Loses:
Spellcraft and Knowledge(Nobility) as class skills
d10 Hit Dice
Proficient with everything but tower shields and exotic weapons
Spellcasting (including UMD substitution abilities)
Divine Grace
Gains:
Survival and Gather Information as class skills
d8 Hit Dice
Good Reflex saves
Proficient with simple weapons + kukri, scimitar, falchion, glaive, shortbow and longbow
Proficient with light armor, light shields and bucklers.
Endurance, Evasion, Imp. Evasion, and combat style feats (as Ranger)
Cha bonus applies as Luck bonus to AC when wearing light or no armor (Smite Evil gives [LV+CHA]x3 Temp HP rather than CHA to AC again)
So, any thoughts?
You don't lose d10 hit dice without losing full BAB. Pathfinder ties hit dice to BAB progression in intimately.
What you could do is make this character concept using a standard paladin, following the Dervish Dance feat tree (or gaining those feats instead of spell-casting) and then going Duelist.
Just because that's how it's been done doesn't mean that's how it always and forever must be. I think the paladin's self healing abilities coupled with smite giving 'pre-healing' can make an inherently squishier body still a viable frontliner. Possibly even better at the job since they won't present as being a 'turtle', and thus will draw more enemy aggression.
Duelist + Dervish Dance is also enforcing a MUCH more specific fighting style.
Just because that's how it's been done doesn't mean that's how it always and forever must be. I think the paladin's self healing abilities coupled with smite giving 'pre-healing' can make an inherently squishier body still a viable frontliner. Possibly even better at the job since they won't present as being a 'turtle', and thus will draw more enemy aggression.
I'm not disagreeing, I'm just pointing out that the Pathfinder standard is d10 HD = full BAB, d8 HD = 3/4 BAB.
Duelist + Dervish Dance is also enforcing a MUCH more specific fighting style.
I don't disagree here either, I am merely pointing out how you can use existing feats and archetypes and prestige classes to achieve your goal.
Oh, and speaking of archetypes, here's one I came up with a while ago for a more dex-oriented paladin:
Truth's Razor: at 3rd level the paladin gains a +1 bonus to damage with finesse weapons, and a +1 dodge bonus to AC while wielding a finesse weapon. This bonus increases by a further +1 at ever three levels, to the limit of the paladin's intelligence modifier (but always a minimum of +1).
To be fair my version probably is more like 2 archetypes that stack rather than just one, as extensive as the changes are. Not sure where I'd draw the line to break it up though.
I also just realized that I have "Gather Information" on there, which my group uses through some skill refurbishing but for a more core pathfinder build would probably be more flavorful as Knowledge:Nature or Knowledge:Geography, the better to avoid getting lost and/or dying of exposure out in the desert wastes.
I'm not quite sure how losing knowledge (nobility) makes it more fitting to the theme of the 1001 Nights. Quite the opposite, in fact — the more knowledgable a character is about the full titles of royalty and such, the better!
I was thinking more hero of the downtrodden than noble with divine aspirations, but I suppose that's more of a 'paladin of freedom' than the standard assumption. I blame it on my own alignment definately leaning towards chaos. :P
You could dip ninja and create a character based on one of the Hashshashins.
You could also use the holy slayer from Al Qadim as a base. Be more like a fighter or rogue archetype (or a prestige class), however.