<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=98195.msg4281286#msg4281286">Quote from: Hikari on 20-02-2011, 02:25:58</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Do you want to use a standard paladin backstory, or something a bit more unusual?  The "classic" paladin was such a ridiculously restricted and restrictive archetype that there really are only a few valid backgrounds for such characters, but over the editions the class has changed enough that a 4E paladin can be significantly different if you want to go that way.  The core (as in Jungian-grade) archetypes basically boil down to:<br/><br/>The Knight-Errant (A knight on a holy quest, usually with limited information so that they end up exploring a lot.  Think Lancelot searching for the Holy Grail.)<br/>The Messianic Champion (A person who has been given a personal mandate by their god to sally forth and kick evil ass.  Think Joan of Arc.)<br/>The Infallible Hero (A knight who is chivalrous, virtuous, and valorous to a fault.  Think Superman.)<br/>The Destined Hero (A knight who has been chosen, despite the odds/obvious questions about why more experienced and better candidates were overlooked, to rescue a princess or save the day.  Think Link.)<br/>The Crusader (A knight who exists exclusively to fight a seemingly hopeless battle against some great, usually undying evil.  Think Paragon-path Commander Shepard.)<br/><br/>A modern paladin seems to have far more variety in possible backstories, of course.  Even so, there's some variety in the classics; for example, you could be a Tragic Crusader (as in, one who knows they are destined to die without truly succeeding in their mission, but who fights on anyway) or even a Quixotic Crusader.  Your Knight-Errant could be a Penitent, who's taken on the mantle of the quest to try and cleanse himself of sins for which he's truly regretful, or simply an ambitious young Templar eager to prove himself to the order.  The only one who doesn't allow much wiggle room is the Infallible Hero--the classic Gygaxian vision of the paladin--though with the way some people played it, you'd think The Preacher was an acceptable variant...<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>I understand how those classic ideas came about, but I'm often surprised at how honesty inflexible many people perceive and enforce them to be. Even on 3.5 the paladin was one of my favorite classes, and no matter what, I always heard from everyone they were so restrictive that after two or more tries you ended up making nothing but bob the second. What I found was that it was just an extremely advanced class tailored more toward roleplaying. The only true archetype of the paladin is the knight. Honor, Courage, Valor, and justice. No matter what these are present, and even still they remain true in the 4E version.<br/><br/>Now it isn't the huge roleplaying class it was on 3.5, this makes it more appealing to players as a whole. The restrictions that did box it in are no longer present, and it makes it vastly easier to play. I have dozens of different Paladin ideas, and I'd be happy to list a few down below.<br/><br/>The Excommunicated Crusader: The trials of a knight often lead to strange decisions, and because of this you have been cast out from the general faith of your church. Despite this atrocity that would be seen as omen of dismissal from your god, the deity still grants his power upon you as a sign of his favor. To this end you crusade to do his will, without the aid or backing of the church. Questing for your place, and the reason why this happened.<br/><br/>Defender of the Faith: Raised as a holy warrior of the gods, you've spent your life in defense of the church that is your home. When an outside force threatens it's survival, you're forced to take the defense outside the reaches of the temple for the first time. You now stand at the forefront, searching out a great evil you know lurks in the shadows threatening not only your beliefs, but the entire land.<br/><br/>These are just a couple of ideas, both take from the basic perspective and add to it to make it something more in depth. The truth is, most of of the restrictive issues of the Paladin, even on 4E, are based upon the popular perception and stereotypes that have been placed upon them. The only real restriction is that they are holy warriors blessed by the gods/their god. With this aspect, you can do most anything with them, even with the code of conduct found on 3.5.