Charging Paladin build

Hi all,

Just after some advice on a character build - not for any specific purpose, just as a mental excercise.

Anyway, after reading the Charging Smite class variant for Paladins in the PHBII, I was wondering what other feats and abilties would work well with a Paladin whose favored form of attack is to charge enemies on foot. So far, I thought of the following:

- Powerful Charge
- Greater Powerful Charge
- Reckless Charge
- Lion's Pounce
- Extra Smiting
- Improved Smiting


...any other suggestions?

I recently played an azurin paladin with Sapphire Smite (race and feat from Magic of Incarnum). This gave me two additional smite evil attempts per day, and a +2 bonus to damage with smite evil.

I filled all my spell slots with rhino's rush (from Spell Compendium) which doubled my damage on a successful charge.

I also took Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack so that the round after I charged, I could attack and move away from my opponent to set up another charge without provoking an AOO.

At 8th level, on a charging smite, I could attack at +20 (+8 BAB, +4 Strength, +4 Charisma, +2 enhancement, +2 charge) and deal 2d10+68 damage (+6 Strength, +2 enhancement, +24 charging smite, +2 Sapphire Smite, doubled)

At 9th level, I took Power Attack, and at 10th level, I acquired a minor ring of spell storing, into which my warmage companion put three true strike spells. With one round of preparation, on a charging smite, I could attack at +32 (+20 insight, +4 Strength, +4 Charisma, +2 enhancement, +2 charge) and deal 2d10+120 damage (+6 Strength, +2 enhancement, +30 charging smite, +2 Sapphire Smite, +20 Power Attack, doubled).

At 12th level, I was planning to take Leap Attack to further improve the Power Attack damage ratio.

Note that my DM allowed me to cast a swift action spell with a somatic component and charge with a two-handed weapon (a glaive, in my case) in a single round. Some DMs may require you to take Quick Draw or Somatic Weaponry (from Complete Mage) to do this.

(Greater) Powerful Charge is a waste of feats. Two feats for 2d6 bonus damage on ONE attack during a charge - thank you, I'll pass.

Improved Smiting is the next waste - 1d6 extra damage a few times/day? No way. Good aligned strike? Align Weapon ? Holy Sword ? Holy Avenger ?

Reckless Charge? Who needs a extra +2 to hit if you can have Shock Trooper? NO, honestly, most of these feats will hardly build a good charger - funny, since uber-chargers abound on most boards I know of.

Worst of all, Lion's Pounce is a druid feat, right? Druids can't be lawful good, sorry.
Or did you think of something else you couldn't name?

You should instead take:

Power Attack (funny you wouldn't mention this)
Improved Bull Rush (not very good, prerequiste feat)
Shock Trooper
Leap Attack (you'll have to find a way to get a decent Jump skill score, though)

These four are the core of a good footsloggin' charger build - +80 points PA damage without loss of Attack bonus at level 20.

Now, we're getting into slightly more tricky areas.

You should, by any means, cast Rhino's Rush before you charge - bang, double damage.
Also, in preparation of combat, Divine Favor (Practiced Spellcaster is good here) and Sword of Law/Holy Sword (if needed), as well as maybe Divine Sacrifice.

Well, these are just the bland basics, but that's how I would at least start to build a non-mounted charger.

Something else: Hurling Charge + Brutal Throw. Pretty feat intensive as well and not too useful.

Two Weapon Pounce with TWF and Divine might combined with Power Attack and Oversized Two Weapon fighting though... how many feats do you have ?

Best chargers: go minotaurs.

VonRichthofen said:

Worst of all, Lion's Pounce is a druid feat, right? Druids can't be lawful good, sorry.
Or did you think of something else you couldn't name?

Click to expand...

As a matter of fact, I was just reading this feat off the WotC combined feat list...it didn't mention that it was a Druid only feat...

...so, what book is Shock Trooper in?

Oh, and aside from the snippy tone, thanks for the suggestions!

Lion's Pounce requires you to burn Wild Shape uses.

Thurbane said:

Oh, and aside from the snippy tone, thanks for the suggestions!

Click to expand...

Snippy tone is but a subconscious reaction of my poor brain cells to the demonstration of ignorance...
(No offense meant, of course)

Shock Trooper is CW, btw.

Paladin 10/Cavalier 10, mounted on a regular horse (or even a figurine of Wondrous Power or a Wild Cohort), with Str 20 and a +5 lance:

Base damage for lance: 1d8 + 5 (Str) + 5 (magic) + 10 (Smite) = 1d8 + 20
On a charge = 2d8 + 40 + 40 (double Charging Smite for charging lance) = 2d8 + 80
With Spirited Charge = 3d8 + 60 + 60 (triple for feat) = 3d8 + 120

Note that up until now, a Paladin 10 can do all this. Now comes the Cavalier goodness:

With Unstoppable Charge (quintuple damage with a lance, overlaps Spirited Charge) = 5d8 + 100 + 100 = 5d8 + 200.
On a Critical Hit (septuple damage) = 7d8 + 140 + 140 = 7d8 + 280 (average 311 points of damage).

Thurbane said:

...a Paladin whose favored form of attack is to charge enemies on foot.

Click to expand...

Nice thought, Klaus.

Too bad this wasn't exactly what Thurbane asked us to do.

Aw, crap!

Teaches me to read the entire first post!


Hmm...


Okay, keep my post the same, but instead of riding, it's a ... wait for it... Centaur Paladin!