I just started a new character and I chose paladin. Right now, it's a level 2 Nagaji (mostly for the +2 str and cha, but the +1 nat armor is good, too). My GM said Sulis is too overpowered with the resistances. The stats are:
19 str
14 dex
14 con
5 int
7 wis
18 cha
23 HP
21 AC
I plan on getting enlarged so my dex will fit nicely in full plate. I will put the 4th level ability increase in str, i might put 8th and 12th in cha.
I am having a difficult time deciding between the weapon bond and the animal bond. If I choose the animal bond, I will pick the Shining Knight archetype. I want the animal bond because it seems more fun than the boring sword and board fighter I had in another campaign (also because I want to avoid the painful 20ft movement speed I am experiencing right now), but I don't know what mounted combat feats I should take other than spirited charge. Are there any low cost magical items (10k gp or less) that compliment a mounted paladin? Also, what mount options are there for a large paladin? Would I have to apply the giant template to a horse?
One alternative is to be a Sacred Servant of a god with the Travel domain. Your base speed will increase by 10, and you'll have Longstrider in a bonus domain spell slot. That's 40 speed in full plate. Your divine bond will boost your spellcasting or healing.
One alternative is to be a Sacred Servant of a god with the Travel domain. Your base speed will increase by 10, and you'll have Longstrider in a bonus domain spell slot. That's 40 speed in full plate. Your divine bond will boost your spellcasting or healing.
That sounds interesting, but I think I want to focus more on damage output than healing. The horse would have 50ft speed and allow me to do three times damage on a charge. We have an oracle that helps with the healing.
Weapon Bond is pretty neat. It lets you get a few weapon properties you wouldn't normally shell out for, like Flaming or Brilliant Energy (especially this, since it's only good against certain creatures).
You could also consider rolling with Divine Defender and using an Armor Bond, that also replaces Mercy with an ability to use Lay on Hands to give adjacent allies a sacred bonus to AC, CMD, and saves, which can be quite nice.
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I'm very much fond of Weapon Bond.
Animal Bond is super great, don't get me wrong. Extra action economy is always a good thing. But when you're medium-sized, that means you've got a Large-sized animal following you around. And if you get enlarged, that means they need to be huge-sized. And that just doesn't fly all the time.
Weapon Bond is effective, can benefit any weapon you use, and is really straightforward. That's why I tend to prefer it for my Paladins. Now, if I was playing a Lancer Paladin, I'd be all over Animal Bond every day all day. But that requires a certain kind of campaign, or a specific character type (Halfling Paladin on a Giant Gecko mount, for example).