Or,

You could have a shield specialization that doesn't focus on the same type of skills used for paladins. Foreseeably, you could spice things up a bit with a shield + spear, shield + halberd, and shield + flail. All take some place in the historicity of past wars, and would be a unique class of its own. Or a subclass, if you so design it that way.

Dilution doesn't necessitate simply copying other skills from a set skill list, though, so allow for some creativity and make something practical, unique, and fun. The above sounds fun to me.

I'd even wager you could make a new skirmisher class out of the above. Worth a shot, in my opinion.





Bleh. Skirmersher? I butchered that.