@Nic_Mercy, of course, in enemy strongholds I take everything, that's another matter. I was talking about chests in public places, inns, private homes, government or temple buildings, shops, that kind of thing.
About the corpses in the Peninsula District, I think I'm going to reconsider. It's true, if it happened to me, I would want others to take my weapons and potions and continue. And if I don't use it, the prisoners will.
@Prince_Raymond , I believe this was supposed to be a joke ?, but I'm not Robopaladin.
I don't like it when people choose to play a paladin just because they get those awesome powers (okay maybe not in this game, but in BG they are very strong), and then behave like a chaotic neutral barbarian, or even a chaotic good character. That doesn't mean that I play an LG robot and don't think about my decisions.
I say that maybe some powergaming people don't think at all about their decisions, they just run in, grab everything, kill everything, no matter which class they play.
That's absolutely okay of course, because everyone can play how they want. For me, a game is more interesting if the character I'm playing can make different choices and find different solutions based on their background.
I'm mostly playing myself, sort of (assuming I really had the stats and skills as in the game).
If I make bad choices and do the wrong thing, I feel ashamed and have a bad conscience, even if it's "only a game".
I'm not going to get all philosophical again now and start a discussion, but I disagree with most people's opinion that people only do evil stuff in games, because it has no consequences, and would never do evil things in real life.
I think it's the other way round.
I think many more people would do evil things in real life, too, if it didn't have consequences. So, I try to do what I consider good and right, whether there are consequences or not. And if there are bad consequences for trying to be good, then so be it.
Okay, getting off the white horse now, sorry for the sermon.
((By the way, I'm not implying here that people who sometimes like to play evil are really criminals just kept in check by society, just because I can't play against my nature))
Asking permission to @Arvia and @Nic_Mercy to give a try with this build! Reading this topic just gave me a lot of inspiration to replay the OC! Thanks in advance
Asking permission to @Arvia and @Nic_Mercy to give a try with this build! Reading this topic just gave me a lot of inspiration to replay the OC! Thanks in advance
Happy to hear that a discussion can inspire people!
@Arvia , I always make it through the OC just fine without stealing or compromising my lawful good/neutral good ethics. I don't take stuff from the chests lying around outside, even though the developers appear to have intended that the player do so.
I do take supplies from the storerooms in the prison, because most of the guards are dead, and if I leave it, it will just be used by the criminals. I will take items off of dead guards, because they don't need it any more, and again, if I don't use it to help my righteous cause, the criminals aren't going to hesitate to take it and use it.
I sometimes think about taking stolen property from criminal strongholds. The right thing to do would be to try to return it to the rightful owners, but the games never give us the option to do that. If the rightful owners are dead, or cannot be found, then I will sometimes take the property, especially healing supplies, or a little bit of money or gems to buy healing supplies.
I don't know how worried you are about spoilers, but there are two scenarios coming up where you will have a lot of chance to think about and exercise your ethics. The Neverwinter Zoo, (if you pass a persuade check with Nyatar the druid outside the Hall of Justice), and Meldanen's Estate in Blacklake. I have a thread in the "Official Campaigns" forum where I and others discussed these two scenarios vis a vis lawful good alignment in some detail.
I assure you that you can play this game without compromising your lawful good ethics. It's just that you and I are in a very small minority in how we approach our play, and most people don't even think twcice about "taking everything that's not nailed down, because it's just a video game and the stuff was put there for me to take."
I don't say that to criticize anybody, but I just have a very different mindset when I play an rpg. As we've discussed before, I always self-insert, and part of the fun for me is asking "What would I do?" constantly while I play. I think you're doing great, in that you're already noticing how the NWN OC constantly tempts you to stray, and you are resisting that temptation.
@BelgarathMTH , I know that discussions are meant to exchange different opinions and not to get affirmation, but it's nice to know that I'm not alone out there
And it's good to know that it can be done, even in this game.
I do think about it many times whether I should take something or not, even in enemy strongholds. In the Thieves' Guild in Baldur's Gate I decided to take only what they dropped, nothing from the chests, because it was probably stolen.
Or the tombs in the Candlekeep catacombs.
But sometimes, when I find explanations like "the others will use it if I don't", I'm in doubt. If I take stuff, I think I might be searching for excuses to loot, if I leave everything, I wonder if I'm exaggerating and becoming a fanatic.
Although it's absolutely right that the fallen guards in the Peninsula District would want others to take their things and continue.
Right now, I think I will just experiment a bit in NWN before I get serious with the game, and keep my focus on the other paladin, Arvia the Undead Hunter, who is struggling in SoD. Or maybe I will play a bit of both, depending how I feel.
By the way, your (unfinished, sadly) NWN2 run report last month and the information that druids in NWN can be neutral good makes me think that I might try a druid, too, in the future.
I like the concept of druids, having spent most of my childhood in the forests (playing and climbing trees of course, but also trying to sneak up on deer and watch them, that kind of thing), but the required True Neutral in BG is not an alignment that I can identify with. Neutral good is okay.
But that's for the future. Right now, playing a Holy Warrior is more fun.
I don't mind spoilers about games, as long as it's not big stuff like telling me whose side Severus Snape is on.
I will look for the threads that you mentioned.
Asking permission to @Arvia and @Nic_Mercy to give a try with this build! Reading this topic just gave me a lot of inspiration to replay the OC! Thanks in advance
I just started a gameplay and if you talk to the noble elf female just outside the City Hall, she will give you some hints about the situation in the other districts, and the way she mentions Beggar' Nest, it says it was the first district and the most affected by the plague.
I guess this gives visiting it at first, a little more urgency since the plague is already too spread in there, and the place is storming with zombies.
Sorry if this comment was way too "spoilerish" but I've read Arvia commenting about the urgency relates more to Peninsula District in the prison break, so I wanted to give a little extra information to make you turn your eyes to another and perhaps easier district without going too much outside your scope of roleplay which, by the way, I truly admire.
@Arvia Yes, it was a joke, but it wasn't directed toward anyone in particular. It was actually a play on words from @Nic_Mercy's comment about not hurting the innocent. That's all. By the way, I also admire both you and @BelgarathMTH for your thoughtful consideration when making your decisions in NWN. It makes me think of what Reverend Judge Oleff Uskar says to your character when asked about the tenets of Tyrran faith. If you have a high enough Wisdom score, a line of dialogue will be unlocked for you to click on. It is then he responds with, "The law is unyielding, but true justice is also merciful when circumstances dictate. That can be hard to remember in times of crisis." Without trying to give away a spoiler, there will in fact be a 3rd scenario when you confront one of the prisoners in the bottom level of the prison. It is during that time I think of those same words that Oleff said to my character. Thank you for reading, and happy gaming to all.
I make Strength 15 so I can wear heavy armor and carry a Tower Shield. I have a dex of 12 so I can gain that extra +1 to Armor Class. This makes a big difference at low levels but in the OC you can play the tutorial and get to 3rd pretty easily. One option that Iwcould consider is making my Dex a 10 and Int a 12 so I could gain an extra skill point. This also allows me to get Int based feats like Disarm and Improved Knockdown if I decide to Multi-class into Champion of Torm (note; you must have an INT of 13 for those feats, but it is easier to increase INT by 1 if you go this route). Having a Con of 13 allows for a quick HP increase if you get an item that buff con by +1, such a Boots of Striding or Boots of Hardiness
Race: Human for the extra Feat and Skills.
Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, because gaining an extra attack is always beneficial. Power attack helps with breaking down doors and opening containers.
Skills: I always max out Discipline. Persuade is another highly useful skill. I try to get my Lore up to about 10 and then use potions or Items to help Identify items. I get heal up tp about +4 or +5 and make prodigious use of Heal Kits. They are much better than potions or spells as they do not provoke attacks of opportunity. Having a Search Skill of +2 is good enough to find most secret doors.
Level 3: Feat Weapon Focus: Longsword. I like Longswords and most paladin-friendly weapons are longswords. Another option would be scimitar for the high crit potential. But I like my vanilla longswords.
Level 4: +1 to Str. This is the last time I will boost Strength. a 16 Str gives a decent to hit and damage bonus in melee combat. This is constant. Charisma based abilities like Smite Evil and Divine Might/Shield are temporary. When I am low level I find that I can't depend on those enough. But it is much easier to find Charisma boosting items when I am at higher levels.
For my 1st level spell I take either Protection from Alignment (evil) because it grants immunity to mind affecting spells cast by evil creatures. alternately I would take Bless Weapon for it's effectiveness vs, the Undead (+1d6 divine damage to undead, nasty!)
Level 5 gets me a mount which I can summon. if I am in a campaign that uses the ride skill I might start investing here. Summoning the mount can be helpful if you let it fight alongside you. If you want to ride it, your movement speed is increased greatly, so you can traverse areas quickly or use that speed to flank enemies.
Level 6: Feat: Knockdown, if I am playing an adventure where there are few Charisma boosting items or if I can't find a good henchman to help in fights. If I can get my hands on a Cha boosting item of +2 or better, then I will take Divine Might. My spell list will usually be Protection from Evil, and Divine Favor or Bless Weapon. I choose Divine favor and cast it before major fight. If I am fighting undead, then I will always have Bless Weapon since it lasts 1 minute per level and does great damage.
Level 8: For my second level spell I take Bull's Strength. If I know I need Charisma, or if I am doing lots of Persuading, I'll take Eagle's Splendor.
level 9: Divine Might
Level 10: I now memorize both Bull's Strength and Eagle's Splendor.
Level 11: For my 3rd Level spell I take Greater Magic Weapon which makes whatever I cast it on a +4 weapon for 1 "Hour" per level (1 hour of game time is 2 minutes in the real world). At 15th Level this becomes a +3.
Level 12: +1 to Charisma. Feat: Divine Shield, my second 3rd level spell is usually Magic Circle Against Alignment, or Prayer.
Level 15: Feat: Improved Critical: Longsword. 4th level spells that I like to memorize are: Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Neutralize Poison. Holy Sword is useful if you know that you are going into a tough fight, It only lasts 1 round per level though. Remember that Greater Magic Weapon gives your weapon a +5 bonus at this level. You could literally pick up a normal longsword and make it into a +5 weapon.
Level 16: +1 to Charisma. With a 14 wisdom, your spells per day should be 3/3/2/1 including your bonus spells for High Wisdom. A good 2nd level spell to take in addition to bull's Strength and Eagle's Splendor is Aura Of Glory, the +4 Cha bonus stacks with everything making your Smite Evil and Divine Might do more damage (and in the case of Divine Might and Divine Shield, last longer. You will tear through your enemies!
Memorizing Divine Favor or Deafening Clang, in addition to Bless Weapon hurts undead badly. Deafening Clang now lasts long enough to be useful (1 round per level).
Remember also that your Lay On Hands ability hurts the undead. I took out a demilich by boosting my Charisma to 30 with spells and using Lay on Hands.
Level 18: Feat: Extra Turning. Extra Turning lets you use Divine Might/Shield more often and the damage bonus works on any enemy regardless of alignment. Smite Evil only works on Evil enemies and you only get one extra one with this feat.
Level 19: with 2 fourth level spells you can cast Freedom of Movement and Death Ward and be an unstoppable tank with your +5 weapon that does sonic damage and divine damage to undead... unless they get dispelled...damn beholders...
Level 20: If you had a 12 in either Dex or Int, you can boost that stat to a 13 and you will be able to take the feats associated with that ability, such as Dodge and Evasion or Improved Knockdown or Disarm. This is usually my last level in Paladin and at level 21 I Multi-class into Champion of Torm. The advantage to doing this is your saving throws will go through the roof, you will get access to great combat feats and you won't get any "Dead Levels" where nothing really happens except for a hit point increase. You will get the option to increase your Charisma at levels 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, and 38. hopefully getting it up to 25 so you can finally have Great Smiting.
I hope that you find these tips useful, even if it tells you what not to do. But I tend to get good results with this build and I play through many different modules. Farewell and may Tyr guide your steps.
@ByTheSword , thank you for the very detailed explanations! That's a lot of useful information, especially about spells and Charisma related feats. And I completely forgot that Lay on Hands damages undead!
I'm already in chapter two of the OC with my current build, but I will definitely read your post again and take some clues when I start the next level 1 paladin.
@ByTheSword , I notice that Blind Fight is not part of your build. Do you not find it helpful to have that in Hordes of the Underdark?
Maybe you can talk me out of it, but it will have to be pretty fast - I'm almost at level 15, and that will likely be my last possible feat before Hordes of the Underdark. I'm trying to decide among Blind Fight, Divine Might, or Divine Shield.
I already took Dodge and Mobility, and while I don't think the Dodge was a mistake, as it greatly helped my survival through low levels (I play minimal reload and accept all respawns when they happen), the Mobility may have been a mistake. I was thinking I might like to get Whirlwind Attack, but I found out you need 13 intelligence for that. (Thank you again for the heads-up on that, @Arvia .)
What I have so far, which I'm sure isn't what experts would call the best possible build, and not even close, is Dodge, Mobility, Power Attack, Weapon Focus: Longsword, Toughness, and Improved Critical: Longsword.
Remember that survivability at low levels is more important to me than it probably is to most players.
Thanks for all the good advice to us paladin players.
Blind Fight is a great feat to take. I use variations of this build for other modules and when I find myself fighting lots of invisible foes, I take Blind fight instead of Improved Critical. I think for Hordes I use the Gem of Seeing and there is an option to buy a Lantern of Revealing. But by all means take Blind Fight as it is highly useful.
Greetings all. Would it be worth maxing out the Concentration skill for a pure melee character in the Wailing Death campaign and both SoU+HotU? I noticed the rogue enemies on the streets of the Docks District use Taunt as a means to temporarily lower your AC during combat. I was just wondering if there are similar situations that would warrant investing points into Concentration further into the campaign and both expansions. Thank you for reading, and happy gaming to all.
I personally don't believe in spending *any* points on Concentration as a paladin. Skill points are in short supply, especially without any Intelligence bonus, and most skills, including Concentration, don't really do much for you unless they're maxed.
I always go with Discipline (although lately I'm starting to doubt that choice - if they can hit my AC at all, doesn't that automatically mean their attack roll will exceed my Discipline, and thus cause a Knockdown?), Heal, Lore (because I *hate* not being able to identify items in the field. I'm sure some would make a different choice), and Persuade.
I always take 12 Intelligence for the extra skill points, but I doubt many paladin players would make that same choice.
I actually considered trying Concentration next time, because several useful paladin buffs have such a short duration that you'd want to cast them close to the boss and not waste them on the minions. I got interrupted several times when I tried to keep Divine Favor or Holy Sword until the serious part of the fight.
But I wouldn't want to sacrifice any of the other skills mentioned above, and a few points in Concentration are probably useless.
@BelgarathMTH and @Arvia Thank you for the input. It is most appreciated. I'll try my luck playing a new melee-oriented character without any ranks in Concentration. Thank you for reading, and happy gaming to all.
Comments
About the corpses in the Peninsula District, I think I'm going to reconsider. It's true, if it happened to me, I would want others to take my weapons and potions and continue. And if I don't use it, the prisoners will.
@Prince_Raymond , I believe this was supposed to be a joke ?, but I'm not Robopaladin.
I don't like it when people choose to play a paladin just because they get those awesome powers (okay maybe not in this game, but in BG they are very strong), and then behave like a chaotic neutral barbarian, or even a chaotic good character. That doesn't mean that I play an LG robot and don't think about my decisions.
I say that maybe some powergaming people don't think at all about their decisions, they just run in, grab everything, kill everything, no matter which class they play.
That's absolutely okay of course, because everyone can play how they want. For me, a game is more interesting if the character I'm playing can make different choices and find different solutions based on their background.
I'm mostly playing myself, sort of (assuming I really had the stats and skills as in the game).
If I make bad choices and do the wrong thing, I feel ashamed and have a bad conscience, even if it's "only a game".
I'm not going to get all philosophical again now and start a discussion, but I disagree with most people's opinion that people only do evil stuff in games, because it has no consequences, and would never do evil things in real life.
I think it's the other way round.
I think many more people would do evil things in real life, too, if it didn't have consequences. So, I try to do what I consider good and right, whether there are consequences or not. And if there are bad consequences for trying to be good, then so be it.
Okay, getting off the white horse now, sorry for the sermon.
((By the way, I'm not implying here that people who sometimes like to play evil are really criminals just kept in check by society, just because I can't play against my nature))
Happy to hear that a discussion can inspire people!
I do take supplies from the storerooms in the prison, because most of the guards are dead, and if I leave it, it will just be used by the criminals. I will take items off of dead guards, because they don't need it any more, and again, if I don't use it to help my righteous cause, the criminals aren't going to hesitate to take it and use it.
I sometimes think about taking stolen property from criminal strongholds. The right thing to do would be to try to return it to the rightful owners, but the games never give us the option to do that. If the rightful owners are dead, or cannot be found, then I will sometimes take the property, especially healing supplies, or a little bit of money or gems to buy healing supplies.
I don't know how worried you are about spoilers, but there are two scenarios coming up where you will have a lot of chance to think about and exercise your ethics. The Neverwinter Zoo, (if you pass a persuade check with Nyatar the druid outside the Hall of Justice), and Meldanen's Estate in Blacklake. I have a thread in the "Official Campaigns" forum where I and others discussed these two scenarios vis a vis lawful good alignment in some detail.
I assure you that you can play this game without compromising your lawful good ethics. It's just that you and I are in a very small minority in how we approach our play, and most people don't even think twcice about "taking everything that's not nailed down, because it's just a video game and the stuff was put there for me to take."
I don't say that to criticize anybody, but I just have a very different mindset when I play an rpg. As we've discussed before, I always self-insert, and part of the fun for me is asking "What would I do?" constantly while I play. I think you're doing great, in that you're already noticing how the NWN OC constantly tempts you to stray, and you are resisting that temptation.
And it's good to know that it can be done, even in this game.
I do think about it many times whether I should take something or not, even in enemy strongholds. In the Thieves' Guild in Baldur's Gate I decided to take only what they dropped, nothing from the chests, because it was probably stolen.
Or the tombs in the Candlekeep catacombs.
But sometimes, when I find explanations like "the others will use it if I don't", I'm in doubt. If I take stuff, I think I might be searching for excuses to loot, if I leave everything, I wonder if I'm exaggerating and becoming a fanatic.
Although it's absolutely right that the fallen guards in the Peninsula District would want others to take their things and continue.
Right now, I think I will just experiment a bit in NWN before I get serious with the game, and keep my focus on the other paladin, Arvia the Undead Hunter, who is struggling in SoD. Or maybe I will play a bit of both, depending how I feel.
By the way, your (unfinished, sadly) NWN2 run report last month and the information that druids in NWN can be neutral good makes me think that I might try a druid, too, in the future.
I like the concept of druids, having spent most of my childhood in the forests (playing and climbing trees of course, but also trying to sneak up on deer and watch them, that kind of thing), but the required True Neutral in BG is not an alignment that I can identify with. Neutral good is okay.
But that's for the future. Right now, playing a Holy Warrior is more fun.
I don't mind spoilers about games, as long as it's not big stuff like telling me whose side Severus Snape is on.
I will look for the threads that you mentioned.
Go forth and have fun!
I just started a gameplay and if you talk to the noble elf female just outside the City Hall, she will give you some hints about the situation in the other districts, and the way she mentions Beggar' Nest, it says it was the first district and the most affected by the plague.
I guess this gives visiting it at first, a little more urgency since the plague is already too spread in there, and the place is storming with zombies.
Sorry if this comment was way too "spoilerish" but I've read Arvia commenting about the urgency relates more to Peninsula District in the prison break, so I wanted to give a little extra information to make you turn your eyes to another and perhaps easier district without going too much outside your scope of roleplay which, by the way, I truly admire.
Level 1: Str:15, Dex:12, Con:13, Int:10, Wis:14, Cha:14
I make Strength 15 so I can wear heavy armor and carry a Tower Shield. I have a dex of 12 so I can gain that extra +1 to Armor Class. This makes a big difference at low levels but in the OC you can play the tutorial and get to 3rd pretty easily. One option that Iwcould consider is making my Dex a 10 and Int a 12 so I could gain an extra skill point. This also allows me to get Int based feats like Disarm and Improved Knockdown if I decide to Multi-class into Champion of Torm (note; you must have an INT of 13 for those feats, but it is easier to increase INT by 1 if you go this route). Having a Con of 13 allows for a quick HP increase if you get an item that buff con by +1, such a Boots of Striding or Boots of Hardiness
Race: Human for the extra Feat and Skills.
Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, because gaining an extra attack is always beneficial. Power attack helps with breaking down doors and opening containers.
Skills: I always max out Discipline. Persuade is another highly useful skill. I try to get my Lore up to about 10 and then use potions or Items to help Identify items. I get heal up tp about +4 or +5 and make prodigious use of Heal Kits. They are much better than potions or spells as they do not provoke attacks of opportunity. Having a Search Skill of +2 is good enough to find most secret doors.
Level 3: Feat Weapon Focus: Longsword. I like Longswords and most paladin-friendly weapons are longswords. Another option would be scimitar for the high crit potential. But I like my vanilla longswords.
Level 4: +1 to Str. This is the last time I will boost Strength. a 16 Str gives a decent to hit and damage bonus in melee combat. This is constant. Charisma based abilities like Smite Evil and Divine Might/Shield are temporary. When I am low level I find that I can't depend on those enough. But it is much easier to find Charisma boosting items when I am at higher levels.
For my 1st level spell I take either Protection from Alignment (evil) because it grants immunity to mind affecting spells cast by evil creatures. alternately I would take Bless Weapon for it's effectiveness vs, the Undead (+1d6 divine damage to undead, nasty!)
Level 5 gets me a mount which I can summon. if I am in a campaign that uses the ride skill I might start investing here. Summoning the mount can be helpful if you let it fight alongside you. If you want to ride it, your movement speed is increased greatly, so you can traverse areas quickly or use that speed to flank enemies.
Level 6: Feat: Knockdown, if I am playing an adventure where there are few Charisma boosting items or if I can't find a good henchman to help in fights. If I can get my hands on a Cha boosting item of +2 or better, then I will take Divine Might. My spell list will usually be Protection from Evil, and Divine Favor or Bless Weapon. I choose Divine favor and cast it before major fight. If I am fighting undead, then I will always have Bless Weapon since it lasts 1 minute per level and does great damage.
Level 8: For my second level spell I take Bull's Strength. If I know I need Charisma, or if I am doing lots of Persuading, I'll take Eagle's Splendor.
level 9: Divine Might
Level 10: I now memorize both Bull's Strength and Eagle's Splendor.
Level 11: For my 3rd Level spell I take Greater Magic Weapon which makes whatever I cast it on a +4 weapon for 1 "Hour" per level (1 hour of game time is 2 minutes in the real world). At 15th Level this becomes a +3.
Level 12: +1 to Charisma. Feat: Divine Shield, my second 3rd level spell is usually Magic Circle Against Alignment, or Prayer.
Level 15: Feat: Improved Critical: Longsword. 4th level spells that I like to memorize are: Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Neutralize Poison. Holy Sword is useful if you know that you are going into a tough fight, It only lasts 1 round per level though. Remember that Greater Magic Weapon gives your weapon a +5 bonus at this level. You could literally pick up a normal longsword and make it into a +5 weapon.
Level 16: +1 to Charisma. With a 14 wisdom, your spells per day should be 3/3/2/1 including your bonus spells for High Wisdom. A good 2nd level spell to take in addition to bull's Strength and Eagle's Splendor is Aura Of Glory, the +4 Cha bonus stacks with everything making your Smite Evil and Divine Might do more damage (and in the case of Divine Might and Divine Shield, last longer. You will tear through your enemies!
Memorizing Divine Favor or Deafening Clang, in addition to Bless Weapon hurts undead badly. Deafening Clang now lasts long enough to be useful (1 round per level).
Remember also that your Lay On Hands ability hurts the undead. I took out a demilich by boosting my Charisma to 30 with spells and using Lay on Hands.
Level 18: Feat: Extra Turning. Extra Turning lets you use Divine Might/Shield more often and the damage bonus works on any enemy regardless of alignment. Smite Evil only works on Evil enemies and you only get one extra one with this feat.
Level 19: with 2 fourth level spells you can cast Freedom of Movement and Death Ward and be an unstoppable tank with your +5 weapon that does sonic damage and divine damage to undead... unless they get dispelled...damn beholders...
Level 20: If you had a 12 in either Dex or Int, you can boost that stat to a 13 and you will be able to take the feats associated with that ability, such as Dodge and Evasion or Improved Knockdown or Disarm. This is usually my last level in Paladin and at level 21 I Multi-class into Champion of Torm. The advantage to doing this is your saving throws will go through the roof, you will get access to great combat feats and you won't get any "Dead Levels" where nothing really happens except for a hit point increase. You will get the option to increase your Charisma at levels 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, and 38. hopefully getting it up to 25 so you can finally have Great Smiting.
I hope that you find these tips useful, even if it tells you what not to do. But I tend to get good results with this build and I play through many different modules. Farewell and may Tyr guide your steps.
I'm already in chapter two of the OC with my current build, but I will definitely read your post again and take some clues when I start the next level 1 paladin.
Thank you for sharing all that!
Maybe you can talk me out of it, but it will have to be pretty fast - I'm almost at level 15, and that will likely be my last possible feat before Hordes of the Underdark. I'm trying to decide among Blind Fight, Divine Might, or Divine Shield.
I already took Dodge and Mobility, and while I don't think the Dodge was a mistake, as it greatly helped my survival through low levels (I play minimal reload and accept all respawns when they happen), the Mobility may have been a mistake. I was thinking I might like to get Whirlwind Attack, but I found out you need 13 intelligence for that. (Thank you again for the heads-up on that, @Arvia .)
What I have so far, which I'm sure isn't what experts would call the best possible build, and not even close, is Dodge, Mobility, Power Attack, Weapon Focus: Longsword, Toughness, and Improved Critical: Longsword.
Remember that survivability at low levels is more important to me than it probably is to most players.
Thanks for all the good advice to us paladin players.
I always go with Discipline (although lately I'm starting to doubt that choice - if they can hit my AC at all, doesn't that automatically mean their attack roll will exceed my Discipline, and thus cause a Knockdown?), Heal, Lore (because I *hate* not being able to identify items in the field. I'm sure some would make a different choice), and Persuade.
I always take 12 Intelligence for the extra skill points, but I doubt many paladin players would make that same choice.
But I wouldn't want to sacrifice any of the other skills mentioned above, and a few points in Concentration are probably useless.