Post/Author/DateTime	Post
EyelessBeholder 12-13-06, 04:13 PM	Is this a good idea Multiclassing into Paladin ? It seems multiclassing gimps your characters? if this isnt a good combonation what is for cleric maybe a wizard?
Templario 12-13-06, 04:52 PM	If it reflects your background and storyline, why not? Could be fun. Now, mechanically... I would say no. Fighter would be a better idea, unless you have a very nice CHA!
Treantmonklvl20 12-13-06, 05:21 PM	I had a cleric dip into Paladin. It definitely fit the character (The character was a Warrior/Priest, spellcasting was just a bonus of the class selection), but I regretted it from a maximization viewpoint. The best (so very best) feature of a Cleric is spellcasting, any multiclassing that leaves the spellcasting behind hurts alot. If you've selected a high Charisma for turning undead, a multiclass to Paladin brings some nice benifits, but none that make up for lost spellcasting. The wizard Multiclass is horrible (unless you plan to Mystic Theurge PrC, which makes it still horrible early on, but if the campaign is going into high levels it will have a payoff when it does.) The best multiclass you can do from a maximization viewpoint for Cleric is to PrC with a PrC that continues your casting progression. Look at the Paladin PrC from Unearthed Arcana if you are using that supplement. Your casting doesn't increase every level (if I remember correctly), but it does increase at least.
Zcorpio 12-13-06, 05:23 PM	Purely mechanical; It is NEVER (well almost) worth it for a primary spellcaster to do anything that makes him loose either caster-levels or spell-progression.
The_Shaman 12-13-06, 05:32 PM	Generally, spellcasting has an almost exponential power curve. The more you get, the better. A paladin multiclass could work for, say, a sorcerer if you're planning to go "gish" - say a paladin 2 (divine grace) sorcerer 6 spellsword 1 EK 10. This could also make "sense" for an aasimar. However, the MAD is quite tough on the build, and it loses a few valuable spellcasting levels (no 9th level spells, sorry - you could get them with paladin 1 if you don't mind the weaker saves and knowing only 1 spell). The BAB is 16 at lvl 19 though, and that could allow for a feasible warrior-mage or if you're rolling stats and had a low charisma score. Trying it with a wizard is theoretically possible, but you will need so many attributes that you won't be much good at anything. A paladin-cleric is better handled by using the Paladin as a PrC as UA shows (I think it's in the SRD too). Essentially, you get the paladin goodies, and get a total of 8 cleric caster levels over 15 levels of the class.
Chimaera2000 12-14-06, 08:02 PM	From a mechanical perspective, you're typically better off gaining as many caster levels as possible. Like The_Shaman noted, arcane "gish" builds are an exception to the rule. Clerics, however already have very strong defenses and won't benefit that much from paladin levels, while sorcerors benefit more from spells than from saves. However, if it matches your character concept, then mechanics be damned! I did the exact same thing with a character that I played off and on for three years: he was an apprentice blacksmith turned paladin turned cleric. Did paladin provide me with that many long-term benefits? No. However, it made loads of sense for the character concept and it was fun for me as a player. Ultimately, isn't having fun what counts?