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View Full Version : Character development for a paladin/warlock 3.5



Sir_Chivalry
2009-09-29, 10:33 PM
Hello to anyone who looked past the contradiction in the title and decided to see how off my rocker I am. That's right, I want to build a warlock/paladin, that is, a character who begins as a warlock and then progresses on to paladin levels. Now, assuming there is a feat that could stack the two for some purpose or another, what kind of character would result from such a (holy/unholy) union? I'm trying to think of ways a warlock would decide to turn to paladin-hood.

Any ideas? I'd love to hear 'em.

Xefas
2009-09-29, 10:39 PM
Warlocks have to be Chaotic or Evil, and Paladin's have to be Lawful Good, so there may be an alignment conflict...

Still, if you get around that, there's many valid character concepts. Such as Ghost Rider, or Emodin.

Mongoose87
2009-09-29, 10:50 PM
Warlocks have to be Chaotic or Evil

Pardon me, sir?

Xefas
2009-09-29, 11:05 PM
Pardon me, sir?

:smallconfused: What?



Abilities: A high charisma score makes a Warlock's invocations harder to resist. High dexterity is very valuable to a Warlock, allowing him to better aim his Eldritch Blasts, and a good Constitution score is always useful.
Alignment: Any evil or any chaotic.
Hit Die: d6

OracleofWuffing
2009-09-29, 11:11 PM
That said, I don't think they lose anything if their alignment is changed, so a friendly chat with your neighborhood DM might be in order to make sure you won't be losing things by his or her interpretation.

deuxhero
2009-09-29, 11:12 PM
Though if the iconic characters are anything to go by, chaotic and lawful are the same thing, as if you are devoted to something you are lawful, but if you are devoted to something, you are chaotic.

Glimbur
2009-09-29, 11:14 PM
Who says Warlocks have to make pacts with only Devils? The Fey are also known for making all sorts of deals with mortals. An Angelic pact is also possible I guess, but that presents different possibilities for making the PC's life difficult.

A feat would probably let Paladin progress Eldritch Blast damage but not invocations, and Warlock progress Smite Evil and... maybe something else. It'd also allow free multiclassing, of course.

ErrantX
2009-09-29, 11:22 PM
Warlock -> Enlightened Spirit -> Paladin.

Enlightened Spirits (Complete Mage) are warlocks that have forsaken the evils of whatever method they had before, and instead gain holy invocations and such. Go Paladin from there.

-X

Raewyn
2009-09-29, 11:26 PM
I think the first step in chronicling your warlock's path to paladinhood is to figure out his alignment before he became a paladin. A Lawful Evil warlock's journey will be considerably different that a Chaotic Good one's.

Also, Complete Scoundrel contains many of the "X and Y class stack for the purpose of determining A and B class features." Maybe some of those could give you inspiration to homebrew your own. Maybe a feat (to be named later) that stacks Paladin/Warlock levels for the purpose of determining Eldritch Blast damage and... uh... Smite Evil per day? I'm not terribly good at this. :smallredface:

ErrantX
2009-09-29, 11:34 PM
Another easy solution is to use the Paladin of Freedom (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#paladinofFreedomClassF eatures) variant from Unearthed Arcana/d20srd and be a Chaotic Good Warlock.

Almost forgot that one.

-X

Sir_Chivalry
2009-09-30, 12:37 PM
(Yikes, 9 replies in only a few hours of my positng!! I LOVE THIS FORUM!!!!)

While I am aware of the ease with which you could play this with a Paladin of Freedom, that takes some of the fun out of it. I was more looking for tips on playing such a character, if one could exist.
Whether to go melee or ranged (because you can be a ranged paladin, and the loss of most armour proficiencies it takes to do so is mitigated by the presense of arcane spell failure)?
What sort of race would work well for such a character (I've always been partial to human myself)?
Looking at the fluff side, more than the crunch side.

Burley
2009-09-30, 12:54 PM
(Yikes, 9 replies in only a few hours of my positng!! I LOVE THIS FORUM!!!!)

9 replies in less that a half hour is actually kinda slow for this forum. :smallamused:

Anyways, as far as RP goes, if you are starting anywhere past 1st level, you could say you made a deal with something evil/chaotic and are using the power to accomplish a task that you see as good. (Really, Paladins should be Lawful Good or Neutral Good, in my head, with Chaotic Good being acceptable, but a hefty outlier.)
But, for a flowing backstory, I would suggest taking warlock levels before paladin levels. Paladin code may not take you back if you shunned it.
If you want to take levels back and forth, you could say that even if you are trying to gain redemption from your warlockin' ways, there is still an etity with at least partial dominion over you. You can't help it if your powers manifest greater strength.

AtwasAwamps
2009-09-30, 12:59 PM
I have a friend whose concept is reversed. He is a paladin who became a warlock...he signed his pact and sold his soul to save a village full of people.

He continues to call himself a paladin because he is really really stubborn.

Telonius
2009-09-30, 01:10 PM
As far as I'm aware, there's no such thing as "falling" for a Warlock. There are no listed consequences for an alignment shift (other than no longer qualifying for Warlock levels), so I don't see why you'd lose any of the Warlock goodies. (Though I could see the DM ruling otherwise if your background has an Infernal Pact in it - Evil Outsiders wouldn't want their powers being used for good).

Paladin is one of the MADdest classes out there. Fortunately your Charisma will be somewhat useful to both classes. Attacks are going to be a little on the weak side, since you'll have lower BAB from Warlock. Hideous Blow could come in handy if you're going to be charging at all. As for race ... human? Seems like the least likely to weaken your stats.

Person_Man
2009-09-30, 01:37 PM
I could see a Glaivelock (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870282/The_Glaivelock__A_MiniGuide) starting as a variant Paladin of some kind.

I could also see a Paladin of Slaughter 4/Warlock 3/Demonbinder (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20070430a&page=3) 1-4ish. Demonbinder is a nice way to get multiple arms, which opens up Multiweapon Fighting abuse.

Sir_Chivalry
2009-10-02, 09:18 AM
Okay, so in the event of a warlock/paladin multiclass, it is infinitely better to be evil. More options.

On a role-playing note, what are some role-playing tips you'd give for a pair of gamers playing a paladin and a warlock individually, who are a couple (the characters, though in this case it's also true for the players). A paladin who is in love with a warlock, who is mutually affectionate. What sort of role-playing tips have you, O playgrounders?

jiriku
2009-10-02, 01:58 PM
Aasimar and tieflings are good races if you want to explore the conflict of trying to live by a code (tiefling) or dark pact (aasimar) when your internal inclinations tell you to be otherwise. Human, dwarf, and half-orc are good for exploring themes of hero vs. society.

Some themes that might help you role-play your character:

Rebelling against society's expectations vs. seeking social acceptance

Living for yourself vs. living for others

Vengeance and revenge vs. forgiveness and mercy

Ignoble deeds committed for noble ends or noble deeds turned to ignoble ends

Edit: another one, so obvious i missed it; sin vs. redemption