Shattered Kingdoms

Right, knock a mage down, and while he's bouncing around on the ground, and you're kicking him in the face, tell him or her to cast a spell for you.

*Editted.

Newb, educate thyself? In this case, the newb refers to me, because I thought this was a skill that mages got. Apparently it's the paladin sort.

Still, the scenario doesn't hold. We're not talking about someone getting knocked to the ground and getting kicked in the face. We're talking about continued combat from a prone position. For said basher to pull off what you're talking about, the victim would be pretty much stunned.

What it comes down to is this: You say that with combat training, (referencing the helpfile now) supposedly a paladin can not only fight like a normal person rather than take the usual bashed combat reducations, but maintain a hold on a spell in progress to continue after doing so.

Divine magic isn't even his primary specialty, yet it makes sense for him or her to be able to do this, while the singer cannot even belt out a couple notes? Consistency?

I'd have to agree when it comes to balance and further, I have to say that I don't understand how it is that paladins have such an ability while regular casters divine or otherwise do not, despite having a greater level of focus in the art of spellcasting.

Because paladins are supposed to be trained for battle. You'll note that they get lots of things that other casters don't (third attack, dodge, heavy armor etc).

All of the latter skills you mentioned are fighting techniques. Channelling of mana and maintenance of it is a casting technique. Paladins schooling casters in spellcasting techniques is like spellcasters schooling paladins in fighting techniques.

I DO realize that due to the name, you probably consider combat casting a fighting technique, but what it boils down to is pure spellcasting in a combat environment. Spellcasters, divine and otherwise, are not limited to non-combat environments.

They are masters of being able to fight while casting magic. I don't see how you can go "I accept that this is magic" and "I accept that this is fighting" but you can say "I accept that this is magic while fighting".

I'm not sure you understood what I said when you read it. Maintaining a magic spell so that the effect isn't lost while knocked to the ground is a magical technique, not fighting technique.

I accept that *you think* that's fighting, but I disagree, and for the stated reason that any spellcasters should know a hellofalot more about maintaining spells in different environments, since it just happens to be their specialty. Environments being scholastic, travel, combat, and otherwise.

Ok, this fight is getting ridiculous now.

*trips both Jardek and Seraphiction and runs away prancing and whistling*

The bolded portion is wrong.

EDIT: And is largely the reason I bring this up.

Bards also get: third attack, dodge (which, by the way, is a skill that I think literally every caster gets, paladin or not), parry, disarm, sword (a weapon no casters except paladins/hellions get), e-damage, fast healing, trip, and dirt kicking.

They are consumate fighters, only outmatched by mercs, barbs, and swashies. It's a pretty even fight between bards and pallions. A caster gets to cry bitter tears of horror when a bard comes to call, if they don't have an army of undead or a big scary charm at the ready.

So your argument that "pallions are fighters and so should be able to use magic while fighting" applies just as readily to bards. There are exactly two fighting skills pallions get that bards don't: shield block, and heavy armor. Arguably, that's also offset to fewer by the fact that bards get fighting skills that paladins don't, such as brawling.

What in the world is a pallion? Sounds like phallion or something nasty in general.