Half-Orc Ilmatari - Cleric? Paladin? What would be best?

[Khazrak]

On a couple different servers I played a half-orc paladin named Perik, and he worshiped Ilmater. It was a fun concept, but mechanically he was always the lesser version of other paladins: he hit hard, but couldn't Divine Might it up with the same vigor, and the stat points it took to put him at 10 INT were pretty hard bought.

I'm looking at rerolling this character here, but with more mechanical forethought. I want to make him an Ilmatari still, and I'd prefer him to be a paladin, but mostly I want an effective divine good-aligned build for a half-orc. Lawful Good preferable. I'd like this build to be more than a less effective counterpart to an Aasimar Paladin or Cleric if possible.

As far as RP value goes, he's meant to embody the mercy, patience, and compassion of Ilmater, with the wrathful side being invoked when true evil is committed. I don't plan on this character keeping a lot of wealth (donating to the poor > buying a new sword), so this is a case where being dependent on abundant resources is bad. (See: truckload of potions and wands = no, even though I normally advocate that.)

As far as classes go: ANYTHING DIVINE AND GOOD-ALIGNED WORKS. I'm open to suggestions of all sorts here. I'd prefer there be a martial lean or paladin focus, but that does not have to be the case.

So! Where do I start?

EDIT: Bonus points if the Divinate paladin kit is put to good use somehow. I'm really intrigued by that kit and have been wanting to try it. But again: Anything goes.

[MrPsion]

Half Orc Barb/SS is not to be underestimated, though you will need to eschew spells with DC and you will need a different god. Druid can work too. Primal RP can be good.

[Khazrak]

Has to worship Ilmater. That's the one real requirement: half-orc that worships Ilmater and embodies his martyr virtues is the core to the character concept.

[Sun Wukong]

You should roll a strength/wisdom based Cavalier. You can go full 30 Paladin.

[Khazrak]

You should roll a strength/wisdom based Cavalier. You can go full 30 Paladin.

Huh. I actually like that a lot. I think I may just go that route. Thanks.

I didn't think I'd ever roll a smite paladin but favored enemy + smite... Huh. Can Cavaliers get Bane of Enemies?

And in general, what are some good categories for good-aligned adventurers' Favored Enemies? Undead and Outsiders seem very obvious, with Drow for possible PvP as a late pick.

I'll tinker with a build and throw it here soonish.

[Sun Wukong]

No, you cannot get Bane of Enemies. But you get +5 damage on 5 different types of foes.

As for Great Smite feats, those require 25 charisma, so you cannot get more than what the kit offers on a Strength based build. A level 30 Paladin/Cavalier would do +60 damage with Smite Evil. Basically you are better off with regular attacks. But with high base strength, and +8 from your spells, do you really need to use smites so often?


Undead, Outsiders, Giants, Elementals...?

[Khazrak]

Okay. So I started looking at stat arrays, and here's a few I'm toying with (balancing optimization with RP value):

18/8/15/10/14/12 is a fairly balanced setup with just enough CHA to take advantage of Divine Grace. Low DEX means mithral full plate is wasted on this guy, but +4 DEX items exist and so this might be a bearable array. Notably, an Aasimar can get the exact same stat spread with zero points left over. Bump CON at 4, then STR ever 4 levels after, and this character is fairly durable.

19/9/16/8/14/8 is another possible stat array if I want to ignore Charisma by and large. The character is wise, and is a bit slow, but not a dunce. 19 STR = impossible for an Aasimar to achieve at level 1, and we end with 26 STR before factoring in Epic Strength feats. All-in-all a sturdy setup, and hopefully it's not hulloz territory. (Swapping DEX and INT is worse build-wise, but may be more believable to avoid being a 'hulloz' orc.)

18/8/16/10/14/10 could work, perhaps? Once again, an Aasimar can get this same exact stat array with no points left over, but they've got an XP penalty to deal with. It's tough, strong, and checks out as "not a dumbass." Maybe this is the right block? Divine Grace will get boosted by items and spells (up to a possible +8 charisma, putting us at 18, or +4 to all saves). That seems reasonable for a non-CHA oriented character. Yes?

[Sun Wukong]

I would pick the last option.

[Khazrak]

I'm curious - should I be taking Imp. Favored Enemy for all my favored enemies? That's a lot of feats to spend (5). But the +3 extra damage looks tasty.

[Sun Wukong]

If you can take Improved Favored Enemy feats, you might actually get +5 damage.

[Khazrak]

Can confirm, I can take 'em in-game. It's a juicy prospect if actually +5.

[Sun Wukong]

If you have nothing else to spend the feats for, I think you have found what you want.