Looking for a Half Orc Paladine with Shield and Bastard Sword Build

[Deamon81]

I´m thinking since a longer time about a Pala build I played in the pen&paper.
It was a Str. Based Paladine with a Shild and a Bastard Sword

The difficulty I see is the Favorit Weapon as I can only switch on EPIC to the Bastard Sword

Has anyone already a build ready he wants to show up?

 

[Hammatimes]

Vanguard is agnostic so you can run that T5 and capstone until you can get bastard sword as a favored weapon. The biggest thing you'll lose out on is the light imbue from KoTC. Once you have bastard sword as a favored weapon you can run almost any vanguard build you see on the forums so try to follow those for your feats.

For heroic enhancements, aim for vanguard T5 like I said with vkf for haste boost, active attacks from KoTC, and SaD if you need defenses. Definitely try to get a spinal tap for heroics because it has a X3 multiplier, cutting currency has a neat crowd control proc as well.

Unfortunately, loot gen shields have very low base damage and crit profile along with many named shields. Try to get a large shield that has at least a 19-20 X3 crit profile like saltiron targe, ferrocrystal shield, the best defense, or azure rotella.

Tronko made a great writeup. Although for leveling as a bastard sword user I would suggest taking the THF line along with PTHF, then shield specialty at 31. This will give more aoe during the leveling process and a tiny bit more strikethrough at cap. Tronko's version of Perfect Shield Mastery + thf specialty will give higher single target dps along with a little more prr/AC at cap.

https://forums.ddo.com/index.php?threads/reaper-endgame-paladin-vanguard.3963/

This would be my adjustment for his feats for a leveling build, take what you want at 33/34

Feats
1 Exotic Weapon Proficiency
3 THF
6 ITHF
9 IC Slashing
12 GTHF
15 Power Attack
18 Improved Shield Bash
21 OC
22 PTHF
24 Weapon focus
25 Crush Weakness
27 Epic DR
28 Embodiment of Law
30 Power Critical
L Scion of Arborea
31 Shield Mastery Specialty

 

[Grunndi]

I agree with HammerTimes, basically take feats like you’re building a THF. It’s worth noting that this is overall just worse than a THF Horc pally with great swords, buuuut you get to look way cooler with a shield (and it’s still fairly effective) which counts for a lot in my book.

I’d add that for a Horc you have some very good stuff in the racial tree. So if you aren’t racial comp it’s worth spending some points there.

I’d prob go KotC until you get Exatled Smites, Horc until you have everything good, then Vanguard to fill it out. Maybe some stalwart defender for extra Lay on Hands if you find you need it. Vistani haste boost is good but so is Horc rage, especially at lower levels, so I don’t feel it’s necessary early on.

 

[Hobgoblin]

not to derail and it may not be what you are looking for for - go pdk and use a heart. get pro and favor weapon from start

 

[Archaic]

You'd want at least 4 fighter for extra feats
Bastard sword while shield bashing with a tower shield sounds pretty cool...and even being strength based you will be happier with skill points in jump being tanked out all heavy like.

 

[Hobgoblin]

kotc capstone though so fun

 

[Buddha5440]

If you want to go more KotC you can go with a warhammer build until epics (lv 23 for BSword favored weapon) Once you get Knight's Training and IC Bludg. you will have a 17-20x3 weapon. You can concentrate on the shield feats first since you won't have strikethrough or a TH/H-1/2 weapon, but you do have Exalted Cleave/Exalted Smite (which hits multiple, unlike regular smite)/Avenging Cleave/Holy Retribution for AoE attacks.

My progression for this is: (Human, not H-Orc and Cha/Con build)
1: Magical training for Feydark tree (Cha hit/dam)
1H: Shield Mast. (Take as 1 if going H-Orc non Cha)
3: Precision (I find the fort bypass better than extra damage PA may be better for H-Orc)
6: Force of Personality or your choice (I solo a lot so I often take Augment Summons)
9: IC Bludg (Switch to IC Slash at 23 when you get BSword as favored from DC tree)
12: Imp Shield Mast
15: Grt Shield Mast
18: THF
21: ITHF
22: PTHF
23: Switch Magical Training for BSword and pick up Magical Training from core 1 of an ED (likely SD)
24: GTHF
25: PShield Mast
27: OC
28: Deific Warding
30: Scion of Arborea+???

Not ideal if going for a stay at cap toon as you can't take THS or SMS since you took feats in both lines but it works well for everything up to that.

 

[Bizmarkie]

Chosen of Gruuumsh!

 

[Igognito]

Hey all,
Well for my current life I play a Palie.
I started with a great sword which I used for heroic leveling. At level 18 I swapped to a long sword+shield for boss fights (I had a divine vengeance from previous life). And around level 24 I could have swapped to a bastard and shield but I didn't had any decent one . Eventually I got one after I reached 30 (RL morning Lord)

Important: I swapped my power attack feat for bastard proficiency when I reached level 29. This swap could have been made anytime needed.

The feats.
I gave priority to THF feats all the way up to perfect THF. I also gradually but slowly got the shield feats. At epics+ I also got aerie, precise strike, scion of arborea, law embodiment. Maybe imp. stunning would have been nice but having only 5 lives and mediocre equipment I felt it won't work.

I want to point out that this build should work for anyone that has 3 lives+ and/or some stat tomes. It is a strength build, you will need to reach 13dex, 14wis (could be items) and ideally high con/cha as both you will need.
You are not a full tank but you are a reliable first liner. You are slow but that wasn't an issue for me as long the others are not trigger happy.

I comfortably cleared heroic on r3 even solo on level. And after I swapped a bit my equipment at level 23 I also could do epic on r3.
I now started legendary quests on r5 and I feel it is comfortable. Maybe not trivial but I can run it.
This is the fifth life the previous are: wizard, rogue, druid, Artie. So not a huge contribution from there other than the stats. I also have 5 epic reincarnations which I think their active abilities do more than I'm realizing .

I also want to point out that I didn't plan the build. I just said great sword until 18 then divine vengeance (just because I got the sword and it looks awesome) and after we see but I do think the natural evolution was the bastard and if I had plan it at level 23/24 I would have done the swap and not at 30.

I balanced my enchantments among kotc and defender. My idea was to last enough to deliver my damage. I used heavy armor and now medium as I crafted a dodge belt. You need the PRR and MRR to survive. You need 20% concealment, 10% incorporeal at least. And I got 25% dodge. AC helps a bit but I don't have very good items so I would say you get an other 10% defense (monsters miss on 3) but some might make it to be a bit better.
So if you do the math you end up with around 51% defense for mobs and around 30% for bosses before PRR and MRR.

Tanky enough to be a front liner.

Have fun.
Ps: when I have time I will try to bring the build details here.

 

[Kodewraith]

If you're not attached to the shield or you're not going to main tank, the other way to run at cap is BSword with THF + Single Weapon Fighting. I find I don't loose that much defense from ditching the shield and I pick up a lot of DPS that keeps me alive in other ways. The increased attack speed works well with imbue heavy builds. It works really well with the 15 pally / 5 DL split.

Same logic, as the above build:
-> Take magic training initially and later swap that out for bSword prof to allow for CHA ht/dmg in Feydark. Magic training then gets picked up for an ED core, (usually Exalted Angel or Fatesinger)
-> Level with a greatsword (with Kotc T4) or whatever favored weapon you like. Take BSword as favored weapon anytime after L23 from the Crusader tree.
-> If you are willing to burn the +1 heart, you can instead get both bsword as favored weapon AND CHA hit/dmg from purple dragon knight iconic racial tree. Then just level with SWF + THF lines.

I really wish SSG would put bastard sword as a favored weapon someplace in Vanguard or SaD, but they haven't yet. The other nice thing about SWF + Bsword at cap is you can use Arcanotech as an ED and grab an offhand runearm. It's not optimal but it gives you some ranged versatility and makes gearing a skosh easier.

 

[Deamon81]

Easiest way to make bastard sword Favorit weapon would be to allow Forgotten Realms Gods on Level 1