Does my Paladin plan seem decent?

[ngilop]

Ok so i saw an add for a PbP game that is looking for players

its level 13 and gestalt

my plan so far is this

Favored soul 5/divine oracle 6/saint 2
Paladin5/pious templar 8

I am not too concerned with having a huge caster level
will be mostly meleeing it up with a bit of super cool DMM quicken I do beleive

is this allright or am i totally fialing to capture the melee centric holy warrior conecpt?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You cannot take two prestige classes at the same character level, per the standard gestalt rules. That build is not legal. Forget about Pious Templar, you're better off just taking more Paladin levels if you do it right.

I'd go with a Desert Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertHalfOrcs) combined with Frostblood Orc in Dragon Magic (a tundra is a frozen desert), with the Half-Humans and Humanlike Races variant in Races of Destiny p150. That makes you a Humanoid (Human, Dragonblood) so you no longer qualify for Orc-only feats, classes, etc., but you can still take anything that has Half-Orc as a prerequisite, as well as anything with Human as a prerequisite. Go Half-Orc Paragon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm#halfOrcParagon) 1/ Paladin 12// Cloistered Cleric 5/ Divine Oracle 4/ Sacred Exorcist 1/ Contemplative 3, future levels are Paladin//Contemplative to 20th and beyond.

Class Features:
Cleric turning is traded for Rebuke Dragons in Dragon Magic.
Cloistered Cleric Knowledge domain is traded for Knowledge Devotion.
Cleric domains are Inquisition and Planning.
Paladin uses the Harmonious Knight (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a) 1 and 6 substitution levels (adapted to a non-FR deity or order).
Harmonious Knight trades Inspire Courage for Inspire Awe in Dragon Magic. Note that it does not improve at your 8th, 14th, or 20th level.
Harmonious Knight trades Inspire Competence for Haunting Melody per the Eberron Bard section in the Eberron Campaign Setting.
Paladin trades Turn Undead for Divine Counterspell in Complete Mage.
Paladin mount is traded for Underdark Knight in Complete Champion, you won't regret it.
Contemplative domains should be Spell and Destiny.

Two flaws: Aligned Devotion and Skulker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?258440-The-quot-Best-quot-Flaws#30)
Two traits: Abrasive (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#abrasive) and Unnatural Aura (Dragon 356 page 89, -2 interaction checks with animals and vermin such as handle animal, +2 Indimidate and +2 DC to spells with the [fear] descriptor).

Gain Menacing Demeanor and Skill Focus: Intimidate from visits to the Otyugh Hole in CS, each feat costs you 3,000 gp instead of a feat slot. Gain the Skill Focus prerequisite for Divine Oracle from the Frog God's Fane in CS, which costs 2,000 gp instead of a feat slot.

Feats should be Nymph's Kiss (BoED), Dreadful Wrath (PGtF), Able Learner (RoD), Divine Defiance (FC2), Imperious Command (DotU), Persistent Spell, and MM: Persistent. Future feats should be Power Attack and Leap Attack.
Get the Never Outnumbered and Collector of Stories skill tricks in CS.

Get a Monk's Belt to add your Wis bonus to AC, wear clothing enchanted with a +1 Enhancement bonus to AC with the Fearsome (DotU) and Soulfire (BoED) armor properties (DotU was published after MIC so its version of Fearsome armor is the current one). Get a Gemstone of Heavy Fortification from the Dragonomicon, you cast Limited Wish from your Spell domain list to embed that into your person. Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Bead of Smiting missing, DMG pricing puts it at 9,000 gp, you can use the Bead of Karma for +4 caster level when casting your buffs. Get at least one Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend. Also get a Necklace of Adaptation, all the necessary item effects (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items), and of course Night Sticks.

Get a standard Metamagic Rod of Extend and a 6th level Pearl of Power. Every other day prepare Energy Immunity twice and use the pearl to cast it three times, using the rod so each lasts 48 hours. On the days in between prepare and cast Energy Immunity and Superior Resistance each once, use the pearl to cast Energy Immunity a second time, again use the rod with those so each lasts 48 hours. This gives you constant immunity to all five energy types and a +6 Resistance bonus to your saving throws, for two 6th level spell slots per day and those two items.

Your Night Sticks will add +4 turn uses to both your Turn Undead ability from Sacred Exorcist and your Rebuke Dragons ability from Cleric, which specifically can be used to power divine feats such as DMM. You want to have as many left over turn uses as you have uses of Divine Counterspell from Paladin. You spend a turn use to use Divine Defiance, which allows you to counterspell as an immediate action. You use a Divine Counterspell use for this, your Inquisition domain power is added to the check and you don't even need to make a spellcraft check, though it may be a good idea to roll it to see if it's something you want to spend one of your limited daily immediate action counterspells on.

Buffs! The Spell domain gives you Anyspell and Greater Anyspell, get a 3rd level Pearl of Power for Anyspell and use those for DMM: Persistent Shield, Wraithstrike, and Draconic Polymorph from the Draconomicon. You can get another Pearl of Power to Anyspell: Alter Self back into yourself and keep the physical stats of whatever form you picked (Firbolg in MM2 or War Troll in MM3) plus the extra bonuses from Draconic Polymorph. DMM: Persistent Divine Power Draconic Might (Paladin list), Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, Elation (BoED), Mass Lesser Vigor, Holy Star (SC) at least once, and later on Stormrage and Choose Destiny should be a given. Hour/level (Lesser Rod of) Extended buffs at +4 caster level should include Greater Luminous Armor, Magic Vestment on your armor and shield effects, Greater Magic Weapon, Delay Poison, and whatever else you can come up with.

You'll hit hard in melee, especially in a few levels once you have Power Attack. You'll have tons of fear effects to make your opponents shake in their boots, keep in mind that Rules Compendium states when fear effects escalate (Shaken > Frightened > Panicked) the escalated condition lasts until all the fear effects that contributed to it have ended. You'll be able to stop spellcasters from even getting a spell off. Use your Paladin spell slots to prepare Rhino's Rush and other spells exclusive to that list, and consider getting a Valorous (UE) weapon.

[ngilop]

these are the char gen rules. the way he says about one per track i guess lead me to think of it as i can do what I was thinking. I get a TON of feats soo... there is that

Group 1 is level 13

Group 2 is level 18

Gestalt Rules. No mixing of Prestige classes, meaning you cannot get more than one per track. Most Classes are allowed, although I admit that even after several years I still do not understand how the classes in Tome of Battle work. Feel free to explain them to me again, and if you choose to play as one be prepared to explain it to me several more times. No Psionics, sorry.

40 Point buy.

Ability score boosts increase two abilities by 1.

Two feats at each interval (1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18) so you can make better use of your Gestalt classes.

Two extra skill points per level and eight bonus points at level 1.

Group 1 will be larger and comprise of people who did not fight in the Third War, Group 2 will be smaller and comprised of only people who did. Each group will have separate objectives but may cross paths occasionally.

[Angelalex242]

I play in that game! It's a fun game to be in, and I'm on the Legends half.

[ngilop]

I play in that game! It's a fun game to be in, and I'm on the Legends half.

thats cool


so how does the DM allow PrCs and such?

[Metahuman1]

What was wrong with going straight Cleric 13///Crusader 13 again? Or maybe dropping Prestige Paladin of Freedom on like, 2-3 levels on the cleric side if you simply MUST have some Paladin and maybe a level or two of spirit lion totem wolf totem barbarian for improved trip and pounce on the crusader side? MAYBE a dip into warblade for a spot to stick mountain hammer so crusader can stick to devoted spirit and white raven maneuvers and for spiffy diamond mind counters and the all important Iron Heart Surge, with say either disarming strike or wall of blades to be the pre-req and maybe Mithril Tornado as a follow up?

[ngilop]

What was wrong with going straight Cleric 13///Crusader 13 again? Or maybe dropping Prestige Paladin of Freedom on like, 2-3 levels on the cleric side if you simply MUST have some Paladin and maybe a level or two of spirit lion totem wolf totem barbarian for improved trip and pounce on the crusader side? MAYBE a dip into warblade for a spot to stick mountain hammer so crusader can stick to devoted spirit and white raven maneuvers and for spiffy diamond mind counters and the all important Iron Heart Surge, with say either disarming strike or wall of blades to be the pre-req and maybe Mithril Tornado as a follow up?

I do not like the crusader.

why i wanted pious templat is the though of having mettle and super evasion seemed too good to pass up.

i do no want to be a barbarian.

I know the default GiTP answer is always 'play a wizard' or "random ToB class" I want a way for my charisma to be a mega stat

I thought favored soul becuase of theit fluff to me is what exactly the paladins hould have been ( ableit with 9h level spells)

I do like Biffoniacus_Furiou build suggestion for the most part.

only I am going to be human ( sorry i have a human paladin already who's game died before i could ever do anything with him)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I do like Biffoniacus_Furiou build suggestion for the most part.

only I am going to be human ( sorry i have a human paladin already who's game died before i could ever do anything with him)

That's still a Humanoid (Human), so he's mostly human with a little bit of orc blood. That orc blood gets you an extra +8 to Intimidate, which I would consider necessary for the build. You could instead get Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) and invest every skill point you get from then on into it for a nice return toward Intimidate, which would give you an even greater bonus in the long run plus other benefits, but there's risk involved in that.

[ngilop]

two more things


I do not have any ebberon books so I have no idea what haunting melody is

also I am not sure if I have dragon magic.. I know i got 2/3 of the dragon books and for sure one is the draconomicon

so what is inspire awe

(ive got hundreds of books and ugh to look through them all to find one particular one is a lot of work.

other than thpse 2 things I think I got my aladin done :)

[John Longarrow]

two more things


I do not have any ebberon books so I have no idea what haunting melody is

also I am not sure if I have dragon magic.. I know i got 2/3 of the dragon books and for sure one is the draconomicon

so what is inspire awe

(ive got hundreds of books and ugh to look through them all to find one particular one is a lot of work.

other than thpse 2 things I think I got my aladin done :)

That is why I have no problem finding the ones I own on line so I can find them faster!

[ngilop]

That is why I have no problem finding the ones I own on line so I can find them faster!

yes. this is such a helpful post., so full of information, explnations and advice.

is there a way to get my intimdate down to a swift action instead of a move action?

I got double the feast so getting a few feats to get there would be good :)