I have a Two-hand Paladin that is coming up the ranks. He just made level 5, and needs to take a feat. However I am torn on what to go for. I know that my ultimate goal is to eventually take Ultimate Mercy, hoefully pretty quickly.
My current feats:
(H) Power Attack
(1) Cleave
(3) Greater Mercy
In order to take (and use) Ultimate Mercy at level 9, I need to take Extra Lay on Hands between now and then. So the options I am currently thinking of are:
1. (5) Furious Focus, (7) Extra Lay on Hands, (9) Ultimate Mercy
2. (5) Weapon Focus (Falcata), (7) Extra Lay on Hands, (9) Ultimate Mercy
3. (5) Extra Lay on Hands, (7) Lunge, (9) Ultimate Mercy
4. (5) Extra Lay on Hands, (7) Ultimate Mercy, (9) Lunge?
Only problem with option 4 is that I won't have enough uses of LOH to activate ultimate mercy until level 8. So I feel like I have a dead feat.
Question.. Why do you want ultimate mercy in the first place? Does your party not have a divine caster that gets raise dead? Do you not have access to an npc thats able to cast it?
Question.. Why do you want ultimate mercy in the first place? Does your party not have a divine caster that gets raise dead? Do you not have access to an npc thats able to cast it?
Should have noted this is a PFS character, so Ultimate Mercy is an amazing "get out of jail free" card and fits my character concept. Plus being able to do it without paying gold or Diamond Dust in PFS is an extra bonus, as money is tight as it is.
Healing clerics are not exactly super common in PFS (although we do have a few in our area, more than most places anyway).
I went for Ultimate Mercy on my paladin as well; it was before I could get leadership, (party didn't have a divine caster, so grabbed a cleric) and it's a nice option to have even after that. I'm playing in a custom campaign that is much more difficult than a standard AP, so odds of dieing are higher.
Anyway, without knowing how you play your character, what your focus/goals are, etc., it's hard to make suggestions. But I'd go with your first listed option.
1. (5) Furious Focus, (7) Extra Lay on Hands, (9) Ultimate Mercy
Greater Mercy and Ultimate Mercy as long as you can - Extra Lay on Hands will give you more benefit than Greater Mercy, especially if you're going to play an Oath of Vengeance Paladin.
I'm currently running an Elven Paladin who's taking 2 levels of Lore Warden to start. She wields an Elven Curve Blade and a Longbow and makes maximum use of Lay on Hands through 1) lots of Extra LoH feats, 2) Oath of Vengeance, 3) Fey Foundling feat, 4) elven favored class option for Paladin. Her feat progression looks like this:
1st - Fey Foundling
1st - Weapon Finesse
2nd - Power Attack
2nd - Combat Expertise
3rd - Point Blank Shot
5th - Rapid Shot
7th - Deadly Aim
9th - Extra Lay on Hands
11th - Extra Lay on Hands
13th - Extra Lay on Hands
15th - Extra Lay on Hands
17th - Greater Mercy
19th - Ultimate Mercy
Obviously with fewer combat feats (and fewer Extra LoH feats) you could get Ultimate Mercy a lot sooner. Fey Foundling is definitely something you want to consider, if its legal.
How is two extra uses of lay on hands per day a dead feat?
How is two extra uses of lay on hands per day a dead feat?
The dead feat is Ultimate Mercy at level 7, because I wouldnt have the 10 castings of LOH required to actually run it until level 8.
So I have a "dead" feat for one level (level 7).
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Your first build looks like the best one. Furious Focus wants to be taken ASAP as the benefits just keep getting better. I would say it's superior to Weapon Focus for a 2-handed fighter.
In one of my games, I'm currently adventuring alongside a 2-handed human paladin who took Power Attack and Furious Focus at level 1, and the results have been impressive. Not to mention messy.
Your first build looks like the best one. Furious Focus wants to be taken ASAP as the benefits just keep getting better. I would say it's superior to Weapon Focus for a 2-handed fighter.
In one of my games, I'm currently adventuring alongside a 2-handed human paladin who took Power Attack and Furious Focus at level 1, and the results have been impressive. Not to mention messy.
I find Furious Focus to be woefully over-rated. Its a take in most Fighter builds but in a feat-starved Paladin build I'd actually recommend against it.
I'd recommend option 3 to you, and advise you to remember that with Lunge and Cleave you can make an attack behind an adjacent foe, provided he is of medium or smaller size... of course, the AC penalties stack.
How is two extra uses of lay on hands per day a dead feat?The dead feat is Ultimate Mercy at level 7, because I wouldnt have the 10 castings of LOH required to actually run it until level 8.
So I have a "dead" feat for one level (level 7).
Ohhhhhh, okay, I get it now.
Question.. Why do you want ultimate mercy in the first place? Does your party not have a divine caster that gets raise dead? Do you not have access to an npc thats able to cast it?Should have noted this is a PFS character, so Ultimate Mercy is an amazing "get out of jail free" card and fits my character concept. Plus being able to do it without paying gold or Diamond Dust in PFS is an extra bonus, as money is tight as it is.
Healing clerics are not exactly super common in PFS (although we do have a few in our area, more than most places anyway).
According to RAW
"Ultimate Mercy
You must provide the material component for raise dead or choose to accept 1 temporary negative level
...for 24 hours.
Or you cast Lesser Restoration (a level 1 paladin spell) :)
I am pretty confident Furious Focus > weapon focus. It's effectively a +2 to my attacks over the +1 weapon focus provides, since I power attack almost every time.
However, Lunge can be a lifesaver in my experience (especially in PFS play) because as monsters level they tend to be larger and larger, making it harder to get into melee range without provoking AoO.
I am also leaning towards option 3 more than anything. With Smite Evil the Power Attack penalties are well mitigated, and will be able to land hits very well. After I get a Keen Falcata dpr will go up as well.
Then I'll have to think of something else to take at lvl 11!
Or you cast Lesser Restoration (a level 1 paladin spell) :)
I am pretty confident Furious Focus > weapon focus. It's effectively a +2 to my attacks over the +1 weapon focus provides, since I power attack almost every time.
However, Lunge can be a lifesaver in my experience (especially in PFS play) because as monsters level they tend to be larger and larger, making it harder to get into melee range without provoking AoO.
I am also leaning towards option 3 more than anything. With Smite Evil the Power Attack penalties are well mitigated, and will be able to land hits very well. After I get a Keen Falcata dpr will go up as well.
Then I'll have to think of something else to take at lvl 11!
Furious Focus only benefits your first attack of the round, and in my experience melee types with full BAB never have any trouble landing that first attack, PA penalties or no. Weapon Focus on the other hand boosts those iterative attacks as well as your AoO's, collectively granting a much broader benefit. And, as you said, Smite Evil offers more attack bonus as does Weapon Bond and a host of spells. Feats are at a premium for Paladins, attack bonuses are not.
Yep, I'm thinking I'll keep with my plan on taking Lunge at 7, then Weapon Focus at 11 (after I actually have iterative attacks).
I will be using Bonded mount over Weapon Bond, so I will have a flanking buddy for another +2 most of the time as it is as well.