Are 1st level Paladins 'Divine Casters'?

[Elboxo]

I'm looking at a build ( Mainly barbarian ) with a level in a divine caster so I can use wands ( Of lesser Vigor ) and I thought of Paladins as a good dip; Full BaB and Divine casting ability. The thing is they don't get casting until 4th level ( When they gain a caster level ), so would they still be able to use divine wands? Or would I need to take Practiced Spellcaster to increase my caster level up by 4 ( Effectively making my caster level 5, character is level 7 so I don't need to worry about HD cap on the feat ).

tl;dr -> Do I need Practiced Spellcaster as a level 1 Paladin to use divine wands or not?

EDIT: Would ranger be a better substitute? More skill points never hurts, also combat style and track for free is fun

[mootoall]

From the SRD:

Spell Trigger

Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it’s even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Anyone with a spell on his or her spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item that stores that spell. (This is the case even for a character who can’t actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin.) The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

[Elboxo]

Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply!

[mootoall]

Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply!

No problem!

[deuxhero]

Yes, but a fallen Paladin isn't (unless going for Paladin of Freedom or the DM drops the barbarians stupid alignment restrictions).

[Acanous]

Ranger is *Probably* your best single-level dip here. The skills synergize with yours, the combat style might actually be usefull, and you don't get any restrictions.

[Morph Bark]

Is Lesser Vigor even on the Paladin or Ranger spell lists?

[Zolthux]

Yes, but a fallen Paladin isn't (unless going for Paladin of Freedom or the DM drops the barbarians stupid alignment restrictions).

First thing I thought of. Barbarians must be chaotic and Pallys must be lawful good. Ranger is a much better choice as stated earlier. Although see if it's worth dipping so many levels in another class (4)

[SaintRidley]

First thing I thought of. Barbarians must be chaotic non-lawful and Pallys must be lawful good. Ranger is a much better choice as stated earlier. Although see if it's worth dipping so many levels in another class (4)

Minor edit. It's a little less dire than must be chaotic for a barbarian.

[Luckmann]

First thing I thought of. Barbarians must be chaotic and Pallys must be lawful good. Ranger is a much better choice as stated earlier. Although see if it's worth dipping so many levels in another class (4)Unless I misunderstood something, the entire point of the thread was that he doesn't need 4 levels. He only needs 1, because even though Paladins & Rangers don't get spells until level 4, they still qualify as 'Divine Casters'.

I agree, by the way. I'd go with Ranger, not Paladin. Better synergy, no restrictions, features you can actually use - and last but not least, more thematic in relation to a Barbarian (somewhat depends on your character, of course).