Paladins and Bards as you people want them, can stay in D&D, no need for them here. Or if there are bards they can be what bards were, professional poets.Nothing else.
And paladins are unnecessary when you have almighty clerics.
This is 1 person's story. There's no f reason to allow a party generation. You cannot explain it, it goes against OEs idea of NPCs being important. When do you decide who's the main character in the game? And if you change your mind in the middle the game?
Adds replayability? HOW?