Ok so I'm working on a character for another campaign I'm going to playing in. I had a recent thread asking for input on my cleric archer build, turns out were starting up another campaign with a slightly different player composition (this one is no wives/gf's, just the guys with a few of our other friends that havent played in a while and wanted to get a game going again).
Anyway I got a slight itch to play a tank (which I'm usually Mr Spellcaster so I'm treading in personal uncharted waters here). So I started looking at tank classes I might want to play, the new Fighters are pretty great, especially with the Two-Hander archtype, or possibly a Dwarven Invulnerable Rager Barbarian and just call myself a Battlerager. Then I looked at the Paladin, and bear in mind I've never played a Paladin, nor with the exception of one character in 2nd Ed, any LG character (that one was a Ranger with the Justiciar kit...they had to be LG). Then a random memory of something from Unearthed Arcana rang through my head, Paladin variants, specifically the CG Paladin of Freedom variant. Now we usually try to keeps things straight Pathfinder in our games, but we will incorperate things from 3.5 on a case by case basis if it fits the character concept, but generally keep thigns reigned in (so no leap attacking frenzied berzerkers, or divine metamagic persistant spell sunrod clerics).
Alright so the paladin of freedom, not much changes mechanically from the standard paladin, replace diplomacy with bluff as a class skill, swap out the prot from chaos spells for prot from law (plus add freedom of movement as a 4th level spell, woot), and in 3.5 you swapped out immunity to fear for immunity to compulsions (we just swapped when you get these two in Pathfinder, 3rd and 17th level) and of coarse the all important code of conduct which states:
"A paladin of freedom must be of chaotic good alignment and loses all class abilities if he ever willingly commits an evil act. Additionally, a paladin of freedom's code requires that he respect individual liberty, help those in need (provided they do not use the help for lawful or evil end), and punish those who threaten or curtail personal liberty."
Which basically means I get all the greatness of playing a Paladin with only about 10% of the royal screwjob. One of the gods in my DM's homebrew world is the CG God of Revelry, Trickery, Humor, Adventure and Drinking, so I will be playing him as a drunken manwhore who uses his immunity to disease to full advantage.
Ok now that I'm done blabbing on about backstory I'll get to the point of this post, I'm of two minds in how I want to build this guy, either using a TWF Rapier and Shield (my deities favored weapon, and just as good mechnically as the usually suggested Scimitar), or two handing a Falchion.
CG Human whirlwind of smite TWF Paladin
1: TWF, Imp Shield Bash
3: Double SLice
5: Step Up
7: ITWF
9: Shield Slam
11: Shield Mastery
13: GTWF
15: Two Wpn Rend
17: Critical Focus
19: Staggering Critical
This is obviously the better build for when I get to smite all that is naughty, and just rack up unholy amounts of damage. I will taking weapon bond, which will give me keen on my rapier for when I take the critical feat.
CG Human smite your face off Falchion Paladin
1: Power Attack, Step Up
3: Combat Reflexes
5: Following Step
7: Step Up and Strike
9: Improved Crit
11: Crit Focus
13: Staggering Crit
15: Blinding Crit
17: Stunning Crit
19: Crit Mastery
This will be the better overall damage build, plus I get to do all kinds of fun status affects to the badguys and only have to worry about one weapon which I can use my weapon bond to full affect on.
So I put it to you all, which build do you think is better, and are there any alreations to the builds you see that need to be made, or anything else I may have missed, constuctive criticism is welcome. Also of note is that our group uses 4d6 reroll 1's silliness for stats, so stats shouldnt be an obstacle for either build.
Man, really...nothing?
I showered today I promise.
Paladins don't have to be lawful-stupid, mine never are.
I would go with the second one for power, but the first one is more classic (my preference, I would choose this one), but consider a diferent race . Half elf.
Man, really...nothing?
I showered today I promise.
Are you using point buy, and if so which one? If you are rolling stats then what did you roll? What books are you allowed to use. I will admit I only skimmed the post so these questions may have been answered already.
4d6 reroll 1's, primarily pathfinder.
4d6 reroll 1's, primarily pathfinder.
TWF'ing is feat and stat expensive. If you can get the stats for it I do think it will do more damage than the two-handed style, but if you don't get really good stats go with two-hands over two weapons.
Paladins don't have to be lawful-stupid, mine never are.
The title was more for comedic effect and to say I was playing a paladin variant, than to implicate that all paladins are lawful stupid.
I think I will be using the rapier and shield combo, my DM, while leaving the decision to me, said he really liked the concept behind it because you never really see a rapier used with a shield, plus its the deities favored weapon.
Works for me.