Yes he can, yes he does, the designers said you shouldnt pick dieties with alignments two steps or more from LG.
Any other questions? :)
Also, does the Paladin really need to be LG? How does a neutral deity end up having an LG follower? I could see LN...
Actually, unless you are a divine caster, you can follow a deity with alignment different from your own. There is absolutely no problem for a LG midwife to venerate the TN Pharasma. She will not be eligible to join the clergy, though, and she might find the dogma a bit too... stiffy, but she may still respect the goddess' power and influence over her life and profession. In fact, since Golarion has multiple deities that are proven to coexist, I'd argue most people venerate many deities over the course of their lives. I think most people would make an offering to Gozreh before a sea journey, to Callistria before a date, Erastil before a hunt, or Abadar (and possibly even Asmodeus) before entering a deal.
As for paladins, they need to be LG, and (at least in Golarion) follow a LN, LG or NG deity. Overall, I'd say a paladin will likely do fine in that group. Good luck!
Paladins make great tanks (though they make even better mounted archers). They can use Lay On Hands as a swift action to heal themselves. A cleric and a wizard can potentially clear out a room or at least lay down some control spells that could funnel some de-buffed enemies to you while the rogue flanks. You potentially have a very effective group. The nice thing about Pathfinder is that you can really customize your builds to work as a team. There's no need for that typical tank-cannon-utility-healer group dynamic.
I've played in groups where everyone was a rogue and we had to set up some elaborate ambushes for every fight and often just avoided fighting altogether; another group where everyone was a fighter (aka - the best defense is a bloody, violent, sickening offense of sweet, sweet death); and I've even played a group where everyone was a spellcaster of some sort (though there was a lot of summoning). You can make anything work, really.
Not to stray from the OP, but my current campaign has all gish characters. They work together amazingly well because every single one of them has a great versatility. Ironically, no healers in the group. No one went for cleric or bard.
Your paladin sounds like a good fit into the group. The only problem is that your paladin must remain LG or lose his abilities. What that is will be defined by your DM, but it can be fairly sticky.
Friends and I are gonna try pathfinder after an unsuccessful venture with 4e. Played 3e for almost 11 years in one campaign.
Now the question: Could a paladin take the place of a fighter in a party consisting of
Cleric
Wizard
RogueAlso, does the Paladin really need to be LG? How does a neutral deity end up having an LG follower? I could see LN...
Thanks for the insight...
-Gimril
Paladins get swift action heal self, lesser restoration, greater magic weapon, smite evil, yes they can take the place of a fighter in combat. In legacy of fire my pally often did over 100 damage on a smite/charge towards the end of the game only being able to miss most enemies on a 2.
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Friends and I are gonna try pathfinder after an unsuccessful venture with 4e. Played 3e for almost 11 years in one campaign.
Now the question: Could a paladin take the place of a fighter in a party consisting of
Cleric
Wizard
RogueAlso, does the Paladin really need to be LG? How does a neutral deity end up having an LG follower? I could see LN...
Thanks for the insight...
-Gimril
In our campaign (before we got our wizard and rogue) we did just fine with the Paladin. We had a ranger and a cavalier along with a paladin. Since paladins get immunity from fear and disease they can be VERY handy at higher levels. Their mercies are rather handy as well, as they can heal other characters of different effects.
They do have to be LG in Pathfinder. It is an alignment requirement or they will become ex-Paladins and lose their special abilities. Their deities have to be within one step of the LG alignment.
If you can check out the Faiths of Purity that Pathfinder put out it lets you have some insight on the different Paladin codes and popular deities that many Paladins follow.