Prestige Paladins

[Xuldarinar]

A prestige class that I feel to be in some ways better than the base class it is based upon, the Prestige Paladin.

Requirements
Alignment: Lawful Good.
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Knowledge (religion) 2 ranks, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 2 ranks, Ride 4 ranks.
Feats: Mounted Combat
Spellcasting: Ability to cast protection from evil as a divine spell
Special: Ability to turn undead.


Now, for this lets narrow things down. 1 base class, levels in other PrCs to meet other prerequisites. I'll be using Master of Radiance here for gaining Turning, because its one of the lower level PrCs that give it and the whole light thing works. These aren't the only ways necessarily, but they are examples.

Adept: Adept 8/Master of Radiance 1/Prestige Paladin X

Archivist: Archivist 5/Master of Radiance 3/Prestige Paladin X

(Divine) Bard: Divine Bard 7/Master of Radiance 1/Prestige Paladin X
Note: After attaining divine bard 7, character start moving towards LG.

Cleric: Cleric 6/Prestige Paladin X

Druid: Alignment Conflict.

Favored Soul: Favored Soul 5/Master of Radiance 1/Prestige Paladin X
Note: Requires feat to add appropriate knowledge skills to class skills, such as Education (http://dndtools.eu/feats/players-guide-to-faerun--22/education--810/).

Shugenja: Shugenja 6/Master of Radiance 2/Prestige Paladin X
Note: Requires Gatekeeper's Initiate for Protection from evil. Cannot focus on water.

Spirit Shaman: Spirit Shaman 5/Master of Radiance 2/Prestige Paladin X
Note: Requires Gatekeeper's Initiate for Protection from evil



Now, that said. What other routes into Prestige paladin can yo come up with, and what divine casting class do you think makes for the best (or most interesting) paladin?

[WhamBamSam]

I personally like Prestige Paladin on Divine Crusader to expand the spell list. You need a Cloistered Cleric dip or some other chicanery for Turn Undead, but that's not so bad, really.

Cloistered Cleric 1/Full BAB 7/Divine Crusader 1/Prestige Paladin 11 gets you a 14th level special mount and 7th level spells including the entire Paladin list. You'd probably be better served to duck out after a level or three for something that progresses spellcasting better though so that you can get to 9ths. Personally, I'd probably drop out after level 2, and go Bone Knight the rest of the way. Gets a Skeletal Steed with the same effective special mount level and 9th level spells.

If you're feeling really cheeky, you can get the Animal Domain with your Cleric level, and qualify for Prestige Ranger as well, though the feat requirements are kind of icky. Still Cloistered Cleric 1/Fighter 2/Full BAB 4/Prestige Ranger 1/Divine Crusader 1/Prestige Paladin 1/Prestige Ranger +1/Whatever 9 could be fun.

The Lightkeeper Sovereign Archetype allows your to take extra turning without qualifying for 4 uses of Turn Undead as well.

Also, Master of Radiance doesn't give you Turn Undead if you don't already have it. Sacred Exorcist does, but it's requirements are tougher.

[Red Fel]

I only just recently put together a build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=308622) (with a TON of help) that involved a Cleric dipping into PrP for various reasons. The build goes Cleric 4/ Ordained Champion 5/ Fist of Raziel 3/ Prestige Paladin 1/ Fist of Raziel +7.

I had originally intended to go Cleric 5, then straight into OC and FoR, but I was ultimately convinced that the single-level dip into PrP was worth the feat tax. (Seriously, Mounted Combat? Seriously?)

Compared with a single level of Cleric, a one-level PrP dip got me better BAB, the same spellcasting progression, Smite and Detect evil, and - and here's a big one - it added Paladin spells to my Cleric spell list. That's kind of awesome for a one-level dip.

[Xuldarinar]

I personally like Prestige Paladin on Divine Crusader to expand the spell list. You need a Cloistered Cleric dip or some other chicanery for Turn Undead, but that's not so bad, really.

Cloistered Cleric 1/Full BAB 7/Divine Crusader 1/Prestige Paladin 11 gets you a 14th level special mount and 7th level spells including the entire Paladin list. You'd probably be better served to duck out after a level or three for something that progresses spellcasting better though so that you can get to 9ths. Personally, I'd probably drop out after level 2, and go Bone Knight the rest of the way. Gets a Skeletal Steed with the same effective special mount level and 9th level spells.

If you're feeling really cheeky, you can get the Animal Domain with your Cleric level, and qualify for Prestige Ranger as well, though the feat requirements are kind of icky. Still Cloistered Cleric 1/Fighter 2/Full BAB 4/Prestige Ranger 1/Divine Crusader 1/Prestige Paladin 1/Prestige Ranger +1/Whatever 9 could be fun.

The Lightkeeper Sovereign Archetype allows your to take extra turning without qualifying for 4 uses of Turn Undead as well.

Also, Master of Radiance doesn't give you Turn Undead if you don't already have it. Sacred Exorcist does, but it's requirements are tougher.

Interesting uses for the PrC.

MoR, I'd say the wording is debatable on that issue. It is unclear, as it doesn't say you get it, but it doesn't say you don't. We have examples of either situation with class features and stacking.

Im familiar with the Sacred Exorcist route, and would have used that in examples, but as you said the requirements are tougher. In any case, not putting the restriction I tossed on for the purpose of examples, worst case scenario one would need a 1-level dip in cleric.

[Xerlith]

I don't think that dipping cleric is bad. A Cloistered Cleric dip is always nice for the domains and domain powers. It also opens some fun stuff like...

CCleric1/Crusader4/Favored Soul1/PrPaladinX

Cleric4/Ordained Champion5/PrPaladinX is a great entry if your DM allows the Serenity feat. ALL your features are now powered by Wisdom. I mean every one of them.
If not, well...

CCleric1/Favored Soul3/Ordained Champion3/PrPaladinX
makes you CHA-focused. A variant of it would be
Favored Soul4/Ordained Champion3/MoR1/PrPalX

Every Charisma build should use Slippers of Battledancing for more SADness. :smallbiggrin:

[Xuldarinar]

I don't think that dipping cleric is bad. A Cloistered Cleric dip is always nice for the domains and domain powers. It also opens some fun stuff like...

CCleric1/Crusader4/Favored Soul1/PrPaladinX

Cleric4/Ordained Champion5/PrPaladinX is a great entry if your DM allows the Serenity feat. ALL your features are now powered by Wisdom. I mean every one of them.
If not, well...

CCleric1/Favored Soul3/Ordained Champion3/PrPaladinX
makes you CHA-focused. A variant of it would be
Favored Soul4/Ordained Champion3/MoR1/PrPalX

Every Charisma build should use Slippers of Battledancing for more SADness. :smallbiggrin:

Huh. those look pretty interesting.


I wish one could make an Ur-Paladin (Prestige paladin being used to advance ur-priest casting..) but oh well.


Though i'd share this by the way: Variant Prestigious Classes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=276575)

[Xerlith]

Huh. those look pretty interesting.


I wish one could make an Ur-Paladin (Prestige paladin being used to advance ur-priest casting..) but oh well.


Though i'd share this by the way: Variant Prestigious Classes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=276575)


Yeah, I was using similar variants in my games for some time now.

Prestige Paladin of Freedom mixed with Prestige Divine bard sometimes gives fun effects.

EDIT: And since we're at it... What's keeping you from making the aforementioned Ur-Paladin?

LE Monk2/Warlock3/Ur-Priest2/PrPal of TyrannyX for example.

Or, for more martial fun...
Hexblade2/Monk4/UrPriest2/PrPal of TyrannyX

[Xuldarinar]

Yeah, I was using similar variants in my games for some time now.

Prestige Paladin of Freedom mixed with Prestige Divine bard sometimes gives fun effects.

I can imagine.