Help Making Paladin....

[DarkJester]

Our group is starting over once again, and this time around we are starting at level 8. I think I'm going to be a paladin and go the mounted combat route. I've never been either (a) a paladin or (b) a mounted combat specialist so I could use some help.

My basic idea was to go multi-class fighter(for the feats) paladin and take leadership at somepoint to get some neat mount (I don't like the idea of riding a horse for some odd reason....)

The games we play are very combat heavy and tend to be min-maxed play. We get 40 pt point buy, any race of up to +3 ecl is allowed, any prestiege classes/feats from the core books,splat books, and FRCS are allowed.We get 20k to spend on magic items, and custom items are allowed with dm approval.

Anyone have any suggestions they can make? About anything really, just looking for some help.

 

[reapersaurus]

What world are you playing in?

Read the attached file carefully, grasshopper.
If you digest the ideas there, you will be well-prepared to kick all kinds of evil tail in your game.

To Carpe DM's advice, I'd add to defiantely get Divine Might and up your CHA thru Eagle's Splendor and Armor or Shield of Command (put an 18 in CHA, of course).

Go Hospitaler and get a diety that has Heavy Lance as a favored weapon, so that the War domain's Weapon Focus will get you to Templar's Weapon Specialization.

And at 8th level, I just really like the idea of a flying Celestial Unicorn... the thing just rocks, and by 8th level, you'd already be legendary.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Also, if the combat is lethally heavy, you might consider dropping the fighter levels and going straight paladin. You get more feats taking levels of fighter, but that just puts off the paladin's high-level abilities further. Abilities like Holy Sword. You really, really don't want to wait any longer than you have to for Holy Sword.

Also, I'd suggest you talk with your DM about his restrictions on paladin behavior. Good to get that stuff out of the way before you start gaming, so as to prevent headaches later on.

Hope that helps.

 

[shilsen]

If your group does a lot of dungeon-crawling, it would make more sense to create a paladin belonging to a small race, so he and his mount can go places a human paladin and his warhorse cannot. I'd vote for the halfling paladin on a war dog.

 

[DarkJester]

We're in Forgotten Realms at the moment,the dalelands. Thanks for the help.

 

[Zhure]

I like gnome paladins more than halfling paladins (I'd rather have CON than DEX), but for dungeon crawls, small paladins have the best mounts.

I'd also recommend skipping the Fighter levels. Bonus feats are nothing in comparison to some of the spells paladins get.

Greg

 

[Roland Delacroix]

Look at the spells for Paladins in Relics and Rituals. There are some really good ones, but not to powerfull IMO. Smite is probably the most powerfull 1st level, get another Smite vs alignment component of your choice thats not yours. They also have these 5 spells, levels 1-4 and another 4th, but they are pretty good and if you cast all 5 in succession it creates a cool spell armor. Its powerfull, but since most paladin spells arent and it uses like 5 spells i think its pretty cool.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Here is a human paladin 6, fighter 2.

Beginning ability scores (40 pts.):
Str 16 (10)
Dex 12 (4)
Con 14 (6)
Int 12 (4)
Wis 14 (6)
Cha 16 (10)

Add your level 4 and 8 points to Cha (if you take Divine Might) or Str.

Level and Feat progression:
1) Ftr 1: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge
2) Ftr 2: Power Attack
3) Pal 1: Cleave
4) Pal 2
5) Pal 3
6) Pal 4: Divine Might
7) Pal 5
8) Pal 6

Take Leadership at level 9.

 

[Artoomis]

An Assimar may be a good choice. You'll pay for it with ECL, of course, so you have to decide if it's worth it.

For underground, you can't beat a small creature mountd on a riding dog, and for a small cost (abilities advance slower), you could have a celestial riding dog. Very cool.

Of course, you'll want Spirited Charge for this.

 

[DarkJester]

Thanks guys, although the small paladin may be more suitable to dungeon enviorment I don't think it fits my image of a paladin. I just can't see some little 4 foot tall guy smiting evil. I was also thinking of doing something like maybe a Fighter 4 Paladin 1 Hosiptalitor the rest, but then I would loose the acsess to Holy sword (the only real reason I want to have a high "paladin" level).
Is there any prestiege class that would let me keep my paladin spells and still be any good?