S&B Paladin in progress

[redoubt]

Human.

18 CHA
17 STR
17 CON
Level ups into CHA. Level 15 so far.

Feats so far:
Bastard Sword
Tower Shield
Imp Shield Bash
Shield Mastery
Imp Shield Mastery
Imp Crit Slash
Two Handed Fighting

Must have feat level 21: Overwhelming Crit

Feats I'm considering (levels: 18, 24, 27, possibly swap out THF from 15):
Imp Two Handed Fighting
Greater Two Handed Fighting
Power Attack (is 5 points worth a feat these days at end game?)
CHA->will save
Precision
Toughness (though HP seems good so far)
Epic Toughness
Stunning blow (stunning shield works well, but it includes char level in the DC. This would be much lower and I'm not max STR build, so this seems iffy.)
Empower Healing (So far I can finish most fights without healing. Those that I can't I've covered with Lay on Hands. I expect there to likely be more incoming damage later, but my cures are pretty small anyway, so is this worth it?)
Quicken (would be only to work with emp heal if LOH and cocoon/Aura of purification are not enough) I'll also twist the LOH regen.

I'm planning to run Divine Crusader (I need more divine sphere past lives.)
For twists I'm thinking:
Sense Weakness
cocoon

Then one of:
Legendary shield mastery
shield prowess
endless LOH

I mostly play in 2/3 person groups. We run elite to 20 and then a lot of EH with some EE thrown in. The others in the group are a moncher and a swashbuckler.

I'm interested in your ideas and thoughts. Thanks.

[redoubt]

Also, what do you all think about Sacred Shield Mastery in Defender?

+3 AC doesn't seem like much.
+15% of Shield AC also doesn't seem like much. Maybe another 3 AC.
+3% dodge options seems like the redeeming quality there.

Think it is worth the 6AP to get that?

[Enoach]

I realize skill points are going to be tight on this build but you did not mention if UMD was going to be an option...

I mention UMD simply because it looks like you are going with a high charisma which right out of the gate starts you with 4 UMD at level one before gear/buffs/tomes. A 10 UMD is a 50% chance with Masters Touch which allows you to be proficient with the Tower Shield. If this is an option it opens up a Feat. I personally have a few lower level large shields that do quiet well for both offense and defense at lower levels that reduce the need for a tower shield.

While cleave is a nice feat with the KoTC cleave(s) you don't need PA. Since Human does not have the charisma to hit/damage like PDK you might be better served with Precision then PA.

Toughness and Epic Toughness are really a judgment call. You may find that you do not need the extra HP they provide.

I found Empower Healing is good if most of your healing is coming from SP and is supplemented by LoH. You listed Cocoon as a twist and while that is a great self/other healing option it is healing via SP. If you are going to rely on Cocoon then Empower Healing is a good investment. If not then maybe something else will serve you better.

You may want to make sure your Dex bonus maximizes your MDB to get the best possible benefit for AC and Dodge.


Otherwise the shield feats for the extra doublestrike is a good combo with the bastard sword

[ValariusK]

I ran a 20 human pally S&B very recently (on the ETR I'm now Bastard sword SWF with orb). I ran Divine crusader on that build, my etr'd build that I'm leveling now through epics is LD because I need the martial past life. Some observations:

You're going to be VERY crunchy. You don't need cocoon, consecrate, lay on hands plus your cure serious should do the job nicely. Divine crusader is THE vampiric destiny---everything you kill gives you and others a little heal. For twists I went Sense weakness, lithe and legendary shield mastery. Lithe can be replaced with something tier 1 for reflex saves if you don't have the fate points.

With vanguard 41 up to the capstone, 20something SD 10something KOTC you're going to put out a LOT of damage. Even when your weapons are second rate (level 24 and level 26 are big firepower increases because of the TF weapons.

For feats---I found that I NEVER used quicken. I should have put it into another THF line feat. Glancing blows damage is really nice in terms of scything through the hordes. Why didn't I use quicken? Well, because I hardly ever needed a normal casted heal.

The SWF/orb build I'm working now (KOTC 41, SD 31, human 5, Harper 3) puts out more damage but isn't as crunchy. It too is a fun build though.
I bet TWF would work too with the KOTC41/SD31/human5,harper3)