Expected Gear for Level 5?

[Lord Corvus]

I decided to make a character for a PVP area type game over on Myth-Weavers, but there's just one problem. I am terrible at choosing gear once I get past level two. Give me a hefty sack of gold and my mind blanks. For a 1 on 1 meat grinder, what would be some good items to have? The character I've made is a level 5 gestalt Antipaladin//Witch, focusing on causing general pain. The GM was "generous" with point buy, and we have 16000 gold. Help?

[Dafydd]

Magic armor (+1)
Ring of Prot (+1)
Cloak of Resistance (+1)
Belt of Dex
Headband of __ (insert the mental stat you use most, int or cha)
Magic Weapon (+1)

That is 14k, so you have 2k more to spend.

Depending on your Dex, you may want to drop the cloak and go with Mithral armor.

Dropping the CHA headband instead of the cloak will net the same on saves though it will give you less for AP abilities. Additionally, if it is INT headband, you lose a little in DC for witch spells and hexes.

Third option is dropping the ring for the mithral armor.

I said dex belt to up defense, as typical thoughts are, avoid the thing you have trouble hitting. Should work in a pvp game, where you show up in strong armor, the mage tries to touch you and when he fails, decides to run.

[Lord Corvus]

I have 19 Dex as it is, as well as 19 Into and 17 Wis. Mithril Parade Armor or Chain Shirt with the Arcane Armor Training feat gets my Spell Failure to 0%, so I'll definitely be taking Mithril Armor. I think I'll drop the Cloak and leave the rest for a rainy day. Thanks for the help, I'm not sure why this is always so hard for me. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[Fruian Thistlefoot]

There is no rainy day in a 1v1 meat grinder....buy potions or consumables....but nothing like dying with thousands of gold in your pocket.

[Lord Corvus]

Well, we kinda just respawn at the end of the day, win or lose. So that means I can save up for whatever useless trinket that catches my eye.

[Dafydd]

However, at the end of the day, you still want to be the winner. I assume you get something for winning, besides the satisfaction of being Highlander that is.

Turtle mode seems good in my mind for this kinda battle.