I must make something of a confession on this. My original idea was really to post a rant about how paladins are perceived, how they are played, and then offer my own opinions on this. However, this little rant exploded into a full blown analysis of the class, along with historical and literary commentary. Clearly I can not even begin to do this in 1 blog, let alone 2 or 3. At the moment, I am thinking that this analysis will be divided up into 4 sections (which will probably expand, but this is the current plan):
1. Song of Roland
2. Historical Review
3. Arthurian Mythos
4. Application in game play
As one can tell, not only do I like the class concept of the paladin, but I am very intrigued by the history involved. The paladin carries with it a colorful history and literary tradition, which I think separates it from the other classes. I think this is one of the reasons that initially attracted me to D&D. In a sense, D&D allowed me to go back to an earlier darker time, when valiant knights once walked the lands defeating dragons and rescuing fair maidens. The paladin class is an embodiment of this ideal. I know this may sound a bit corny, but something in this really resonates with me. It is as if D&D has its own call to adventure and asks us to create our own epic, not just read about someone else's adventure. I think this is the key strength of the game.
It has been said that heroes come in many shapes and sizes, but my favorite ones wear shiny plate armour with a colorful coat of arms!
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Paladin Series Summary
For ease of reading, I will provide the links to all the blogs in the series:
Part 1A
Paladin Series Summary
For ease of reading, I will provide the links to all the blogs in the series:
Part 1A
2 comments:
I'm glad to see that you are expanding your plans on the topic. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Many thanks...it might end up with 10 parts before all is said and done.
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