Our DM is running the "Wrath of the Righteous" campaign. I decided I would play a Paladin - which in 4e would be a defender - characterised by high AC, and the ability to have enemies stick to him or pay a price if they attacked others. I would use feats, spells and abilities that would make this work. I chose Aasimar (angel blooded) mostly for flavor, and took the Celestial Crusader, Incorruptible and Scion of Humanity traits.
| Str | 18 |
| Dex | 14 |
| Con | 10 |
| Int | 10 |
| Wis | 10 |
| Cha | 16 |
I chose Dex (over more Con) in order to (later) use the Following step feat, and Combat reflexes in line with having him stick to the enemies - or at least make them pay if they try to side-step him. The Paladin is terribly skill-starved, so partly for this, but also for the favoured enemy and to have some more feat-like abilities, I multi-class into Ranger.
In any case, I tend to favour compromise characters for "real" campaigns (as opposed to throwaway characters for one-offs). I find I enjoy play at the table more when I can at least do something under most circumstances, rather than sit around browsing the web on my cell until my specialty is called upon.
The following table shows progression choices, and their impact on attack and damage. Naturally Talorian would soon have a magic weapon that would add to the numbers below.
| Level | Class | Special/Feat | Ability | Attack / vs EO / &Smiting | Damage / vs EO / &Smiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P 1 | Aura of good, detect evil, smite evil / Weapon Focus | +6/+7/+10 | +4/+4/+6,+5 | |
| 2 | R 1 | Favored enemy (EO), track, wild empathy | +7/+10/+13 | +4/+6/+8,+7 | |
| 3 | P 2 | Divine grace, lay on hands / Step up | +8/+11/+14 | +4/+6/+10,+8 | |
| 4 | R 2 | Combat style - Power attack | Str +1 | *+7/+10/+13 | *+12/+15/+19,+17 |
| 5 | P 3 | Aura of courage, divine health, mercy / Combat reflexes | +8/+11/+14 | +12/+15/+21,+18 | |
| 6 | P 4 | Spells | +9,+4/+12,+7/+15,+10 | +12/+15/+23,+19 | |
| 7 | P 5 | Channel, Mount / Following step or Cleave | +10,+5/+13,+8/+16,+11 | +12/+15/+25,+20 | |
| 8 | P 6 | Mercy | Str +1 | +11,+6/+14,+9/+17,+12 | +16/+19/+31,+25 |
Interestingly, I note that the Paladin works out to be more of a striker (vs evil foes), and it takes work to keep him on the defendery path. I notice a couple of nifty spells available at 1st spell level for keeping foes interested in him (and away from the squishies). Challenge Evil or Compell Hostility look good, and Knight's Calling (shorter duration, wider range of enemies).
