Returning NewB help pls

[Dnarith]

Hi,

I played the original DDO for a while when it came out. I have a level 7 (rk33), almost 8 Human Paladin. All I knew at the time was sword/board as I was MT for our group. We all came from PnP DnD.

Some of us are coming back for the free play and may play casually, but that doesn't mean I want to screwup future opportunities. I don't want to re-roll and re-level.

So I'm looking for help on enhancement paths (26 points to respec, none respent) and next feat suggestions. I see stuff about Knights of Chalice, Dragonmark options and other stuff which I have no clue on.

Here's what I have:

Human

Str: 20 (16+4) (Base + mods)
Dex: 12 (10+2)
Con: 17 (14+3)
Int: 8
Wis: 13 (12+1)
Cha: 16 (15+1)

Skill Ranks
Concentration 5
Diplomacy 3
Heal 3
Intimidate 3
UMD 1.5

Feats (listing ones I might have bought, not sure which were free anymore):
Power Attack
Shield Mastery
Two-handed Fighting
Weapon Focus: Slashing

I would appreciate any guidance. (Divine or otherwise )
Thanks,

[Vormaerin]

If you want to be DPS, you should go with Knight of the Chalice. If you want to be a serious defense character, go with Defender of Siberys. You can see the benefits and requirements of these enhancements by looking on your character sheet and selecting "show unavailable".

The first level of the prestige enhancements is available at lvl 6, so you can look at getting them right now. Knight of the Chalice is easier over all, as getting the most out of a tanking build is very equipment grind intensive.

Feats: keep going with the two handed fighting line for sure. Even if you are a tank, there will be plenty of times when you just want to dish damage. If you are going tank, you can pick up the rest of the Shield Mastery feats. If you aren't, you might consider dropping Shield Mastery if you find yourself unable to get all the feats you want.

Besides what you have, you definitely want Toughness (paladins get enhancements to make it even better) and Improved Critical: Slashing.

Consider using high crit range weapons over base damage, since your Exalted Smites and Divine Sacrifice abilities benefit enormously from crits. Scimitars and Falchions being the choices here, if you don't take Exotic Proficiency: Khopesh.

For enhancements, take what you need for your PrE and then make sure you have the extra Lay on Hands, Extra Smites, Exalted Smite, and Divine Might enhancements. Divine Sacrifice is a good one also. The rest are largely preference/group needs issues.