Help a newbie RPG'er :D

[Erthanos]

Hey there, I am D&D newbie that is looking for some help with his first character of D&D.
I have always wanted to play RPG games (pretty much just D&D) since I was like 9 but I just couldn't find people to play with, however 1 year ago I started to play Vampire : The Masquerade and Werewolf : The Forsaken.

They are pretty cool but I just think sometimes they are pretty dull... they lack.. fantasy, things I am sure I will be able to find in Dungeons and Dragons.

Some weeks ago one of my friends told me he was making a D&D story (at last!) so of course I am all excited cause of this...
So I was wondering if you guys could help me with my first character?
I am still a newbie in RPG's overall, despite I have played for a year... let's just say the Storytellers of Vampire and Werewolf ain't that... newbie friendly and prefer to focus on the veterans, therefore I have not been able to improve as a roleplayer that much.

However the guy that will run the D&D Campaign is mad cool, I have been asking him how is the story going and he is giving me advice and so (things the other dudes didn't gave to me) so I am sure this could be my real first awsome RPG story.
So he is telling me we will play AD&D (that is 2nd Edition right?) so well I wanted to try out 3.5 cause I just love Arcane Archers... but hey it is still D&D. :D
So I was thinking of making a Paladin.
Or anything else you think it would be suitable for a... ''green'' roleplayer.
I ask this cause my first RPG character was a Malkavian, and those who know them, you must know that those aren't really made for guys that have NEVER EVER roleplayed at all.
I have been checking ''The Complete Paladin's Handbook'' from AD&D and all they stuff they must do seems pretty cool, but at the same time it is a lot of stuff they must do : Tithings, Donations, Charity, Not being rich, Not having more than 10 magical items, etc.
So probably a Paladin is not the best option for a newbie.

So I was wondering if making a Paladin would be a good idea.
The reason I want to make a Paladin is cause I just love them overall, I always try to be one in MMORPG's and I always try to pick ''Holy spells'' and so, I just love those dudes in shining armor.

So well.. err this seems a bit confusing.. sorry It is just I am way too excited to play D&D. :D
But I would really appreciate the help from you guys.

Thanks in advance.

Zonack

[Lupy]

Let me say, before anything else, that I have never played 2nd edition.

That said, this is what I would do:

Play as a Fighter (the easiest class in 3.x and 4e, probably in 2e too), and roleplay him as a paladin. He won't have a class feature called "smite" but every time he critically hits someone he can call it a smite. After all, there's no reason fighters can't be devout.

I say this because it's how my friend learned to play, playing a fighter who acted like a Paladin.

[Keld Denar]

If it is AD&D 2nd ed, you can pretty much play anything, since nothing was terribly complicated in that game (well, once you figure out how THAC0 works!). Play something you think would be fun. I'd recommend a fighter or maybe even a bard for your first character. Bards were often overlooked but incredible fun in that incarnation of the game.

[Flickerdart]

If it is AD&D 2nd ed, you can pretty much play anything, since nothing was terribly complicated in that game (well, once you figure out how THAC0 works!).

What about Psionics?

[Erthanos]

Upon further reading, it seems Paladins do get a lot of penalties for many actions.. even for unintentional actions... I don't see how if you were Charmed by a Wizard and kill an innocent peasant it's your fault and hence lose Paladin status :(

[Erthanos]

By the way is it possible to make a Half-Dragon in AD&D?

[Starscream]

Hey there, I am D&D newbie that is looking for some help with his first character of D&D.
I have always wanted to play RPG games (pretty much just D&D) since I was like 9 but I just couldn't find people to play with, however 1 year ago I started to play Vampire : The Masquerade and Werewolf : The Forsaken.

I was in the same boat for a while. I played D&D when I was young, but then my family moved to a town that more...rural. Cough*rednecks*cough!

The only people in my school who roleplayed were the local goths, and Vampire was their game of choice. So I swallowed my pride, pretended to be interested in Robert Smith, and bought myself a ton of d10s.

I haven't played 2nd edition in years, but I seem to remember that Fighter and Cleric were pretty easy classes to play.

[Erthanos]

Cleric eh?
Hmmm I think the DM allows Avariels, maybe an Avariel Cleric would be pretty fun too.