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Pillars of Faith (and Facestabs): The Paladin's Handbook (By Litigation)
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<blockquote data-quote="Veep" data-source="post: 6707948" data-attributes="member: 6793297"><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>Expectations of Faith: Power source and Role</u></strong></p><p></span></p><p></p><p>You are a Divine Defender, which means you channel the power that the gods themselves use to protect your allies and punish those who would do your allies harm. The Divine power source, in general, carries a strong Leader component, and, sure enough, you do have some capacity to heal and buff your allies as well.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Battlefield Control</span> - You've always been pretty good in this area, and you got even better after the release of Divine Power. Quite a few of your powers inflict some debilitating conditions, be it some good-old-fashioned attack penalties, dazing, slowing, blinding, weakening and, at higher levels, stunning. Sometimes even to multiple foes.</p><p></p><p>Damage - VERY dependent on your build type, although your class does have the <span style="color: #0000ff">potential</span> to approach Striker-level DPR. In most cases, you'll want to focus on Strength as your primary attack attribute if you want to deal high damage (although a few Charisma-based exceptions to this rule do exist). Compared to other Defender classes, the Fighter still has a higher ceiling than yours, but yours is a solid second place.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800080"><strong>Mobility</strong></span> - And here's where you're not so great. Considering you favor heavy armor, you will already be a square slower, more than likely. Plus your class doesn't exactly have a wealth of mobility-enhancing powers.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Stickiness</span> - This is a combination of (a) how likely enemies are to attack you, rather than your allies and (b) how much you control the space around you and limit enemy movement. You're very good at the <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>first part</strong></span>, particularly since Divine Power with Divine Sanctions, punishment stacking and penalty stacking all in your toolbox. The <strong>second part</strong>, on the other hand, isn't exactly your strong suit, but you have your ways to be at least passable.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Survivability</span> - The class defense bonus to all NADs, plate mail proficiency from the start, the highest baseline for number of healing surges, and a lot of amazing feat support in this department means you will have no problem staying alive.</p><p></p><p><strong>Secondary Roles</strong></p><p> </p><p>Controller - You're not bad at this. Several of your powers afflict multiple foes with hindering status effects.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Leader</span> - You may not necessarily be a flat-out replacement for a full-time Leader, but you can make said full-time Leader's job a whole lot easier. With some of your features and powers, you are no slouch at removing status effects and healing and buffing the party in your own right, enough to liberate some Leaders to focus a lot less on healing and a lot more on offense-enabling capability. Paladins aren't much of enablers themselves, though (not without some power swapping, anyway), which is the only reason you're not totally awesome at filling this role.</p><p></p><p>Striker - It's very build-dependent on how well you can sub for this role. A Paladin who wants a Striker-level at-will DPR (typically a Straladin) won't have too much trouble obtaining it, but getting that multi-attacking nova that makes higher-level Strikers work is going to take some power-swapping. Funny thing is that Paladins have a ton of feat support that can make such novas absolutely <em>scream</em>, but they lack the powers in their own class' repertoire.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>Fundamentals of Faith: Baseline mechanics</u></strong></p><p></span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Blue"><strong>Hit Points</strong></span>: 15 + CON score at 1st level, 6 gained per level. It's the standard hit point figures for Defender classes, which you certainly can't complain about. Only the Warden has more base hit points than you.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Healing Surges</span></strong>: 10 + CON modifier is the highest baseline for any class in the game. Even if you're not paying anything beyond the standard attention to your Constitution, you'll do well enough.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Proficiencies</span></strong>: You're one of the very few classes that can wear plate mail from the start. You're also trained in all military melee weapons, which as far as basic training goes is as good as it gets. Your implement is a holy symbol, which is the only type of implement other than a ki focus that doesn't take up a weapon or shield slot. As for ranged weapons, you can only use the simple ones, but no one gets everything.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Defense Bonuses</span></strong>: +1 to all three NADs. About as good as it gets.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><u>Features</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Divine Challenge</span> (PHB)</strong>: After errata, the intent of the Paladin's default mark power is now perfectly clear and actually even buffed a little bit from its original form. If the marked foe targets allies without targeting you (this is before the attack hits or misses, by the way), it automatically and unavoidably deals the scaling radiant damage. The damage costs no action at all, meaning it works perfectly when you're dazed and it's open for punishment stacking. You have to engage the DC target to make the mark last past the end of your turn, so some judicial use is necessary. However, the errata also made one VERY welcome change that makes engagement failure much less of a liability than it used to be: namely, removing the penalty round that disabled the use of this power for failing to engage.</p><p></p><p><strong>Channel Divinity</strong>: This is your per-encounter feature power. You start with two possible ways to use Channel Divinity in any given encounter (one that uses your STR, and another that uses your CHA, and feats and paragon paths may give you more ways to use it. But no matter how many options you wind up with, you still only get one use of Channel Divinity per encounter. Use it wisely.</p><p></p><p><strong>Charisma-based CD (choose one of the following)</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Divine Mettle</span> (PHB)</strong>: Grant a save to an ally with your CHA-modifier's worth of a bonus. Amazing for a high-CHA Paladin, and gets some nice feat support later on, to boot.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Specter's Shield</span> (D 398)</strong>: This immediate reaction power is for the more offensively minded high-CHA Paladin looking to put a marked enemy into a catch-22. If the enemy attacks you, he gets rewarded with this lovely, free debuff to all his defenses equal to your CHA-mod until the end of your next turn. You do have to be smart about when you pop this: Ideally it should be at a moment between the end of your last turn and the start of your allies' next turns so they get to take advantage of your debuff. But used correctly, this one can be very devastating. It does have the Fear keyword, though, so be aware of using this against enemies immune to that.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Strength-based CD</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Divine Strength (PHB)</strong>: Extra damage equal to your STR modifier on one attack. It has a rather weird power curve. It's great in <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>early Heroic Tier</strong></span>, where it can make certain powers kill many enemies in one hit. Then it falls off a bit, but you'll still want to use it on your most damaging attacks. Then in <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Epic Tier</strong></span>, it becomes great again with its feat support.</p><p> </p><p>Special Daily Feature Powers: This is the power that you can use a number of times per day based on your WIS modifier.</p><p></p><p><strong>Choose one of the following</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: Purple">Ardent Vow</span> (DP)</strong>: If you're building for an <strong><span style="color: blue">early-Heroic one-shot</span></strong>, a Straladin might consider this one, as the damage it adds can elevate the likes of powers such as Heedless Fury and Blood of the Mighty into one-hit kills. However, if you're building for the long haul, this power is not recommended. The damage does not scale very well in any case (especially since it only gets applied to one hit ever), and the ability to lay DS down with attacks after it is pretty redundant with powers and feats that even a Straladin is likely to take.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Lay on Hands</span> (PHB)</strong>: Use your healing surge and heal an ally (or yourself) with it. The healing target heals their healing surge value's worth (by default, anyway). At its most basic, it's essentially retroactive defending, canceling out hits against an ally that should've gone against you. With some of its amazing feat support (this power, out of the three here, gets the best of it by far) it can actually become anything from extremely solid leader backup in the healing department to a terrific buff power via a huge pool of THPs.</p><p></p><p><strong>Virtue's Touch (DP)</strong>: Removes one condition from you or an ally that can include: blinded, dazed, deafened, slowed, stunned, or weakened. This one is a nice boost against enemies who deal such effects in a manner that doesn't involve a save. It's amazing when it stops effects that can get worse after failed saves. This power kinda has the opposite utility curve of Ardent Vow: It probably won't be used too often in Heroic, but <strong><span style="color: blue">past that point</span></strong> it pays off pretty nicely as the conditions get deadlier, especially if you pick up other means to heal to compensate for having no Lay on Hands.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u>Your Arm or Your Face?</u></strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u></u></strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u>Your Method of Exaltation</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p>You have the (not-so) honored distinction of being one of the double-attack-stat classes in the game (also known as a V-class), along with Clerics, Warlocks and Rangers. Some of the powers in the Paladin's divine arsenal test the very strength of his arm, while others rely on his force of personality.</p><p></p><p><strong>Straladins</strong> are those Paladins who believe that their arm must still swing the sword, and lift and throw stones to optimize the manifestation of that belief. Strength is their main attack stat. Wisdom is their secondary stat, and some may pay attention to Constitution as a co-secondary. They tend toward Striker as a secondary role, so they pay more attention to the damage they do than other Paladins. A lot of them strive for weapon mastery in Epic Tier.</p><p></p><p><strong>Chaladins</strong> are those Paladins who stand behind a mirror all day, because presence and image are everything. They hone that image, and can channel their astral powers with great force as a result. Charisma is their main attack stat, and they're far more likely to make use of an implement than their brawny brethren. Like Straladins, they favor Wisdom as a secondary stat, and they're even more likely to care about Constitution enough to make it a co-secondary (extra Fortitude defense and healing surges). They tend toward Leader as a secondary role, so they focus on healing, buffs and status effects.</p><p></p><p><strong>Baladins</strong> (or Balanced Paladins) focus every bit of their attention on both their Strength and Charisma to have free reign of the entire arsenal of Paladin powers. They also have the most powerful DC, thanks to the feat Mighty Challenge. However, lack of attention to Constitution and Wisdom mean lower hit points and healing surges, weaker riders and less uses of their special daily powers per day.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u>Forged for the Crusade: Ability Scores</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p>Paladins are typically the first class that comes to mind when the acronym "MAD" gets mentioned. While it's not quite as much of a hassle now as it was earlier in 4e's lifespan, Paladins still have to pay attention to more abilities than most other classes. But at least they have the solace of one universal dump stat.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Strength</span></strong>: The main stat for <span style="color: #ff9900"><strong>Straladins</strong></span>, and one of two for <span style="color: #ff9900"><strong>Baladins</strong></span>. Those should max it and boost it every chance they get, since they'll be using that brawn to smite enemies. Chaladins as a whole still need a little bit of muscle, at least. A Strength of 11 is necessary to wear and carry all vital equipment, shield and adventurer's kit without getting slowed. Also, some Chaladin feats require a Strength of 15 by Epic Tier.</p><p>(<strong>Recommended start: 11-18, before racial adjustments</strong>. Dwarf Chaladins can get away with a <strong>10</strong>, thanks to Encumbered Speed.)</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Constitution</span></strong>: The ability to take a hit and endure long days is important. All Paladins should at the very least start with a positive modifier here for extra healing surges and starting hit points to keep upright. Later on, CON can help you make better use of your plate mail (must hit 15 at some point). Straladins looking for mastery in axes or hammers by Epic Tier will be paying special attention to this. And<span style="color: #00ccff"><strong> some Chaladins</strong></span> will make this their secondary stat; even if that isn't the case, it should at least be a strong tertiary.</p><p>(<strong>Recommended start: 12-16, before racial adjustments</strong>.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Dexterity</strong>: This is the ability that tends to be all over the place for the Paladin class. It can range from <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>fairly important</strong></span> in the case of Straladins looking to master a heavy blade in Epic Tier (must be 17 by that point) to an outright <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>dump stat</strong></span> (even below Intelligence) for Paladin builds who can take advantage of any feats that substitute another ability score to determine initiative (e.g. Battlewise for WIS-secondary builds, Imperious Majesty for Tiefling Chaladins). For all the Paladin builds in between, a starting 10-12 will typically suffice, and they should dump Intelligence, instead.</p><p>(<strong>Recommended start: 8-14, before racial adjustments</strong>.)</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Purple">Intelligence</span></strong>: The universal dump stat for the Paladin class (which is where the "Paladunce" moniker comes from). A good deal many of you should <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>tank this one hard</strong></span> and never look back. Even if you're one of those builds who can conceivably dump Dexterity, instead, you're probably not going to start this one much higher, if any, than a pre-adjusted 10.</p><p>(<strong>Recommended start: 8-12, before racial adjustments</strong>.)</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Wisdom</span></strong>: An all-out secondary stat for <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>most Straladins</strong></span> and <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Hospitaler Chaladins</strong></span>, in particular. And even those Paladins who don't use this as a secondary will still want a decent modifier here. Even just a little bit of common sense (+2 or +3) can go a long way as it determines the number of times you can use your Lay on Hands or equivalent power per day, as well as the riders of certain powers and the effectiveness of certain survivability-related class feats.</p><p>(<strong>Recommended start: 12-16, before racial adjustments</strong>.)</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Charisma</span></strong>: The main stat for <span style="color: #ff9900"><strong>Chaladins</strong></span>, and one of two for <span style="color: #ff9900"><strong>Baladins</strong></span>. Those Paladins should focus on their appeal and allure at every possible juncture, as they do their gods' will with it (i.e. smack enemies around). Even some Straladins will want at least a modicum of this, if only to qualify for certain key feats in Epic Tier (aim for 15 by that point).</p><p>(<strong>Recommended start: 10-18, before racial adjustments</strong>.)</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u>Focus Your Efforts: Ability Score Arrays</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong>16, 14, 14, 13, 10, 8</strong>: The "well-rounded" stat line, commonly used by Straladins and Chaladins alike. It offers solid secondary and tertiary stats, as well as an above-average fourth stat that can be used to meet any Paragon Tier and Epic Tier feat prerequisites or multiclass requirements. You can't go wrong with this array.</p><p></p><p><strong>16, 16, 12, 12, 10, 8</strong>: Baladins head straight for this one. This one is also best for Straladins and Chaladins who plan to multiclass or hybrid with a class that uses their secondary stat as an attack stat, such as a Chaladin/Cleric (CHA/WIS), just as an example.</p><p></p><p><strong>18, 13, 13, 10, 10, 8</strong>: Straladins and Chaladins who want to start with a 20 in their attack stat (after racial bonus) and thus the highest attack bonus possible go for this array. The 13's go into WIS and CON; bump one of them to 14 at Lv. 4, the other one to 14 at Lv. 8, then go from there. The drawback is that you will likely miss out on certain feats, particularly in Epic Tier. It's also a good array for Wilden, who can take this array to max out their attack and still have solid secondary and tertiary stat scores.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Veep, post: 6707948, member: 6793297"] [SIZE=6][CENTER][b][u]Expectations of Faith: Power source and Role[/u][/b][/CENTER] [/SIZE] You are a Divine Defender, which means you channel the power that the gods themselves use to protect your allies and punish those who would do your allies harm. The Divine power source, in general, carries a strong Leader component, and, sure enough, you do have some capacity to heal and buff your allies as well. [COLOR=#0000ff]Battlefield Control[/COLOR] - You've always been pretty good in this area, and you got even better after the release of Divine Power. Quite a few of your powers inflict some debilitating conditions, be it some good-old-fashioned attack penalties, dazing, slowing, blinding, weakening and, at higher levels, stunning. Sometimes even to multiple foes. Damage - VERY dependent on your build type, although your class does have the [COLOR=#0000ff]potential[/COLOR] to approach Striker-level DPR. In most cases, you'll want to focus on Strength as your primary attack attribute if you want to deal high damage (although a few Charisma-based exceptions to this rule do exist). Compared to other Defender classes, the Fighter still has a higher ceiling than yours, but yours is a solid second place. [COLOR=#800080][b]Mobility[/b][/COLOR] - And here's where you're not so great. Considering you favor heavy armor, you will already be a square slower, more than likely. Plus your class doesn't exactly have a wealth of mobility-enhancing powers. [COLOR=#0000ff]Stickiness[/COLOR] - This is a combination of (a) how likely enemies are to attack you, rather than your allies and (b) how much you control the space around you and limit enemy movement. You're very good at the [COLOR=#00ccff][b]first part[/b][/COLOR], particularly since Divine Power with Divine Sanctions, punishment stacking and penalty stacking all in your toolbox. The [b]second part[/b], on the other hand, isn't exactly your strong suit, but you have your ways to be at least passable. [COLOR=#00ccff]Survivability[/COLOR] - The class defense bonus to all NADs, plate mail proficiency from the start, the highest baseline for number of healing surges, and a lot of amazing feat support in this department means you will have no problem staying alive. [b]Secondary Roles[/b] Controller - You're not bad at this. Several of your powers afflict multiple foes with hindering status effects. [COLOR=#0000ff]Leader[/COLOR] - You may not necessarily be a flat-out replacement for a full-time Leader, but you can make said full-time Leader's job a whole lot easier. With some of your features and powers, you are no slouch at removing status effects and healing and buffing the party in your own right, enough to liberate some Leaders to focus a lot less on healing and a lot more on offense-enabling capability. Paladins aren't much of enablers themselves, though (not without some power swapping, anyway), which is the only reason you're not totally awesome at filling this role. Striker - It's very build-dependent on how well you can sub for this role. A Paladin who wants a Striker-level at-will DPR (typically a Straladin) won't have too much trouble obtaining it, but getting that multi-attacking nova that makes higher-level Strikers work is going to take some power-swapping. Funny thing is that Paladins have a ton of feat support that can make such novas absolutely [i]scream[/i], but they lack the powers in their own class' repertoire. [SIZE=6][CENTER][b][u]Fundamentals of Faith: Baseline mechanics[/u][/b][/CENTER] [/SIZE] [COLOR=Blue][b]Hit Points[/b][/COLOR]: 15 + CON score at 1st level, 6 gained per level. It's the standard hit point figures for Defender classes, which you certainly can't complain about. Only the Warden has more base hit points than you. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Healing Surges[/COLOR][/b]: 10 + CON modifier is the highest baseline for any class in the game. Even if you're not paying anything beyond the standard attention to your Constitution, you'll do well enough. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Proficiencies[/COLOR][/b]: You're one of the very few classes that can wear plate mail from the start. You're also trained in all military melee weapons, which as far as basic training goes is as good as it gets. Your implement is a holy symbol, which is the only type of implement other than a ki focus that doesn't take up a weapon or shield slot. As for ranged weapons, you can only use the simple ones, but no one gets everything. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Defense Bonuses[/COLOR][/b]: +1 to all three NADs. About as good as it gets. [Size=5][b][u]Features[/u][/b][/size] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Divine Challenge[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: After errata, the intent of the Paladin's default mark power is now perfectly clear and actually even buffed a little bit from its original form. If the marked foe targets allies without targeting you (this is before the attack hits or misses, by the way), it automatically and unavoidably deals the scaling radiant damage. The damage costs no action at all, meaning it works perfectly when you're dazed and it's open for punishment stacking. You have to engage the DC target to make the mark last past the end of your turn, so some judicial use is necessary. However, the errata also made one VERY welcome change that makes engagement failure much less of a liability than it used to be: namely, removing the penalty round that disabled the use of this power for failing to engage. [b]Channel Divinity[/b]: This is your per-encounter feature power. You start with two possible ways to use Channel Divinity in any given encounter (one that uses your STR, and another that uses your CHA, and feats and paragon paths may give you more ways to use it. But no matter how many options you wind up with, you still only get one use of Channel Divinity per encounter. Use it wisely. [b]Charisma-based CD (choose one of the following)[/b] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Divine Mettle[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Grant a save to an ally with your CHA-modifier's worth of a bonus. Amazing for a high-CHA Paladin, and gets some nice feat support later on, to boot. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Specter's Shield[/COLOR] (D 398)[/b]: This immediate reaction power is for the more offensively minded high-CHA Paladin looking to put a marked enemy into a catch-22. If the enemy attacks you, he gets rewarded with this lovely, free debuff to all his defenses equal to your CHA-mod until the end of your next turn. You do have to be smart about when you pop this: Ideally it should be at a moment between the end of your last turn and the start of your allies' next turns so they get to take advantage of your debuff. But used correctly, this one can be very devastating. It does have the Fear keyword, though, so be aware of using this against enemies immune to that. [b]Strength-based CD[/b] [b]Divine Strength (PHB)[/b]: Extra damage equal to your STR modifier on one attack. It has a rather weird power curve. It's great in [COLOR=#00ccff][b]early Heroic Tier[/b][/COLOR], where it can make certain powers kill many enemies in one hit. Then it falls off a bit, but you'll still want to use it on your most damaging attacks. Then in [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Epic Tier[/b][/COLOR], it becomes great again with its feat support. Special Daily Feature Powers: This is the power that you can use a number of times per day based on your WIS modifier. [b]Choose one of the following[/b] [b][COLOR=Purple]Ardent Vow[/COLOR] (DP)[/b]: If you're building for an [b][COLOR=blue]early-Heroic one-shot[/COLOR][/b], a Straladin might consider this one, as the damage it adds can elevate the likes of powers such as Heedless Fury and Blood of the Mighty into one-hit kills. However, if you're building for the long haul, this power is not recommended. The damage does not scale very well in any case (especially since it only gets applied to one hit ever), and the ability to lay DS down with attacks after it is pretty redundant with powers and feats that even a Straladin is likely to take. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Lay on Hands[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Use your healing surge and heal an ally (or yourself) with it. The healing target heals their healing surge value's worth (by default, anyway). At its most basic, it's essentially retroactive defending, canceling out hits against an ally that should've gone against you. With some of its amazing feat support (this power, out of the three here, gets the best of it by far) it can actually become anything from extremely solid leader backup in the healing department to a terrific buff power via a huge pool of THPs. [b]Virtue's Touch (DP)[/b]: Removes one condition from you or an ally that can include: blinded, dazed, deafened, slowed, stunned, or weakened. This one is a nice boost against enemies who deal such effects in a manner that doesn't involve a save. It's amazing when it stops effects that can get worse after failed saves. This power kinda has the opposite utility curve of Ardent Vow: It probably won't be used too often in Heroic, but [b][COLOR=blue]past that point[/COLOR][/b] it pays off pretty nicely as the conditions get deadlier, especially if you pick up other means to heal to compensate for having no Lay on Hands. [CENTER][SIZE=6][b][u]Your Arm or Your Face? Your Method of Exaltation[/u][/b][/SIZE][/CENTER] You have the (not-so) honored distinction of being one of the double-attack-stat classes in the game (also known as a V-class), along with Clerics, Warlocks and Rangers. Some of the powers in the Paladin's divine arsenal test the very strength of his arm, while others rely on his force of personality. [b]Straladins[/b] are those Paladins who believe that their arm must still swing the sword, and lift and throw stones to optimize the manifestation of that belief. Strength is their main attack stat. Wisdom is their secondary stat, and some may pay attention to Constitution as a co-secondary. They tend toward Striker as a secondary role, so they pay more attention to the damage they do than other Paladins. A lot of them strive for weapon mastery in Epic Tier. [b]Chaladins[/b] are those Paladins who stand behind a mirror all day, because presence and image are everything. They hone that image, and can channel their astral powers with great force as a result. Charisma is their main attack stat, and they're far more likely to make use of an implement than their brawny brethren. Like Straladins, they favor Wisdom as a secondary stat, and they're even more likely to care about Constitution enough to make it a co-secondary (extra Fortitude defense and healing surges). They tend toward Leader as a secondary role, so they focus on healing, buffs and status effects. [b]Baladins[/b] (or Balanced Paladins) focus every bit of their attention on both their Strength and Charisma to have free reign of the entire arsenal of Paladin powers. They also have the most powerful DC, thanks to the feat Mighty Challenge. However, lack of attention to Constitution and Wisdom mean lower hit points and healing surges, weaker riders and less uses of their special daily powers per day. [CENTER][SIZE=6][b][u]Forged for the Crusade: Ability Scores[/u][/b][/SIZE][/CENTER] Paladins are typically the first class that comes to mind when the acronym "MAD" gets mentioned. While it's not quite as much of a hassle now as it was earlier in 4e's lifespan, Paladins still have to pay attention to more abilities than most other classes. But at least they have the solace of one universal dump stat. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Strength[/COLOR][/b]: The main stat for [COLOR=#ff9900][b]Straladins[/b][/COLOR], and one of two for [COLOR=#ff9900][b]Baladins[/b][/COLOR]. Those should max it and boost it every chance they get, since they'll be using that brawn to smite enemies. Chaladins as a whole still need a little bit of muscle, at least. A Strength of 11 is necessary to wear and carry all vital equipment, shield and adventurer's kit without getting slowed. Also, some Chaladin feats require a Strength of 15 by Epic Tier. ([b]Recommended start: 11-18, before racial adjustments[/b]. Dwarf Chaladins can get away with a [b]10[/b], thanks to Encumbered Speed.) [b][COLOR=Blue]Constitution[/COLOR][/b]: The ability to take a hit and endure long days is important. All Paladins should at the very least start with a positive modifier here for extra healing surges and starting hit points to keep upright. Later on, CON can help you make better use of your plate mail (must hit 15 at some point). Straladins looking for mastery in axes or hammers by Epic Tier will be paying special attention to this. And[COLOR=#00ccff][b] some Chaladins[/b][/COLOR] will make this their secondary stat; even if that isn't the case, it should at least be a strong tertiary. ([b]Recommended start: 12-16, before racial adjustments[/b].) [b]Dexterity[/b]: This is the ability that tends to be all over the place for the Paladin class. It can range from [COLOR=#0000ff][b]fairly important[/b][/COLOR] in the case of Straladins looking to master a heavy blade in Epic Tier (must be 17 by that point) to an outright [COLOR=#ff0000][b]dump stat[/b][/COLOR] (even below Intelligence) for Paladin builds who can take advantage of any feats that substitute another ability score to determine initiative (e.g. Battlewise for WIS-secondary builds, Imperious Majesty for Tiefling Chaladins). For all the Paladin builds in between, a starting 10-12 will typically suffice, and they should dump Intelligence, instead. ([b]Recommended start: 8-14, before racial adjustments[/b].) [b][COLOR=Purple]Intelligence[/COLOR][/b]: The universal dump stat for the Paladin class (which is where the "Paladunce" moniker comes from). A good deal many of you should [COLOR=#ff0000][b]tank this one hard[/b][/COLOR] and never look back. Even if you're one of those builds who can conceivably dump Dexterity, instead, you're probably not going to start this one much higher, if any, than a pre-adjusted 10. ([b]Recommended start: 8-12, before racial adjustments[/b].) [b][COLOR=Blue]Wisdom[/COLOR][/b]: An all-out secondary stat for [COLOR=#00ccff][b]most Straladins[/b][/COLOR] and [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Hospitaler Chaladins[/b][/COLOR], in particular. And even those Paladins who don't use this as a secondary will still want a decent modifier here. Even just a little bit of common sense (+2 or +3) can go a long way as it determines the number of times you can use your Lay on Hands or equivalent power per day, as well as the riders of certain powers and the effectiveness of certain survivability-related class feats. ([b]Recommended start: 12-16, before racial adjustments[/b].) [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Charisma[/COLOR][/b]: The main stat for [COLOR=#ff9900][b]Chaladins[/b][/COLOR], and one of two for [COLOR=#ff9900][b]Baladins[/b][/COLOR]. Those Paladins should focus on their appeal and allure at every possible juncture, as they do their gods' will with it (i.e. smack enemies around). Even some Straladins will want at least a modicum of this, if only to qualify for certain key feats in Epic Tier (aim for 15 by that point). ([b]Recommended start: 10-18, before racial adjustments[/b].) [CENTER][SIZE=6][b][u]Focus Your Efforts: Ability Score Arrays[/u][/b][/SIZE][/CENTER] [b]16, 14, 14, 13, 10, 8[/b]: The "well-rounded" stat line, commonly used by Straladins and Chaladins alike. It offers solid secondary and tertiary stats, as well as an above-average fourth stat that can be used to meet any Paragon Tier and Epic Tier feat prerequisites or multiclass requirements. You can't go wrong with this array. [b]16, 16, 12, 12, 10, 8[/b]: Baladins head straight for this one. This one is also best for Straladins and Chaladins who plan to multiclass or hybrid with a class that uses their secondary stat as an attack stat, such as a Chaladin/Cleric (CHA/WIS), just as an example. [b]18, 13, 13, 10, 10, 8[/b]: Straladins and Chaladins who want to start with a 20 in their attack stat (after racial bonus) and thus the highest attack bonus possible go for this array. The 13's go into WIS and CON; bump one of them to 14 at Lv. 4, the other one to 14 at Lv. 8, then go from there. The drawback is that you will likely miss out on certain feats, particularly in Epic Tier. It's also a good array for Wilden, who can take this array to max out their attack and still have solid secondary and tertiary stat scores. [/QUOTE]
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