[3.5] I'm close, I just need some help making this arcane paladin thing work.

[Aetolus]

I'm looking to build an arcane paladin. I'm open to multiclassing, but right now I'm considering Paladin 20.

I want to get Battle Blessing, Sword of the Arcane Order and Smiting spell all on the same character, but I'm running into this roadblock where the feats before level four are not useful, and the ones after level four are so far between that it takes eight more levels to mature.


This is where I am. Is there some solution to make this mature more quickly?


Feats:

//1: Power Attack; Extra Smite

//3: Awesome Smite

//6: Battle Blessing

//9: SotAO

//12:Smiting Spell



No Dragon Magazine or Eberron.

[Snowbluff]

Extra smite and Tower Shield Prof aren't very helpful .

[Aetolus]

Extra smite and Tower Shield Prof aren't very helpful .

Agreed, but the feats I want to take early I don't qualify for.

[Shieldbunny]

I'd drop tower shield proficiency for a divine feat, I've always been partial to divine might personally, or a devotion feat. The one that lets you deal out negative levels with your melee attacks would soften up your enemies for your spells, but I must go a look for the name of this feat.

[Aetolus]

I'd drop tower shield proficiency for a divine feat, I've always been partial to divine might personally, or a devotion feat. The one that lets you deal out negative levels with your melee attacks would soften up your enemies for your spells, but I must go a look for the name of this feat.

As far as I know, all divine feats require Turn Undead, which means the level 3 slot doesn't qualify. A devotion feat isn't a bad idea. Travel devotion?

[Shieldbunny]

As far as I know, all divine feats require Turn Undead, which means the level 3 slot doesn't qualify. A devotion feat isn't a bad idea. Travel devotion?


Sorry, my mind will switch back to 3.0 on occasion.

[Optimator]

Law Devotion is awesome. Animal ain't bad either.

[ZamielVanWeber]

I'm confused. SotAO is allowed, but campaign setting material is not? Because Dreadful Wrath is cha based frightful presence. It's first level only, but you can just bump a 1st level feat to 3rd.
Martial Strike at 3rd would let you grab a maneuver.
Awesome Smite let's your smites do a bunch of stuff if you power attack and smite at the same time. Since you took both it could be worth your while.

[Aetolus]

I'm confused. SotAO is allowed, but campaign setting material is not? Because Dreadful Wrath is cha based frightful presence. It's first level only, but you can just bump a 1st level feat to 3rd.

I didn't realize the Champions of- series were from a campaign setting, I'll update the OP.
Frightful presence is pretty impressive. Any thoughts on how to get the three feats from the OP any sooner? Or to work Sun School into this?

I was thinking maybe:
Human Paragon 1/Paladin 4/HP2-3/Paladin5-16

[Darkweave31]

Try taking a look at the A-game paladin, it's somewhat similar to what you're going for with this build and could give you a few ideas... as for smiting spell, why not use a spell storing weapon instead to get a similar benefit?

[nedz]

Law Devotion is awesome. Animal ain't bad wither.

Seconding the devotion feats. You will only get them 1/day until you get TU, at which point you will get multiple uses.

[Aetolus]

Try taking a look at the A-game paladin, it's somewhat similar to what you're going for with this build and could give you a few ideas... as for smiting spell, why not use a spell storing weapon instead to get a similar benefit?

A-game paladin is a pretty cool exercise in making a bard out of a paladin. It seems like a great opportunity to use snow flake wardance imho, but the build is feat strapped.

There's nothing mutually exclusive about smiting and spell storing. I could do both.

[ILM]

The OP made me think of something but I wanted to check, so heads-up if you haven't discussed it with your DM and were planning to use it: there's debate as to whether Battle Blessing works with SotAO spells. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?367727-Simple-Raw-Thread-for-3-5-28&p=18497077#post18497077)

[Teh_das]

Does your DM allow feat retraining? If not, ask. It would help you get your feats earlier

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Smiting Spell can be replaced by Duskblade 3, which gives you Arcane Channeling. That allows you to cast any touch spell you know through your weapon along with your melee attack, without a metamagic cost.

I'd switch the build to (Cloistered (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric)) Cleric 2/ Duskblade 3/ Prestige Paladin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/prestigiousCharacterClasses.htm#prestigePaladin) 15.

[Darkweave31]

A-game paladin is a pretty cool exercise in making a bard out of a paladin. It seems like a great opportunity to use snow flake wardance imho, but the build is feat strapped.

There's nothing mutually exclusive about smiting and spell storing. I could do both.

It also has tricks like using illumian to get bonus spells based on strength rather than wisdom that could be useful to you. As for smiting spell vs spell storing... yes, you could take both, but why waste your build's resources to target regular AC instead of touch?

As for the duskblade dip suggestion, why not go further and just play a particularly devout duskblade if you want to go for massive damage with channeled spells. Is there a pressing reason to be a paladin?

[Aetolus]

It also has tricks like using illumian to get bonus spells based on strength rather than wisdom that could be useful to you. As for smiting spell vs spell storing... yes, you could take both, but why waste your build's resources to target regular AC instead of touch?

As for the duskblade dip suggestion, why not go further and just play a particularly devout duskblade if you want to go for massive damage with channeled spells. Is there a pressing reason to be a paladin?

Strength for bonus spells seems really awesome.

The particular reason for playing Paladin is Battle Blessing. There are a lot of fairly strong standard-action Paladin spells that make a really unique character with Battle Blessing. As well, my last character was a Duskblade/Ur Priest, so I'm trying to steer clear of that region of character building for a while.


Smiting Spell can be replaced by Duskblade 3, which gives you Arcane Channeling. That allows you to cast any touch spell you know through your weapon along with your melee attack, without a metamagic cost.

I'd switch the build to (Cloistered (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric)) Cleric 2/ Duskblade 3/ Prestige Paladin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/prestigiousCharacterClasses.htm#prestigePaladin) 15.

Agreed it's better. I'm trying to avoid Duskblade. What are your thoughts on applying Battle Blessing to Prestige Paladin? Maybe only for Paladin spells? I think RAW it doesn't work.


The OP made me think of something but I wanted to check, so heads-up if you haven't discussed it with your DM and were planning to use it: there's debate as to whether Battle Blessing works with SotAO spells. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?367727-Simple-Raw-Thread-for-3-5-28&p=18497077#post18497077)

I didn't even consider that they would interact. I wasn't thinking of rapid casting Wizard spells with Battle Blessing. What I had in mind was swift action Knights' Moving next to someone, and then slam them with a big smite, and a big spell.

[Darrin]

What are your thoughts on applying Battle Blessing to Prestige Paladin? Maybe only for Paladin spells? I think RAW it doesn't work.


Try adding Suel Arcanamach 2/Geometer X. Use Spell Versatility to treat all your spells as Paladin spells.

[Telonius]

Shape Soulmeld, perhaps? Strongheart Vest is always solid.

[Petrocorus]

May i suggest you to look into my sig for a few build possibilities.

If you're set on going Arcane, the Sorcadin is always an obvious choice. And Arcane Strike can replace Smite Evil.

Are you set on going straight Paladin?

[Fax Celestis]

The best thing to do with Battle Blessing is put new spells onto your list. Initiate feats are the best means of doing so. Or if you can pick up a domain somehow. For an expensive temporary option, try domain draughts from DMG-II.

[Aetolus]

May i suggest you to look into my sig for a few build possibilities.

If you're set on going Arcane, the Sorcadin is always an obvious choice. And Arcane Strike can replace Smite Evil.

Are you set on going straight Paladin?

The OP says I'm open to multiclassing. My concern with Sorcadin is that it might not carry the swift-action-magic+melee-damage mechanic I'm after, but if you can make it work, I'm in.



The best thing to do with Battle Blessing is put new spells onto your list. Initiate feats are the best means of doing so. Or if you can pick up a domain somehow. For an expensive temporary option, try domain draughts from DMG-II.

I'm listening, which initiate feats?