[3.5] "True Power": Non-exalted VoP Feat Use

[balistafreak]

To quote Xykon:

"Power, it isn't something that you put on or take off like a jacket. It's just something you ARE. If you can lose it by blowing two Will saves, you never really had any power in the first place, see what I'm saying?"

Now, while I'm not sure there are that many game situations where one would lose power by "blowing two Will saves", I will wholeheartedly agree that power isn't the aforementioned jacket.

A wizard loses his spellbook, the fighter loses his sword. The whole party is thrown into jail sans possessions. These are classic problems, and often practically insurmountable without, you guessed it, finding more possessions, if only improvised or fabricated ones, to go get your old possessions back.

Xykon claimed that true power rests on not losing it on two Will saves. I'm going to go a step further and claim that true power rests on not being able to lose it, period, save extenuating circumstances such as, well, death.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the DM-rage-inducing reading of the Vow of Poverty feat.

"At 1st level, an ascetic gets a bonus exalted feat, and another bonus feat at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter."

Read that. Read that again. Note something? While at 1st level, one receives a bonus exalted feat, the other bonus feats are just that: bonus feats. Not bonus exalted feats, bonus exalted feats.

I'm currently on a quest to see how many "true power" characters I can make with this reading. Whether it's a (yeah, here it is again) Venerable Corpsecrafted Spellstitched Necropolitan Cloistered Cleric, Hengeyokai (sparrow) Warlock, Dragonborn Warforged Incarnate, or (in construction) *some race* Tashalatora Psionic Warrior, I'm building characters that literally need nothing to do their thing. You could throw them into a jailcell naked, and they'd come out in the exact same force as before.

I'm now asking what other Playgrounders think they can do with these bonus feats and abilities to create their own "true power characters".

It seems that a lot of the optimization-fu that gets thrown around takes advantage of items - now you have no items, but extra feats. How cool of a character can you generate?

Guidelines:

• Characters use the non-exalted reading of Vow of Poverty. This means taking all the other benefits and negatives as well, such as AC bonuses and inability to use magic items.
• Characters are 10th level or lower, preferably around 6th level. I'm not interested in what a character can do at epic level, and we all know that 1st level builds are underwhelming.
• Characters use the bonus feats in a multi-dimensional way. Taking Font of Inspiration half-a-dozen times for Inspiration every turn and check, Extra Turning half-a-dozen times to power DMM, or every Incarnum feat is cute, but not thought-provoking.
• While I fully expect to see mostly caster-types, don't just claim that a caster doesn't need the bonus feats, or has no good ways to utilize them. It's up to you to find creative ways to use them!
• Claiming that feats cannot replace items is not constructive to the exercise. Please don't; that's not the point here.
• Although my own examples lack the use of any items whatsoever, I'd be interested to see a melee-build. You are allowed simple weapons by the Vow of Poverty rules, although I will add that you may have more complicated weapons that are easily improvisable/hand-craftable with basic materials such as nunchucks or nets. No nonsimple weapons that need heavy craftsmanship to be made, such as greatswords or spiked chains, unless you could reasonably expect to see the item in everyday life - although I'm curious as to what you could use as a weapon there.
• There's no point in exercising a single feat or standard character build and calling it a day. That's showing that that feat is broken or that that character build is solid/broken, not that you can accomplish anything helpful with bonus feats.
• As a more general guideline, please don't drop a character block and not tell us what it's supposed to do. That's just bad form and confusing.

Thank you in advance! I look forward to your builds in advance.

[Optimystik]

Spell-to-Power Erudite 20. They never need material components, thus I never violate the vow.

I take Toughness for all my feats and still break the game.

Wow, that was easy

[Private-Prinny]

Spell-to-Power Erudite 20. They never need material components, thus I never violate the vow.

I take Toughness for all my feats and still break the game.

Wow, that was easy

I've seen a lot of stuff about how amazingly broken StP Erudite is, but I can't find it anywhere.

[Optimystik]

I've seen a lot of stuff about how amazingly broken StP Erudite is, but I can't find it anywhere.

Regular Erudite

Spell to Power variant

[Flickerdart]

I've seen a lot of stuff about how amazingly broken StP Erudite is, but I can't find it anywhere.

Basically, it's incredibly trivial to get infinite power points and nigh-infinite actions to spend them in when you can use both psionic powers and any spells. You know how Archivist is Tier 1 simply because it can know all divine spells? This is like that but it can know all spells. And all powers. And use them infinitely.

[Optimystik]

Anyway, to get this back towards topic at least...

Psionics and Incarnum are your best bet to abuse the VoP feat-barrage - both grant massive amounts of power while neatly circumventing the vow.

Cloistered Cleric from the OP can work, but the vow does not permit a holy symbol. There are ways around this, however.

[TheMadLinguist]

Step 1: get your exalted feats as class features.
Step 2: take ten levels of greyguard.

[2xMachina]

I'd say Psionic/Magic is not True Power as you lose that in a Anti-Magic cell.

Unless you're a Cheater of Mystra of course.

[Greenish]

Cloistered Cleric from the OP can work, but the vow does not permit a holy symbol. There are ways around this, however.

"A divine focus component is an item of spiritual significance."

It could be a simple weapon, a loincloth, piece of wax from your ear (or does that violate the oath?)…

Unfortunately, a strict reading would probably rule out using a tattoo of your faith's holy symbol as a Divine Focus (I think, though since English isn't my first language I'm not sure if you can stretch the meaning of the word "item" to encompass it).

[Ashram]

I don't think a tattoo qualifies as an item. As long as you find someone willing to give you a tattoo for free, on a place you can prominently display (I.E., the palm of your hand, generally) you can get a deity's holy symbol tattooed on your hand to function as a divine focus.

[Greenish]

I don't think a tattoo qualifies as an item. As long as you find someone willing to give you a tattoo for free, on a place you can prominently display (I.E., the palm of your hand, generally) you can get a deity's holy symbol tattooed on your hand to function as a divine focus.

If tattoo doesn't qualify as an item, then it won't function as a holy symbol.

[Ashram]

If tattoo doesn't qualify as an item, then it won't function as a holy symbol.

It's DM dependant, really.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

"At 1st level, an ascetic gets a bonus exalted feat, and another bonus feat at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter."

Read that. Read that again. Note something? While at 1st level, one receives a bonus exalted feat, the other bonus feats are just that: bonus feats. Not bonus exalted feats, bonus exalted feats.

This is intentionally taken out of context in order to intentionally misrepresent its meaning. Allow me to put it back into context:

Bonus Exalted Feats: At 1st level, an ascetic gets a bonus
exalted feat, and another bonus feat at 2nd level and every 2
levels thereafter. Unlike the other benefits of a vow of poverty,
a character does not gain these bonus feats retroactively when
he takes the Vow of Poverty feat; he only gains those bonus feats
that apply for the levels he gains after swearing his vow. Thus,
the bonus feat gained at 1st level is available only to humans
who take both Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty at 1st level.

Furthermore, the VoP level progression chart specifies "bonus exalted feat" at each even-numbered level. Text > Table is irrelevant, because the very name of the benefit infers that every bonus feat granted by it must be an exalted feat, and the table solidifies this. There is no conflict between the text and table, only a slightly gray area which is quickly cleared up by further reading. Both RAI and RAW agree that all feats granted by the "Bonus Exalted Feats" benefit of VoP must indeed be exalted feats, and not any feat of your choosing, and no competent DM will allow otherwise unless they specifically house rule it as such.

[Khatoblepas]

Well, even if all the feats are exalted feats, what's stopping us from Dark Chaos Feat Shuffling them away? Embrace/Shun the Dark Chaos are [Chaotic] subtyped spells and not [Evil], and Abyssal Heritor feats aren't inherently evil. A CG character could do the shuffle and not lose their exalted status. In fact, I imagine a Succubus who took the Vow would naturally embrace the chaos within her, if not the evil.

From a fluff perspective, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's not even a grey area morality wise. You're only unlocking and purging yourself of a daemonic past. Every purified hero has to come to terms with their dark side.

Saying that, I would probably play a monster race and revel in the bonus feats.

[Optimystik]

I'd say Psionic/Magic is not True Power as you lose that in a Anti-Magic cell.

Unless you're a Cheater of Mystra of course.

If Psionics Are Different, AMF does nothing to your Erudite.

"A divine focus component is an item of spiritual significance."

If you're going to quote, quote the whole thing.

"A divine focus component is an item of spiritual significance. The divine focus for a cleric or a paladin is a holy symbol appropriate to the character’s faith."

And RAI via Word of God states that holy symbols were intended to be exempt from the vow.

It's senseless to me too, but there it is.

Thank you in advance! I look forward to your builds in advance.

This is intentionally taken out of context in order to intentionally misrepresent its meaning.

Couldn't resist

[balistafreak]

Regardless of RAI (I'm quite shocked and appaled how that designer thought he couldn't have a holy symbol) VoP clearly states that are you allowed certain items - namely simple weapons, for example, like a walking stick.

Make your holy symbol a stick or something. You'll find them commonly enough, the god of Travel (forget his name, F- something ) will love you, and it'll double as a club/quarterstaff.

Was that really all that hard?

And to be nitpicky, Biffoniacus, you use the word "infer" in your supposed RAW reading. While I certainly agree that the wording is intended to mean exalted feats, there's nothing that you can do to convince me that it doesn't say "bonus feat" right there on the page. And when power is on the line...

[Optimystik]

Make your holy symbol a stick or something.

There's already an item called "holy symbol," and it costs at least 1 gp.

Was that really all that hard?

Nothing's hard if you homebrew it, no. But if your DM is going to all that trouble to bend the rules for you, just ask him to allow your holy symbol with the Vow in the first place.

[Telonius]

Actually this would only use Exalted Feats, and still be nasty, nasty, nasty.

Human Monk2/Knight4
1 Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike
2 Vow of Nonviolence, Deflect Arrows, Evasion Monk class feature
3 Vow of Peace
4 Touch of Golden Ice
6 Nimbus of Light, Holy Radiance, Test of Mettle Knight class feature

Observe what happens here. Melee begins. The Knight uses his "Test of Mettle" feature. Every intelligent foe of (his CR-2) or higher needs to make a will save or be forced to attack the Knight. If they fire at him with a ranged weapon, he Deflects the arrow. If they target him with an area effect spell, he has Evasion. If they attack him with a melee weapon, they have to make a will save or do nothing. If they make the will save, they have to make a fortitude save for their manufactured weapon. If they try to grapple him or hit him with a natural weapon, they get Ravaged with Golden Ice if they're evil (since a Monk's whole body is his natural weapon). And if they do grapple him, they take 1d4 damage per round if they're undead.

And even if all of that hits: He has four levels of Knight, which gives him d12 hit dice. And he's stuck next to the Knight, in a square that will now be considered difficult terrain.

Equipment needed: None.

[JaronK]

Well, even if all the feats are exalted feats, what's stopping us from Dark Chaos Feat Shuffling them away? Embrace/Shun the Dark Chaos are [Chaotic] subtyped spells and not [Evil], and Abyssal Heritor feats aren't inherently evil. A CG character could do the shuffle and not lose their exalted status. In fact, I imagine a Succubus who took the Vow would naturally embrace the chaos within her, if not the evil.

But exalted still requires you to be far more goodie two shoes than any Paladin. There's no way you'll be embracing any dark anything without losing the vow.

JaronK

[Tinydwarfman]

Actually this would only use Exalted Feats, and still be nasty, nasty, nasty.

Human Monk2/Knight4
1 Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike
2 Vow of Nonviolence, Deflect Arrows, Evasion Monk class feature
3 Vow of Peace
4 Touch of Golden Ice
6 Nimbus of Light, Holy Radiance, Test of Mettle Knight class feature

Observe what happens here. Melee begins. The Knight uses his "Test of Mettle" feature. Every intelligent foe of (his CR-2) or higher needs to make a will save or be forced to attack the Knight. If they fire at him with a ranged weapon, he Deflects the arrow. If they target him with an area effect spell, he has Evasion. If they attack him with a melee weapon, they have to make a will save or do nothing. If they make the will save, they have to make a fortitude save for their manufactured weapon. If they try to grapple him or hit him with a natural weapon, they get Ravaged with Golden Ice if they're evil (since a Monk's whole body is his natural weapon). And if they do grapple him, they take 1d4 damage per round if they're undead.

And even if all of that hits: He has four levels of Knight, which gives him d12 hit dice. And he's stuck next to the Knight, in a square that will now be considered difficult terrain.

Equipment needed: None.

So, he stands there while monsters who make the save beat on him or go kill the casters? Nice combo, but 0 offense doesn't make for a good strategy.

[Optimystik]

If they fire at him with a ranged weapon, he Deflects the arrow.

Nitpick - you can only deflect arrows once per round, which means multiple enemies and even multiple attacks can still pincushion you.

[SethFahad]

"At 1st level, an ascetic gets a bonus exalted feat, and another bonus feat at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter."

Read that. Read that again. Note something? While at 1st level, one receives a bonus exalted feat, the other bonus feats are just that: bonus feats. Not bonus exalted feats, bonus exalted feats.

I don't want to spoil thing for you BUT.... I'll correct/add something you missed....

BoED p.30

Bonus Exalted Feats: At 1st level, an ascetic gets a bonus exalted feat, and another bonus feat at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter.

This agrees with the table in page 31, where the bonus feats are "exalted".

Sorry, the feats are ALL exalted.

[Optimystik]

I don't want to spoil thing for you BUT.... I'll correct/add something you missed....

Biffo beat you to it.

It's just a thought exercise anyway, nobody would actually try this in a game.

[Telonius]

So, he stands there while monsters who make the save beat on him or go kill the casters? Nice combo, but 0 offense doesn't make for a good strategy.

I wouldn't call taking several monsters out of the fight to be zero offense. He's neutralized the threat of whatever failed the save. The enemies that try to beat on him have to make a succession of saves in order to do so. Certain foes that hit him take damage no matter what they do. And, if the foe happens to be something other than a humanoid or a monstrous humanoid, he's only one away from full BAB and perfectly capable of fighting back. A Quarterstaff (allowable under VoP) would give him a 2h weapon. Not optimized for damage by any means, but it isn't about damage. It's about neutralizing threats and battlefield control.

Nitpick - you can only deflect arrows once per round, which means multiple enemies and even multiple attacks can still pincushion you.

This is one I'm not sure about ... but does an arrow count as a manufactured weapon? I think it does, though I'm not 100% certain. And if so, it would also need to make a save or shatter harmlessly.

Also, there's this ...

Saving Throws

Nonmagical, unattended items never make saving throws. They are considered to have failed their saving throws, so they always are affected by spells. An item attended by a character (being grasped, touched, or worn) makes saving throws as the character (that is, using the character’s saving throw bonus).

Magic items always get saving throws. A magic item’s Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save bonuses are equal to 2 + one-half its caster level. An attended magic item either makes saving throws as its owner or uses its own saving throw bonus, whichever is better.

So does an arrow in flight count as an "attended" object?

[SethFahad]

Biffo beat you to it.

It's just a thought exercise anyway, nobody would actually try this in a game.

Hold it! I think I just failed a spot check...

Sorryyyy

[Optimystik]

This is one I'm not sure about ... but does an arrow count as a manufactured weapon? I think it does, though I'm not 100% certain. And if so, it would also need to make a save or shatter harmlessly.

Starmantle, from the same book, has a similar effect to the vow - but it explicitly causes "missiles" to break as well, while the Vow does not.

You certainly have room to make a case however - it depends on how your DM defines "strikes." (i.e. melee only or not.)

[Mephibosheth]

In this spirit of the OP, here's my favorite VoP build. As a disclaimer, I know it's not even close to the most powerful build. It's also a contrived, difficult and potentially underwhelming way of doing something that's not particularly powerful in the first place. However, in my view, the point of VoP is not to build a powerful, optimized character but rather to represent mechanically a story concept that can be very compelling. Yes, it has been demonstrated repeatedly that VoP isn't as powerful as WBL but it does allow for moderately-viable ascetic characters in most games (in my experience).

All that said, here's the build (using all exalted feats):

Human Barbarian 2/Fighter 2/Fist of the Forest 2 (CChamp)/Frostrager 5 (Frostburn)

1 - Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty (h), Righteous Wrath (b)
2 - Touch of Golden Ice (b)
3 - Great Fortitude, Power Attack (fighter)
4 - Improved Unarmed Strike (fighter), Sanctify Natural Attack (b)
6 - Frozen Berserker (Frostburn), any exalted feat (b)

Basically, this character's rage is, rather than an effect of anger or frenzy, a trance-like state of enhanced combat prowess brought on by devotion to a deity of war and destruction (I most often use Shiva as a real-world example of a good-aligned deity of destruction who would have ascetic devotees). He gains improved unarmed strike damage, enhanced speed and a rage-like state that boost his dex and gives him a bite attack from his FoF levels. Frostrager gives him cold damage to unarmed strikes (as well as possible bump in unarmed strike damage, depending on how your DM rules the frostrage ability stacks with FoF), increased natural armor, a flurry-of-blows-like ability and assorted other bonuses. Again, not the most mechanically-optimal build but a fun one nonetheless and (imho) an interesting take on the barbarian. He can be fairly effective from level 5 but really hits his stride between levels 7 and 11.

Given the OPs interpretation of the VoP bonus feats, I would suggest a number of alternatives. Extra Rage should be at the top of your list, since his abilities improve markedly during a rage. Improved Natural Attack might be good for a bump in unarmed strike damage. Improved Grapple or Improved Trip might be helpful as well, especially given the Touch of Golden Ice feat. On that note, Ability Focus might also be a good option to increase the DC of the ravage. Finally, a two level Totemist dip might also be a good idea for the totem bind ability and any of the natural attack-granting soulmelds. I haven't used Magic of Incarnum much yet, but girallon's arms looks particularly nice for getting a lot of natural attacks.

That's my build, anyway. I hope you like it.

[Akal Saris]

Here's my shot at this interpretation of VoP: a bard/paladin buffer and charger.

LG Strongheart Halfling Bard 2/Paladin 8 (ECL 10)

ACFs: Drakkensteed Mount (Dragon magic), Rebuke Dragons (Dragon magic), Dragonscale Husk (Dragon Magic), Harmonious Knight 1, Planar Paladin 6, Holy Warrior Spells-less Paladin 4/8 (Complete Champion), Divine Bard (optional), Paladin of Freedom (optional), Cityscape Paladin (replace survival type skills with social skills, but keep ride)

Stats: 32 PB
Str: 16
Dex: 14
Con: 14
Int: 10
Wis: 8
Cha: 18
Bumped Str at 4, 8, VoP boost to Cha

Feats:
1: Sacred Vow
1B: Vow of Poverty [Racial]
1B: Dragontouched (Counts as dragonblood race and a sorcerer for feats) [VoP]
2B: Draconic Heritage: Battle Dragon (Perform is a permanent class skill!) [VoP]
2B: Song of the Heart (+1/+1 to Inspire Courage, lose Inspire Competence [EBCS ACF]
3: Devoted Performer (C. Adv. - Stack classes for smite evil and bardic music/day, multiclass freely)
4B: Dragonfire Inspiration
6B: Mounted Combat [Spell-less paladin]
6: Initiate of Milil (Champs of Valor - stacks paladin and bard for power of bardic music
6B: Ride-by Attack [VoP]
8B: Law Devotion [VoP]
9: Dragon Mount
10B: Spirited Charge [Spell-less paladin 8]
10B: Extra Smiting [VoP]

What's he get:

Spoiler

Show

BAB +9
8d10, 2d6 HD
Smite 5/day as a 10th level paladin
Bardic Music 10/day as a 10th level bard, at +4/+4 with Song of the Heart and Inspirational Boost. Alternatively, +4d6 Sonic Damage from Dragonfire Inspiration and Battle Dragon. Another 8/day uses of Inspire Courage at +2/+2 from Harmonious Knight 1.
A loyal draconic mount/friend (eventually a gold dragon so he can fly, right now a dragonnel or something). The mount also gets boosts from paladin levels and is automatically celestial (Planar Paladin 6).
The mounted combat trio of feats, used with a quarterstaff or longspear (obviously a lance would be nice, so this would be the best place to beg for an exception to the RAW). Counts as +2 and good-aligned from VoP.
6 turn attempts, so 3/day Law Devotion for +5 to AC or attacks for 1 min/use as a swift action.
Great saving throws from cha-to-saves, a high Cha, and a dip in bard for +3 Ref/Will.
Great AC, since he grows scaly armor from his Dragon Magic ACF, plus the VoP bonuses. Should be +8 AC (Husk), +7 exalted (VoP), +1 natural (VoP), +1 deflection (VoP), +1 size (small), +2 dex (halfling), +5 Law Devotion = AC 35. Touch AC of 26. Also Resist 10 to all common energy types (husk) and DR 5/magic (VoP).
All the random goodies from VoP (stats, etc)

So basically, he's a mobile tank/buffing character riding around on a dragon with a stick. Naked, but with an AC comparable or better than most paladins his level. Not too overpowered, but takes a very feat-intensive build and makes it very playable. If the longspear were house-ruled to work as a lance, the build would be able to do some decent damage as well.

[balistafreak]

Nice builds, guys! I like the flavor of each. Some suggestions:

Mephibosheth's Build

I will highly recommend Magic of Incarnum if one is looking for natural attacks out the wazoo. The Totemist's Giralon Arms, a soulmeld that's basically a trademark for them, grants four natural attacks. Combine with things such as tail attacks, bite attacks, and my personal favorite, Warforged slams, and you can get silly fast. It lets you take advantage of Touch of Golden Ice like no tomorrow. Sure, they might only fail the save on a 1 (though probably not at that level) but when they have to roll seven times each turn, you have a pretty good chance. Don't forget that each contact will strike again a minute later for prolonged combats; PC's forgetting secondary poison effect happens all the time, seeing as combat generally fails to last longer than 10 rounds in most 3.5 games.

And you can still be a Barbarian at the same time with the PrC Totem Rager. Hawt diggity-dawg.

Why do you need Great Fortitude there? Is that a PrC requirement? If it is, ignore the following. If not, it seems quite redundant. I mean, you've got four classes which probably all have Fortitude as a good save.

Although a nice thought at first, Ability Focus: Touch of Golden Ice is pretty useless. The DC is already hopelessly low; your best bet is to force rolls, not raise the save.

Akal Saris's Build

The whole point is that you ride around on a huge dragon, eh?

As a buffer, those extra feats seem quite effective at letting you accomplish that. I like how you subordinated the bardsong underneath your paladin levels with those stack-level feats.

You're not really a tank beyond being large, having a good AC, and singing while you poke people but then again there are few mechanical ways to tank anyways beyond hitting people in the face before they hit the people you want to protect.

I must ask, however: Extra Smiting as a 10th level feat? Really? I've always considered smiting to be pretty underwhelming even within the scope of a "fun" or "cool" character. I mean, while the idea of smiting specifically evil people is cool and all, the limit on uses always bugged me. You're a paladin - smiting evil is what you should be doing in your sleep. Doing it more often at the cost of a feat doesn't seem particularly effective - I would try to find a way to simply "smite" people better all the time.

Unless I've forgotten something key about smiting, that is. Feel free to point it out if you think I've missed something.

Unrelated

This really has nothing to do in particular with VoP characters, but I've recently started wallowing around in Psionics for serious now, beyond the basic understandings. What powers up to 2nd level would one consider key for a Psionic Warrior stacking Talshalatora (did not spell that right) for Monk abilities? I've already highlighted my feat selection, but the power list befuddles me, quite honestly. The main one I always hear about is Expansion, for obvious reasons, but other than that...

[Akal Saris]

Thanks for the comments, balistafreak. Good insights all around.

The dragon won't be that big - he'll be a young dragon at ECL 20, with a few bonus HD from paladin. This isn't really a supermount build. He's mostly useful for mobility and for having a second fighter, who can take feat chains like entangling breath and quicken breath to hold people in place, or a bull rush/tripping chain, etc. The Wyrm of War ACF from Dragons of Eberron works well for this.

Not sure what to say about tanking, except that in 3.5 there are only two ways to do it in MMO terms: the Goad feat, and 4 levels of Knight. Both kind of suck. It's better in my opinion to lock people down and have lots of HP, armor, and ways to call attention to yourself. But I guess this character could take Perform (Taunt/Mockery) and try to annoy opponents that way.

Extra Smiting as a feat...eh. At that level, it's probably +4 to hit and +10 to damage on one attack, 2/day - not that bad, really. Maybe take Power Attack instead. Awesome Smite is a good follow-up feat, which lets you ignore DR, ignore all miss chances, or trip an opponent on a smite attack. That makes smiting pretty worthwhile.

Another feat that would be excellent for this build would be Words of Creation, but the 15 int requirement is brutal on a paladin. If you could get it, though, bardic music would be about +7/+7, and Inspire Greatness would give 4HD, which is quite good - used on your mount, that's 4d12 dragon hit dice. At level 11, the harmonious knight substitution gives another 9 Inspire Greatness attempts per day anyhow.

Edit: Ooh, and Snowflake Wardance might be another good feat. Spend a bardic music, gain Cha (+4) to attack for the encounter. Limited to 1-handed slashing weapons and no shield or armor - but you can't use a shield or wear actual armor anyhow because of the vow. Could be very worthwhile.