Hellbred Paladin

[ReD_Exorcist]

So I am starting as a 3rd level Paladin. Here is how my stats look like.

Race: Hellbred [Body path]
Class: Paladin [Playing as a Freedom Variant]
Level: 3rd
Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus Long Sword, Ancestral Relic and Devils Favor.
Abilities: Str 15 Dex 12 Con 16 Int 8 Will 12 Cha 15
Skills: Knowledge Religion & Planes +4 Ride +2 Heal +2 [This isn't the overall score of it, just the ranks I put in it]

I started with 500 gold on normal gear and 500 for a magic item. I already chose all my gear.
I was wondering if this build is optimized. We are using 32 point buy system. I am planning to prestige into a Hellreaver. Could I do better with the build or does everything seem to be good? I want to go into a sort of Horse Knight Paladin build. I don't know if there any mounts that would be good in and outside of dungeons.

[Ratatoskir]

What books are allowed is the biggest question here. Weapon focus is generally seen as a weak feat, so it might be easy for you to drop that for starters. If Dragon Compendium is an allowed source, an easy substitute for it might be Serenity. It causes you Paladin abilities to cue off of Wisdom instead of Charisma (If I'm remembering right your race has a cha penalty. Even if it doesn't it make the paladin less MAD)

[Val666]

Hellbred + Paladin srcreams Hellreaver (http://dndtools.eu/classes/hellreaver/) to me Dx. It is also a good and cool prestige for the Hellbred theme. The only problem is that some abilities are based off of cha, IF your DM allows Serenity to work for this (Heavy Breathing) you'll rock. Are you going straight paladin? will you use the mount?

[Gwendol]

Hellbred gives +2 CON and -2 INT, so no issue for a paladin.

Your build is not particularly optimized, and I have to ask why you have so many feats? Did you pick up flaws?

In general D&D combat favors offence before defence, and so using a 2H weapon is generally better than a one-handed. In the case of the paladin I would recommend a falchion, equipped with a wand chamber, and put a wand of Bless weapon or Rhino's rush in there the moment you have the gold for it.

If you are going for mounted combat, you need to plan for it. However, if your adventures will take place mostly in dungeons, a mount might have a hard time getting through (being Large and all).
For mounted combat you ideally want to pick up Mounted Combat, Ride-by-attack, and spirited charge, which could be hard to do with a paladin.

As an alternative to a mount you have the charging smite ACF (PHB II), and the divine spirit (Dungeonscape). Both are solid choices, if different.

Recommended paladin feats are: Battle Blessing, Divine Feats (Divine Might, etc), Dreadful Wrath (very fitting in your case), From Smite to Song (inspire courage like a bard, easily optimized), Awesome smite.

Since you are a paladin of freedom I recommend dipping two levels of Barbarian: Lion spirit totem wolf totem barbarian to be precise. That way you gain Pounce (full attack on a charge) and improved trip (works great with Awesome Smite).