Paladin Fixes

[ZhanStrider]

If you were going to attempt to make the Paladin class a Tier 3 or 4 (instead of 5) What would you change?
I would think They should be able to use Smite a number of times equal to their paladin level. I also think they should be able to use Smite on EITHER alignment that opposes theirs. (Evil or Chaos for a regular paladin, Law and Good for a Paladin of Slaughter ect ect)

Anything else?

[Troacctid]

Smite is per encounter rather than per day. Spellcasting uses recharge magic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/rechargeMagic.htm). 4 + Int skill points per level.

For good measure, you could also make their spellcasting Charisma-based and give them good Will saves.

[Abithrios]

Before someone else mentions it, 3.5 paladins have a surprisingly high optimization ceiling. Look up the A Game paladin for an example. It trades some of the less interesting class features for the ability to cast wizard spells and inspire courage.

If you want advice other than to optimize more, I suggest looking at the pathfinder paladin (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/paladin). It is tier 4 out of the box. It can heal itself efficiently in combat (self healing as a swift action). Its smite evil is more powerful, lasting the whole fight once activated and providing defense against the target as well. It is less MAD than the 3.5 version, not relying on wisdom for its spells. I you don't want to go diving through books for ACFs, it's a straight upgrade.

Other ideas: Make smites per encounter rather than per day. Increase spell casting, possibly with the bard's spells per day, with all cleric spells added to their list. More skill points.

If you want to make them tier 4, you need to increase their power. Pathfinder did that. If you want to make them tier 3 you also have to increase their versatility.

[BWR]

I like this (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/coreRulebook/classes/paladin.html#paladin)solution.

Edit: Dammit: Hiruma'd

[AuraTwilight]

TG Oskar's Paladin homebrew is top notch.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?193554-Project-Heretica-not-just-a-Paladin-retooling

[Jack_Simth]

Use the Pathfinder Paladin (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/paladin), switch the casting from Wis to Charisma, make smite per-encounter rather than per-day, and permit the Paladin to also prepare spells off of the Cleric list.

The current Paladin needs Strength for to-hit and damage most the time, Con for HP, Wis for casting, and Cha for class abilities. If Smite can be used nearly-constantly, then the Str can be dropped a bit. Move casting to Cha, and Wis can be dropped a bit. Then the Paladin needs to invest primarily in just Con and Cha to get the job done; a touch of strength to carry the worn armour, and then the Paladin makes a decent melee bruiser and a good healer. Cleric spells then let the Paladin keep a few utility spells for use out of combat.

That should put it at a solid T-3 - able to do one thing quite well, still useful when that one thing is not appropriate.

[LTwerewolf]

Especially with battle blessing and some other tricks (like sword of the arcane order), paladins really aren't so bad. The worst part of them is usually where a dm and player don't see eye to eye on alignment and code.

[Hal0Badger]

Charisma based casting,
Ordained Champion smite (smite anything, requires 1 turn attemp), combined with the abilities of pathfinder smite (lasting till the opponent drops or you choose a different target),
Slightly increased daily spell limit,
Battle blessing being a mid-class feature rather than a feat;
Ability to make his weapon holy for a limited time/number per day (this can also be tied to turning usage).

[Cerefel]

Really just serenity and battle blessing built into the class.

[martixy]

I'm partial to this one:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?190289-3-5-Dawnblade-the-duskblade-s-paladin

[LoyalPaladin]

There are a lot of things that could be done, but off the top of my head:

Charisma based casting
Swift action lay on hands
More smites

Those three things would make the paladin's life much easier.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

I'm partial to Grod's version (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?221312-A-hero-is-a-man-too-stubborn-to-die-a-3-5-Paladin-fix-(PEACH)&p=12150015#post12150015), myself.

[Flickerdart]

Work with the DM to acquire a better mount than the horse, using the rules presented in the back of the DMG. A useful pet can pull a paladin up to T4 all by itself, especially if it has some SLAs (from Half-Celestial, for instance).

[Waazraath]

The difficulty with the paladin is that the core version is weak, but with splat support they have a high optimization ceiling, as already has been mentioned. A lot of their power also depends on the game:
- allows the DM for a custom (better) horsy?
- are ability scores rolled (and higher then average) to compensate for MAD
- how annoying are RP restrictions enforced
- does mounts of prestige classes stack with the pally mount?
- allows the campaign the use of the horse a lot? (not too much dungeons / corridors, a lot open fields)
etc.

But the base chasis definitely could be stronger. I like suggestions on cha based casting, more smites, and I think more spells would also be good. A highly optimized pally with a very tolerant / cooperative DM then could be very strong, but plenty of classes are always very strong, so no worries.

[johnbragg]

If your group wants a quick-fix:

Add to the usual Paladin abilities the cleric's Domain spells, chosen from 4 Domains instead of 2, gained at the same level the Cleric gets them. LEvel-appropriate firepower, but not enough spells per day (1 per spell level plus Wisdom Charisma bonus spells) or enough spell selection (4 spells per spell level) to be more than a secondary caster.

I'd also say Charisma-based casting, and full Turn Undead progression.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?318391-quot-Theophilite-quot-3-5-Replaces-Cleric-at-Tier-3-4-PEACH