Paladin/Sorceror Gish Build

[ComradeHavok]

So, the basic premise of the build is a divinely sorcerous knight. Able to literally bring down fire and brimstone while carrying around a flaming sword, smiting the unrighteous, that sort of jive. Ridiculously high saving throws are also a central part of the build.

The build I have so far is:

Paladin 2/Sorceror 6/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 5/Eldritch Knight 6.

By my calculations, it yields a sorceror level and BAB of 17. Spellsword lets me wear a mithral chain shirt, though I have also been trying to figure out a way to be able to get into a suit of mithral full plate without much luck. Feat selection is still up in the air at the moment aswell.

As for books, anything is fair game at the moment.

That's as far as I've gotten with this build. I figured this would be the best place to seek advice on how to properly realise the concept. Thank you in advance.

[X-Codes]

If you're fine with not getting 9th-level spells, strongly consider Swiftblade.

[ComradeHavok]

Well, the fewer caster levels I lose, the better. However, looking at the class, I can see a 3 level Swiftblade dip working. I'll give it some thought. Thank you.

[gorfnad]

How about Paladin 2 / Sorcerer 4/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Sacred Exorcist 8? This nets you 9th level spells, Turn Undead to fuel Divine feats, and +16 BAB at level 20.

[E-mail]

There are feats that lets you raise your amount of ignored ASF, but really you shouldnt need armor for AC. Stick with Greater Mage Armor for +11 to AC, and perhaps get a heavily fortified (100%) +1 padded armor hen you have the cash.

Oh, and I strongly suggest gofnads build, its really about as good as gishes get in d&d.

[Rejakor]

githcraft feycraft mithril shirt is ASF 0%.

+1 twilight mithril breastplate is ASF 0%.

+1 twilight mithril githcraft feycraft full plate with thistledown padding is ASF 0%.

Strongly look into various cha-synergies, such as that bard spell, multiple ways to get cha to hit, AC, damage, and saves.  You're already playing a paladin, so.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

githcraft feycraft mithril shirt is ASF 0%.

+1 twilight mithril breastplate is ASF 0%.

+1 twilight mithril githcraft feycraft full plate with thistledown padding is ASF 0%.

Combining craft types seems to tweak some people, so check with your DM that it's okay. Otherwise, the twilight mithril is awesome.

Strongly look into various cha-synergies, such as that bard spell, multiple ways to get cha to hit, AC, damage, and saves.  You're already playing a paladin, so.

Wanna vague that one up for us? (Though seriously, I am quite curious...)

[ComradeHavok]

Looking into Sacred Exorcist, I think it would work quite nicely with the divinely inspired sorceror-knight concept.

I think I might try Paladin 2/Battle Sorceror 4/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 5/Sacred Exorcist 8. Battle Sorceror combined with the Battle Caster feat would let me use a suit of mithral full plate without penalty. I admit that I want the full plate for the style factor more than anything. Though if there's an alternative that doesn't involve handicapping my spellcasting, I'm all for it.

[Solo]

Don't use Battle Sorcerer. Use the extra spell known as a Sorcerer on False Life. Take the Stalwart Sorceror ACF from the Complete Champion if you really want better HP.

[ComradeHavok]

Well, HP isn't the issue, it's the light armoured casting that I'm considering Battle Sorceror for.

[Solo]

Don't worry about it. Just Alter Self into a Troglodyte, or Tren if you can get away with it. Much natural armor bonus.

[Rejakor]

He wants to be in full plate for fluff reasons.  IIRC, there's no reason that I know of that you can't just wear full plate that has no mechanical effects.  Or wear a breastplate and call it 'Full Plate'.  Or wear a chain shirt and call it 'Full Plate'.

If you really must have statistical full plate, then you want +1 twilight githcraft feycraft full plate with a thistledown shirt and a tooth of savnok.  Accept no substitutes!

Cha to stuff; http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=215.0

That bard spell I don't think it's listed, but it's called like Nixie's Grace or Selkie's Something.  There's a couple of other things not listed there, but what's there is good enough.

Find a way to persist everything(incantatrix, spelldancer dip, metamagic song, hell even DMM if you're going sacred lollercist), persist stuff.  That is like, all you need to know to be a gish.  If you must, get extraordinary spell aim and have a nice antimagic field that doesn't include your square surrounding you with a secret path that only you know through it so you can send spells out but no-one else can send spells (like Dispel Magic) in.  Or just get three spellblades, of Reciprocal Gyre, Mordenkainen's Disjunction, and Greater Dispel Magic.

I like to not rely on things like arcane strike to get my damage, but you can if you really must.

[CrimsonDeath]

You shouldn't need to tweak the fullplate that much.  Twilight Mithral Full Plate has 15% ASF, and Spellsword lets you ignore 10%, so you only need one of Githcraft, Feycraft, or Thistledown Padding.  I'd suggest Githcraft, for the Concentration bonus.  (Feycraft only helps you with spoken Bluff checks, and Paladins generally don't lie very often.  Thistledown padding increases your armor check penalty and gives no benefits other than reduced ASF.)

Alternatively, if you can combine -crafts, Githcraft Feycraft Mithral Full Plate with Thistledown Padding also has 10% ASF, and it saves you a +1.

[Andion Isurand]

Dragon Magazine 358, pg 38 has craft qualities (accessed by a feat taken by the crafter) that can be add to armor and weapons, and the Caster Armor quality reduces AF by 5%.

[Rejakor]

A creature charmed by a fey can make feycraft items.  Specifically and explicitly.  Especially since fey are supposed to hate the touch of iron.

A gith charmed by a fey can make githcraft feycraft items.

I forgot about spellsword's -10% ASF.  Probably because I hate the class.

[ComradeHavok]

Everyone's been very helpful, thank you. I believe I shall go with the Sacred Exorcist build and just grab a Twilight Mithral Breastplate, which is really just as good when it comes to tromping about in a suit of armour.

[Andion Isurand]

The Knight Phantom PrC gives you the light armor casting ability at 1st level, but you lose a level of spellcasting progression.

Somatic Prowess (Ex): The Knights Arcane has taught you techniques for simplifying the gestures you use when you cast a spell. You can cast arcane spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, you incur a chance of arcane spell failure if you cast a spell with a somatic component while wearing medium or heavy armor, or while using a shield.

Then you can take the Battle Caster feat from Complete Arcane to extend this ability to Medium Armor.

If you play a Paladin of Freedom, you could also take a level of Battle Dancer (Dragon Magazine Compendium) to add your charisma modifier to your unarmored AC.

[SorO_Lost]

Greater Luminous Armor (via runestaff+umd) is full-plate, just better.
1. It imposes a -4 to attack rolls opponents make against you if they use light based sight.
2. Abjuration Champion 5 increases it's AC to 13.
3. You cast Magic Vestment on Greater Luminous Armor granting another +5 to AC.
An effective increase of 22 AC after factoring attack roll loss.

See also Shield for +9 more.

[BeholderSlayer]

Sorry for the necro, does casting Greater Magic Vestment on Greater Luminous Armor actually work? It doesn't seem like it does...GLA says it's an "aura," not an actual suit of armor.

Sorry, trying to throw together a CoDzilla that uses GLA and a monk's belt, but also can boost that AC even higher using GMV.

Trying to stick to a flavor of an unarmored cleric that's virtually untouchable, and using a buckler with GMV isn't going to work with a monk's belt.

[ninjarabbit]

You'd be better off going with displacement combined with greater mirror image, I think your odds of getting hit by one attack are something like 1/36 between the two.

Alternatively you could go with wings of cover to negate one sucessful attack/round.

Of course I feel that trying to optimize AC is a fool's game after a certain point, though a quickened-extended shield spell that gives you +9 shield bonus to AC is pretty nice for a 1st level spell.