"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you."
I used a straightforward cliché Paladin in the current campaign I'm in. The GM killed him with mosquito's, so I made this.
Story:
The keyword of the story behind this Character is struggle. Of the stern Golden Dragon awakening from the small and playful Gnome and of the taint of the abyss wearing on the Paladin. At first he indulges in his minor fire tricks and easily uses his powers purely for good. But as his power grows, so does the challenge of staying on the righteous path. The Acts of Iomedae are the only thing that can keep the fire from consuming himself and those around him. Directing his struggle against evil to keep it from lashing out against good. But one way or the other, the beast shall be unleashed...
Pyromaniac Gnome
Traits: Magical knack (sorcerer), Magical lineage (burning hands)
Class lvls:
Sorcerer 1, 16-20 total 6
Paladin, 2-5 total 4
Dragon Disciple 6-15 total 10
Bloodline: Draconic Gold
Stats: 15 PB (In the campaign I was very lucky with high standard rolls, but I'll use point buy for reference)
Str:10 - Dex:12 - Con:14 - Int:12 - Wis:10 - Cha17
Feats:
Still spell, Create wondrous items, Skill focus planes, Leadership, Eldritch heritage Abyssal, Improved Eldritch heritage 9th lvl power, Intensify spell, Spell Perfection Burning hands, Greater Eldritch heritage
Bonus feats at hit dice: Toughness 7, Quicken Spell 10, Blind Fight 13, Skill focus Fly 20
Arcane strike instead of create wondrous if magic items are easily found or leadership if GM does not allow it.
Str evolution: 10 at lvl 1-6, 12 at lvl 7-8, 14 at lvl 9-10, 16 at lvl 11-14, 18 at lvl 15-16, 20 at lvl 17-20
Con evolution: 14 at lvl 1-10, 16 at lvl 11-20
Int evolution: 12 at lvl 1-12, 14 at lvl 15-20
Cha evolution: 17 at lvl 1-3, 18 at lvl 4-11, 20 at lvl 12-19, 22 at lvl 20
Items:
Silver smite bracelets
Robes of arcane heritage
Celestial armor
Belt of str (not counted in the previous numbers)
Headband of cha (not counted in the previous numbers)
Amulet of mighty fists
Role:
In the campaign I'm in, they needed a tank (although I disike the term), a face and an extra damage dealer. I'll be using a melee weapon & magic against most encounters and smite combined with claws against the main evil encounters so the smite and cha make up for the low starting str.
Pro's for me:
Up to 3 smites per day meaning +(3-6) on attacks & up to +8/16 damage & bypass DR
High cha bonus added to saves
Full draconic bloodline powers up to lvl 20
Up to CL 15 despite the Paladin lvls
Still burning hands at lvl 1 from the start, allowing armor and shield
8 Intensified burning hands as lvl 1 spells for up to 10D4+10 at HD 13
7 Still intensified burning hands as lvl 2 spells for up to 10D4+10 at HD 13
All previous mentioned Burning hands as swift actions at HD 15
Produce flame to blast for a few rounds at lower lvls
Lay on hands as a quick fix at lower lvls
2x 3+(3-6) rounds of Claws
Claw/bite natural attacks combined with smite instead of high BAB full round attacks
High HP
Natural armor up to +3 DD & +4 Bloodline
Creating most items myself, a bard cohort to buff and possibly create more
Con's for me:
Max spell lvl 6th
Low BAB
Low str start
Any advice is appreciated.