How is my Paladin build?

[LoyalPaladin]

Hello everyone,
I am currently playing a 3.5 campaign as a paladin of Torm. This paladin is less of the tank/support character and more of the heavy damage/evil slayer. I am running over my build and wanted to ask you all to help me iron out the details. This character relies very heavily on Charisma and Smite Evil and is married to the Paladin/Fist of Raziel classes but we are going 1-30 in this campaign so there will be more to life! Another side note, is that our DM limits one prestige before 20 and one after 20. I am not sure if that is a houserule or SRD? Bonus points if you know where the rule is.

Updated ECL 30 build:

Name: Gallant Holyshield
Race: Aasimar
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 240

Stats:
STR 22
DEX 10
CON 14
INT 10
WIS 14
CHA 21

Classes (+1 for Aasimar):
Paladin 1-6
Fist of Raziel 7-9
Crusader 10-19
Hellreaver 20-29

Feats (In Order)
1. Monkey Grip
3. Servant of the Heavens
6. Power Attack
9. Battle Blessing
12. Leadership
15. Awesome Smite
18. Divine Might
21. Avenging Strike
24. Extra Smiting
27. Improved Smiting

Let me know if you have better ideas and where I could improve!

[weckar]

Monkey Grip is mostly only worth it on a d10 weapon, so keep that in mind.

Overall, it seems like a pretty straightforward standard Paladin build. Won't be setting the world on fire (because Lawful Good), but also won't be the laughing stock of the church.

[LoyalPaladin]

Monkey Grip is mostly only worth it on a d10 weapon, so keep that in mind.
I currently am wielding Duty's Bond as a DM created legacy type item. Currently just a +0 Large Holy Cold Iron Greatsword. It was the favored weapon of Torm, so I requested it. Not sure if there are any good feats for wielding a diety's favored weapon?

[Troacctid]

The rule about prestige classes is a house rule. Also, you cannot normally take Paladin and Prestige Paladin on the same character, or really even in the same campaign--the latter is meant as a wholesale replacement for the former. Even if you could, Prestige Paladin is meant for Clerics, which is why it has the staggered spell progression.

Aasimar is not really worth the LA, but ask your DM about using the "Reducing level adjustments" rules to buy it off with xp. Monkey Grip is not a very good feat, but I guess if life gives you badass oversized holy cold iron lemons, make badass oversized holy cold iron lemonade.

You could stand to take Awesome Smite sooner. It's pretty sweet. Also, you definitely want Battle Blessing (Complete Champion) ASAP, it's one of the best feats a Paladin can take.

[Zaq]

Battle Blessing (Complete Champion) singlehandedly turns your spells from an afterthought into one of your best features. I highly recommend that you find room for it in your build once you have more than one or two spells per day.

If you can get a source of essentia from somewhere, Sapphire Smite (Magic of Incarnum) gives you more smites per day and makes those smites nastier. Best of all, if you get two separate smite pools somehow, it adds to both of them.

Limiting you to only one PrC is a houserule.

[LoyalPaladin]

The rule about prestige classes is a house rule.
Ah, I thought it might be.


Also, you cannot normally take Paladin and Prestige Paladin on the same character, or really even in the same campaign-
Oh, I guess I didn't understand that. Good to know though, I will miss those feats.


Aasimar is not really worth the LA, but ask your DM about using the "Reducing level adjustments" rules to buy it off with xp.
I did talk to him about this, no dice though. He said if we had all talked about this prior, people may have picked other races. Which is fair. Sucks for our Yuan-Ti though!


Monkey Grip is not a very good feat, but I guess if life gives you badass oversized holy cold iron lemons, make badass oversized holy cold iron lemonade.
My thought exactly, but I tend to make a nice monster puree more often than lemonade.


You could stand to take Awesome Smite sooner. It's pretty sweet.
Maybe this could go before Heavy Armor Optimization. It sounded good but I wasn't sure HOW useful the feat was. I'm glad to hear it rocks.


Battle Blessing (Complete Champion) singlehandedly turns your spells from an afterthought into one of your best features.
I'll add that in. I looked at it, but I was iffy on the whole spell casting thing.


If you can get a source of essentia from somewhere, Sapphire Smite (Magic of Incarnum) gives you more smites per day and makes those smites nastier.
I'll look into it, we have almost constant access to the multiverse trading company.

[LoyalPaladin]

Does anyone have a good prestige class in mind post 20?

[Ethelesin]

I humbly suggest fitting "Serenity" in there somewhere (Feat, dragon compendium, cant remember the page) It reduces MAD considerably.

[Gnome Alone]

I was digging around for paladin prestige classes myself not too long ago (morbid curiosity + I compulsively roll up a jillion characters I'll never use) and there really do not seem to be... not only not that many good ones, but just plain not that many period. There's Ordained Champion, but that specifically wants you to worship either Hextor or Heironeous. There's Pious Templar, which I don't remember much about, I think it was maybe intended for melee-ish clerics but I dunno. There's Fist of Raziel, which you're taking already and keeps coming up as one of the best ones on whatever I look at. Past level 20 gets kinda bonkers anyway... though, since you're going from 1-30, I guess you won't have to worry about that till like, what, the year 2023?

[Extra Anchovies]

My favorite fighty-casty divine PrC is Knight of the Raven, with full BAB, 9/10 casting, and a nice set of class features.

[Blackhawk748]

My favorite fighty-casty divine PrC is Knight of the Raven, with full BAB, 9/10 casting, and a nice set of class features.

Second this, getting a spiffy raven is fun.

Sadly you couldn't take Lesser Aasimar. You become a humanoid with the Planetouched subtype and you dont get martial weapon prof (which you dont care about anyway) but lose the LA.

If your not gonna use your mount (and it doesnt look like you are) id trade it out for Charging Smite, which in general you get more use out of.

[One Step Two]

I would also like to recommend the following savage progression (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040319a). 3 levels lost can be harsh, but you get some truly amazing SLA's, pretty decent SR, and if you forgo your mount, flight. The stat bonuses also benefit paladins like crazy.

[toapat]

My favorite fighty-casty divine PrC is Knight of the Raven, with full BAB, 9/10 casting, and a nice set of class features.

The only other paladin accepting PrC is Hospitalier and its not really that good for paladin. Pious Templar is typically accepted as a replacement for paladin not as a PrC for them

Extra Smiting would be better then Improved Smiting.

[LoyalPaladin]

Extra Smiting would be better then Improved Smiting.
Really? I'd have thought with all the FoR smites you'd have enough and another D6 would be good. I'll look into swapping them.


Past level 20 gets kinda bonkers anyway... though, since you're going from 1-30, I guess you won't have to worry about that till like, what, the year 2023?
We are actually a pretty efficient group. We also tend to rock our DM's monsters, so he makes them a lot stronger. Extra XP + Efficiency = Fast Levels!


It reduces MAD considerably.
I hope this isn't a stupid question, but what is MAD?


My favorite fighty-casty divine PrC is Knight of the Raven, with full BAB, 9/10 casting, and a nice set of class features.
I totally forgot about that class. I loved it when I was playing Ravenloft. That is a serious consideration.

[Extra Anchovies]

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but what is MAD?

Multiple Ability Dependency. The Monk is a good example; the game devs built it to require strength, dexterity, constitution, and wisdom.

[LoyalPaladin]

Multiple Ability Dependency. The Monk is a good example; the game devs built it to require strength, dexterity, constitution, and wisdom.
Oh, thank you. I've been wondering that for some time. They need to make a terminology handbook haha.

[LoyalPaladin]

Build Updated.

[Blackhawk748]

Ok, if you want to have Crit fun i recommend a Flachion as the Critical Threat Range with Imp Crit is NUTS. Sure you go down a die step but youll have a 14-20 threat range. ALso how are you qualifying for Weapon Spec?

[LoyalPaladin]

Ok, if you want to have Crit fun i recommend a Flachion as the Critical Threat Range with Imp Crit is NUTS. Sure you go down a die step but youll have a 14-20 threat range. ALso how are you qualifying for Weapon Spec?
I wish Torm's weapon was a Falchion for that reason! But it isn't and I have to wield his favored weapon. Oops. I meant Weapon Focus, I'll change it. I GET Weapon Spec from being a Pious Templar.

[Blackhawk748]

I wish Torm's weapon was a Falchion for that reason! But it isn't and I have to wield his favored weapon. Oops. I meant Weapon Focus, I'll change it. I GET Weapon Spec from being a Pious Templar.

Ah, now it all makes sense, and i totally forgot you had to wield his favored weapon. Now i feel bad about telling you about that....... Oh well.

[LoyalPaladin]

Ah, now it all makes sense, and i totally forgot you had to wield his favored weapon. Now i feel bad about telling you about that....... Oh well.
It's all fine and dandy. Even if it could improve my game, thematically the Greatsword fits my character more anyways. I didn't understand how Torm makes his favored weapon a specific Greatsword though. It seems a little unfair to those of us who want to be just like him when we grow up!