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1. The paladin is a champion of a divine calling.

LX alignments makes sense to me.  That Paladins are not just LG seems like a progressive step.  LE Paladins, imo, are much cooler than anti-paladins.  LN Paladins, not sure how they are gonna hand out the smitage.

2. A paladin can see and smite evil.

Sounds like more of a roleplaying Detect Evil than battlemat Detect Evil. 

"A paladin knows when something supernaturally adverse to the deity or calling he or she champions is nearby." is the Smite rule, that they use Smite Evil in the title is just for recognition. 

3. A paladin is a fearless and selfless warrior.

Sticky Holy Avengers? 

This sound good to me.  I am guessing it will have some Defender schtick that can you can focus on with a Theme or have while you Theme in a different direction.

4. A paladin has divine abilities.

This is the take away for me, "divine ablitities" is the last goal.  Lawful Divine alignment, Detect and Smite supernaturally-adverse-to-your-deity-or-calling, Fearless (read brick) and Selfless (read defender), and thennn all the other stuff.

May 18, 2012 -- 8:23AM, Mand12 wrote:

May 18, 2012 -- 8:21AM, The_Jester wrote:

Having to make hard choices, refusing to comprimise, acting as moral compass, and being handled by the party.

Please explain how this is fundamental and inherent to all paladins in all settings in all games in all situations, and why non-paladins can't face the same situations.

There is nothing that is fundamental and inherent to all settings and in all games. Period. Even attack rolls fall to the wayside in some games. That's the point of 5e: give something for everyone and every style while going back to the basics.

The idea of a duty-bound paladin is consistant with earlier portrayals from 1st edition to 3rd, and was something many found missing in 4th. It was and is a defining feature of the paladin. Lawful Good and good-only paladins have become commonplace outside of D&D; it's become archetypal as a game element and bit of world design. 
Can non-paladins face the same situations? Absolutely. But there's less at stake, no consequences of drifting evil when convenient or expeditious. The fighter doesn't lose some skill with a sword because they took the easy way out. 

The paladin is the class for people who want that type of play experience, who enjoy the additional moral element. The paladin is the eponymous shining knight and beacon of good, and it loses something ineffable when you can play a Chaotic Good or Neutral paladin. 

The rules should support this, and there should be related mechanics and restrictions. For those uninterested, they can ignore those rules. That's super-easy. But those who enjoy that sort of play, that sort of class, shouldn't be forced to make their own house rules for fallen paladins.

May 18, 2012 -- 8:40AM, Lawolf wrote:

So I, as a paladin of the god of chaos, must be lawful. Yep...got it.

Yeah!  If you were yourself chaotic, you wouldn't have ever become a Paladin.  So you can be a paladin to any aligned diety and not just the Lawful ones, cool.