paladins of atypical gods. a paladin of the god of storms whose divine smite is a literal bolt of lightning from the heavens. a paladin of one of the gods of death who seems scary but just wants the dead to receive justice and comfort.

a paladin of one of the "darker" gods who sees themselves as responsible for those that other paladins wouldn't protect— those who are lost, those who maybe aren't innocent but who deserve compassion all the same.

hell, there's a god of thieves (and theyre chaotic neutral)! what does a paladin of the god of thieves look like— how do you have a stalwart defender of a group defined by its secrecy and fluidity? what are they defending— the right of thieves to exist? the value of individual moral codes over societal laws? the honor code of thieves? maybe they strike down "false" thieves, those in it for greed with no respect for the art of theft or the standards respected by other thieves.

and then there's oathbreaker paladins. i just think there are so many more interesting reasons to break an oath than "i didn't want to be good and help people anymore."

give me an oathbreaker paladin whose god commanded them to do something against their morals. who is now branded as a traitor to their god when really it's their god who betrayed them.

give me an oath of vengeance paladin who is tired, not as angry as they once were, and sick of bloodshed. who breaks their oath by sparing an enemy.

give me a paladin whose oath is noble but who is frustrated with the moral absolutism of it. who is sick of their power being dangled over their head, able to be taken away at the slightest mistake. a disciple of ilmater who has been told too many times to bear the suffering of others and for once wants to be cared for. a disciple of the god of fate, sick of being told that theirs and others' suffering is inevitable and unchangeable.