Making paladin feat choices is tough!

[Quartz]

How about two levels of Knight? With Ride-by Attack as your L2 bonus feat instead of Mounted Combat, as you already have the latter? But a dip into fighter will be your best bet. You'll get 2 feats at 6th level, and you could take both Ride-by Attack and Spirited Charge.

 

[Legildur]

... and lose progression in Paladin for evermore. (unless DM is generous)

 

[Quartz]

Does anyone still use that rule? Eadric notwithstanding, I'm not sure that that's too much of a loss. Compare a Pal 12 and a Pal 4 / Ftr 4 / Kt 4. The latter is clearly better.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, there is the Kensai class, which allows the restricted multiclassing (like the Paladin) classes to continue their advancement...

It has some niiiiiice abilities a Paladin would find useful, and Paladins are one of the few classes that can reach it in 5 levels.

One thing to ask your DM- can you use the Alternative Class Features from places like Complete Champion? Yes, I know this is an experienced PC, but CC probably wasn't out when you made him...and the one in CC called Holy Warrior lets you swap out spellcasting for Feats.

 

[green slime]

Well, there is the Kensai class, which allows the restricted multiclassing (like the Paladin) classes to continue their advancement...

It has some niiiiiice abilities a Paladin would find useful, and Paladins are one of the few classes that can reach it in 5 levels.

One thing to ask your DM- can you use the Alternative Class Features from places like Complete Champion? Yes, I know this is an experienced PC, but CC probably wasn't out when you made him...and the one in CC called Holy Warrior lets you swap out spellcasting for Feats.

Really? How many feats and when? (Eagerly awaiting CC from amazon)

 

[Wolfwood2]

Well, there is the Kensai class, which allows the restricted multiclassing (like the Paladin) classes to continue their advancement...

It has some niiiiiice abilities a Paladin would find useful, and Paladins are one of the few classes that can reach it in 5 levels.

One thing to ask your DM- can you use the Alternative Class Features from places like Complete Champion? Yes, I know this is an experienced PC, but CC probably wasn't out when you made him...and the one in CC called Holy Warrior lets you swap out spellcasting for Feats.

I don't want to swap out spellcasting for feats. I like spellcasting. I think paladin spellcasting rocks on toast and has some truly awesome stuff in it. There are paladin spells of each level that I can already see I am going to want to cast multiple times per day once the option becomes available. And if nothing else, it gives one or two nice out-of-combat things I can do.

Does anyone still use that rule? Eadric notwithstanding, I'm not sure that that's too much of a loss. Compare a Pal 12 and a Pal 4 / Ftr 4 / Kt 4. The latter is clearly better.

Better or not better, I am interested in playing a paladin all the way through and seeing what I can do with that.

 

[Wolfwood2]

I prefer the Divine feats myself: Both from Complete Warrior.

Divine Vigour (+2 Con, +10' speed!)
Divine Might (Latest version is a swift action, IIRC)

Law Devotion I haven't seen yet (no Complete Champion), but it seems good, .

Divine Vigour doesn't appeal as much because if I'm always mounted, the speed boost doesn't help.

 

[hagor]

Hi Wolfwood,

I recently faced a similar problem when "designing" my dwarven paladin: you have more options to choose from than you have feats available. My paladin has no mount, but has the charging smite ability (PHB II, I believe), so that limited the number of options for me.

Anyway, I'm pro divine feats that let you use your turn attempts for some specific results. However, their duration is often rather limited. My paladin has divine vigor and divine shield.
Looking at law devotion, this is clearly much better than divine might or divine shield (if I read it correctly as either a + CHA bonus on AC or attack - or is it just a +3 bonus?).

On the other hand, in my case, it would also depend on how important his mounted combat abilities are for the character concept.

Hagor

 

[green slime]

Divine Vigour doesn't appeal as much because if I'm always mounted, the speed boost doesn't help.

Your DM might let you affect your mount with it? (Dunno... just desperately trying to redeem my previous post) Sorry, I'll crawl away and hide in a crevice again.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Hi Wolfwood,

I recently faced a similar problem when "designing" my dwarven paladin: you have more options to choose from than you have feats available. My paladin has no mount, but has the charging smite ability (PHB II, I believe), so that limited the number of options for me.

Anyway, I'm pro divine feats that let you use your turn attempts for some specific results. However, their duration is often rather limited. My paladin has divine vigor and divine shield.
Looking at law devotion, this is clearly much better than divine might or divine shield (if I read it correctly as either a + CHA bonus on AC or attack - or is it just a +3 bonus?).

It's just a +3 bonus at 6th level. At 10th level it goes up to a +5 bonus, and at 15th level it goes up to a +7 bonus. Charisma doesn't affect it.

On the other hand, in my case, it would also depend on how important his mounted combat abilities are for the character concept.

Mmmm. Well, his character concept is pretty much 'tough, cynical lawman'. I am interested in exploring the mounted feats and am keeping Ride maxed, but it's not like he was born on a horse.

I dunno. So far I've had my mount (hippogriff, DM let me get it one level early on the condition that afterwards I advance it one level behind as standard) for all of 3/4 of a session. Fighting mounted was wonderful in terms of mobility, and at 5th level a mount's attacks are pretty good. However, I couldn't help but note that in both encounters I fought mounted, the DM had the bad guys attack my mount. It "just made sense" he said.

I think I am going to start casting Golden Barding on the mount, have the party Artificer Magic Vestment it, and maybe use one of those paladin spells that ups your ride check. (For a massive mount AC on one attack per round with Mounted Combat.)

By the way, the campaign is "Age of Worms", if it matters. At the end of last session we had just carved our way easily through a few dozen lizardmen. My paladin singlehandedly slew the leader and seven or eight of his followers.