I'm planning on making a paladin, with the idea that he's kind of a behind enemy lines evil-fighter. He'll often be operating without a lot of support.
First question: does anyone think the Divine Hunter archetype is worth taking, or should I just use a regular paladin and focus on using a bow?
Also, what are your ideas of the best spells to use for the Unsanctioned Knowledge feat? I'm thinking either grease or alarm for 1st level; silence or heroism for 2nd; haste for 3rd; and either greater invisibility, dimension door, or freedom of movement for 4th. Any input?
Divine Hunter is a terrible archetype past level 2. You trade genuinely good and useful class features for garbage from level 3 and up. And if he "won't have much support," then Divine hunter is even less useful than normal.
Be a regular Paladin and use a bow. Or do the Oath of Vengeance thing for an extra smite per day. Whatever.
I'll have to get back to you on spell choices. Never thought about it before.
I agree--Divine Hunter gives you one bonus feat but loses all their good auras. I don't think it's worth it.
As for spell selection, I guess it'd depend on what you're doing exactly. At first level, there are lots of good options.
Grease, sure, always a great spell. Alarm not so much--why would you want a wasted spell like that? You may also want to consider Silent Image or Vanish. If you want something more utilitarian, Unseen Servant or Solid Note are nice.
At level 2, I'm a big fan of Cacophanous Call and Glitterdust, but I think for the action economy aspect, I may go for Timely Inspiration.
At level 3, if you're Oath of Vengeance (hint: you should be Oath of Vengeance), you already have Blessing of Fervor, which is like Haste-lite. Plus, I would hope someone in your party could cast it already. Therefore, you might want to look at Good Hope for a great multi-target buff that only Bards get (assuming you have no Bard in the party). Oh, and Bards get early entry into Confusion--it's not especially early for you, but it's still an awesome spell. Finally, Sculpt Sound is a very underappreciated save or lose vs. spellcasters.
At level 4, you're definitely looking at the most immediately obviously powerful spells, but you might want to take a look at Shadow Conjuration (from the Bard list). While it may not seem super strong, it does basically give you access to every Sorcerer Conjuration spell of 3rd level or lower. Might be worth a pick.
I went through the spell database and picked out my favorites. One thing that makes it kinds tough is that, with my paladin, I don't like casting spells that take more than a swift or immediate action.
Level 1
Comprehend Languages
Cultural Adaptation
Detect Chaos
Expeditious Retreat
Feather Fall
Feather Step
True Strike
Level 2
Find Traps
Invisibility
Mirror Image
Silence
Versatile Weapon
Level 3
Haste
Invisibility Purge
See Invisibility
Level 4
Air Walk
Blessing of Fervor
Dimension Door
Divine Power
Freedom of Movement
Invisibility, Greater
Stoneskin
For a great archery paladin i'd go sacred servant with the eagle domain.