I'm making a human archer paladin of Iomedae in the Silver Crusade for Pathfinder Society. Those details are non-negotiable. Now I'm trying to figure out the rest of the build.

I looked at the Divine Hunter archetype, which gives Precise Shot as a bonus feat at level 1, but it gives up too much good stuff, and doesn't get much good stuff other than Precise Shot, so I don't think it's really worth it.

The archetype I am seriously considering is Oathbound, with an Oath of Vengeance. Giving up channeling for extra smites seems like a worthwhile trade off, and goes well with the character's personality of caring more about smiting evil than the protecting and healing sides of being a paladin.

Being an archer, much of the feat selection is pre-decided:
1 - Point Blank Shot
1 - Precise Shot (human bonus feat)
3 - Rapid Shot
5 - Deadly Aim
7 - ???
9 - ???
11 - Improved Precise Shot

You'd think Many Shot and Clustered Shot would be obvious choices for those level 7 and 9 feats, but they might not be. The purpose of Clustered Shot is to overcome DR, and I'll usually be smiting anything with enough DR to worry about, so I'll already ignore DR, making that a waste of a feat. There's also Snap Shot, but it requires Weapon Focus as a prerequisite, and paladins just don't get enough feats to bother with all that. As for Many Shot, that has a 17 Dex minimum, which brings up my next dilemma - what to do about attributes.

Which should I consider my primary stat: dexterity or charisma? When it comes to hitting with my bow, dexterity wins, because it applies to everything, not just when I'm smiting. When it comes to AC, charisma wins, because my dex will already be as high as my armor will allow, but the smite bonus to AC goes on top of that. Dexterity has the added bonus of helping initiative. Charisma increases all of a paladin's saving throws starting at level 2, which is huge, and charisma controls uses per day of Lay on Hands, which is also huge, especially if I go Oath of Vengeance and give up uses of Lay on Hands for more Smites per day. So I'm leaning towards charisma being more important than dexterity.

So here's my first thought for a stat array, though I keep moving numbers around:

Str: 14 (5)
Dex: 14 (5)
Con: 11 (1)
Int: 10
Wis: 7 (-4)
Cha: 19 (13, +2 racial)

But that brings me back to the 17 dex requirement for Many Shot. If I only start with a 14 dex, that means I won't qualify for the feat until I can afford a +4 dex belt. So then I looked at what it would take to have a 15 dex just so a +2 belt would get me to Many Shot:

Str: 14 (5)
Dex: 15 (7)
Con: 12 (2)
Int: 10
Wis: 7 (-4)
Cha: 18 (10, +2 racial)

Or I could balance them better, and start with 16 or 17 in both dex and cha. I just like the odd starting charisma, because that lets me increase my bonus as soon as I hit level 4 and pump another point in it.

I like the 14 str for damage, and the occasional times that I'll have to wade into melee, but I guess I could lower that to 12 to be able to afford the 15 dex while keeping the 19 cha. I don't want to dump int, because paladins already get only 2 skill ranks, but I'm ok with dumping wisdom. Having her be average intelligence but naive works for me. Not being a front liner and having d10 HP, I'm ok with my con only being in the 10-12 range, though a 12 would be nice to have there.

So I need to decide my stats, and come up with what feats I'll want at levels 7 and 9. Extra Lay on Hands seems like a decent choice for any paladin. I was also looking at the human Defiant Luck feat, which will let me re-roll a natural 1 on a saving throw once per day. Since paladins get such great saves, a natural 1 might be my biggest weakness, and that feat could help with that.

There's also Protector's Strike from Faiths of Purity, which lets me give my Smite Evil AC bonus to someone else instead of myself. If it said "can" or "may" in the feat description, I'd think that's awesome for an archer paladin, since you can boost the AC of your front line allies. But the wording makes it seem non-optional, which means if I take that feat, I'll never get the AC bonus for myself again, because I always have to give it to someone else. I may wait until I actually hit level 7 and re-evaluate how often I rely on that AC bonus for myself to decide if I want that feat.

As for stuff besides archetypes, attributes, and feats, I'm pretty sure I want the "Scholar of the Great Beyond" trait, to get Knowledge (Planes) as a class skill. You'd think that would already be a class skill, since paladins need to recognize their best smite targets, but it isn't.

I was also looking at the Bully or Extremely Fashionable traits to get Intimidate as a class skill. There's also the old standby of Reactionary to get +2 initiative, or the Silver Crusade's Sure Thing trait to get a +2 to hit against an evil target once per day.

Any thoughts?

I suppose you will go for the weapon bond (this being PFS with small cramped dungeons et al).

However, consider investing in a Mount for full-attack while moving. Get Lookout both for your Mount and yourself for a full-attack on the round of surprise.

The Shining Knight archetype can then be a great boost to your Mount's survival (but it is not compatible with Oath of Vengeance) and a Hosteling armor later on will allow you to keep your Mount safe when it's too cramped for its taste.

Concerning the stats, CHA is the uber-primary stat for Paladins. Boost it as much as you can.

For feats, with your 14 STR, do not hesitate to take Power Attack, this way when you cannot get far from your enemy, you will still be dishing out nice amounts of damage (with a two-handed weapon of course).

If you're looking for maximum damage output go Oath of Vengeance, take Extra Lay on Hands (more smites) as well as the regular archery feats.

I also like the Fey Foundling feat, since it scales very well.

I'm making a human archer paladin of Iomedae in the Silver Crusade for Pathfinder Society. Those details are non-negotiable. Now I'm trying to figure out the rest of the build.

Alright, first.. manyshot is huge. Would you consider an archer without rapid shot? No? Why not? That gives you an extra attack for a -2 on all attacks, manyshot essentially gives it to you for free. Take it.

The DEX requirement? Seriously? You are an archer.. your DEX will be pumped since you're not a zen archer.

Your main role is going to be archer. All of your feats are invested there, it HAS to deliver. You have a class that can normally front line and you are back ranking it. Other archers (fighter, ranger, zen archer) can fire without provoking.. not you. If you are making this trade-off then you have to be a good archer. Don't skimp DEX.

INT- Why have a 10 INT? You are human playing a paladin. You can have 2-3 skills/level with a 7INT. Unless there is some aesthetic that you want here.. you are paying 4 points for 1skill/level. Don't do it, or buy a 12. If 12 seems excessive, then trust me so is the 10.

Mount vs Bond- I'd go with mount as it's a full animal companion and then some. It's one of the reasons why you don't like divine hunter after all..

-James

If I were you I wouldn't dump both Wis and Int, but i play in groups that use their stats in rollplaying. You'd be a mentally handicapped, half blind weirdo, with no common sence. Roll playing will be stupid, and you'd technically be dumb in combat as well. (Appart from the first session, when it is hillarius.)

If 7 makes me mentally handicapped and half-blind, then does 14 mean I'm automatically a brain surgeon?

People seriously exaggerate what a low score represents.

I think people view 7 as mentally handicapped because its the lowest you can get your character without racial penalties. The truth is that Paizo hasn't made any reference guide for how mental stats affect you and anything past that is just an assumption.

I would prioritize dex over cha. Cha adds to hit when you are smiting, all 3 saves, you lay on hands, and to you spell dcs. Dex adds to your hit all the time, your reflex save, your ac, and pre-reqs for feats.

As a archer, you are going to have less need for LoH on yourself, and most of the time your spell dcs will not matter, but your ac will also matter less. So it's a trade off between +hit when you are not smiting and feats pre-reqs vs fort and will saves.

Also, I didn't think stat boosting items let you qualify for feats, but I could be wrong.

I would aim for 17 dex, 16 cha, your level 4 stat bump into dex, the rest into cha.

If 7 makes me mentally handicapped and half-blind, then does 14 mean I'm automatically a brain surgeon?

People seriously exaggerate what a low score represents.

No, you need dex to be a brain surgeon as well. Seriously: Yes, I over exaggerated, I know. My point was that it might get in the way of your rollplaying. I should have put it differently.

Thanks for all the input so far. Keep it coming. As for specific points people have brought up...

I don't want to dump int for a couple of reasons. Role playing is one of them. The extra skill rank is another. Also, paladins get knowledge (religion) as a class skill, and I'm taking a trait to get knowledge (planes) as class, too. Those are both int based, and they're the stats that let me identify undead and evil outsiders which are the best smite targets. I don't want a -2 on my "Should I smite this?" rolls. Granted, that's what detect evil is for, but knowing which evil is most affected by my smites will be handy. Plus, it makes sense from an RP perspective for my paladin to know a lot about the evil she's supposed to smite. I know it's not optimal for combat, but I'm not an uber-optimizer, so I'd rather have some skills and a non-idiot PC. Dumping one stat (wisdom) is enough for me.

I wasn't even considering a mount. No, the divine bond is not one of the reasons I rejected Divine Hunter. It was more about not wanting to give up immunity to fear, charms, and compulsions, along with bonuses to save vs those things for my allies, just to get Precise Shot for free, which was the only reason I ever considered Divine Hunter. Also, Divine Hunter and Oath of Vengeance aren't compatible, and I'd rather take the Oath. I mostly don't want a mount bond because this is for PFS, so a horse just wouldn't fit many places, plus the extra expense (in gold, feats, and skills) to make the mount most effective. I'd rather just go with the simpler and still very useful weapon bond.

Some of the feat suggestions like Power Attack and Fey Foundling are interesting suggestions, but as an archer, I really don't have a ton of feat flexibility, because so many are needed to do archery well. That especially goes for Fey Foundling, which has to be taken at level 1. That doesn't work for me. But thanks for pointing that feat out - I didn't know about it, and I might just use it for another PC some day.

I see the point about ManyShot being too good to skip. Now that I'm looking at it more closely, the archery feat that I may have been over-prioritizing is actually Deadly Aim. With Oath of Vengeance, I'll be able to convert Lay on Hands uses into extra Smite Evil uses, so I'll have 2-5 smites per day right from level 4. Smiting adds just as much extra damage as Deadly Aim, without the penalty to hit, and smiting does other things, too. So Extra Lay on Hands might take precedence over Deadly Aim to be able to Smite more often (or Lay on Hands more often without giving up smites). Of course, Smite + Deadly Aim together is the best option eventually, for tons of extra damage. I can't take Deadly Aim until level 5 anyway, so I'll see how things go at level 4 before deciding on that one.

As for dex vs cha, I think again it comes down to being able to smite a lot with Oath of Vengeance. When not smiting, dex is more important to hit. Cha still helps a lot with saving throws. My armor will limit my dex bonus to AC either way, but the cha bonus to AC while smiting isn't limited that way. That's why I'm thinking cha over dex. I'll smite often enough to make it worth it.

And yes, you can use stat boosting items to qualify for feats. I know I've read that in one of the FAQ or discussion threads around here somewhere, but don't ask me where. So starting with a 15 dex will be good enough to get ManyShot, since I'll be able to afford a +2 dex belt before I could take the feat at level 7, anyway.

So now I'm considering going only 12 str to be able to afford both 15 dex and 19 cha without dumping int. I know it'll lower my damage on every hit over my lifetime by 1 HP, but I have to weigh that against qualifying for ManyShot at level 7, and being able to boost cha to 20 at level 4 naturally for an extra saving throw bonus, more spells, better spell DCs (though I don't know if that matters with the types of spells paladins usually cast), and one more Lay on Hands per day, instead of waiting until level 8 for that next even cha boost.

Playing around with stat arrays, I've come up with these possibilities:
(Edit: The columns didn't format well, so retyping in rows)

Str 14, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 18
Str 12, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 19
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 17
Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 18

I think I'm leaning towards that 2nd or 4th rows - giving up Str to focus on dex and cha. I'd consider lowering con to 10 if it would help, but str, dex, and cha all need at least 3 points to make a difference, so the 2 points between 10 and 12 aren't enough to matter. So I may as well take the HP, despite not being on the front line.

As for feat progression:
1 - Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
3 - Rapid Shot
5 - Deadly Aim (probably, but maybe Extra Lay on Hands if I just want to smite and/or heal more often)
7 - ManyShot
9 - ??? (maybe Extra Lay on Hands or Defiant Luck, but this is where I might be open to suggestions)
11 - Improved Precise Shot

Depending on how many encounters per day you have it may be better to take Extra Lay on Hands at level 5, Deadly Aim is nice but Smite is better.

Personally I still like fey foundling on an archer paladin due to shield other, but YMMV.

Regardless you'll be a holy terror VS anything you can smite.

lol when i read the title to this post i immediately thought 'well you see, when a mommy paladin and daddy paladin love each other...'