Poll: Where all the (D&D) paladins at?

[Poerts]

I've been DM'ing (and very rarely playing) D&D for about 6-7 years now, and in all that time, I have never seen someone roll up a Paladin. Ever. Not even consider it. Even among groups that all dedicate themselves to being good-aligned (which, to be honest, seems kinda rare) no one ever wants to play the Paladin.

Is this just my players? What sort of mythical sasquatch-like beast even plays this class?

 

[derintrel]

I fall into that once or twice group. I think a lot of people are discouraged by the difficulty the role playing will entail. You have to make sure you stick by the rigid guidelines or you could lose your powers and end up just a fighter.

Also I believe most people want to be Han Solo more or less. They want to play fast and loose with the rules but still be the good guy that gets the girl. Han Solo is no paladin.

 

[Poerts]

Also I believe most people want to be Han Solo more or less. They want to play fast and loose with the rules but still be the good guy that gets the girl. Han Solo is no paladin.

Yeah, I definitely see that mentality a lot. I think a lot of it might also have to do with decreasing their ability to fuck around. A lot of newer players get kinda drunk off the freedom I tend to allow in my games. I've had many a sudden alignment shift to some variation of evil or chaotic after a player eventually realized they could just murder, steal or urinate on anything in sight.

 

[Tayh]

Playing a class that is defined by having a stick up your arse... Doesn't sound that enticing.

 

[Wayneguard]

HAHA Wayneguard of Altheron is my Paladin name

 

[Fr]anc[is]

Paladins either completely suck the fun out of any kind of roleplaying, or they are scared that the DM will forced them into a lose/lose situation where they lose their powers just for teh lolz.

 

[Antitonic]

Who says paladins always have to be good? Those dark lords need their champions too, you know!

On one of the rare times I've played, I rolled a paladin. I think people might have trouble reconciling the traditional paladin mindset with the traditional RPG mindset. God vs. Pillage/Loot/Plunder, basically.

 

[Haunted Serenity]

I was a Paladin but my paladin's personal "quest" my DM gave me was to try and figure out what I was. I was knocked out during a raid on some pilgrims, having amensia and wearing only scraps of what my holy armour and weapons used to be when my compainions found me. So I was off the moral compass and trying to do the right thing but the i couldn't remeber who/what I was.

I was also the pack mule.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Playing a class that is defined by having a stick up your arse... Doesn't sound that enticing.

Try playing one with the mindset of Don Quixote. Far more entertaining.

(no, he isn't Chaotic Neutral or any other alignment just because he's crazy. From HIS perspective, he's a force of pure good meant to uphold the laws of the land and bring glory to La Mancha)

 

[Don Savik]

(warhammer references incoming)

Kharn the Betrayer is essentially a paladin of Khorne, so paladins can be cool if you pick the right god.

Just don't be like my friend and pick Pelor, the god of sunshine and happiness.

It was a pretty bad experience.....

Playing a class that is defined by having a stick up your arse... Doesn't sound that enticing.

Well, they might be a stickler for rules, but its the rules of said god they worship. Its basically a champion devoted to the teachings of their chosen god. The coolness of the paladin depends on the coolness of the god. We're so used to seeing paladins portrayed worshipping Christianity, that we tend to lump all paladins into that group.

 

[CAPTCHA]

I tend to play Chaotic Neutral types: in it for the exp, loot and the thrill of rolling dem bones. Paladins seem dull to me. About the closest we had in our group was a Lawful Neutral stick in the mud, played like an arse kicking tax auditer.

 

[Poerts]

Try playing one with the mindset of Don Quixote. Far more entertaining.

I think that might just be my character whenever I next get to play. Either that or the Lawful Good Rogue I've been wanting to make for a while.

 

[Rack]

In one setting I played what was basically an 8 year old boys vision of what a Paladin should be. It was one of the most fun roleplaying experience I ever had.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Try playing one with the mindset of Don Quixote. Far more entertaining.

I think that might just be my character whenever I next get to play. Either that or the Lawful Good Rogue I've been wanting to make for a while.

Get a Lawful Good rogue to play the role of Sancho Panza, perhaps?

 

[Poerts]

Get a Lawful Good rogue to play the role of Sancho Panza, perhaps?

Ooh. Maybe. At any rate, a blundering crazy man who means well deep down would fit it in as the unwitting accomplice to the gang of bastards many players seem to end up creating

 

[Darknacht]

Who says paladins always have to be good?

3.X D&D.
I have only played one once of twice, they aren't really my thing, but I have seen lots of people play them. I once saw someone play a paladin from the Scared Lands, for anyone not familiar with the setting in the Scared Lands there was a war between the gods and the Titans and their followers so the LG god hates what are called Titan spawn and wants to wipe them all out, so he was always way too happy to be slaughtering Titan spawn even defenseless women, outside of the game we called him the paladin of genocide.

 

[AppleShrapnel]

I love paladins. If any game has the class, you can bet I'll roll it.

But as for pnp, I only ever did that once a little over 10 years ago, back when I had no rp'ing experience to speak of*, and was your basic chaotic neutral fighter... were the opportunity to present itself to play again, however, I'd be a paladin. You can betcherass. XD

*- And I still don't, technically. Most of that tiny campaign's content was battle, with only a scant few really straightforward rp'ing scenarios. :S

 

[Windcaler]

Paladins are actually one of my favorite classes though I GM most of the time and see very few of them. There are a few issues with paladins mostly because not everyone wants to play a good person and paladins work best in groups made up of all good characters.

People can get turned off from the class from the misconcptions that other character actions determine whether you keep your powers or not. Likewise there are the horror stories of GMs deliberately abusing their power to make paladins fall without the players consent or even understanding.

There are other concerns like "hey I have to be hyper religious to play one" that turn others off and for some settings thats true. However in my games I allow everything from devoted to one god paladins to philosopher paladins.

 

[geK0]

Answered the poll before reading and assumed it wasn't restricted to DnD, so I was like, yea I have a couple of paladins on WOW!

The DM I usually play with does 2nd edition, the stat requirements for a paladin are extremely high in 2nd edition and are rarely rolled. The DM guide also discourages DMs from bending the rules in order to allow paladins because it makes them less 'special'.

so no.

Although, I did play a very zealous warrior-cleric who was somewhat paladin-like.