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NO SPOILERS PLEASE
Just checking myself before I go wrecking myself.
Prepping a demon-blooded tiefling paladin(Redeemer archetype) of Iomedae for Wrath of the Righteous, taking the Touched By Divinity campaign trait, which ties into the Hierophant mythic path.
Personality and general backstory is set in stone. Weilds a long sword and some form of shield for certain. Armor choice veers towards the "shining knight" aesthetic. Cranking Diplomacy and Sense Motive up. Pumping CHA and shooting for a healthy WIS, buying INT back up to at least 10 after that hit from the racial modifier. Character tries really hard, possibly unhealthily so, to live up to that shining knight image.
So....for folks that are more familiar with Mythic rules: Does the Hierophant path work out pretty well for paladins? Are there any "must-have" landmarks that need to be hit in order to keep up with the pace in Mythic play?
For folks that have taken sword&board paladins all the way to level 20, what "must-haves" should be considered along the way?
Related to the above, what are the Save, AC, and To Hit benchmarks this character should meet along the way?
Finally, are there any tiefling-flavored options that can feed into either the paladin or hierophant aspects of this character?
I just want to make sure this guy works as intended throughout the campaign. :)
I wanna answer, but I'm afraid I have neither familiarity with Mythic, nor experience with Sword/Shield Paladins. Everything I have to say, would be based on conjecture.
-Nearyn
I personly would take the champion archtype (other compain trait). Just because it has some paladin offensive goodies i don't want to miss:
1. Mythic Smite (Ability) 5+ more smits per day
2. Impossible Speed (Ability) + 30 ft. to base land speed
3. Fleet Warrior (Ability) Pounce like ability. You want the full attack
4. Fleet Charge (Power) additional attack and move action
I am not sure but i think you can get some of this goodies from the Hierophant via the ability that lets you take one ability from an other path but that is only one.
I'm wondering how you're taking a Half-Orc archetype with a Tiefling...
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@Nearyn: Shoot! Conjecture can still help! :)
I personly would take the champion archtype (other compain trait). Just because it has some paladin offensive goodies i don't want to miss:
1. Mythic Smite (Ability) 5+ more smits per day
2. Impossible Speed (Ability) + 30 ft. to base land speed
3. Fleet Warrior (Ability) Pounce like ability. You want the full attack
4. Fleet Charge (Power) additional attack and move actionI am not sure but i think you can get some of this goodies from the Hierophant via the ability that lets you take one ability from an other path but that is only one.
Unfortunately, Touched by Divinity(Hierophant) is the only one that makes sense for this character. The only other Campaign Trait that could fit is Exposed To Awfulness(Guardian), but that's only with it being twisted around and possibly being rewritten from what I know at the moment.
I'll have to look into that cross-path thing though. Thanks for the heads-up!
I'm wondering how you're taking a Half-Orc archetype with a Tiefling...
Thematic match, cleared it with the GM. :) Honestly, most archetypes in the ARG have more wide-ranging flavor than should be locked into a single race, barring those that actually tie into racial abilities. The Redeemer is a particular good example of an archetype that fits any typically "outcast" race like a glove.
Cool, well okay.
First off, I can see Hierophant making sense for a paladin. Your Divine Surge ability should probably be Beast's Fury (If your divine bond is a mount) or Recalled Blessing.
I don't know if it's me misreading your concept, but I'd think that the tier 1 powers Divine Countenance and Sustained by Faith would fit well with your character. Though I am not sure if they mechanically stand up to their alternatives.
You'll lose out of offense by not going Marshal, but the Paladin is a very strong class on its own, so if you focus your feat selection and general level advancement a bit on offense, and then use your mythic paths to empower your "shining knight"-image, I'd think you could make a great character, both from a mechanical and flavour standpoint.
At the early levels, maybe even as early as first level, I'd grab toughness as a feat. As long as you don't completely tank your to-hit, you'll be able to stay viable in fights, even against high-AC encounters, through Smite Evil. Still, I'd probably grab weapon focus in your weapon of choice, sooner rather than later. Seeing as how Wrath of the Righteous is supposed to contain demons in spades, I'll assume alot of fast healing/regeneration and damage reduction, so power attack could be a lifesaver.
If you're looking for defense, there are quite a few nice shield-based feats that let you improve its defensive value, and guard your allies. If you're going for offense, certain combinations of TWF mesh fairly well with sword and shield. But as a heavily armored, shining knight, I'm guessing you don't plan on pumping dexterity.
As a paladin, I don't foresee you having any problems with saves, unless your dice favors natural 1's. Once Divine Grace kicks in at level 2, even your god-awful reflex-save will get a kick in the ass, and with immunity to fear waiting down the line, you should do fine. As a self-healer and (usually) frontliner, you will probably be sporting a few HP's, so even if your reflex save is a bit lower than what you'd like, you can likely eat whatever evocations your enemy toss your way.
AC is a tricky beast. In my experience, you'll blow every ounce of gold you have on AC items, if you insist on keeping it high enough to almost never get hit. As I see it, AC is not about blocking attacks - it's about blocking the iterative attacks. The first attack will land, it usually does, but keeping your AC at around 18-20 at level 1, and then letting it rise in tandem with your own to-hit, should keep you floating. I'd likely stop raising it once you're at 35-40 AC, since raising it further is likely to be a suboptimal cash-sink.
Hope it helps.... and hope I'm not giving you bad advice :P
-Nearyn
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Thanks for the headcheck Nearyn. Definitely looking at Divine Countenance and Sustained by Faith as possibilities to pick up later, post-character growth. :)
Double checking those shield feats now too. I honestly use shields so little I keep forgetting about them.
Had to go back and check, but thankfully Redeemers don't give up Divine Grace. A few auras are lost, but that gets kept.
@XMorsX, unfortunately a lot of that is outside the flavor of this character. (though he does have an infatuation with fey after the cancelled campaign he's coming from) Looking into that mithral buckler though. Just remembered that shield compatibility with Lay on Hands is something to watch out for...
Current stat arrangements I'm playing around with, assuming 20-point buy:
STR 16
DEX 12
CON 12
INT 10
WIS 12
CHA 17
STR 16
DEX 10
CON 14
INT 10
WIS 13
CHA 16
(for reference, demon-blooded tieflings get +2 Str, +2 Cha, -2 Int modifiers and replace the darkness spell-like ability with shatter, as well as different skill proficiencies: Disable Device and Perception)
They're not locked in stone, but this is as close as I can get to how this character looks in my head at the moment. I'd honestly love to get WIS up to 14 at least, but it seems like that second arrangement is the safe way to go at the moment.
Almost certainly taking the extra skill point per level.
Knowledge: Religion, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive will probably be the focus skills. Gonna need Perception too.
He would be taking the vestigal wings alternate trait if not for the fact that he cut 'em off already...
Whether your suggestions get used or not, thanks guys. The headchecks help when putting it all together. :)