How min-maxed do you want your paladin to be?
Isn't EWP Bastard Sword already your first feat?
If you go with a longsword, there is avery good trait in the Kingmaker AP I believe - gives +1 one to attack with a longsword and you would have one free feat: Weapon Focus never gets old, maybe Power Attack first.
Right now you seem to be maximizing for AC, which will lower your damage significantly. I suggest using a two-handed weapon (greatsword) with Power Attack, and you'll be a serious threat on the battlefield!
Without Power Attack:
Longsword 1d8+4 (average 8.5)
Greatsword 2d6+6 (average 13)
With Power Attack:
Longsword 1d8+6 (average 10.5)
Greatsword 2d6+9 (average 16)
Until now he is still using a bastard sword - giving him options...
Played a paladin myself (5 to 15)- only using longsword and shield (without two-weapon fighting) and I still was a serious threat and very hard to beat.
But I don't know if his archetype gives up Smite Evil, because that was a big part of being a real threat...
I thought the favoured weapon thing is just for clerics.
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I don't think that paladins automatically get free proficiency in their God's favoured weapon.
If you know different, please let us know how! That would be very handy indeed!
BTW, my first PFS PC (Malachi Silverclaw--there's a clue in the name!) worships Ragathiel (check out my profile). If I thought I got EWP(bastard sword) for free then my build might have been different!
Fey Foundling is brilliant for a paladin, but until 2nd level it doesn't really kick in. Is this a one-shot or do you plan to play this paladin through the levels?
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It's for PFS, so eventually I will play it up a few levels at least.
And clerics and inquisitors get proficiency with their deity's preferred weapon, why wouldn't paladins?
Hah! I wish I could get away with 'Why wouldn't they?'
You only get feats and proficiencies if the rules say you do. If the rules are silent you can't say 'But it doesn't say I don't get it!' : )
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I incidentally played a sword and board paladin through PFS all the way to retirement, but I only switched from 2-hander around level 8. A few things to note is while I was able to put out over 200 damage in a single turn after that, for the most part your damage will severely tank. This also included using spells. If you want to stay even close to competitive you need power attack, which will severely reduce your to hit chance.
Spells: YOU NEED TO KEEP SPELLS. Warrior of the Holy Light does not come close to comparing. I know it gives +1 AC, but it only last a minute and LoH is much better. For 1st level spells you get Hero's Defiance. When you go unconscious as an immediate action use a LoH on yourself and get an extra D6. This is amazing (especially if you take Fey Foundling as your first feat, which I strongly advise). You also at some point get shield other, which is great.
Feats: I ended up working very hard to boost my AC. I got shield focus, dodge, a few other things, spent a lot of money (I believe at the end my weapon was still only +2). I ended up with an AC in the low 30s. Some fights, usually against monsters not humanoids, could still hit me with relative ease because their to hit is just so high. A paladin's sustain comes a lot from LoH, so snagging Greater Mercy is a big one as well as fey foundling.
Race: Another cookie for blood of fiends is actually a mix between it and ARG. There is a tiefling alternate that gives +2 str, +2 cha, and -2 int. It also gives a + to perception. In the ARG, the paladin alternate FC bonus is +1 hit point healed by LoH. This is huge, especially with fey foundling.
It's for PFS, so eventually I will play it up a few levels at least.
And clerics and inquisitors get proficiency with their deity's preferred weapon, why wouldn't paladins? If I don't get deity proficiency, I'll just use a long sword.
Because it specifically says that Clerics and Inqusitors get proficiency in the Favored weapon. Paladins do not.
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TBbrutallyH, either your 1st level feat is Fey Foundling and your 3rd level feat is Greater Mercy, or your paladin is sub-optimal.
For a tank, staying in battle as long as you can matters a lot. I have a 4th level paladin with those feats; he has 40HPs, but if you were to imagine his swift healing as extra HPs, then he has (with average rolls) 144 and one half HPs!
Lay On Hands 6/day (half level [4/2=2]+Cha mod [4])
Each use heals 1d6/2 levels=2d6, plus one Mercy (fatigued)
With Greater Mercy = 3d6 when not fatigued
With Fey Foundling = 3d6+6=16.5
hero's Defiance changes last use to 4d6+8=22
Total = 16.5 x 5 = 82.5, plus 22 = 104.5 points of swift healing to add to 40 (real) hit points.
A 4th level paladin might LOH for 2d6 on paper, and that doesn't sound a lot, especially when compared to 104.5 points of healing!
Did paizo ever resolve the issue that by RAW, a "traditional"/"classic" sword and board paladin *can't* use lay on hands due to not having a free hand?
Depends on the shield. With a light shield you can switch your sword/weapon from your main hand to your off-hand as a free action, use LoH and switch your weapon back again as a free action.
With a heavy shield, you'd need Quick Draw (or be the iconic paladin who seems to ignore this issue altogether).
Ruyan.
I have one question about the Warrior of the Holy Light ability called Shinning Light:
At 14th level, a warrior of the holy light can unleash a 30-foot burst of pure, white light as a standard action. Evil creatures within this burst take 1d6 points of damage for every two paladin levels and are blinded for 1 round. Evil dragons, evil outsiders, and evil undead are blinded for 1d4 rounds on a failed save. A Reflex save halves this damage and negates the blindness. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the warrior of the holy light’s level + the warrior of the holy light’s Charisma modifier. Good creatures within this burst are healed 1d6 points of damage per two paladin levels and receive a +2 sacred bonus on ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 round. A warrior of the holy light can use this ability once per day at 14th level plus one additional time per day at 17th and 20th levels. This ability replaces aura of faith.
Ok, I understand everything what happens to EVIL and GOOD creatures, but correct me if I'm wrong, you unleash this SHINNING LIGHT as a standard action, all the effect take place for 1 round (except if Evil outsiders and undead can be blinded for more than 1 round)and that's all?
Paladins get some very nice spells, seems a shame to give them up.
As far as Sword and Board goes, you could go down the Shield Bash route, something like:
1) Two weapon fighting, Improved shield bash (human bonus)
3) Power Attack
5) Double slice
etc...
You'd do pretty nice damage (especially when smiting, since smite affects the shield bash as well as your main weapon) while retaining the AC boost.