Requesting Paladin build advice

[Nightfall]

That or Great Falchions/Khopeshes, double blade khopeshes/falchions.

 

[Justin]

Wow you are getting a lot of different builds thrown at you. If you are married to the Knight class then go to it. Nothing wrong with a lot of levels of Paladin either. You should probably find out just how tweaked the rest of your group is however. There are some very crunchy options in this thread.

So very true. Pal/KoC is certainly the core of my character, and I don't want to get too crunchy. My main concern here is for a good, straightforward and solid build, but with just enough "crunch" to make him interesting. I am very much looking forward to role-playing this character, but as I mentioned earlier, it will be an interesting challenge to start with a high-level character, especially one that can be as complex as a Paladin.

FWIW, I think will probably go Paladin / Knight of the Chalice / Divine Disciple, unless the campaign development leads in some other direction. Which is fine, as that would make the character all the more interesting.

As for equipment, a Holy weapon is good, Bane (Evil Outsider) is a very good add on. You really do need to think about DR however. If you don't mind the extra 2k expense, make your primary weapon Cold Iron, then carry silversheen. This should take care of most Demon and Devil DR's you may encounter. Other than that, definitely get a Cloak of Cha +2 and Vest of Resistance +1 (Complete Arcane) with your remaining funds. Also give strong consideration to full plate with Endure Elements.

You are talking about using a light shield. Unless you are planning on bashing with it then you should switch it to a buckler. The AC bonus is the same, and as stated you will have the option of using your weapon in 2 hands for when you really need to crank up the damage from Power Attack.

Again, equipment is a DM discussion. Thanks for the suggestions.

Do not go the TWF route. You need to wear light armor and you don't have the stats for that, and vs things OTHER than an evil Outsider you will kinda suck. Divine Might is a winner, with Extra Turning and maybe Divine Vigor if you can fit it in. +10 movement regardless of armor and 2 temp hps/HD. Very nice.

Agreed about TWF. IMHO, a bastard sword with EWP would be great, but as I said, I think those are not common in this campaign.

You are right about the evil outsider issue. I am concerned about being a one-trick pony. Perhaps Pal10/KoC6/Dis4 would be a good CL20 (gaining Transcendence at Dis5 CL21) build for this guy to avoid that, and a darn interesting character to play. I'm a non-religious CG person, so playing this particular LG character well will be a fun and interesting challenge.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for the wonderful, copious feedback I've received here. I realize I've picked a difficult character to build, but the encouragement and ideas here have really stoked me for this weekend.

I pointed my DM to this thread, so he's going to read it and we'll talk Friday night. He'll be exasperated, I'm sure.

Justin

 

[Justin]

That or Great Falchions/Khopeshes, double blade khopeshes/falchions.

Actually, if my deity is Horus-Re (which it was at first creation), I have considered the khopesh, which would be great except for needing EWP.

A falchion would be a great two-handed weapon if I can go shieldless. Or I could do both scimitar and falchion, depending on the circumstances of any given battle. We shall see.

Thanks!

Justin

 

[Nightfall]

Well I was just saying, if bastard swords are out, these might work better.

 

[Justin]

Well I was just saying, if bastard swords are out, these might work better.

And I was agreeing.

 

[JoelF]

I'm not going to throw out an entire build, but you might want to consider the Fist of Raziel from the Book of Exalted Deeds. It really cranks up the smiting abilites of a Paladin.

 

[Justin]

I'm not going to throw out an entire build, but you might want to consider the Fist of Raziel from the Book of Exalted Deeds. It really cranks up the smiting abilites of a Paladin.

It was mentioned before, and I considered it a while back. Interesting class and something I'd certainly like to try, as the smiting bonuses definitely fit wel into my character's concept. Unfortunately, I'd have to change my patron deity and I don't know how well a FoR would fit in this FR campaign.

But if I play another Paladin-type, a Fist of Raziel is a definite possibility.

EDIT: After re-reading the class, FoR does not require one to be a follower of Raziel.

Justin

 

[Nightfall]

No. In fact you could even say it's almost a Fist of "Torm."

Certainly the Triad have a good rapport with the Archons of Celestia.

Even so, what you could do IF your DM is kind of a tightwad, use the idea that Champions of Ruined used. Take Servant of the Heavens, then you can consider Raziel your "patron."

That's what they did to nerf the Demon Princes/Archfiends.

But anyway, just some stuff to add.

 

[Endur]

Human Paladin 12
Attributes (rolled): Str 14 (13 + 1 @ lvl12), Dex 12, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 16 (15 + 1 @ lvl4),
Cha 16 (15 + 1 @ lvl8)
HP 12d10+36
AC 26 (+11 armor, +3 shield, +1 dex, +1 ring)
AL LG
Skills: Diplomacy +20 (13 ranks), Handle Animal +8 (5), Knowledge (religion) +6 (5),
Ride +14 (11), Sense Motive +16 (13), Knowledge (nobility + royalty) +6 (5).
Feats: Power Attack, Mounted Combat, Divine Might(CW), Improved Smiting(CV), and either Extra Smiting(CW)(x2) or Ride by Attack + Spirited Charge
He has a Hippogriff mount
Equipment: +3 full plate, +1 large steel shield of light fortification, +1 holy long sword,
+1 ring of protection, 5k gold

If you have flexibility of items, I highly recommend investing in stat bonus items over the equipment you have chosen: +charisma, +con, +str, etc. items. Also special material items, adamantine weaponry and armor is better than equivalent + items.

Full plate and large shield is much better for your character than breastplate and light shield. When you are the heavy combatant of the party, you really need the extra ac. If you are worried about weight or temperature, remember this is a fantasy world and your armor can come up with magical air conditioning.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

This is a pretty bland close combat war machine with few tricks but pretty solid. If you don't use the CW then ditch the divine feats (& imp crit) for cleave, mtd combat, rideby, spirited. If the campaign isn't likely to hit level 16 then boost wis & swap with con at the expense of cha.

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For stats:

str16, dex12, con13/14(+1 at 8th), int12, wis15, cha15/16/17(+1 at 4th/12th)

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(Human) Feats*6:

Wf, pa, dm, imp crit., extra turning, divine vigor

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(Human) Skills*60pts:

1*maxed, 2*10 ranks, 5*5ranks (for synergies)

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Magic items:

Tertiary weapon, sleeping armour, light barding, } Masterwork
secondary weapon, ammo?, deflection ring, natural arm. amulet } +1
full plate, heavy shield, resistance cloak, str booster, charisma booster } +2
primary weapon, } +3 total
feather fall ring (flying mount), buff potions/wand/scrolls, tanglefoot bags etc... } Misc.

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While this build is stout, it lacks personality. I'd really only look at it as a benchmark for power while creating a much more personalized figure.