My favorite playable class while playing D&D is the Paladin because I like the champion aspect of the character - a lone figure making a stand against the evil in the world while adhering to a strict code of religious obedience - and see it in some of my favorite fantasy characters. The Paladin is the guy that will take the fight to evil ones, draw a line in their path and proclaim, "Your evil ways stop here!". Some say that the Cleric fills a similar role but I do not get that feeling from playing one. The Cleric tends to feel like a religious healer instead of a religious champion. I was a fan of the Paladin since AD&D - I do not claim to have always played them correctly - and I play them more than other classes in games such as Diablo also.
Paladins are my 2nd favorite race for all the reasons you say.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Most of the people I have ever talked about this or played with, which is admittedly not a great number, viewed a Paladin and a Lawful Good Putz and always caused problems in groups because of that morality thing and who they could travel with. (Barbarians also had a problem in not associating with magic users.)
ReplyDeleteI always preferred playing a Fighter/Magic-User/Thief. I had almost everything covered that way. I pretty much always multi-classed, probably why I now prefer skill-based over class-based games now.
I think most of the people I was around preferred Rangers over Paladins. Having access to spells as well as bonuses against certain creatures was helpful, oh and starting off with 2-Hit Die.
If I had to pick a single class, it is a toss up between the Illusionist or Assassin. The fast leveling illusionist combined with creativity on spells and some awesome spells in Unearthed Arcana made them great to play. Assassins have that nifty assassinate skill.
I always liked the challenge of trying to be the moral compass of the party while also facing the hordes of evil with them. At what point does temptation give in and you become a monster yourself? That sort of thing.
DeleteYeah, multi-classing in AD&D is definitely where you got more variety. I often did it myself and the F/MU/T was a favorite of mine as well.
I can see the appeal of Rangers. I think I only every played one for some reason; not sure why.
For some reason I never played an Assassin back in the old days. After reading over the class in later years, I think it would be a lot of fun.