[3.0] Help with Paladin and party problems

[TheAmazingOP]

Hey everyone, new guy here.

I've played D&D for about 1 year now, varying from 3.0 to 4.0. My friends and I play a pretty casual campaign with lenient rules. For example, I'm a level 5 paladin and my DM says I can get whatever mount I want to, as long as it reasonable, I can find it, and I can defeat it in single 1-1 combat.

Our party is also pretty non-optimized. I used my 2 feats that work on my bastard sword (one proficiency, one focus) and shieldmate to help my teammates with their AC. The NE Druid has been playing D&D the longest among us, has a leopard and wolf as buffed up companions, and is pretty powerful. My other friend plays a LN Wizard and doesn't really know how to focus on anything (which sometimes leads to cheating, intentional or not.)

Anyway, my first question is whether I should advance to Paladin 6th level or not. I was thinking to multiclass next into a knight (again, casual campaign) but the only thing worrying me is the extra (edit: divine spell, not remove disease) spell I get. I feel like the spells would be great if I could actually use one per day, instead of just one from my Wisdom.

Second question is, how should I maintain some control, and not have the group overpower me? The Wizard in the group REALLY likes to copy and support whatever the Druid does, saying his alignment allows him to do this. The Druid is pretty powerful. I might be able to take him on his own, even with his spells, but he has his animals to aid him which really hampers me. In addition, the Wizard even helps him sometimes, which makes it impossible for me to do anything. Recently, we fought 2 Chuul, and even though I took 100+ damage and dealt the most damage, after the victory when we were all knocked out except for him, he took all my gold and a +2 AC ring I had.

So what I'm trying to ask is: How should I handle the Druid? Through force, after possibly getting new items and my mount/leadership? Or should I try other means, such as Diplomacy?

Edit: P.S., it would be great if we could stay a bit more core-ish, but if worst comes to worst other sources can be used

[eastmabl]

As for the advancement, I think that sticking with Paladin might be the way to go. Knight has some fun things, but it tends to be a class that scales from 1-20.

As for the druid: For me, if I'm playing in a laid back group, nobody is taking my stuff while I'm unconscious. Speak with the DM to speak with the player, but if he is unrepentant about his theft and unwilling to give you back your ring, this is what I would do.

(1) Figure out in game who took your ring. (There are only so many people who might have).
(2) Demand for the ring back.
(3) If he doesn't give it back in game, wait until you have the watch. Hit him in the head with a shovel while he sleeps, load him up on your mount and take him to the nearest town to stand trial.

Short of playing an evil campaign where a certain amount of shenanigans of this kind are to be expected, he should (a) be cooperative and (b) be held accountable for his actions.

[toapat]

In order:

1: Get a gryphon mount, or Wyvern if you are playing an evildin.

2: You really need to rebuild your paladin, at level up, take Mystic Fire Knight 2+3 (retraining level 5, i highly doubt you will need remove disease that much from level 6, only paladin this is excluded from is CE), get an attribute rebalance, and get either Serenity (Wisdom SAD) or Dynamic Priest (Cha SAD).*
3: stay in paladin. Knight is pretty much not worth it.

*Im not talking full blown optimization, just getting the stuff to bring you upto the power of the other 2. Spellshatter would help hugely,

[navar100]

Tell the druid player, and I mean player, to give your stuff back. If he refuses, ask the DM to force him. In either case no revenge (i.e. killing your character when asleep or some such). If he refuses, quit the game because the DM is enabling such donkey cavity behavior.

This is why one player playing an evil character doesn't work. It causes stupid shenanigans like this. It has nothing whatsoever to do with you playing a paladin, despite a paladin and an evil party member having its own inherent problems. This is a metagame problem. Solve it in metagame.

Also, tell wizard player his alignment does not give him permission to do anything. Alignment does not force any character to do anything. Alignment only describes the behavior the character has already done. If the wizard acts like a selfish donkey cavity, that's the player's free will choice of doing so.

Repeat: If the DM does not put a stop to this, quit.

[Kobold Esq]

when we were all knocked out except for him, he took all my gold and a +2 AC ring I had.

So what I'm trying to ask is: How should I handle the Druid? Through force, after possibly getting new items and my mount/leadership? Or should I try other means, such as Diplomacy?

I would recommend some other means: stop playing with juveniles.

People who play these characters will say "I'm playing my alignment!" as if it were some sort of defense. But here you have a guy who is playing one of the most powerful classes in an unoptimized group, AND is playing as self-centered thief. In character your pally would have no reason to travel with them (and in fact is prevented from doing so by his class features). But really the issue is an out of character player problem.

Life is too short for bad gaming.

[andromax]

the druid stole the meat shields ac ring and wont give it back?

If 2nd the notion that if metagaming doesn't solve the issue then it's only going to get more awkward for your gaming group.

I know that not everyone is privilaged to play with close friends, but you should not have to play with douche bags.