Blind swordsman paladin build

[Slayer Lord]

Exactly what it says on the tin. I've been wanting to play a new paladin character but with a different twist on it, and I've always had a weakness for the blind swordsman archetype. I'm pretty familiar with paladins but I don't know very much about the Blindfight feats or how to make this a viable build. Any thoughts?

[Kayblis]

Blinded is a status that incurs: -2 AC, No DEX to AC, Half movement, -4 on many skills and 50% miss chance.

You really only need to get Blindsense to justify knowing where stuff is. That is, you COULD roll very high on Listen every single time, but that's not really possible unless you're starting at a high level. Any variant could also work - Tremorsense, the better Blindsight, Detect Life, the free Detect Evil, etc.

Unless you can feel your enemy's position with precision, you'll have a miss chance of 50%. Blind-fight lets you roll this chance twice, so it becomes 25%. You won't get much better than that without Blindsight, which is obtainable through a 3rd-level spell of the same name.

Talk with your DM, as the Blinded rules state that a character that stays blinded for a long time might overcome some of the drawbacks of being blinded. Again, there are many drawbacks of being blinded besides the 50% miss chance.

[Long_shanks]

It depends on the level you will be starting, but there is the Bllinded Blade Style feat (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/blinded-blade-style-combat-style/) (and it's two follow ups). However, you can only take the first at level 5, the second at level 10 and the thirs at level 15. In the end, you are almost as functional as a seeing character (in short range), but it costs you 6 feats, which is a really big investment.

[Pex]

Is it specifically for 3E? In Pathfinder you can play the popular Oracle/Paladin multiclass and use the Clouded Vision curse.

[P.F.]

I would second the Clouded Oracle suggestion. In fact, the Oradin (oracle/paladin) is an extremely popular build, and would fit your description almost perfectly.

[Psyren]

Thirding Oracle. If you don't want to multiclass, you can pick up the blinded curse via VMC Oracle.

[Slayer Lord]

Thanks. I'll probably go with Oracle-Paladin.

[Nigeretalbus]

Does it *have* to be a paladin?

Example Build:


Coolguy McBadass - a guy who is wearing Sunglasses (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/EquipmentMiscDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Smoked%20goggle s) all the time.

He isn't particularly smart, but quite intuitively gifted. Boundless confidence and inexplicable luck result in lots of corny lines.


STATS (15-Pointbuy)

18 STR (10 pts, +2 racial)
13 DEX (3 pts)
13 CON (3 pts)
07 INT (-4 pts)
10 WIS (0 pts)
13 CHA (3 pts)

Human Unarmed Fighter (http://archivesofnethys.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Fighter%20Unarmed% 20Fighter) 1 / Oracle 1 / Fighter 2



Traits: Blind Zeal (http://archivesofnethys.com/TraitDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Blind%20Zeal), *ANY*


01: Unarmed Fighter (http://archivesofnethys.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Fighter%20Unarmed% 20Fighter) 1 Blind-Fight(Trait), Improved Unarmed Strike(Archetype Bonus), Blinded Blade Style(Archetype Bonus), Improved Blind-Fight(1st, you qualify with Blinded Blade Style), Blinded Competence(Human)
02: Spirit Guide Oracle (http://archivesofnethys.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Oracle%20Spirit%20 Guide)
03: Unarmed Fighter (http://archivesofnethys.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Fighter%20Unarmed% 20Fighter) 2 Greater Blind-Fight(Fighter Bonus), Blinded Master(3rd)
04 - 20: Continue taking Oracle levels. Increase CHA at 4/8/12/16/20.


Depending on your mystery & curse, you have a variety of options.
One simple *move* is to cast Obscuring Mist and use the 30' Blindsight from Blinded Master to ignore the penalties.

[CharonsHelper]

As others have said - for Pathfinder go the Oradin build.

For 3.5 go with the Combat Focus tree. It can't kick in until level 6, but the Combat Focus tree can get you blindsight 5ft all the time & the Keen Listener feat can make it easy to find your targets. I actually ran one in my last 3.5 game and it was a lot of fun, though it only had a 2 level dip into Paladin before going Pious Templar.

It combos very well with the 3.5 Tower Shield since you can put the shield into cover mode without blocking LoS, and it gives you something to do at long range. (I once shut down a cicling black dragon's breath weapon by putting it in cover mode and then using readied actions to move in front of the breath weapon. It forced it to come down into melee since it was too young for much casting.)

[Psyren]

Another option is a Divine Mind (or perhaps preferably, Psywar/Sanctified Mind) with some psionic powers that obviate sight like Synesthete or Touchsight. Out of combat they can rely on their psicrystal to lead them around, or get a psychoactive skin or something.

[Geddy2112]

+1 to oradin. Even if you don't go clouded vision and go full blind, I would ask your DM if your character could have been blind for a long time, so you automatically overcome some of the disadvantages of being blind.

Getting scent from level one helps overcome a lot of issues. Half orcs and orcs can get scent, as can catfolk. All of those make good paladins statwise.

Second blind fight and blinded blade style. Feat heavy, but makes it work.

[HedwickWorldly]

I'll +1 the previous suggestion of Unarmed Fighter. In fact, I think it's totally viable without Oracle. You can start the game as a blind Human Unarmed Fighter 2, and effectively have Blindsight 30' by level 3.

Human Unarmed Fighter 2/Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)1

Trait: Blind Zeal
Bonus Feat: Blind-Fight
Fighter Style Feat: Blinded Blade Style
1 Improved Blind-Fight
Human Feat: Blinded Competence
Fighter Bonus Feat: Greater Blind-Fight
3 Blinded Blade Mastery

You get to worship Vildeis, which makes Oath of Vengeance a thematic choice, and you effectively negate almost all of the downsides of blindness with the first 2 levels. As a downside, you don't get some of the staple things, like Power Attack, until 5, but you do get to disregard invisibility, blur, mirror image, and darkness for the rest of your campaign. It's a fun concept :D