[Vangard] Interview de Darrin McPherson

Other than tanking, what do you think will be the main aspects of a Paladin that will make them desirable to groups?

Darrin McPherson -

Paladins are our most defensively oriented Protective Fighter. They are very geared towards protection and augmentation of their group. They have auras that can heal, empower or protect their parties. They have heals and buffs, which you would expect, but they also have powerful rescue abilities. One of the themes that I wanted to go with for the Paladin was protection and retribution – You don’t want to attack a Paladin’s ally. Our Paladin is the least damaging of the classes in his archetype, except when he is performing rescues. A Paladin’s rescues deal damage to the offender, damage that is on par with or that exceeds the Warrior in some cases.

Paladins of Telon -

At Fanguard, you mentioned that Paladins would have a unique ability type called ‘Gifts of Virtue’, such as Lay on Hands and Paragon. Do each of these abilities have a separate refresh timer, or can you only use one at a time? Feel free to give more examples of ‘Gifts of Virtue’!

Darrin McPherson -

Each Gift of Virtue has a separate timer. They all consume Virtue, which is a limited pool that regenerates slowly, so this provides the limiting factor on these very powerful abilities. Example Gifts of Virtue:
Paragon - A massive, stacking attribute and damage buff
Sunburst – Massive undead only direct damage
Zeal – Allows all the Paladin’s attacks to strike twice for a short time

You mentioned Lay on Hands as a gift. It is and it isn’t. Lay on Hands can be used every 5 minutes and it is totally free of cost, unless the Paladin chooses to heal himself or another Paladin with it – at which point it costs a lot of Virtue. Paladins are self sacrificing and should never selfishly use this power.

Paladins of Telon -

You also mentioned that Paladins would have Aura-type buffs that give certain benefits. Can you elaborate on how these work, and if you can have more than one active at a time?

Darrin McPherson -

Auras are continuous group buffs that affect anything in range. They are free and do not cost the Paladin anything to use. Most are defensive in nature, increasing regeneration, adding AC or augmenting damage. Aura of Radiance is a combination of offense and defense. Allies near you become immune to some undead attacks (life drains, etc) and they are also cleansed of any poisons or diseases (this happens over time). Undead effecting and healing spells are increased in power and undead in the area of the Paladin take damage over time.

You can only have one active at a time.

Paladins of Telon -

What weapon choices will be available to the Paladin class, and are there plans for any special ‘Holy Weapons’ specifically designed for Paladins?

Darrin McPherson -

Paladins can wield two-handed slashing and blunt weapons as well as one handed weapons and shields. There are always plans for special class weapons, but we want to avoid, as much as possible, adding weapons and other equipment that is so powerful for a particular class that it becomes a requirement for raiding. There is a balance to be struck here and that is our goal.

Paladins of Telon -

Many people are concerned with the Paladin’s healing ability. The Paladin class has been represented in many different ways throughout the years. Will Paladins have traditional ‘direct heals’ and if so, how likely is it that the Vanguard Paladin would be called on to be the main healer in a group?

Darrin McPherson -

Paladins do have direct heals. They have the instant Lay on Hands ability as well as traditional heals. Their heals are not nearly as powerful or efficient as the Healers are. Paladins are prone to interruption and while casting he is not generating hate, so healing while you are tanking is a bit of work. In an outdoor group that is fighting easier content it is possible that a Paladin might be able to pull it off. The traditional main healer role for a group should really be taken on by a character from the Healer classes.

Paladins of Telon -

It has been stated that all Heavy Fighters will mitigate damage equally, with each class having a certain niche for tanking specific types of creatures. Clearly, undead would be a paladin’s specialty, what sort of offensive and defensive bonuses would we receive in these cases?

Darrin McPherson -

The Paladin gets many abilities that allow him to deal with undead. Many of his attacks deal much more damage to undead targets and he can gain immunities to certain debilitating undead effects.

Paladins of Telon -

Will Paladins have the traditional Cleric-hybrid abilites such as Cure Disease and Cure Poison, or will these be reserved for the Healer archetype?

Darrin McPherson -

Paladins have some cross-archetype abilities, some that are normally reserved for healers which I have mentioned above. Some cures and the like though may find their way into the Paladin’s repertoire, but again, the Paladin in Vanguard should be focused on protection.