Griselda, Queen of Bones (Currently optimising!)

[Rejusu]

Currently working on a mounted combat build based around Bone Knight. Here's the build so far:

Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Classes: Human Paragon 1/Paladin of Tyranny 4/Ur-priest 1/Bone Knight 10 (ECL16)
ACFs: (Un)Holy Warrior, trade level 4 Paladin spellcasting for bonus feat.
Feats: Able Learner (1), Iron Will (1, might Otyguth hole this before level 6 instead), Spell focus: Evil (3), Undead Leadership (6)

28-point buy stats: 15 STR, 8 DEX, 13 CON, 12 INT, 13 WIS, 14 CHA
32-point buy stats: 16 STR, 8 DEX, 14 CON, 12 INT, 14 WIS, 14 CHA

EDIT: Thanks to some good suggestions I've managed to resolve some of the MAD/skill point issues. Just need to work out what feats I want/need, as well as what magic items to get and how to spend my stat increases. Will need 19 Wis by level 16 for 9th level spells and more strength/cha/con would always be welcome.

Which results in a character that's immune to: extra damage from criticals and sneak attacks, stunning attacks, non-lethal damage, disease, fear, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, death effects, fatigue, exhaustion, ability damage to your physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, and death from massive damage. In addition they can act and fight without penalty while disabled or dying, can cast 9th level divine spells, and have damage reduction 5/Bludgeoning. Among other things.

And this is before adding in feats and magic items. The problem is it's very MAD right now. It needs wisdom for it's divine spellcasting, charisma for it's bone knight abilities, strength for melee attacks, dex for ride, and finally con is always useful. Worst of all I think I can't get away with dumping int because Ur-priest requires a total of 32 ranks for it's prerequisites and then I need another 10 points (6 craft, 4 ride).

Anything I can do to try and fix some of these issues? The skill one I think is probably the most aggravating right now, especially as most of the skills I need (knowledge arcana, the planes, spellcraft and bluff) aren't on the Paladin of tyrannys class list. Going slaughter instead would get bluff but would mean I'd have to be chaotic stupid, plus I think the -2 saves aura is better than the -1 AC aura especially since it meshes well with Death strike.

Things I'd like to keep in this build: the Ur-priest, I like the flavour of putting it together with bone knight.

Things I'd want to keep but could sacrifice: the mounted combat aspect, as cool as it'd be to ride around on a skeletal horse with a bone lance I'm not married to the idea.

Things I don't really care about: The race and the human paragon dip. Human paragon is only really there because it gives me the good will save needed to go into Ur-Priest. The extra skill points and adaptive learning help as well, but really if there's something more useful I could put there I'd do it. Only requirement is it has a good will save. Same with human, any non-LA (or max +1LA) race that could work better would be fine. Right now it seems to be the best option due to bonus skill points/feat.

[Luca]

Start with Human paragon and spare a first level feat for able learner? That way you can ensure that you have all the skills you need to purchase as permenant class skills.

[Rejusu]

Start with Human paragon and spare a first level feat for able learner? That way you can ensure that you have all the skills you need to purchase as permenant class skills.

That makes things a lot easier actually, I can't believe I didn't catch that. Forgot paragon levels could be taken at first level. It makes adaptive learning a bit redundant, but the fact I can pick 10 skills of my choice means I can get everything I need to fulfil prereqs.

Come to think of it that fixes nearly all my skill related issues. Giving me exactly 32 points with an int modifer of +0 at 5th level and enough to enter Ur-priest. Still doesn't give me enough to get into bone knight as I'll only have 3 of the additional 10 skill points I need at 6th level. However an int of +1 will net me 9 extra skill points which will be enough.

[Aeryr]

You don't really need dex for ride, just max ride. It is easier that way and less MAD.

Ur-Priest asks you to forsake the divine spellcasting so consider using the Complete Champion variant for paladins, that would let you grab a feat in place of your spellcasting.

Serenity (DMC) allows a paladin to use wis instead of cha for its abilities, it won't work with bone knight though.

[Rejusu]

You don't really need dex for ride, just max ride. It is easier that way and less MAD.

Ur-Priest asks you to forsake the divine spellcasting so consider using the Complete Champion variant for paladins, that would let you grab a feat in place of your spellcasting.

Serenity (DMC) allows a paladin to use wis instead of cha for its abilities, it won't work with bone knight though.

Can you apply that ACF to the Paladin of Tyranny variant? If so that's very nice though I guess it'd be more of an Unholy warrior than a Holy warrior. The one level of spellcasting (no actual spell slots and only bonus spells) was just dead weight so exchanging it for something more useful is good.

Yeah I figured that I could probably get away without dex, I still can't completely dump it though as having a penalty would hurt as I'd already be taking -7 ACP from wearing full-plate.

Well this brings my stat requirements at 16th level to minimums of:
10 Dex, 12 Int (has to be this from 1st level) and 19 Wis (for 9th level spells).
Con, Cha, and Str are also going to have to be high. I can get away with a lower charisma I think. It affects my death strike, undead rebuking and the turning protection I give my undead but these things aren't too essential. Most of the reason I'm going Bone Knight is for the extensive immunities and 9/10 casting progression. I was thinking about throwing Undead leadership into the mix though and I think I'd need at least a +2 for that.

[Aeryr]

If I were to be DMing I would consider the paladin of tyranny an ACF not exclusive with the (un)holy warrior ACF. You are not trading the same thing twice. But talk with your DM.

WIS will need to be that hight at lvl 16, but you can get to that using magic items, so probably the lower you can go at the beginning is 13. So it is still possible to get the other stats a bit stronger. Any reason for paladin 4? With able learner and human paragon there is not a lot of restriction on the feats and maybe more utility can be gained in other sources.

[Rejusu]

Well I didn't have any concerns on the exclusivity of it since most of the time there's no restrictions on stacking ACF's provided that you're trading away different class features. I just can't access my books right now and I was wondering if there was any other restrictions on Holy Warrior that might prevent a variant paladin taking it. Mainly if there was an alignment issue, but I don't think there is so it should be fine under RAW.

Paladin 4 is for a number of reasons:

1) Bone Knight has ability to turn/rebuke undead as a prereq. This means I need either Paladin 4, Ur-priest 2, or Cleric 1. Because Ur-priest has me sacrifice my existing divine spellcasting Cleric would be a waste. Ur-priest 2 would delay my entry into Bone Knight and also result in one of the casting progression levels of BK being wasted (since there's no 11th level of Ur-priest).

2) My paladin level stacks with my Bone Knight level for determining the bonuses my skeletal steed gets.

3) Gives full BAB, good fort, and martial weapon proficiencies.

4) Gives me yet another immunity (fear), albeit the immunity to disease doesn't matter that much since BK gives me it anyway just a lot later.

I don't think the Bone Knight entry was written with evil paladins in mind though as the section on Paladin conversion is kind of ambiguous. For instance it states you can "never again advance levels as a paladin, since your association with the undead forever taints you". I don't think undead taint would be much of a concern for an evil paladin. It also states you cannot detect or smite evil, but what about detecting or smiting good?

While under RAW it does seem that you could retain the ability to detect Good, I think under RAI/RAMS if you should lose the base feature then you lose the ACF as well.

Either way I can't think of anything better than Paladin 4 that fits better in this build, but I'm open to suggestions.