PALADIN CREATION GUIDE

Paladins are a hybrid between a Warrior and Cleric. Paladins are considered as good at taking damage as a Warrior however they do not deal damage near to the amount of a Warrior, Ranger or Monk. Their high Armour Class and Hit Points, strong defense skill and efficient healing abilities make them a very versatile member of any group and can also fight solo from about level 9 onwards (due to spells). The also have low on the lowest downtimes (time spent sitting recovering) than almost any other class.

A Paladins combat skills include Parry, Dodge, Bash, Riposte, Disarm and Taunt and they can almost max out (reach 255) in all of those abilities. With some of the Alternate Advancements the Paladin becomes even more powerful as a damage absorbing unit.

As a caster Paladins make a great backup healer in case of emergencies. Paladins receive a number of healing spells and hitpoint increasing buffs. They also receive armour class buffs, a series of self only strength buffs (Yaulps) and some disease and poison cures. Paladins also receive a line of ressurrection spells, very useful if the cleric dies and they are the last one left standing. Paladins also have a line of wards that blast undead to bits and also a self only enchantment that random deals extra damage to them.

The other large advantage of being a Paladin is the skill Lay on Hands. This is a unique skill to Paladins which allows them to heal anyone they target. It is restricted to healing a little more than the total amount of total hitpoints the Paladin currently has. As Paladins usually have the highest hitpoints in a group they can completely heal anyone that is close to them in level (Warriors being the exception). The skill can be used once every game day, which is around once every 93 minutes played time.

Statistics

Strength: Strength determines maximum and average damage and how quickly you learn many offensive skills.  As Paladins are two thirds of a melee class its good to have a high Strength. However Strength is one of the easiest statistics to gain through enchantments and equipment so most people skip it when creating a character.

Stamina: Stamina affects how many hit points you have and is important the higher and higher in level you get.

Agility: Agility affects how quickly you can learn some defensive skills and how much innate AC you have.

Dexterity: Dexterity affects how quickly you learn weapon skills, and how often your weapons will do its special attack (aka proc).

Wisdom: Wisdom affects the amount of mana a Paladin has.

Intelligence: Intelligence directly affects how quickly you can learn most skills and is considered the least important for a Paladin.

Charisma: This affects the amount you will be pay for goods from merchants, how much they will pay you for itmes and how often charm/stun spells effect you. Although Paladins in DND and lore are often full of charisma in EQ they do not need to be. The Cleric spell Divine Intervention gives you a chance of being brought back to life once you die depending on how much Charisma you have, but is a rare instance of when Charisma is life saving.

Picking the Right Race

Starting Statistics

Dwarf
Dwarves have the most hitpoints of all the races, as well as superior strength. They suffer from being very short in height and always short on beer. Dwarves have great night vision. They are considered the optimal race for a Paladin as their Strength and Wisdom help the class tremendously.

High Elf
High Elves offer the most wisdom, and can still hold reasonable melee stats.  Higher wisdom means they have more mana for casting spells than the other races but as Paladins are mediocre casters at best they are considered one of worst races to pick as a Paladin.

Half Elf
Half Elves are a mix between Human and High Elf. They have night vision, but have very mediocre Strength and Stamina, and terrible Wisdom. Which makes them a seldom picked race for Paladins.

Erudite
The Erudite Paladin unfortunately has very mediocre stats and no night vision. There are a number of good Erudite only Paladin items in the game, but the fact that most of their race points are in inteligence show why Eruidite is considered the worst race to pick as a Paladin. If you want to get noticed however an Erudite Paladin is a very rare site indeed.

Human
Humans also lack night vision. Humans are average in all attributes which means that they do not excel in any area, but they do not lack in any area either. Humans are often choosen for their average statistics so that they can fit into any role in a group or soloing. They can swim well, cast well, learn skills pretty fast and fight well.

Halfling
Halflings are another good choice for Paladins as they only really hurt in the Inteligence and Charisma areas neither of which effect a Paladin much.

Gnome
The Gnome Paladin is another rarely seen character. Their race abilities include high Inteligence, high Agility and high Dexterity. They also have low Strength and Wisdom. It should be obvious why they are rarely picked.

Frogluk
The Frogluk is a recent addition to the Paladin class. They have high Agility and Dexterity (higher AC and lots of weapon procs) and only really suffer when it comes to Charisma (Only slightly noticable when it comes to stun resists). Frogluks can hold their breath for extended periods of time and start with a swimming of 125.

Overal Conclusion
So in order of optimal Paladins it goes Dwarf, Frogluk, Halfling, Human, Half Elf, High Elf, Gnome and Erudite. Its no coincidence that this is also the reverse order of Inteligence and Charisma (Erudites being the only ones out of sync in Charisma).

If you play aggressively and plan on competing with Warriors as the main tank in a group or raid you will want to pick Dwarf or Frogluk.
If you play as secondary healer who fights, but also can act as a life saver in dangerous situations you will want to pick Halfling or High Elf.
If you Roleplay as a Knight of Round Table that can adapt to any environment with average to good abilities you will want to pick Human.
If you want to be someone that people stop, stare and say "Wow look at that Paladin!" then you might want to pick Erudite, Gnome or Halfing.

Spending Your Bonus Points

Paladins are probably the most defensive melee class in Everquest. They are the next best damage absorbers (aka tank) next to Warriors and they therefore need to make sure they have the optimum number of hitpoints if they plan on being viable in the high end game. Since stamina is directly linked to HP it is a vitally important statistic. Spending you points depends on your style of play.

The optimal Paladin would add all 20 points into Stamina to have huge amounts of Hit Points later in the game regardless of race.

If you play aggressively and plan on competing with Warriors as the main tank in a group or raid you will want to put points into Strength and Stamina. If you play as a Knight who can soak up damage, but can act as a life saver in dangerous situations you will want to put points into Stamina and Wisdom.
If you play as a secondary tank who deals damage, takes a few licks every once in a while and can help out the Cleric you will want to put points into Strength and Wisdom.

Below are suggestions for the average player:

• Dwarf:  Add 5 Agility, 15 Stamina - AC, Hit Points
• Erudite:  Add 5 Agility, 15 Stamina - AC, Hit Points
• Frogluk:  Add 15 Stamina, 5 Wisdom - Hitpoints, Spells
• Gnome: Add 5 Wisdom, 15 Stamina - Spells, Hit Points
• Half Elf:  Add 5 Wisdom, 15 Stamina - Spells, Hit Points
• Halfing: Add 15 Stamina, 5 Wisdom, - Hit Points, Spells
• High Elf: Add 15 Stamina, 5 Strength - Hitpoints, Fighting
• Human:  Add 15 Stamina, 5 Wisdom - Hitpoints, Spells

Average Player Suggested Statistics

Religion

Depending on your race you will be given a different number of these gods to choose from.  Selections include Karana, Rodcet Nife, Errolisi Marr, Mithaniel Marr, Prexus, Tunare, and Quellious.  A Paladins religions will also impact where your character can start.  Choosing a religion also changes which quests you can take part in. Most Paladins choose Mithaniel Marr - God of Truth or Rodcet Nife - The Primehealer. Your choosen diety also dictates what diety-specific armour you can wear and sometimes what quests you can do. Regardless of which diety you choose we all know that Mithanial Marr is the one true diety :).

More

Gods of Norrath
More on Skills

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