Feat recommendation for Paladin

[Ridley's Cohort]

I am tweaking my 8th level Paladin for a campaign that is coming out of a coma, and I am looking for thoughts & recommendations for my last feat. Feats from Core and the Complete series are available.

8th level Human, 14 Str, 14 Con, 12 Dex, 12 Int, 14 Wis, 20 Cha. +1 Plate Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Rapier. 8-9 PCs in the party and I tend to find myself out in front when the fighting begins. I am the face man so I have 11 ranks Diplomacy, 11 ranks Sense Motive, 5 ranks Knowledge Nobility. I also have some Knowledge Religion, Spot, and Ride, but I might shuffle those around.

Feats I am pretty much decided on: Power Attack, Divine Might, Reroll (House feat that allows 1 saving throw reroll per day)

Feats that spring to mind and some initial thoughts about them:
* Close Quarter Fighting: ~25% of our combats include something Large w/Improve Grab and it is usually attacking me.
* Extra Smiting: We do a lot planar travelling. There are lots of evil things around to fight...
* Cleave: With such a large party I do really need to clear the mooks; I need to be able to stand my ground against the most dangerous foes .
* Leap Attack: Interesting minmax potential. I should probably swap favorite weapon if I go this route. What holds me back is the Jump ranks. Squeezing in both Jump and Ride is tough. I guess I can give up on the 5 ranks Knowledge Religion. Note that with my heavy armor making a 10 foot jump is not a sure thing.
* Divine Vigor: A fine feat. But I am concerned that my offense will really suffer if I run out of Turn attempts in the day.

I am leaning towards Extra Smiting -- live the Paladin, die the Paladin. CQF is nice because it is both and offensive and defensive feat -- I am very likely to get a free attack when my opponent has Improved Grab, although it only will work ~25% of the time.

I would prefer something offensive minded. I am open to clever suggestions...

 

[Trainz]

If you don't already have one you've GOT to pick a feat that makes use of your turn attempts per day. Not doing so is to not use your full arsenal. You have a very high Charisma, use it.

That said, which one to actually pick depends on your built. Divine Shield, Divine Vigor, Divine Power all have their pros and cons. If you think you'll do a lot of dungeon delving, I would go for Shield or Vigor. If not, Power (can be activated as a free action).

 

[Jdvn1]

I think you mean Divine Might, Trainz.

I'd probably take Extra Smite, but I also really like Divine Vigor with the caveat that you take Extra Turning... if you're concerned about not enough turn attempts.

Glorious Weapon (Complete Divine) is also nice if you plan on fighting a lot of evil things, although it's probably not worth the standard action for you.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I'd say you can narrow it down to two feats:
Close Quarters Fighting
Extra Smiting

Close Quarters Fighting is one of the best defensive feats in the game. With 25% of encounters featuring imp grab critters, It's a solid feat. The only problem for you is that, as a paladin with a 14 strength and a rapier, you'll typically only deal 6.5 damage on a successful AoO--11.5 if you've Divine Might up. Without Divine Might, that might not be enough to keep you from being grappled. The other problem is that a lot of creatures have Imp Grab on more than one attack. A shambling mound, for instance will hit you with one attack, attempt to grapple, get stopped by CQF, then hit you with the second tentacle and grapple you anyway. To make it work really well, you need Combat Reflexes and a decent dex--rage and a two-handed weapon helps too.

Extra Smiting is an amazing feat for paladins--especially if you're doing mounted combat. And it's what keeps you in the game when you're not mounted. The best bit is that every time you level, those extra smites get better.

Any other divine feats will cause you to run out of divine might uses more often and that's not something you want.

Similarly, in an 8-9 character party, there must be someone else good at mook clearing (fireballs, etc). And even if there isn't, it's not as if you'll be mowing through mooks with your rapier with or without Cleave. By the time you hit 8th level, Cleave is well past its heyday for characters who deal 11 points on a good hit. (Heck, at 1st level, the guys who get the most use out of Cleave deal more than that (a typical raging greatsword barbarian will deal 14-16 damage on a greatsword hit)).

Leap Attack has other problems. As you noted, you wouldn't be sure to make the jump checks--even if you put ranks in it. But, more importantly, as an 8th level character with a 14 strength and a +1 weapon, you're not going to be power attacking a lot, even if you go to a greatsword or greataxe. And, in a few levels, you won't want to power attack when you've got Divine Might running and you're smiting because it will reduce your average damage. (Power Attacking reduces average damage (except when you hit on less than a 2) whenever your average damage per hit exceeds 20 with a 1-handed weapon or 40 with a 2-handed weapon; in two levels, your divine might average damage per hit will exceed 20 points on a smite).

So, I say, play to your strengths. Pick CQF or Extra Smiting and pick the one you give a pass when you hit 9th level.

 

[FireLance]

I generally agree with Elder-Basilisk's comments and will add a couple more suggestions. These are not necessarily the most powerful feats out there, but can be fun to use in game.

Combat Intuition (Complete Adventurer): Tell at a glance whether you're facing a seasoned veteran or a raw recruit. The +1 insight bonus to attacks can also come in handy.

Goad (Complete Adventurer): Make the most of your high AC. Play the martyr and get the most dangerous opponent around to concentrate its melee attacks on you.

Sacred Healing (Complete Divine): Does the party need a backup healer? How does Fast Healing 3 for 1 + Charisma modifier rounds to all living creatures in a 60-foot burst sound? I will cost you a turn undead attempt, but it's a good way to use up whatever you have left at the end of the day.

 

[Particle_Man]

Extra Turning would give you 4 more "Divine Might" rounds.

 

[iwatt]

Divine shield is just awesome with your +5 Cha bonus. I know you wanted offense, but this seems like too good a deal to pass up. My palladin are always sword'n'boarder because of this feat...

 

[Bryan898]

If you really want min-max potential, you might want to try the mounted chain. A smiting/ divine might/ five power attack/ spirited charge would do atk +12 damage- 3d8+60 at your current level. Add in the spell Divine Sacrifice from Complete Divine for another 5d6.

Otherwise, I'd opt for Extra Smiting. Smiting paladins are just fun.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I will concentrate on my primary combat role: Holding my own against the most dangerous big bad. Someone(s) else can clear the mooks. No to Cleave.

Goad or Divine Shield are naturals if I had Combat Expertise already -- which I would have chosen earlier in my career if I had a higher Int. As is it seems like a half measure. If I want a bit of defense I would go with Divine Vigor which is not a bad choice even without Extra Turning.

Combat Intuition is an extremely cool concept for a feat, but I have never been in a toe-to-toe fight that did not end within 3 rounds. Someone either drops or withdraws.

As for CQF, I have no illusions that it would prevent me from being grappled if I lack Combat Reflexes. I was hoping an extra ~11 points damage will help kill my enemy quicker -- a liittle bit of defense that works as offense. OTOH I may meet some big monsters at our level and 11 points is not necessarily going to help that much.

Looking like Extra Smiting is the best choice. It is so very...Paladin-like.

How about 9th level? CQF? Maybe Divine Vigor if I can get a bigger Cha booster?

I was toying with the idea of Blessed Weapon + Rapier + Improved Critical + max Power Attack. I would need to roll ~15+ to hit, but every successful hit would be an autoconfirmed critical if I am fighting evil. Not sure if that really makes sense by the numbers. My back of the envelope calculation says it would give a modest damage boost.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I do not have a lot of experience using my mount. It is not easy to set up the mounted attack so far but I a getting better at using my horse in general.

If I am not riding my mount when combat begins, it may not be possible to find a clean charge at all. I am in a large party and the battle line can get jumbled and crowded.

Is it worth having max ranks in Ride if I do not have Mounted Combat?