[MENTION=6802951]Cap'n Kobold[/MENTION] You are right i did exagerate a bit in my example, propably mainly i want to criticize the multiclassing simply built for some game mechanics gimmic coming into effect, e.g. Pally able to Nova + gets a sneak attack or whatever that build was.
A Pally in my Point of view is something Special. In the 2nd ed i remember it was stated in some official book, that a Paladin is a 1 in 100. Means on every PC Paladin there are 99 other PC. That was reinforced with the Minimum required stats for Pallys back then, which were very hard to roll with certain roling methods.
A different Paladin like todays 5E variations still should still be something Special, in so far that he takes an oath on something and is devoted to a higher goal than mundane wealth or whatever other funs.
That means a personality, someone who would not easily stray from a given path. Means purely rp - wise a Paladin should be a class which is among the least used for multiclass.
I think one of the strengths of 5e compared to the earlier versions is the essential flexibility in the classes and the characters that can be played. Pigeon holing paladins as the lawful stupid archetype of previous editions seems to me to be missing the complete redesign of the class in 5e. Similarly, enforcing cliche'd archetypes on the other classes like fighters and rogues also does them a significant disservice.
You are, of course, welcome to play whatever you like in your game ... but by limiting the classes to what was envisaged in 2e rather than 5e ... you leave out a lot of roleplaying options especially for a paladin which no longer has to follow such a restrictive covenant.
- Oath of Devotion (the classic paladin)
- Oath of the Ancients (nature paladin or a paladin that focuses on good without respect to law or chaos .. you could also call it the "party" paladin
"Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art.")
- Oath of Vengeance (this doesn't match up to any previous paladin concepts ... fighting the greater evil over the lesser ... perhaps even allying with evil in pursuit of greater goals)
- Oath of Conquest (glory in battle paladin, this is more the lawful paladin rather than good/evil)
- Oath of Redemption (peaceful paladin, fighting as a last resort, even bad guys can be redeemed ... very tough to play in a campaign since the role play aspects put the character at a combat disadvantage)
... and these are only the paladin options in the PHB and XAN. They go so far beyond the "must be lawful good knight in shining armor stereotype).
Would a paladin multiclass? Yes, depending on the circumstances. An Oath of Vengeance or Oath of Conquest paladin might well multiclass into rogue or fighter if they felt it would make them more effective at fulfilling their oath. It has nothing to do with the rogue being a "sneaky thief" since the stealth skills, additional options in battle and additional damage from well placed attacks might well make an Oath of Vengeance paladin better at fulfilling the goals of the character. They might never steal anything but in game, the character might see how rogue skills would synergize with his goals.
Basically, the mechanics of the classes and the character abilities are the same. If the player can see benefits of multiclassing then likely so could the character from a role play perspective.
How about some other multiclass options? Oath of Ancients paladin/bard ... absolutely ... makes complete sense with keeping people happy. Oath of Ancients paladin/fey warlock ... if the fey is closely tied to the paladin's goals of defending nature then this can be completely in character. Paladin 2/ Sorceror X ... this is a magic using character that has strong beliefs and wishes to uphold righteousness but prefers to rely more on magic than on their martial prowess. There are lots of role play reasons for such a character.
The interesting thing ... none of these potentially amazing characters (from a role play perspective) would be allowed in your game because of the narrow class definitions you prefer (that are actually not a part of 5e).
