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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: 6707953" data-attributes="member: 6793297"><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>Born to be Faithful: Races</u></strong></p><p></span></p><p></p><p>As long as you have a bonus in Strength (for Straladins) or Charisma (for Chaladins), you'll do well. <strong>Dragonborn</strong> are a great choice for all Paladins, and are hands-down the best Baladins. <strong>Dwarves</strong>, <strong>Goliaths</strong>, <strong>Half-Orcs</strong> and <strong>Longtooth Shifters</strong> are terrific Straladins, in particular. Prime Chaladins are found among the <strong>Half-Elves</strong>, <strong>Tieflings</strong>, <strong>Devas</strong> and <strong>Kalashtars</strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong>PHB</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Dragonborn</span> (PHB/E:HFK)</strong>: You're always charismatic, and you're hands-down the best Baladin option if you choose to be strong. Chaladins can opt to be sturdy instead, which is awesome since you add your CON modifier to your healing surge value. Plus, you're more dangerous when bloodied. And to top it off, you get great feat support, including Draconic Challenge early on, which slaps Divine Sanction on every enemy caught in your breath, hit or miss.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Dwarf</span> (PHB/E:HFL)</strong>: Hardy by nature, with minor-action second wind, resistance to forced movement and a whole lot of amazing feat support to boot. Straladins choose to come in with some extra muscle and rock it out like few other races can. And Dwarves who choose to be wise instead can actually be decent Chaladins; with two secondaries getting bonuses you can still start with an 18 in Charisma without much trouble.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Eladrin</span> (PHB/E:HFL)</strong>: Amazing what a choice in stat bonuses will do to a race. All of a sudden, with the option to be charismatic in play, you're a solid Chaladin option. Fey Step is quite an asset, as are the bonuses to Will and saves against Charm, Trance and your Education (best spent on Perception).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Purple">Elf</span> (PHB/E:HFL)</strong>: Quick and either wise or smart. Elven Accuracy is an excellent racial power, but alas, it's not enough compensation for lack of muscle or image.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Half-Elf</span> (PHB/E:HFK)</strong>: Easily one of the best Chaladin races. You've got the the Constitution and the option for Charisma, and you can take Human and Elf feats. But the best part of all is Dilletante, which lets you swipe an at-will power from another class. In Paragon Tier, that power can become a true at-will with the Versatile Master feat (PHB2). By virtue of that one, you're not a half-bad Straladin, either, despite not being particularly strong.</p><p></p><p><strong>Recommended Dilletante powers</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Cutting Words (Bard)</span> (PHBH): Attack at range and pull 2 squares. Helps you better maintain Divine Challenge and force enemies to close distance with you. Implement-based, Psychic, and attacks.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Dragonfrost (Sorcerer)</span> (PHB2)</strong>: If you're looking for a ranged basic attack, this is the way to go. 10-square range, decent damage, and it can push the enemy a square if it hits.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Eldritch Strike (Warlock)</span> (PHBH)</strong>: Weapon-based, and it counts as a CHA-based MBA. It also slides the enemy a square if it hits. It serves as a fine alternative to Virtuous Strike if you'd rather select two other Paladin at-wills. Or, if you do plan on multiclassing with an arcane class, you want to outfit a melee basic attack with fun stuff like the White Lotus feat line (D 374), Quickened Spellcasting (AP), Arcane Admixture (AP) and all the goods that feat opens up, etc. Take the Melee Training feat to tide you over in Heroic Tier, then retrain that feat for Versatile Master when you hit Lv. 11.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Eyebite (Warlock)</span> (PHB)</strong>: Psychic attack vs. Will (which means it's enhanceable by Psychic Lock), and a popular pick from the early days of 4e. It can still be a good, even great choice, but it's no longer automatic. To make this one live up to <span style="color: #00ccff">its full potential</span>, you'll want to already provide an orgy of disincentive to the enemy to attack anyone else besides you (e.g. Hospitaler, Forceful Challenge, Weakening Challenge, several immediate action punishment powers ... preferably all in combination).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Intent Laid Bare (Ardent)</span> (D 395)</strong>: Counts as a CHA-based MBA and prevents the enemy from shifting when you hit. Perfect for some extra stickiness. The only snag is that it does not get an extra [W] of damage in Epic Tier, but that's a small price to pay for Chaladins who aren't all that damage-focused, anyway.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Sacred Flame (Cleric)</span> (PHB)</strong>: Ranged radiant attack against Reflex that can give an ally a solid amount of THPs or allow a save. Good choice for a CHA/WIS Paladin/Cleric.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Twin Strike (Ranger)</span> (PHB)</strong>: The reason Rangers are king of DPR. Adept Dilletante works nicely to let Chaladins attack with it; or, alternatively, multiclass Bard and take Combat Virtuoso, which works out perfectly since this power doesn't add ability modifier to damage, anyway.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Vicious Mockery (Bard)</span> (PHB2)</strong>: Like the Chaladin's own Enfeebling Strike, but with a 10-square range! Implement-based attack vs. Will that slaps a -2 attack roll debuff on the enemy if it hits. Use this against a marked enemy to make it hell for the knave to hit your allies (cumulative -4). For that matter they're not gonna have an easy time hitting you, either. It's a Psychic attack, too, which means it can be enhanced by feats like Psychic Lock. For many Chaladins, this has superseded Eyebite as the go-to Dilletante.</p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Halfling</span> (PHB/E:HFL)</strong>: Agile, and I'll assume you're working on the personality. You'll make a good Chaladin. Your racial power can make an enemy miss when he thinks he got you, and you get access to some good racial feats. Small size does hold you back, though, limiting your choice of weapons.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Human</span> (PHB/E:HFL)</strong>: You can train in any one attribute, and it'd better be either Strength or Charisma. Bonus feat and skill are great. The +1 racial bonus to all NADs is huge, too. Finally, you can choose between a third at-will (a good choice for Chaladins in particular), or a HUGE per-encounter boost on an attack roll or save. Can't go wrong here at all.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Tiefling</span> (PHB/E:HFK)</strong>: Your race's star as a Chaladin has really taken off since the beginning, to the point that you're arguably the best at it now. You can now opt for Constitution to go along with your natural Charisma, for one. Plus you have some of the best feat support from the likes of Imperious Majesty, Wrath of the Crimson Legion and Dispater's Iron Discipline. Your Bloodhunt feature also lets you finish bloodied foes that much faster.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>PHB2</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Deva</span> (PHB2/D 397)</strong>: Welcome to the club. Now that you can be charismatic instead of smart, and add that to your innate Wisdom, you're easily among the best Chaladins out there. (Aasimar fans from 3.5 should be happy.) Especially if you're going all-out dual-stat CHA/WIS, this is as good as it gets. Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes is a terrific and versatile racial power that can provide huge corrections on attacks, saves and even skill checks. Extra defense against bloodied creatures, a nice amount of level-scaling resistance to radiant and the very common necrotic, and some incredible feat support for different build types top it all off.</p><p></p><p><strong>Gnome (PHB2)</strong>: You're charismatic, so you'll do fine as a Chaladin. Fade Away is a solid racial power, and you do get some pretty good feat support throughout your career. Unfortunately, small size limits your weapon choices.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Goliath</span> (PHB2/D 397)</strong>: Strong by nature, and now with the option to be wise. This brings you completely out of the shadow of the STR/CON Dwarf and makes you one of the very top Straladin races in your own right. Stone's Endurance is still a fantastic racial power for durability, and your feat support is likewise still great for the Defender role. Last but not least, you still get that +1 racial bonus to Will.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Half-Orc</span> (PHB2/E:HFK)</strong>: The feat Blessed Strength single-handedly makes you one of the best Straladin races. That's on top of your being strong and quick, fast on a charge and hard-hitting. With your quickness you also sacrifice the least to master a heavy blade.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Shifter, Longtooth</span> (PHB2)</strong>: Strong and wise, which makes you prime Straladin material. Longtooth Shifting is an excellent racial power, making you more dangerous and tougher to bring down when the fight heats up.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Purple">Shifter, Razorclaw</span> (PHB2)</strong>: Your Longtooth counterpart is simply better.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>PHB3</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #800080">Githzerai</span> (PHB3): Wise and either quick or smart. Similar to an Elf, but its racial power is defensive. A solid power it is, but like the Elf, not nearly enough to make up for a lack of Strength or Charisma.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Minotaur</span> (PHB3): Strong all the time, and you can choose to either be sturdy or wise. The stats line up fine for you, but compared to other races with similar stat bonuses (Dwarf, Goliath, Longtooth Shifter), you have some faults that make you fall just short of their high standards. Namely your racial power, Goring Charge, can't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle. That's not to say you won't be effective; you do have some solid feat support, such as the awesome Bloodied Ferocity, but you're not among the best of the best.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Shardmind</span> (PHB3): You can potentially be charismatic and do well as a Chaladin. Too bad you're stuck being smart, but the Living Contruct benefit is pretty great. So is Shard Swarm, and Telepathy is also pretty cool.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff">Wilden</span> (PHB3): You can potentially start off wise and sturdy, just like a Dwarf. As those are likely to be your second- and third-most important stats, this is good. You can still buy a natural starting 18 in your main attack stat without compromising your secondary and tertiary much. Also like the Dwarf, you have some more nice abilities to make up for lack of a primary stat bonus. Namely Nature's Aspect. Wrath of the Destroyer is an excellent per-encounter punishment stacker. Some may prefer Pursuit of the Hunter, which makes it possible once every fight to follow a marked enemy when he tries to get away. Good feat support, too.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Other rulebooks/Dragon</strong></p><p> <u></u></p><p><u></u></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Changeling/Doppelganger</span> (EPG)</strong>: You can win friends easily, so the path of the Chaladin is your calling. You can choose to be smart or quick; go with quick for the extra initiative unless you plan on multiclassing with Artificer (the only INT-based class worth doing that with). The Fickle Servant feat lets you choose feats from any domain, not just the ones that belong to your deity. An interesting, and potentially effective, choice.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Drow</span> (FRPG/E:HFK)</strong>: Add some personality to your inherent quickness to be a solid Chaladin. Darkvision and Trance are excellent adventuring benefits. Lolthtouched powers are also pretty nice.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Genasi</span> (FRPG)</strong>: Brains and brawn. The brawn is good. As are the racial powers, manifestations and feat support. Solid choice for a Straladin. The brains are there if you want to have an easy time multiclassing Artificer.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Gnoll</span> (D 367)</strong>: Decent racial power, but CON and DEX aren't the best racial bonuses. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Hamadryad</span> (HotF)</strong>: This female-only race can go with CHA and WIS for stat bonuses, making them very appealing for Chaladins who want to emphasize WIS as a secondary. The racial encounter power's option for damage resistance can be quite handy for a round in which you expect to draw heavy focus fire. A Trance-type ability and +2 racial bonuses to saves against the three heavy hitters of daze, dominate and stun round it out quite nicely. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Kalashtar</span> (EPG)</strong>: Charismatic, with the option to be wise, you're in on the argument of best Chaladin race. It's especially great if you're going full dual-stat CHA/WIS. Telepathy has a lot of useful adventuring applications, Bastion of Mental Clarity is a solid racial power, and being able to make saves against daze and dominate at the start of your turn is very nice.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Mul</span> (DSCS)</strong>: Same stat options as a Dwarf, an option to poach the Dwarf's excellent feats and an excellent racial recovery power in Incredible Toughness. An amazing Straladin option (assuming you're not in Dark Sun, of course), and even a workable Chaladin if you choose to be wise instead.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Pixie</span> (HotF)</strong>: Don't let the Tiny size fool you, this race can do quite well as a Chaladin (as for your second stat bonus, DEX is probably the better choice). Being Tiny means you can occupy the squares of other creatures on the map, which can come in quite handy. (For starters, an enemy will have to move/shift two squares to get away from your melee range, which is still 1 like it is for other PC races.) You can fly as fast as most Medium races walk, so even after plate, movement isn't any more of an issue than it is for anyone else. Plus, well, you fly, which is great when difficult terrain is involved. Typically, you'll be using rapier + shield, since you use the same weapon rules as Small races. Letting an ally fly with your move action once per encounter is icing on the cake.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff">Revenant</span> (D 376/397): Has the choice to get that Charisma bonus necessary for Chaladins, now, and on top of that this race has some rather absurd tricks that can make them all but invincible. The ability to swipe another race's feat support, and even their racial powers via racial Soul feats, can also have some very interesting results.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Satyr</span> (HotF)</strong>: This male-only fey race can go CHA/CON, which, of course, is an ideal set of bonuses for a Chaladin. You get a decent bonus to your surge use (albeit not as much as a Dragonborn's) and a pretty neat racial power that lets you slide an enemy you hit with an attack. That one's best used with one of your ranged implement attacks (especially an immediate-action power, of which you have a few) to corral an enemy closer to you and make your DC easy to maintain.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Shadar-Kai</span> (D 372)</strong>: Quick and smart, exactly what you didn't need to be. Shadow Jaunt is a solid encounter power, but other than that you're just not suitable.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Shade</span> (HoS)</strong>: Losing a healing surge is an automatic disqualification from the Defender role (or hell, really anything for that matter). It's that bad. Then add a racial power that's utterly useless in combat to the mix and training in a skill that you'll never be good at, and you have a complete failure of a race. Oh, you have a Charisma bonus, you say? Sorry, you still fail.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Thri-Kreen</span> (DSCS)</strong>: Members of this race who wander outside the Dark Sun setting want to be strong to complement their natural quickness. They'll make solid Straladins who have an easy time mastering heavy blades. Having a minor-action racial attack power is quite nice.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Vryloka</span> (HoS)</strong>: The penalty to healing surge value when bloodied is pretty damn annoying <span style="color: #800080"><strong>early in Heroic</strong></span>, especially for a Defender, but in later levels it's almost inconsequential, making for a weird power curve. If you're starting a campaign <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>past lower Heroic</strong></span>, you'll actually find a lot to like. You can have the Strength and Charisma bonuses to be a perfect Baladin, a la the Dragonborn. Your extra speed really helps you get into ideal defending positions, you have some sweet resistance to a common enemy damage type in necrotic, and you have a potent and versatile per-encounter racial utility that can give you an awesome free shift of up to your speed, a nice THP buffer or a bonus to your attacks as you see fit.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Warforged</span> (EPG)</strong>: Strong and sturdy, just like the Goliath, which means you'll be a great Straladin. As it is for the Shardmind, Living Construct is a host of adventuring benefits, Unsleeping Watcher is basically Trance, and Warforged Resilience means you're just not going to die very often. Warforged Resolve is a solid racial power, too. And on top of all this, you get some nice feat support.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Monsters (at DM's discretion)</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Bladeling</span> (MOTP)</strong>: DEX and WIS bonuses, and a racial power you won't put to very good use.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Bugbear</span> (MM)</strong>: Geared toward Straladins who might want to master use of a heavy blade. Use of oversized weapons is a big plus.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Bullywug</span> (MM2)</strong>: Meh.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Purple">Duergar</span> (MM2)</strong>: The bonuses to two secondary stats are good for you. The racial power isn't, and unfortunately that's all you get in comparison to your morally superior kin.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Githyanki</span> (MM)</strong>: Aaaaah, no.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Goblin</span> (MM)</strong>: Goblin Tactics is awesome, and you've also got some personality. A good Chaladin. Only small size holds you back.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Hobgoblin</span> (MM)</strong>: Just like a Half-Elf, you can win friends and you're durable. But you don't have Dilletante. Still, you're good enough.</p><p></p><p><strong>Kenku (MM2)</strong>: An interesting choice for a Chaladin. Make sure you train Bluff in some way.</p><p></p><p><strong>Kobold (MM)</strong>: At-will minor-action shifting is awesome. Small size and the racial bonuses (CON, DEX) aren't.</p><p></p><p><strong>Orc (MM)</strong>: You're not bad, but you're clearly Half-Orc-lite at this point.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>When Violence Is Not the Answer: Skills</u></strong></p><p></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Class Skills</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Diplomacy</span></strong>: Odds are pretty good you're going to be the party face, especially if you're a Chaladin.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Endurance</span></strong>: Resist diseases and generally survive in a lot of adverse conditions. Yes, you want this.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Heal</span></strong>: Useful for treating diseases. Not everyone in your party has Endurance as a class skill. First Aid, while potentially a lifesaver should be a last resort, though, as it takes a standard action. If the task of rituals or alchemy should fall to you, this one becomes even more vital.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Purple">History</span></strong>: Don't know much about it. Unless you need it trained as a prerequisite for something, leave this knowledge skill to those who aren't so slow in the head.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Insight</span></strong>: Counters Bluff, which can prevent an ambush in some cases.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Intimidate</span></strong>: Its combat application is arguably broken. Even that aside, it's useful in many skill challenges.</p><p></p><p><strong>Religion</strong>: You're trained in it automatically, so it doesn't matter what I think of it. Because academics in general probably aren't your thing, you're not gonna make great use of this skill. But at least you have easy access to Ritual Casting or Alchemist in the unfortunate case such tasks should fall to you. It also counts as a knowledge skill, in case that matters.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Other Skills of Interest</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Athletics</span></strong>: Straladins will make great use of this one. Escape grabs, jump, climb, swim, it's all there.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Bluff</span></strong>: Chaladins could make good use of this one. Vital for <strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Changelings</span></strong>. A multiclass feat for Bard will do nicely here.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: DeepSkyBlue">Perception</span></strong>: Lots of sneaky enemies out there. Acting in a surprise round is a very, very, very good thing. Certain multiclass feats for Avenger, Barbarian, Bard and Ranger can get you training in this skill.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: Blue">Streetwise</span></strong>: A good information-gathering skill. Chaladins will excel here.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>Defining your Faith: Recommended Themes</u></strong></p><p></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Guardian</span> (D 399)</strong>: Guardian's Counter is absolutely perfect for you: A per-encounter combination of martyrdom and MBA-based punishment stacking. Definitely THE theme of choice for most Paladins. The Lv. 10 bonded charge feature is also pretty nifty, giving you a free +1 to attacks when an important ally that might be a bit on the squishy side gets attacked.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Harper Agent</span> (NWCS)</strong>: Gives you a Harper Pin with an encounter power letting use one of three blessings, all of which are pretty sweet (correcting a missed attack roll, reducing the damage of a hit against you by a nice level-scaling amount, or rerolling a failed save). You basically choose the order in which you get them for your first 10 levels.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Iliyanbruen Guardian</span> (NWCS)</strong>: For Eladrin only, this one lets you do nice things like take an ally with you when you Fey Step and, at Lv. 10, you ca even do this as a minor action.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Knight Hospitaler</span> (D 399)</strong>: Shares part of its name with the famous Chaladin PP, and sure enough Shield of Devotion, the encounter utility, delivers an effect quite a bit like that PP's key feature -- a tier-scaling + WIS or CHA mod amount of healing when an ally is attacked. At Lv. 10, you can deliver this immediate-reaction healing twice per encounter. A pretty good choice for any Paladin, considering you're likely to boost at least one of either WIS or CHA.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Ordained Priest</span> (D 399)</strong>: Whichever of the Symbol attacks you decide to pick up, you're getting something that will play quite nicely with your Defender abilities. The weapon-based Smiting Symbol provides beaucoup protection (THPs and defense boosts) for one particular ally, and the implement-based Shining Symbol is a nice one to throw out after a mass-Sanction power to stack attack penalties on top of each other.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Order Adept</span> (D 399)</strong>: Being able to snag a Wizard utility might just come in handy. A +1 power bonus to Will at Lv. 10 is also pretty nice to have.</p><p></p><p><strong>Samurai (D 404)</strong>: A theme that can be effective for secondary Striker-inclined Paladins, but it does require that you <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>build around it</strong></span>. Iaijutsu is at its best when (a) you fully maximize your initiative boosts (this will likely mean taking all of Battlewise or equivalents, Improved/Superior Initiative AND Danger Sense), and (b) you develop strong crit-triggered abilities. This theme also has a very nice Lv. 10 utility that lets you make a save for a minor-action and also gives you massive boosts to your NADs.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Sohei</span> (D 404)</strong>: Some Paladins with a secondary Striker inclination will prefer this Oriental- and divine-flavored theme over even Guardian. It's been said that Paladins have great feat support for pumping burst damage, but don't have the multi-attacking powers beyond Heroic Tier to go along with that support. Enter a neat solution to that problem: Sohei Flurry, a minor action to tack on another attack after you hit an enemy with your standard. A sweet power for a "nova" turn, and in Epic Tier you can even hit a second enemy with this for collateral damage. (Another Epic Tier note: Since Sohei Flurry is a Divine power, it can be recovered with Divine Mastery.) The +1 power bonus to saves at Lv. 10 against the three big ones (daze, dominate, stun) is also pretty neat.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>Thy God Lives On ... Through This Arm:</u></strong></p></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u></u></strong></p></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u>Weapon Groups</u></strong></p><p></span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Axe</strong></span>: A more appealing choice for Straladins than for Chaladins, this group is great for the damage potential, and many fine weapon properties are of the axe variety, including the important weapon/implement combo properties your class loves. Axe mastery is also easier than most. The proficiency on axes is only +2, though.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific weapons</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Execution Axe</span> (AV)</strong>: 1d12 brutal 2 and comes with high crit. Can't go wrong with it.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Gouge</span> (DSCS)</strong>: Simply the most exploitable weapon out there. Counts as a spear as well, which is the heart of its exploitability. If you're looking to pump your DPR as high as it will go, this is where you look. It requires substantial DEX investment to use it properly (17 for Surprising Charge, 19 for Spear Mastery), and locks you into multiclassing Fighter, but the returns you get on the investment can be huge.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Waraxe</span> (AV)</strong>: Versatile one-handed 1d12 weapon. Since you're probably taking a member of this group for the intent to deal damage, this is a worthy upgrade over the battleaxe.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Flail</strong></span>: Surprisingly good choice for Champions of Order multiclassing Martial, thanks to the slide you can put on the MBAs from In Defense of Order, possibly sliding enemies out of reach of your allies before they connect.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific weapons</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Triple-Headed Flail</span> (AV)</strong>: Accurate +3 proficiency and solid 1d10 damage for good times all around.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Hammer</strong></span>: While the CON-based optimizations will be a bit of a stretch for most builds (Hammer Rhythm, Bludgeon Mastery), there's still plenty of goods left over to aim for with this group. Those goods do lock you into the Fighter multiclass, but Sons of Mercy and those with the Earth domain on Bolstering Strike will have too much fun with the likes of Overwhelming Impact in Epic to care. Also important, this group holds a lot of the Paladin-favored weaplement properties as well. However, they do have a +2 proficiency to contend with, so keep that in mind.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific weapons</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Craghammer</span> (AV)</strong>: The most damaging one-handed hammer with its d10 brutal 2 damage. If you're a <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Dwarf</strong></span> you're going to prefer this over the warhammer thanks to Dwarven Weapon Training.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Mordenkrad</span> (AV)</strong>: 2d6 brutal 1 damage is never a bad thing. A strong damage option. What it gives up to the gouge in that department it more than makes up for in its at-will dazing potential for Sons of Mercy or those of the Earth domain.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Warhammer</span> (PHB)</strong>: For most of you, the standard d10 on this martial one-hander will do nicely, since this group in your hands is more about status effect shenanigans than raw damage.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Heavy Blade</strong></span>: An iconic option for Paladins, and this group backs up that status nicely. The heavy blades worth mentioning all have a +3 proficiency bonus for that extra accuracy, and this group is home to some of the best Paladin-favored weaplement properties, to boot. The only negative is that Straladins looking to master it will need some DEX investment (17 by Epic), but that's not major. Overall, this is definitely the best group for Paladins who aren't looking to shape their builds around the exploits of other specific weapons.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific weapons</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Bastard Sword (PHB)</strong>: The most damaging one-handed representative of this group, with a 1d10 damage die. The Weapon Proficiency feat to take this over the longsword is not a particularly high priority for most sword-wielding builds, though. Chaladins probably shouldn't even bother.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Fullblade</span> (AV)</strong> : The best two-handed member of this group, with 1d12 damage die and high crit. This one is well worth the Weapon Proficiency feat over the greatsword if you're going for damage.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Longsword</span> (PHB)</strong>: The all-important +3 proficiency, solid 1d8 damage die and, as it's a martial weapon, you're automatically proficient. No Paladin can go wrong with this weapon. Chaladins prefer this weapon almost exclusively.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Light Blade</strong></span>: Like heavy blades, the members of this group worth mentioning have that sweet +3 proficiency, and feats like Nimble Blade and (with a Martial multiclass) Deft Blade can up the accuracy factor even higher. It's easily the best choice for <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>small Paladins</strong></span> (Halflings, Gnomes). But for all this group's strengths, this group also has its drawbacks for non-Small members of the Paladin class that keep it from the upper echelon of their options. For one, this group is rather limited on Paladin-favored weaplement choices. And even if that isn't a factor for you, the options that boost this group's damage all require a specific multiclass (Fighter or Rogue) and a substantial DEX investment for the likes of Surprising Charge. Plus mastery is out of the question with its 21 DEX requirement.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific weapons</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Rapier</span> (PHB)</strong>: The best light blade for you, with its 1d8 damage die. And it's a martial weapon, so you start with proficiency in it already. Gnome and Halfling Paladins do just fine with it, too.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Mace</strong></span>: Never use one when you can use a hammer instead.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Pick</strong></span>: No worthwhile support for this.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Polearm</strong></span>: In Paragon Tier, Polearm Gamble makes this a nice defender option with some stat investment (STR 15, WIS 15 by that point). This group gets even better if you have an<span style="color: #00ccff"><strong> at-will forced movement attack</strong></span> somehow (Half-Elf with Eldritch Strike, Mark of Storm), in which case MC Fighter, DEX 15, WIS 15 for Polearm Momentum makes this an awesome choice. Just add some extra squares to that forced movement somehow and you'll be set.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific weapons</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Glaive (PHB)</strong>: Counts as a heavy blade, although it only has a +2 proficiency. Still suits the purpose.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Greatspear</span> (AV)</strong>: Accurate +3 proficiency, d10 damage die and open to both Polearm shenanigans and Spear charging optimization avenues. As good as it gets here if you MC Fighter and have the DEX necessary for Surprising Charge. Only drawback besides the steep ability investment is no weaplement properties, but if you're interested in charging you're probably a Straladin taking mostly weapon powers, anyway.</p><p></p><p><strong>Halberd (PHB)</strong>: Counts as an axe as well as a polearm, meaning it benefits from Deadly Axe and is one of the easier weapons for Straladins to get mastery in.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Spear</strong></span>: The banner members of this group were already discussed under the other weapon categories that they're also members of (Gouge as Axes and Greatspears as Polearms). That said, you might want to keep a one-handed member of this group as a sidearm for when you need to make ranged attacks. The feat support for this group is undeniably great, especially if multiclassing Fighter.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific weapons</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Javelin</span> (PHB)</strong>: +2 proficiency and 1d6 damage die, and it can be thrown up to 10 squares. Solid sidearm.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Trident</span> (AV)</strong>: More damaging than the javelin (1d8 die), but it can only be thrown 3 squares. Not as good a sidearm as the javelin, but rather a worthy choice if you want to take advantage of MC Fighter and Surprising Charge while still using a shield.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Staff</strong></span>: lol</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Veep, post: 6707953, member: 6793297"] [SIZE=6][CENTER][b][u]Born to be Faithful: Races[/u][/b][/CENTER] [/SIZE] As long as you have a bonus in Strength (for Straladins) or Charisma (for Chaladins), you'll do well. [b]Dragonborn[/b] are a great choice for all Paladins, and are hands-down the best Baladins. [b]Dwarves[/b], [b]Goliaths[/b], [b]Half-Orcs[/b] and [b]Longtooth Shifters[/b] are terrific Straladins, in particular. Prime Chaladins are found among the [b]Half-Elves[/b], [b]Tieflings[/b], [b]Devas[/b] and [b]Kalashtars[/b]. [b]PHB[/b] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Dragonborn[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFK)[/b]: You're always charismatic, and you're hands-down the best Baladin option if you choose to be strong. Chaladins can opt to be sturdy instead, which is awesome since you add your CON modifier to your healing surge value. Plus, you're more dangerous when bloodied. And to top it off, you get great feat support, including Draconic Challenge early on, which slaps Divine Sanction on every enemy caught in your breath, hit or miss. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Dwarf[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFL)[/b]: Hardy by nature, with minor-action second wind, resistance to forced movement and a whole lot of amazing feat support to boot. Straladins choose to come in with some extra muscle and rock it out like few other races can. And Dwarves who choose to be wise instead can actually be decent Chaladins; with two secondaries getting bonuses you can still start with an 18 in Charisma without much trouble. [b][COLOR=Blue]Eladrin[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFL)[/b]: Amazing what a choice in stat bonuses will do to a race. All of a sudden, with the option to be charismatic in play, you're a solid Chaladin option. Fey Step is quite an asset, as are the bonuses to Will and saves against Charm, Trance and your Education (best spent on Perception). [b][COLOR=Purple]Elf[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFL)[/b]: Quick and either wise or smart. Elven Accuracy is an excellent racial power, but alas, it's not enough compensation for lack of muscle or image. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Half-Elf[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFK)[/b]: Easily one of the best Chaladin races. You've got the the Constitution and the option for Charisma, and you can take Human and Elf feats. But the best part of all is Dilletante, which lets you swipe an at-will power from another class. In Paragon Tier, that power can become a true at-will with the Versatile Master feat (PHB2). By virtue of that one, you're not a half-bad Straladin, either, despite not being particularly strong. [b]Recommended Dilletante powers[/b] [COLOR=#0000ff]Cutting Words (Bard)[/COLOR] (PHBH): Attack at range and pull 2 squares. Helps you better maintain Divine Challenge and force enemies to close distance with you. Implement-based, Psychic, and attacks. [b][COLOR=Blue]Dragonfrost (Sorcerer)[/COLOR] (PHB2)[/b]: If you're looking for a ranged basic attack, this is the way to go. 10-square range, decent damage, and it can push the enemy a square if it hits. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Eldritch Strike (Warlock)[/COLOR] (PHBH)[/b]: Weapon-based, and it counts as a CHA-based MBA. It also slides the enemy a square if it hits. It serves as a fine alternative to Virtuous Strike if you'd rather select two other Paladin at-wills. Or, if you do plan on multiclassing with an arcane class, you want to outfit a melee basic attack with fun stuff like the White Lotus feat line (D 374), Quickened Spellcasting (AP), Arcane Admixture (AP) and all the goods that feat opens up, etc. Take the Melee Training feat to tide you over in Heroic Tier, then retrain that feat for Versatile Master when you hit Lv. 11. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Eyebite (Warlock)[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Psychic attack vs. Will (which means it's enhanceable by Psychic Lock), and a popular pick from the early days of 4e. It can still be a good, even great choice, but it's no longer automatic. To make this one live up to [COLOR=#00ccff]its full potential[/COLOR], you'll want to already provide an orgy of disincentive to the enemy to attack anyone else besides you (e.g. Hospitaler, Forceful Challenge, Weakening Challenge, several immediate action punishment powers ... preferably all in combination). [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Intent Laid Bare (Ardent)[/COLOR] (D 395)[/b]: Counts as a CHA-based MBA and prevents the enemy from shifting when you hit. Perfect for some extra stickiness. The only snag is that it does not get an extra [W] of damage in Epic Tier, but that's a small price to pay for Chaladins who aren't all that damage-focused, anyway. [b][COLOR=Blue]Sacred Flame (Cleric)[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: Ranged radiant attack against Reflex that can give an ally a solid amount of THPs or allow a save. Good choice for a CHA/WIS Paladin/Cleric. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Twin Strike (Ranger)[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: The reason Rangers are king of DPR. Adept Dilletante works nicely to let Chaladins attack with it; or, alternatively, multiclass Bard and take Combat Virtuoso, which works out perfectly since this power doesn't add ability modifier to damage, anyway. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Vicious Mockery (Bard)[/COLOR] (PHB2)[/b]: Like the Chaladin's own Enfeebling Strike, but with a 10-square range! Implement-based attack vs. Will that slaps a -2 attack roll debuff on the enemy if it hits. Use this against a marked enemy to make it hell for the knave to hit your allies (cumulative -4). For that matter they're not gonna have an easy time hitting you, either. It's a Psychic attack, too, which means it can be enhanced by feats like Psychic Lock. For many Chaladins, this has superseded Eyebite as the go-to Dilletante. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Halfling[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFL)[/b]: Agile, and I'll assume you're working on the personality. You'll make a good Chaladin. Your racial power can make an enemy miss when he thinks he got you, and you get access to some good racial feats. Small size does hold you back, though, limiting your choice of weapons. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Human[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFL)[/b]: You can train in any one attribute, and it'd better be either Strength or Charisma. Bonus feat and skill are great. The +1 racial bonus to all NADs is huge, too. Finally, you can choose between a third at-will (a good choice for Chaladins in particular), or a HUGE per-encounter boost on an attack roll or save. Can't go wrong here at all. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Tiefling[/COLOR] (PHB/E:HFK)[/b]: Your race's star as a Chaladin has really taken off since the beginning, to the point that you're arguably the best at it now. You can now opt for Constitution to go along with your natural Charisma, for one. Plus you have some of the best feat support from the likes of Imperious Majesty, Wrath of the Crimson Legion and Dispater's Iron Discipline. Your Bloodhunt feature also lets you finish bloodied foes that much faster. [b]PHB2[/b] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Deva[/COLOR] (PHB2/D 397)[/b]: Welcome to the club. Now that you can be charismatic instead of smart, and add that to your innate Wisdom, you're easily among the best Chaladins out there. (Aasimar fans from 3.5 should be happy.) Especially if you're going all-out dual-stat CHA/WIS, this is as good as it gets. Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes is a terrific and versatile racial power that can provide huge corrections on attacks, saves and even skill checks. Extra defense against bloodied creatures, a nice amount of level-scaling resistance to radiant and the very common necrotic, and some incredible feat support for different build types top it all off. [b]Gnome (PHB2)[/b]: You're charismatic, so you'll do fine as a Chaladin. Fade Away is a solid racial power, and you do get some pretty good feat support throughout your career. Unfortunately, small size limits your weapon choices. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Goliath[/COLOR] (PHB2/D 397)[/b]: Strong by nature, and now with the option to be wise. This brings you completely out of the shadow of the STR/CON Dwarf and makes you one of the very top Straladin races in your own right. Stone's Endurance is still a fantastic racial power for durability, and your feat support is likewise still great for the Defender role. Last but not least, you still get that +1 racial bonus to Will. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Half-Orc[/COLOR] (PHB2/E:HFK)[/b]: The feat Blessed Strength single-handedly makes you one of the best Straladin races. That's on top of your being strong and quick, fast on a charge and hard-hitting. With your quickness you also sacrifice the least to master a heavy blade. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Shifter, Longtooth[/COLOR] (PHB2)[/b]: Strong and wise, which makes you prime Straladin material. Longtooth Shifting is an excellent racial power, making you more dangerous and tougher to bring down when the fight heats up. [b][COLOR=Purple]Shifter, Razorclaw[/COLOR] (PHB2)[/b]: Your Longtooth counterpart is simply better. [b]PHB3[/b] [COLOR=#800080]Githzerai[/COLOR] (PHB3): Wise and either quick or smart. Similar to an Elf, but its racial power is defensive. A solid power it is, but like the Elf, not nearly enough to make up for a lack of Strength or Charisma. [COLOR=#0000ff]Minotaur[/COLOR] (PHB3): Strong all the time, and you can choose to either be sturdy or wise. The stats line up fine for you, but compared to other races with similar stat bonuses (Dwarf, Goliath, Longtooth Shifter), you have some faults that make you fall just short of their high standards. Namely your racial power, Goring Charge, can't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle. That's not to say you won't be effective; you do have some solid feat support, such as the awesome Bloodied Ferocity, but you're not among the best of the best. [COLOR=#0000ff]Shardmind[/COLOR] (PHB3): You can potentially be charismatic and do well as a Chaladin. Too bad you're stuck being smart, but the Living Contruct benefit is pretty great. So is Shard Swarm, and Telepathy is also pretty cool. [COLOR=#0000ff]Wilden[/COLOR] (PHB3): You can potentially start off wise and sturdy, just like a Dwarf. As those are likely to be your second- and third-most important stats, this is good. You can still buy a natural starting 18 in your main attack stat without compromising your secondary and tertiary much. Also like the Dwarf, you have some more nice abilities to make up for lack of a primary stat bonus. Namely Nature's Aspect. Wrath of the Destroyer is an excellent per-encounter punishment stacker. Some may prefer Pursuit of the Hunter, which makes it possible once every fight to follow a marked enemy when he tries to get away. Good feat support, too. [b]Other rulebooks/Dragon[/b] [u] [/u] [b][COLOR=Blue]Changeling/Doppelganger[/COLOR] (EPG)[/b]: You can win friends easily, so the path of the Chaladin is your calling. You can choose to be smart or quick; go with quick for the extra initiative unless you plan on multiclassing with Artificer (the only INT-based class worth doing that with). The Fickle Servant feat lets you choose feats from any domain, not just the ones that belong to your deity. An interesting, and potentially effective, choice. [b][COLOR=Blue]Drow[/COLOR] (FRPG/E:HFK)[/b]: Add some personality to your inherent quickness to be a solid Chaladin. Darkvision and Trance are excellent adventuring benefits. Lolthtouched powers are also pretty nice. [b][COLOR=Blue]Genasi[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b]: Brains and brawn. The brawn is good. As are the racial powers, manifestations and feat support. Solid choice for a Straladin. The brains are there if you want to have an easy time multiclassing Artificer. [b][COLOR=#800080]Gnoll[/COLOR] (D 367)[/b]: Decent racial power, but CON and DEX aren't the best racial bonuses. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Hamadryad[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: This female-only race can go with CHA and WIS for stat bonuses, making them very appealing for Chaladins who want to emphasize WIS as a secondary. The racial encounter power's option for damage resistance can be quite handy for a round in which you expect to draw heavy focus fire. A Trance-type ability and +2 racial bonuses to saves against the three heavy hitters of daze, dominate and stun round it out quite nicely. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Kalashtar[/COLOR] (EPG)[/b]: Charismatic, with the option to be wise, you're in on the argument of best Chaladin race. It's especially great if you're going full dual-stat CHA/WIS. Telepathy has a lot of useful adventuring applications, Bastion of Mental Clarity is a solid racial power, and being able to make saves against daze and dominate at the start of your turn is very nice. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Mul[/COLOR] (DSCS)[/b]: Same stat options as a Dwarf, an option to poach the Dwarf's excellent feats and an excellent racial recovery power in Incredible Toughness. An amazing Straladin option (assuming you're not in Dark Sun, of course), and even a workable Chaladin if you choose to be wise instead. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Pixie[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: Don't let the Tiny size fool you, this race can do quite well as a Chaladin (as for your second stat bonus, DEX is probably the better choice). Being Tiny means you can occupy the squares of other creatures on the map, which can come in quite handy. (For starters, an enemy will have to move/shift two squares to get away from your melee range, which is still 1 like it is for other PC races.) You can fly as fast as most Medium races walk, so even after plate, movement isn't any more of an issue than it is for anyone else. Plus, well, you fly, which is great when difficult terrain is involved. Typically, you'll be using rapier + shield, since you use the same weapon rules as Small races. Letting an ally fly with your move action once per encounter is icing on the cake. [COLOR=#00ccff]Revenant[/COLOR] (D 376/397): Has the choice to get that Charisma bonus necessary for Chaladins, now, and on top of that this race has some rather absurd tricks that can make them all but invincible. The ability to swipe another race's feat support, and even their racial powers via racial Soul feats, can also have some very interesting results. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Satyr[/COLOR] (HotF)[/b]: This male-only fey race can go CHA/CON, which, of course, is an ideal set of bonuses for a Chaladin. You get a decent bonus to your surge use (albeit not as much as a Dragonborn's) and a pretty neat racial power that lets you slide an enemy you hit with an attack. That one's best used with one of your ranged implement attacks (especially an immediate-action power, of which you have a few) to corral an enemy closer to you and make your DC easy to maintain. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Shadar-Kai[/COLOR] (D 372)[/b]: Quick and smart, exactly what you didn't need to be. Shadow Jaunt is a solid encounter power, but other than that you're just not suitable. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Shade[/COLOR] (HoS)[/b]: Losing a healing surge is an automatic disqualification from the Defender role (or hell, really anything for that matter). It's that bad. Then add a racial power that's utterly useless in combat to the mix and training in a skill that you'll never be good at, and you have a complete failure of a race. Oh, you have a Charisma bonus, you say? Sorry, you still fail. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Thri-Kreen[/COLOR] (DSCS)[/b]: Members of this race who wander outside the Dark Sun setting want to be strong to complement their natural quickness. They'll make solid Straladins who have an easy time mastering heavy blades. Having a minor-action racial attack power is quite nice. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Vryloka[/COLOR] (HoS)[/b]: The penalty to healing surge value when bloodied is pretty damn annoying [COLOR=#800080][b]early in Heroic[/b][/COLOR], especially for a Defender, but in later levels it's almost inconsequential, making for a weird power curve. If you're starting a campaign [COLOR=#00ccff][b]past lower Heroic[/b][/COLOR], you'll actually find a lot to like. You can have the Strength and Charisma bonuses to be a perfect Baladin, a la the Dragonborn. Your extra speed really helps you get into ideal defending positions, you have some sweet resistance to a common enemy damage type in necrotic, and you have a potent and versatile per-encounter racial utility that can give you an awesome free shift of up to your speed, a nice THP buffer or a bonus to your attacks as you see fit. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Warforged[/COLOR] (EPG)[/b]: Strong and sturdy, just like the Goliath, which means you'll be a great Straladin. As it is for the Shardmind, Living Construct is a host of adventuring benefits, Unsleeping Watcher is basically Trance, and Warforged Resilience means you're just not going to die very often. Warforged Resolve is a solid racial power, too. And on top of all this, you get some nice feat support. [b]Monsters (at DM's discretion)[/b] [b][COLOR=#800080]Bladeling[/COLOR] (MOTP)[/b]: DEX and WIS bonuses, and a racial power you won't put to very good use. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Bugbear[/COLOR] (MM)[/b]: Geared toward Straladins who might want to master use of a heavy blade. Use of oversized weapons is a big plus. [b][COLOR=#800080]Bullywug[/COLOR] (MM2)[/b]: Meh. [b][COLOR=Purple]Duergar[/COLOR] (MM2)[/b]: The bonuses to two secondary stats are good for you. The racial power isn't, and unfortunately that's all you get in comparison to your morally superior kin. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Githyanki[/COLOR] (MM)[/b]: Aaaaah, no. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Goblin[/COLOR] (MM)[/b]: Goblin Tactics is awesome, and you've also got some personality. A good Chaladin. Only small size holds you back. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Hobgoblin[/COLOR] (MM)[/b]: Just like a Half-Elf, you can win friends and you're durable. But you don't have Dilletante. Still, you're good enough. [b]Kenku (MM2)[/b]: An interesting choice for a Chaladin. Make sure you train Bluff in some way. [b]Kobold (MM)[/b]: At-will minor-action shifting is awesome. Small size and the racial bonuses (CON, DEX) aren't. [b]Orc (MM)[/b]: You're not bad, but you're clearly Half-Orc-lite at this point. [SIZE=6][CENTER][b][u]When Violence Is Not the Answer: Skills[/u][/b][/CENTER] [/SIZE] [b]Class Skills[/b] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Diplomacy[/COLOR][/b]: Odds are pretty good you're going to be the party face, especially if you're a Chaladin. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Endurance[/COLOR][/b]: Resist diseases and generally survive in a lot of adverse conditions. Yes, you want this. [b][COLOR=Blue]Heal[/COLOR][/b]: Useful for treating diseases. Not everyone in your party has Endurance as a class skill. First Aid, while potentially a lifesaver should be a last resort, though, as it takes a standard action. If the task of rituals or alchemy should fall to you, this one becomes even more vital. [b][COLOR=Purple]History[/COLOR][/b]: Don't know much about it. Unless you need it trained as a prerequisite for something, leave this knowledge skill to those who aren't so slow in the head. [b][COLOR=Blue]Insight[/COLOR][/b]: Counters Bluff, which can prevent an ambush in some cases. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Intimidate[/COLOR][/b]: Its combat application is arguably broken. Even that aside, it's useful in many skill challenges. [b]Religion[/b]: You're trained in it automatically, so it doesn't matter what I think of it. Because academics in general probably aren't your thing, you're not gonna make great use of this skill. But at least you have easy access to Ritual Casting or Alchemist in the unfortunate case such tasks should fall to you. It also counts as a knowledge skill, in case that matters. [b]Other Skills of Interest[/b] [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Athletics[/COLOR][/b]: Straladins will make great use of this one. Escape grabs, jump, climb, swim, it's all there. [b][COLOR=Blue]Bluff[/COLOR][/b]: Chaladins could make good use of this one. Vital for [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Changelings[/COLOR][/b]. A multiclass feat for Bard will do nicely here. [b][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]Perception[/COLOR][/b]: Lots of sneaky enemies out there. Acting in a surprise round is a very, very, very good thing. Certain multiclass feats for Avenger, Barbarian, Bard and Ranger can get you training in this skill. [b][COLOR=Blue]Streetwise[/COLOR][/b]: A good information-gathering skill. Chaladins will excel here. [SIZE=6][CENTER][b][u]Defining your Faith: Recommended Themes[/u][/b][/CENTER] [/SIZE] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Guardian[/COLOR] (D 399)[/b]: Guardian's Counter is absolutely perfect for you: A per-encounter combination of martyrdom and MBA-based punishment stacking. Definitely THE theme of choice for most Paladins. The Lv. 10 bonded charge feature is also pretty nifty, giving you a free +1 to attacks when an important ally that might be a bit on the squishy side gets attacked. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Harper Agent[/COLOR] (NWCS)[/b]: Gives you a Harper Pin with an encounter power letting use one of three blessings, all of which are pretty sweet (correcting a missed attack roll, reducing the damage of a hit against you by a nice level-scaling amount, or rerolling a failed save). You basically choose the order in which you get them for your first 10 levels. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Iliyanbruen Guardian[/COLOR] (NWCS)[/b]: For Eladrin only, this one lets you do nice things like take an ally with you when you Fey Step and, at Lv. 10, you ca even do this as a minor action. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Knight Hospitaler[/COLOR] (D 399)[/b]: Shares part of its name with the famous Chaladin PP, and sure enough Shield of Devotion, the encounter utility, delivers an effect quite a bit like that PP's key feature -- a tier-scaling + WIS or CHA mod amount of healing when an ally is attacked. At Lv. 10, you can deliver this immediate-reaction healing twice per encounter. A pretty good choice for any Paladin, considering you're likely to boost at least one of either WIS or CHA. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Ordained Priest[/COLOR] (D 399)[/b]: Whichever of the Symbol attacks you decide to pick up, you're getting something that will play quite nicely with your Defender abilities. The weapon-based Smiting Symbol provides beaucoup protection (THPs and defense boosts) for one particular ally, and the implement-based Shining Symbol is a nice one to throw out after a mass-Sanction power to stack attack penalties on top of each other. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Order Adept[/COLOR] (D 399)[/b]: Being able to snag a Wizard utility might just come in handy. A +1 power bonus to Will at Lv. 10 is also pretty nice to have. [b]Samurai (D 404)[/b]: A theme that can be effective for secondary Striker-inclined Paladins, but it does require that you [COLOR=#0000ff][b]build around it[/b][/COLOR]. Iaijutsu is at its best when (a) you fully maximize your initiative boosts (this will likely mean taking all of Battlewise or equivalents, Improved/Superior Initiative AND Danger Sense), and (b) you develop strong crit-triggered abilities. This theme also has a very nice Lv. 10 utility that lets you make a save for a minor-action and also gives you massive boosts to your NADs. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Sohei[/COLOR] (D 404)[/b]: Some Paladins with a secondary Striker inclination will prefer this Oriental- and divine-flavored theme over even Guardian. It's been said that Paladins have great feat support for pumping burst damage, but don't have the multi-attacking powers beyond Heroic Tier to go along with that support. Enter a neat solution to that problem: Sohei Flurry, a minor action to tack on another attack after you hit an enemy with your standard. A sweet power for a "nova" turn, and in Epic Tier you can even hit a second enemy with this for collateral damage. (Another Epic Tier note: Since Sohei Flurry is a Divine power, it can be recovered with Divine Mastery.) The +1 power bonus to saves at Lv. 10 against the three big ones (daze, dominate, stun) is also pretty neat. [SIZE=6][CENTER][b][u]Thy God Lives On ... Through This Arm: Weapon Groups[/u][/b][/CENTER] [/SIZE] [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Axe[/b][/COLOR]: A more appealing choice for Straladins than for Chaladins, this group is great for the damage potential, and many fine weapon properties are of the axe variety, including the important weapon/implement combo properties your class loves. Axe mastery is also easier than most. The proficiency on axes is only +2, though. [b]Specific weapons[/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Execution Axe[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: 1d12 brutal 2 and comes with high crit. Can't go wrong with it. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Gouge[/COLOR] (DSCS)[/b]: Simply the most exploitable weapon out there. Counts as a spear as well, which is the heart of its exploitability. If you're looking to pump your DPR as high as it will go, this is where you look. It requires substantial DEX investment to use it properly (17 for Surprising Charge, 19 for Spear Mastery), and locks you into multiclassing Fighter, but the returns you get on the investment can be huge. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Waraxe[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Versatile one-handed 1d12 weapon. Since you're probably taking a member of this group for the intent to deal damage, this is a worthy upgrade over the battleaxe. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Flail[/b][/COLOR]: Surprisingly good choice for Champions of Order multiclassing Martial, thanks to the slide you can put on the MBAs from In Defense of Order, possibly sliding enemies out of reach of your allies before they connect. [b]Specific weapons[/b] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Triple-Headed Flail[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Accurate +3 proficiency and solid 1d10 damage for good times all around. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Hammer[/b][/COLOR]: While the CON-based optimizations will be a bit of a stretch for most builds (Hammer Rhythm, Bludgeon Mastery), there's still plenty of goods left over to aim for with this group. Those goods do lock you into the Fighter multiclass, but Sons of Mercy and those with the Earth domain on Bolstering Strike will have too much fun with the likes of Overwhelming Impact in Epic to care. Also important, this group holds a lot of the Paladin-favored weaplement properties as well. However, they do have a +2 proficiency to contend with, so keep that in mind. [b]Specific weapons[/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Craghammer[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: The most damaging one-handed hammer with its d10 brutal 2 damage. If you're a [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Dwarf[/b][/COLOR] you're going to prefer this over the warhammer thanks to Dwarven Weapon Training. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Mordenkrad[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: 2d6 brutal 1 damage is never a bad thing. A strong damage option. What it gives up to the gouge in that department it more than makes up for in its at-will dazing potential for Sons of Mercy or those of the Earth domain. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Warhammer[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: For most of you, the standard d10 on this martial one-hander will do nicely, since this group in your hands is more about status effect shenanigans than raw damage. [COLOR=#00ccff][b]Heavy Blade[/b][/COLOR]: An iconic option for Paladins, and this group backs up that status nicely. The heavy blades worth mentioning all have a +3 proficiency bonus for that extra accuracy, and this group is home to some of the best Paladin-favored weaplement properties, to boot. The only negative is that Straladins looking to master it will need some DEX investment (17 by Epic), but that's not major. Overall, this is definitely the best group for Paladins who aren't looking to shape their builds around the exploits of other specific weapons. [b]Specific weapons[/b] [b]Bastard Sword (PHB)[/b]: The most damaging one-handed representative of this group, with a 1d10 damage die. The Weapon Proficiency feat to take this over the longsword is not a particularly high priority for most sword-wielding builds, though. Chaladins probably shouldn't even bother. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Fullblade[/COLOR] (AV)[/b] : The best two-handed member of this group, with 1d12 damage die and high crit. This one is well worth the Weapon Proficiency feat over the greatsword if you're going for damage. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Longsword[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: The all-important +3 proficiency, solid 1d8 damage die and, as it's a martial weapon, you're automatically proficient. No Paladin can go wrong with this weapon. Chaladins prefer this weapon almost exclusively. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Light Blade[/b][/COLOR]: Like heavy blades, the members of this group worth mentioning have that sweet +3 proficiency, and feats like Nimble Blade and (with a Martial multiclass) Deft Blade can up the accuracy factor even higher. It's easily the best choice for [COLOR=#00ccff][b]small Paladins[/b][/COLOR] (Halflings, Gnomes). But for all this group's strengths, this group also has its drawbacks for non-Small members of the Paladin class that keep it from the upper echelon of their options. For one, this group is rather limited on Paladin-favored weaplement choices. And even if that isn't a factor for you, the options that boost this group's damage all require a specific multiclass (Fighter or Rogue) and a substantial DEX investment for the likes of Surprising Charge. Plus mastery is out of the question with its 21 DEX requirement. [b]Specific weapons[/b] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Rapier[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: The best light blade for you, with its 1d8 damage die. And it's a martial weapon, so you start with proficiency in it already. Gnome and Halfling Paladins do just fine with it, too. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Mace[/b][/COLOR]: Never use one when you can use a hammer instead. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Pick[/b][/COLOR]: No worthwhile support for this. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Polearm[/b][/COLOR]: In Paragon Tier, Polearm Gamble makes this a nice defender option with some stat investment (STR 15, WIS 15 by that point). This group gets even better if you have an[COLOR=#00ccff][b] at-will forced movement attack[/b][/COLOR] somehow (Half-Elf with Eldritch Strike, Mark of Storm), in which case MC Fighter, DEX 15, WIS 15 for Polearm Momentum makes this an awesome choice. Just add some extra squares to that forced movement somehow and you'll be set. [b]Specific weapons[/b] [b]Glaive (PHB)[/b]: Counts as a heavy blade, although it only has a +2 proficiency. Still suits the purpose. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Greatspear[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: Accurate +3 proficiency, d10 damage die and open to both Polearm shenanigans and Spear charging optimization avenues. As good as it gets here if you MC Fighter and have the DEX necessary for Surprising Charge. Only drawback besides the steep ability investment is no weaplement properties, but if you're interested in charging you're probably a Straladin taking mostly weapon powers, anyway. [b]Halberd (PHB)[/b]: Counts as an axe as well as a polearm, meaning it benefits from Deadly Axe and is one of the easier weapons for Straladins to get mastery in. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Spear[/b][/COLOR]: The banner members of this group were already discussed under the other weapon categories that they're also members of (Gouge as Axes and Greatspears as Polearms). That said, you might want to keep a one-handed member of this group as a sidearm for when you need to make ranged attacks. The feat support for this group is undeniably great, especially if multiclassing Fighter. [b]Specific weapons[/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Javelin[/COLOR] (PHB)[/b]: +2 proficiency and 1d6 damage die, and it can be thrown up to 10 squares. Solid sidearm. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Trident[/COLOR] (AV)[/b]: More damaging than the javelin (1d8 die), but it can only be thrown 3 squares. Not as good a sidearm as the javelin, but rather a worthy choice if you want to take advantage of MC Fighter and Surprising Charge while still using a shield. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Staff[/b][/COLOR]: lol [/QUOTE]
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