Guide to Paladin Feats

By Nuitaran



href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=142">Paladins,
like barbarians and rangers, are a melee class severely lacking in
slots for Feats. href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=55">Human
paladins will have the opportunity to select six Feats over a 12 level
career; other races only get five. Choosing Feats for a paladin can
take some careful thought and planning to avoid having numerous
re-rolls or spending oodles of platinum buying feat re-specs. While my
family slaved over a hot stove, I spent my Thanksgiving slaving over a
hot video card to get the best experience I could get out of the Risia
Server with paladin Feats. We have rated the Feats below based on our
experience as to which are going to be most helpful and useful. Feats
are rated on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best.



A rating of 1 or 2 means the Feat is pretty much useless to a paladin
and one that you probably want to avoid.  A rating of 3 indicates
that the Feat can be used with some careful planning, or with certain
class combinations. We reserve a rating of 4 only for those Feats that
are almost necessary picks for certain types of builds, or class
combinations. A rating of 5 designates the best of the paladin Feats
and ones players should seriously consider for any href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?meid=5#Pal_Builds">DDO
Build for paladins.



To help you navigate the many Feats, just click on
the range of Feats below to move to that spot in the guide:

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1. Acrobatic
2. Alertness
3. Athletic
4. Bullheaded
5. Cleave
6. Combast Casting
   
7. Combat Expertise
8. Discipline
9. Dodge
10. Empowered Healing
    

11. Eschew Materials
12. Exotic Weapon Proficiency
13. Extend Spell
14. Extra Turning
15. Great Cleave
16. Great Fortitude
17. Greater Two Handed Fighting
18. Greater Two Weapon Fighting
    
19. Greater Weapon Focus
20. Improved Critical

21. Improved Feint
22. Improved Mental Toughness
    
23. Improved Precise Shot
24. Improved Shield Bash
25. Improved Shield Mastery
26. Improved Sunder
27. Improved Trip
28. Improved Two Handed Fighting
29. Improved Two Weapon Fighting
30. Iron Will

31. Lightning Reflexes
32. Luck of the Heroes
33. Many Shot
34. Mental Toughness
35. Mobile Spellcasting
36. Mobility
37. Negotiator
38. Nimble Fingers
39. Point Blank Shot
40. Power Attack

41. Precise Shot
42. Precision
43. Quick Draw
44. Quicken Spell
45. Rapid Reload
46. Rapid Shot
47. Resilience
48. Resist Poison
49. Sap
50. Self Sufficient
51. Shot on the Run

51. Shield Mastery
52. Skill Focus
53. Slicing Blow
54. Snake Blood
55. Spring Attack
56. Stealthy
57. Stunning Blow
58. Toughness
59. Tower Shield Proficiency
    
60. Two Handed Fighting

style="font-weight: bold;">Paladin Feats

href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=370">61-67

61. Two Weapon Blocking
62. Two Weapon Block
63. Two Weapon Defense
64. Two Weapon Fighting
65. Weapon Finesse
66. Weapon Focus
67. Whirlwind Attack

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1.
Acrobatic

Official Text: "You have excellent body awareness and coordination. You
receive a +2 bonus on Jump checks and Tumble checks."



Comments: This can easily be made up for with skill points. With
limited Feat selection, there are better options out there.



Rating:
1
style="vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(219, 201, 125);"> style="font-weight: bold;">2. Alertness

Official Text: "You have finely tuned senses. You receive a +2 bonus on
Listen checks and Spot checks."



Comments: Leave the Listening and Spotting to the rangers and the
rogues.



Rating: 1
3.
Athletic

Official Text: "You have a knack for athletic endeavors. You receive a
+2 bonus on Balance checks and Swim checks."



Comments: Balance is becoming increasingly important in DDO thanks to
the overuse of Trip by enemies, but doesn't warrant a Feat slot. A good
Swim Skill is good for anybody, but items of Water Breathing are far
too common to make this boost to the Swim Skill worthwhile.



Rating:
1
style="vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(219, 201, 125);"> style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> style="color: rgb(154, 185, 124);"> style="font-weight: bold;">4. Bullheaded

Official Text: "You are exceptionally headstrong and
difficult to sway. You receive a +1 on all Will saves and +2 bonus on
Intimidate checks."



Comments: With a Paladins already high saving throws and high Charisma,
this one is not at all necessary.



Rating: 1
style="font-weight: bold;"> style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> style="color: rgb(154, 185, 124);"> style="font-weight: bold;">5. Cleave

Official Text: "Activate this ability to attack one or more enemies in
an arc in front of you."



Prerequisite: Power Attack



Comments: This should be left to the fighters.



Rating:
1
style="vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(219, 201, 125);"> style="font-weight: bold;"> style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> style="color: rgb(154, 185, 124);"> style="font-weight: bold;">6. Combat Casting href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album03&id=185_G&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php"> alt="sleeping_mobs"
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Official Text: “You gain a +4 bonus on Concentration checks when
damaged in combat.”



Prerequisite: Able to cast spells



Comments: A paladin's spells are not essential enough to warrant
spending a Feat ensuring they are not interrupted in combat. Most
paladins will find it rare to even cast spells during combat as they
should be on the front line taking as much aggro as they can.



Rating: 1
style="font-weight: bold;"> style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> style="color: rgb(154, 185, 124);"> style="font-weight: bold;">7. Combat Expertise

Official Text: "While using Combat Expertise mode, you trade your
attack bonus for extra AC. Casting a spell ends this mode."



Prerequisite: Intelligence 13



Comments: If Improved Trip isn’t in your plan, this Feat shouldn’t be
either. A Paladin already has a high Armor Class, and with less of a
chance to increase your attack bonus than a fighter, sacrificing more
of it isn’t a great idea.



Rating:
3
style="vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(219, 201, 125);"> style="font-weight: bold;"> style="font-weight: bold;">8. Discipline

Official Text: "You are difficult to distract with spell
or blow. You receive a +1 on all Will saves and +2 bonus on
Concentration checks."



Comments: As with Bullheaded, a paladin's saves don’t need boosting
with Feats, and Concentration is not a useful Skill for them.



Rating: 1

style="font-weight: bold;"> style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(154, 185, 124);"> style="font-weight: bold;">9. Dodge

Official Text: "Grants you a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class."



Prerequisite: Dexterity 13



Comments: There's never anything wrong with Dodge as getting hit less
means staying alive longer. It also leads to Spring Attack, a Feat that
I personally swear by. If this one fits into your plan it’s a must-have.



Rating:
4
style="vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(219, 201, 125);"> style="font-weight: bold;"> style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> style="color: rgb(154, 185, 124);"> style="font-weight: bold;">10. Empower Healing Spell   


Official Text: “While this metamagic feat is active, healing spells are
more effective, but they consume additional spell points.”



Prerequisite: Able to cast healing spells



Comments: You won’t be casting enough healing spells to justify this,
nor will you have enough spell points to support it. There are much
better choices out there. Leave it to the clerics and maybe the bards.



Rating: 1