Discussion:First time D&D player: Paladin?

I've read a few things about groups being irritated with a Paladin because of the characters desire to pursue good, and that sometimes there will be quests associated with helping the needy/church; so for a first timer who is the least experienced of all the players in a campaign as well as the only person who actually believes in a diety in the group (LOL), is this a smart move? I was craving a tanky role (barbarian is already taken), since I always chose a DPS role in WoW so my errors didn't stand out in group/dungeon play, but I think I'd like to just go nuts and see how much damage I can do as one of the tankier adventurers in my first ever game. Again, I have NO experience w/ D&D. A few more questions:

How many hours/days/weekends does a typical game take if we are playing Sunday afternoons? Do I have to be in character in-game (eg saying do-gooder things and stopping us from doing evil by only allowing us to pursue good/lawful outcomes)? Do I have to wear a costume? How do I make sure I don't do anything evil (again, I have no exp w/ D&D and have no idea how this works)? What's a good backstory for a campaign for a Paladin that is being transported to a detainment facility for a life in prison? (And how far should I go with my backstory?) Can I create secret powers/spells related to my backstory? Can I be a BLUE Paladin w horse hooves? (Sorry, this comes from loving Dranei characters in WoW, but seriously...lol) Any other pointers for a beginner?

In case you're wondering why I'm not asking my DM instead of posting here, my DM goes into these days-long Introverted/can't be bothered "I'm not feeling very communicative" modes quite often, so I figured this was my quickest way to get answers in time for the campaign this Sunday. Thanks, all!

ok big load here first of all role playing a paladin is HARD to do...correctly. Essentially you are the quintessential stick-in-the-unspeakables. However that doesn't mean you have to be boring. I personally don't like playing as paladins but i have seen some good ones in action. Paladins are tanky with nice damage IF you are constantly fighting evil enemies otherwise you are essentially a weaker fighter mixed with a less than lvl 1 cleric and some special resistances. For your other questions *sucks in deep breath* depends on if you go all the way from 1 to 20 or shorter, usually, not out-of-game, don't kill the orphans, sucks to be the fall guy, not at level 1, if you want to convert stats to a race that DM approves go ahead, and DON'T THROW THE HALFLING. i know its tempting but they tend to hold grudges about those kinds of things.Mordred the dark (talk) 19:36, 12 October 2014 (MDT)

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