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Newbie Character Advice: Paladin
- Thread starter RedFox
- Start date
jasin
Explorer
Yes, there's a special kind of appeal to the game when you're still learning.Darklone said:That description gave me that good old nice feeling I had when I played the first time. I love that oozy nostalgic stuff.
Interestingly enough, the first 3E character I made was a paladin with a bastard sword. It was a conversion of my then-current 2E character. As far as stuff atypical for paladins goes, he didn't have Whirlwind Attack, but he did have ranks in perfom (poetry). Oh happy day, when I realized that switching from the 2E non-weapon proficiency to the 3E skill would let me use my Cha 17 instead of my Int 8, and that bastard swords dealt more damage than a longsword, even when held in one hand!
Never did get to play him, though...
werk
First Post
RedFox said:
I'd advise against WWA, personally. It's feat intensive and not usually a situation you want to throw yourself into on any regular basis. Basically, feat trees are a fighter's gig, not a paladin's.
I'd suggest cracking open some books for some flavorful and/or useful paladin stuff. Things like...frightful presence (foes make a will check based on your Cha or flee in fear like dragon aura) or extra smiting.
Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
Take advantage of that high Charisma.
Divine Vigor is hard to beat for your 6th level feat. At sixth level you'll get 12 temporary hit points and +10' of movement. Move 30' when wearing your full plate!
At 9th consider taking Extra Smiting. By that point you'll have at least 18 Charisma. So, each smite will be made at +4 attack and +9 damage. At 10th level you'll be able to do this 5 times/day, which is plenty. Smiting is especially good during a charge with a lance.
Also, at 12 consider taking Power Attack. You'll have BAB to spare at that point, and power attack works great with a two-handed weapon. Again, it's especially good when you make a two-handed lance power attack while smiting and charging. Assuming 12th level, 14 Str, and full power attack from a charging mount vs. an unmounted medium opponent, you'll attack at +9 and do (1d8+3+12+24) x 2 damage. That's 40-48 damage using nonmagical gear; add in your weapon enhancement, Str boost items, elemental damage, buffs, etc. and you'll crack 50 points of damage per charge--which means Fort-save-or-die for your opponent.
If you had taken Divine Might instead of Divine Vigor, you could add another 8 (4 x 2) damage from a use of that feat.
Of course, there are whole feat trees for mounted combat, including tacking on even more damage multipliers. If you're really serious, just search the WotC character optimization boards for "paladin charge". Those nuts have gotten to over 1,000 damage per charge.
Divine Vigor is hard to beat for your 6th level feat. At sixth level you'll get 12 temporary hit points and +10' of movement. Move 30' when wearing your full plate!
At 9th consider taking Extra Smiting. By that point you'll have at least 18 Charisma. So, each smite will be made at +4 attack and +9 damage. At 10th level you'll be able to do this 5 times/day, which is plenty. Smiting is especially good during a charge with a lance.
Also, at 12 consider taking Power Attack. You'll have BAB to spare at that point, and power attack works great with a two-handed weapon. Again, it's especially good when you make a two-handed lance power attack while smiting and charging.
Assuming 12th level, 14 Str, and full power attack from a charging mount vs. an unmounted medium opponent, you'll attack at +9 and do (1d8+3+12+24) x 2 damage. That's 40-48 damage using nonmagical gear; add in your weapon enhancement, Str boost items, elemental damage, buffs, etc. and you'll crack 50 points of damage per charge--which means Fort-save-or-die for your opponent. If you had taken Divine Might instead of Divine Vigor, you could add another 8 (4 x 2) damage from a use of that feat.
Of course, there are whole feat trees for mounted combat, including tacking on even more damage multipliers. If you're really serious, just search the WotC character optimization boards for "paladin charge". Those nuts have gotten to over 1,000 damage per charge.
1) D&D paladins will never be as cool as World of Warcraft paladins and they most definitely won't be a "healadin." It's a shame really.
2) D&D paladins are greatsword wielding, Leap Attack/Power Attacking armored monstrosities--which more than makes up for not being as cool as a WoW paladin.
To wit, invest in armor, armor, armor. Any items that ramp up AC or make you harder to hit (such as cloak of displacement) are yours by priority. Don't waste feats on minor bonuses like Dodge or Combat Expertise because, ultimately, either an ally's buff spell or an item's bonus generally supercedes a mere feat's defensive properties.
Instead, focus on dealing damage. To this, invest in Power Attack and Leap Attack (from Complete Adventurer, if you're using it). To get the most damage, also invest in BIG WEAPONS, like the greatsword, greataxe, and any other weapon that either has a large damage dice OR a large critical modifier. The paladin can hold his own in a fight with slightly more versatility than a barbarian and still be as useful a damage dealer (though he will, sadly, never surpass the barb in pure numbers).
Finally, spells are your friend. If you have access to Spell Compendium and don't mind taking some damage, divine sacrifice is right up your alley as far as ripping apart enemies in the name of justice. Your spells should focus on either a) inflicting penalties on your opponents or b) increasing your damage output, typically via the weapon you're holding.
Also, never forget that your aura of courage is extremely useful...and always active.
2) D&D paladins are greatsword wielding, Leap Attack/Power Attacking armored monstrosities--which more than makes up for not being as cool as a WoW paladin.
To wit, invest in armor, armor, armor. Any items that ramp up AC or make you harder to hit (such as cloak of displacement) are yours by priority. Don't waste feats on minor bonuses like Dodge or Combat Expertise because, ultimately, either an ally's buff spell or an item's bonus generally supercedes a mere feat's defensive properties.
Instead, focus on dealing damage. To this, invest in Power Attack and Leap Attack (from Complete Adventurer, if you're using it). To get the most damage, also invest in BIG WEAPONS, like the greatsword, greataxe, and any other weapon that either has a large damage dice OR a large critical modifier. The paladin can hold his own in a fight with slightly more versatility than a barbarian and still be as useful a damage dealer (though he will, sadly, never surpass the barb in pure numbers).
Finally, spells are your friend. If you have access to Spell Compendium and don't mind taking some damage, divine sacrifice is right up your alley as far as ripping apart enemies in the name of justice. Your spells should focus on either a) inflicting penalties on your opponents or b) increasing your damage output, typically via the weapon you're holding.
Also, never forget that your aura of courage is extremely useful...and always active.
Wrathamon
Adventurer
Is there a reason to take Bastard Sword? The damage difference between a long sword and a bastard sword is pretty minimal for the price of a feat.
You can go Karmic Strike route (you already have dodge and combat expertise) and with the ability to heal yourself with lay on hands and spells (divne vigor for extra hps) that might be worth it.
You can go Karmic Strike route (you already have dodge and combat expertise) and with the ability to heal yourself with lay on hands and spells (divne vigor for extra hps) that might be worth it.
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