Starting a Paladin

The Paladin in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition is a powerhouse against the forces of evil, if built right. So to get you off on the right foot here are a few pointers.

Race : Any of the common races make fine paladins, and all have one or more traditions amongst them as paladins in the service of good. However the vast majority of Paladins in Eberron are Human. I would recommend starting a human as well in DDO. For the skill point per level, and the extra feat.

Stats : With a 28 point buy-system your stat-template means you'll have to sacrifice in one end in order to do well. Other classes can afford to have a high main stat, where as a paladin needs a wellrounded build in order to succeed. Regardless of what you build for, there are two things you should mind. The first being wisdom. Paladins are Divine casters, and as such need wisdom in order to cast spells. The highest level spell a paladin can get is 4th level, so you'll need at least 14 in wisdom. High wisdom helps your spell pool, lets you cast spells from level 4 onward and gives will saves. I would not recommend going lower than 12 points at startup, and I would also not recommend going higher than 14 for wisdom. While the saves are nice, paladins get higher than average saves across the board from Divine Grace. Which leads me to what I consider the single most important stat a paladin should keep an eye out for - charisma. Charisma for a paladin powers almost all of their special abilities. Smite Evil, Divine Grace, Lay on Hands, Turn Undead are all affected by charisma (Or lack thereof).

This is thus important to note when creating your paladin, but also when you gain oppertunities to increase your charisma from level up ability modifiers, enchantments and gear. Due to my fondness of the wellrounded paladin I would recommend atleast 14 in starting charisma. I do not personally consider it worth it to go higher than 14 at startup, due to the increased cost pointswise, but if you have the points left over then go for it. A high charisma increases almost every aspect of your paladin, so remember that well.

It should also be noted that paladins in DDO can gain +3 to their charisma by level 10 through paladin enhancements, and an additional +1 from a human enhancement. This combined with your 2 ability points from levels 4 & 8 can give you a 20 in charisma at level 10 with a starting score of 14.

My personal stats spread would look something like this:

14 Str

10 Dex

12 Con

12 Int

14 Wis

14 Cha

A wellrounded build with a decent strength score for nice damage and tohit bonus, and a decent wisdom- and charisma score to be ready for spell casting, and to help your charisma-dependant abilities. I would put every extra point gained for leveling into charisma, as well as pick enchantments that increase it.

Skills: Paladins in DDO are heavy armoured champions of good. But all that time spent learning how to fight means you'll not have many skill points avaliable. The paladin gets 2 skill points per level, so starting as a human, and getting 12 in starting intelligence will help remedy that somewhat. But you're still stuck between a rock and a hard place if you want to keep Intimidate maxed out at every level. I would also recommend getting Concentration up to a respectable level, and if you have the points to spare the Heal skill as well so you'll make that critical DC when your friends go down.

Feats: Feat-allocation is important as well for any charcter. But it is also down to personal preference. I would recommend either Tower Shield Proficiency and Shield Mastery if you plan on being a one-handed and shield paladin, or the Two-handed fighting feats if you're going for a two-handed weapon using paladin. Both are fun to play, and both have their special features that must get attention as well. Personally I am going for Tower Shield Proficiency and Shield Mastery as I play my paladins as a one-handed and shield character.

So in closing I hope you consider the time well spent. Reading this small text on starting a paladin. Remember that you'll not have all your paladin abilities and spells till level 4, so do not be discouraged if you feel as though you're missing something at the lower levels.

Now then, off with you! There are fair maidens to rescue and dragons to best, young paladin!

Edit: I went with a similar build for my paladin but took Shield Mastery and Weapon Focus to help make up for the lower strength than other fighter types