a paladin rogue
a ranger/rogue wizard
something else along those lines. I was wondering if there were any inherent flaws in either of those builds (other than the fact that as soon as you multiclass with paladin you can no longer gain class levels in Paladin. I like the paladin but there's only one problem. stupid handbook states that they MUST be lawful good and pretty much any character I have I want to be Neutral good. I guess I could try and find a DM who wouldn't enforce that rule but they may be few and far between. I guess there isn't much wrong with a lawful good guy but lawful has too many restrictions and I'd prefer it if my Character more mirrored the way I am in real life which would be neutral good.
if you have any reference to a player's handbook source of some sort that is somewhere close to what I'm looking for please mention it.
also there is no need to respond in a hurry since I am nowhere near currently involved in a 3.5 D&D game. this is just for future reference.
Ranger/Wizard = A character with a low To hit chance [less Bab], low amount of attacks, low spell selection, money split between Spells and Gear, having to choose between Arcane Spell Failure and Armor, split stats [Rangers are typically Dex, and Wizards are Int], inability to reach high level spells at the rate of progression that you need to be useful, etc...
D&D characters are heavily reliant on building on what you already have, since everything is a matter of progression. There are many classes that are nice to dip into, but more often than not it is best to find an item that emulates a class feature that you are looking for. [For example, you could get an item that would allow you to go Invisible for your Paladin to make him more Rogueish, or for your ranger Fire Arrows, or something to that extent.] However, this mind set is only relevant if that is how the other people on your table play. It isn't hard [at all] to make a level 13 Monk that can do a 500 damage in a turn, but that character can only played on a table where everyone else has a similar style character. [500 damage is enough to kill most CR 20 creatures in one attack round.]
Most people here are able to optimize characters fairly well, but you don't want to alienate the rest of the people at the table, etc. So just give us more information on your group, the limits, and what not and we'll be better able to provide you with avenues that achieve the goals you want.
I'm not sure what kind of group I'm playing with. like I said this is all for future reference. I could be playing with a group that didn't allow for anything outside the player handbook or I could be playing with a group that allowed everything or any group in between
I'm mainly asking for a class that would accurately reflect my preferred type which I guess is kind of limiting considering I gave you two options which really doesn't give you much to work with.
the paladin is my preferred class because they combine a swordsman and a spellcaster to some effect however the rogue has some nice features which make her a good choice.
only two problems with the paladin which I think I already stated and which i might be able to get houseruled out.
MUST be lawful good= nothing against the alignment personally it's just that I like my character to reflect the way I actually am for the most part and I'm not lawful good. I'm way more neutral good and probably bordering on chaotic.
2 after multiclassing can never get another paladin class level. seems pretty unnecesarry as well.
of course I may have to search far and wide before I find a party like that but it may in the end be worth it barring a few possible outcomes
Here's a link for Eldritch Knight.
Outside core, you can find Swordsages (Book of Nine swords) and Hexblades (Complete Warrior, I think)to your liking. Swordsages have supernatural abilities, and attacks bordering Cloud Strife capabilities. Hexblades can put spells on their swords.
There's also a variant Paladin called Paladin of Freedom, which is almost the same as the standard paladin, only with a Chaotic Good alignment and some minor changes.
Or you can do a cleric with a war domain, thus having proficiency with a weapon, plus you can put on heavy armor and useful spellcasting abilities such as healing, direct damage (inflict spells if you're an evil cleric), buffing spells and direct damage spells. Three words: No Spell Failure. Clerics are one of the most powerful classes in 3.5, take note of that.
druids while I haven't even looked at the template according to most people are ridiculously overpowered.
same thing with wizards although I didn't notice this. (I only have the PHB for 3.5 which in all probablility explains why)
Clerics. eh while the cleric isn't in this the axiom of clerics in just about every game I've played is that they're useless for anything but healing.
and you can say I'm predjudiced or prefer to cling to old stereotypes but my opinions are mine and they don't change easily. and one part about D&D is having fun and I just don't think I'd have any fun with any of those classes
don't even ask about the bard. if you do a level 7,000,000,000 dread wraith will come and attack me
I don't think even Vaarsuvious qwith his ultimate arcane power could kill thatI don't know why but I'm trying to avoid the wizard, druid and cleric if I didn't mention the cleric. they're all overpowered and while I don't care if other people use them I want use something I made good with a little help not something that can be always good if used correctly. (can't think of a good way to phrase this because I know this isn't the correct form)
druids while I haven't even looked at the template according to most people are ridiculously overpowered.
same thing with wizards although I didn't notice this. (I only have the PHB for 3.5 which in all probablility explains why)
Clerics. eh while the cleric isn't in this the axiom of clerics in just about every game I've played is that they're useless for anything but healing.
and you can say I'm predjudiced or prefer to cling to old stereotypes but my opinions are mine and they don't change easily. and one part about D&D is having fun and I just don't think I'd have any fun with any of those classes
don't even ask about the bard. if you do a level 7,000,000,000 dread wraith will come and attack me
How about a Beguiler? I can be viewed here: http://crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Classes-Base.pdf
If you want to experiment on build I recommend playing Neverwinter Nights. Yes, it only has 3rd ed rules but the system is similar enough to get the general feel. I've tried exotic builds there, like an Elf Monk/Barbarian/Shadowdancer and a Human Ranger/Fighter/Rogue.
Additional info: about the builds you mentioned in the OP.
Paladin/Rogue - unless you're trying to get a certain prestige class (like Ruby Knight Vindicator, Shadowbane Inquisitor and such) you're going to find that rogue and paladin abilities don't complement each other. Rogue skills mostly lie on dexterity, and a paladin's heavy armor might hinder those. Hiding, ambushing and sneak attacking are also hindered by clanky armor. Also, the Paladin's code may be an obstruction to your rogue-ish ways.
Ranger/Wizard - depends on the build, really. I will admit that you won't be able to maximize any of the classes' abilities, but it will make you fairly flexible, I guess. You won't be able to reach the strongest spells, but you can make it up for a little toughness and you can stand toe to toe against your enemy. You will have problems with spellcasting if you don armor because of arcane spell failure. I would recommend doing the archery build rather than the two-weapon fighting build as a ranger, since you would want to stay away from opponents to avoid attacks of opportunities while casting spells. This build can also lead you on the Arcane Archer Prestige Class, if you are an elf or a half-elf.
Rogue/Wizard - now this is a combination that meshes well. Rogues like high Int, because it adds to their most needed skill points and Wizards like high dexterity for additional defense. There's also the Arcane Trickster prestige class that favors Rogue/Wizard builds. A lot of people don't use it but it's pretty interesting.
thank you for the suggestions. I'll look those up when i can
If you're looking for a rogue/wizard combo, look at the Spellthief class in Complete Adventurer. It doesn't give you a whole lot of spells, but it does allow you to steal spells from your opponent. Eldritch Knight is a good combo for your sword-swinging, spell-throwing builds for a PrC.
Another possibility might be the Duskblade from PHB 2. Limited spell selection, but it's a fun build to play, similar in style to the Spellsword. You can eventually wear medium armor with no arcane failure and you can take Two-Weapon Fighting to dual-wield. After that it's a channeling frenzy, and the only time you aren't effective in battle is when you run out of spells (which is a hard thing to do at mid to high levels).