in turn, the party at large.

Hello,

I play mostly paladin and as most of you say many people play LG as Lawful Stupid.

BTW paladin are different from each religion. In my campain world we have a Good goddess of the night and their paladin are stealth and use mostly dark leather armor.

And i think the worst error was maybe from the DM to allow a paladin who use full plate armor in a rogue campaign. I don't see the point to ruin a campaign by allowing a character who is so different from the other character goal...

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Hey, what do you know - this thread survived April 1 and turned into a serious one! Who'da thunk?

Yeah. Me too. And here I was thinking Torm was full of it.......

 

[Darth K'Trava]

No, no, no! I haven't even posted on ENWorld in the last 24 hours, except a couple of posts in the Ideal Gaming Circle thread. That pesky Bane was sitting outside using my wireless connection up until about 30 minutes ago, when I spotted and Smote Him. Again. This is getting to be a real problem.

Kindly disregard this thread. Thanks.


(As an aside, yes I know that wouldn't really work that way, and I would have my wireless connection secured - if I really had one. )

I think it's time to smite him again. REAL GOOD. Maybe next time he won't be back, trying to sneak into another deity's wireless network....

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Personally, I dislike full plate. And half-plate.
Why would I pay 1,600 gold for two more points of armor bonus compared to banded mail?

Thats 1,400 gold, thats four potions of cure moderate wounds/delay poison and four of spider climb. Or it's almost two first level wands or Quaal's whip tokens. All kinds of nifty magical stuff to get with that much gold.

And you have to consider the wait for full plate--anyone who is skilled enough to make it, IMO, would have a loooong waiting list, like years long, of very hoity-toity nobles who want exquisite decorative flourishes and such, not just "plain" armor.

So you don't find many full plate or half-plate wearing Fighter or Blackguard villains in my campaigns, unless it's stolen or from another plane, like if an Azer made it or something.

Paladins I'm okay with. Just not plate wearing paladins.

I guess you'll prefer my chainmail wearing pally then..... Although right now, she's in full plate because it's magical and her armor isn't. But, when the party gets to a big city.... she's gonna take care of that.... Considering that plate hinders her movement and makes her more clumsy than usual....

 

[Torm]

My Paladins all seem to prefer chain shirts - Mithril, if available. Other than Wizards, the rest of my characters, too. Seems to be the best balance of AC vs. penalties, to me, period.

And in answer to your question, Nifft - I suppose so. But believe it or not, I have never played a Paladin with a Special Mount! Wings, yes, but a Special Mount, no. I don't like hostages to fortune if I can avoid them - Have you ever played a space fighter sim game (X-Wing\Tie Fighter\Wing Commander\etc)? Have you ever noticed how much harder the "protect other ship X" missions are than the regular "destroy objectives" missions? They are for me, anyway - and the same thing would apply, I suspect, to a Special Mount/Animal Companion/Familiar for me. If I have a choice, I "trade" with the DM for something else, and if not, I just do without.

Everyone - I fixed the first post of the thread, btw. Darned Bane!

 

[Anabstercorian]

When I play a Paladin opposite a rogue or other stealthy type in the party, my job is to draw attention away from the rogue so they can get in position to stab someone in the spine. Otherwise, I stay out of the way.