For a good paladin?

[DreamStalker]

Hi, im new here, and i love NW.

After finishing NW campaign, and both expansions with my mage, i just got tired of him, so i decided to replay it with a human paladin (wich is a class, that i don't now why, but it suddenly attracts me) and i would like to have some advice.

I have some builds, wich are not very different from each other, but i just cannot decide for one.

My first, and favourite is:

STR: 15

DEX: 8

CON: 14

WIS: 14

INT: 10

CHA: 15


The second, and more balanced is:

STR: 14

DEX: 10

CON: 14

WIS: 14

INT: 10

CHA: 15

The last one is:

STR: 14

DEX: 8

CON: 14

WIS: 14

INT: 10

CHA: 16

Mi intention is to have a paladin, who can do great damage (with the help of his spells, of corse) and eliminate enemies quickly as possible (and make that "Punish Evil" attack even more powerful) so i don't have to worry about that very low DEX, and i was going to give im a kickass greatsword to do that.
But since the paladin, depends very much on his spells in combat, and these depend on his CHA, i don't now if i should choose the first or the third one (the second one is an attempt to make things more balanced, but i'm not sure about that build).
Also, i was planning to spend all his "extra attribute points" (those you recieve at lvls 4, 8, 12...) exclusively on his CHA, so i'm gonna have to raise the rest of the attributes with items.

so, is that good? wich build you think is the best? anything else i should change?

[Cuchulain82]

Are you in the Original Campaign or doing one of the Expansions? An answer will depend on where you're playing.

[DreamStalker]

Are you in the Original Campaign or doing one of the Expansions? An answer will depend on where you're playing.

The original campaign, for now.
If i like the character trough the game, maybe i'll also do it with the expansions.

[Cuchulain82]

Hey Dreamstalker- yesterday I didn't notice this is your first post/thread- welcome to the forums! I hope you enjoy your stay.

You're going to do the OC, but just let me say one thing- the two expansions lead into each other, but don't have any relation to the OC. Shadows of Udrentide (SoU) and Hordes of the Underdark (HotU) are basically one-character campaigns- you start at level 1 in SoU, go through, end around 15, and then start up again at 15 in HotU. Here's my point: any character that you run through the OC won't be playable in SoU or HotU. Just so you know what to expect.

I think, considering your character, you should keep Dex at 8. I personally HATE negative mods, especially to a reflex save, but there are enough items that Mod dex that you should be okay. Just make it a point to wear something that ups your dex by two or four points and you should be set. If you don't want to deal with that (and I can understand that- equipping a belt of agility means you aren't equipping another belt) then keep your Dex at 10.

With that said, I personally like your first option best, although there isn't much difference between #1 and #3 (the 15 str and 15 cha are the same as 14 str and 16 cha effectively). I will say this though- I would not put cha higher than 16 naturally over the course of the game. Imho, in the OC you simply won't get enough out of it. You can boost cha throughout the game with nymph cloaks and get if relatively high. Str will give you more bang for your buck- at the end of the day, divine feats and smite aside, the paladin is basically a melee fighter. Cha is nice because it helps your turning and smite, but it's not what will make the character an effective combatant.

Cha is the sizzle- Str is the steak!

Also, if you're human (and I think you should be) then consider taking level 1 as a rogue, or alternatively taking a higher level (7 is good) as a Monk. The rogue at 1 will net you way better starting skills and a d6 sneak attack, and the monk will get you better access to skills (tumble!) and two feats (getting cleave for free is like getting power attack and cleave).

Hope this helps!

[DreamStalker]

Hey Dreamstalker- yesterday I didn't notice this is your first post/thread- welcome to the forums! I hope you enjoy your stay.

thank you, hope it was everything clear to read (it was also my first time posting in a english forum, and i was afraid that no one was going to understand a thing)

And thanks for the tips, i was worried about making a crappy character (man, when i just strat thinking about that fight against Klauth.........)

[Cuchulain82]

thank you, hope it was everything clear to read (it was also my first time posting in a english forum, and i was afraid that no one was going to understand a thing)

Your english is perfect- don't sweat it.

So... how's it going. Any luck? Any problems? Did you decide to take a level or two of another class?

[Drunkside]

Pure chars really suck to say it friendly, make it a bit more interesting build. Like add 1 or 2 other classes too. But pally is pretty much one of the best close combat classes, but wm woulnt hurt.....