Oblivion Character Build: The Paladin

In our first trek back into Oblivion, we'll be examining the Paladin class and how to you can create an effective paladin.  We will also explore some tips and advise for the play style and role-playing applications of the Paladin class and how it can interact with certain quest lines.

Disclaimer:  The guides laid out within this blog relate the role-player, not the power gamer   

THE PALADIN


Paladin literally means 'to be a champion of a cause'.  In role-playing games this usually translates to a Champion of good.  The Paladin champions the cause of good by hunting down and vanquishing evil and by providing assistance and protection to the weak or meager.  It is also important to note that that in many cases Paladin's are also the champions of a divine being of principle, and through their devotion they are rewarded with powers that aid and protect them in their battle against evil.  Because of their role as defenders of the weak and vanquishers of evil, Paladins are trained in the art of combat.

Paladins are first and foremost, a front-line fighter.  Their magical ability to protect and heal themselves is supplementary.  In our adventure building a paladin we will examine several options.  We will discuss race, birth signs  and finally building the actual class.

RACE
Our first step is to decide upon a race.  As with any role-playing character concept, this is largely based on personal preference, however, some races are better suited to different roles.  Lets take a look at our top three options and their associated benefits and drawbacks.

1.     Redguard:  Redguards generally start with higher Endurance and Strength than other races of Tamriel which make them very well suited to deal with the physical rigors of combating evil within the hellish realms of Oblivion.  Redguards do however, start with lower scores in intelligence, personality and willpower which can hamper the Redguard Paladin's ability to use protective and healing magic.  Redguards are more naturally talented in combat than any other race.  The Redguards high constitution grants him or her a high resistance to the abhorrent disease of the undead and the vicious poisons of deadly assassins and rogues. In addition, Redguards can force their bodies into a state of Adrenaline Rush, greatly increasing their combat prowess.
Summary:
+10 Strength and Endurance; -10 Intelligence, Personality, and Willpower
+10 Athletics, Blade, and Blunt; +5 Heavy Armor, Light Armor, and Mercantile
75% Resistance to Poison and Disease
Adrenaline Rush:  +50 Agility, Endurance, Speed, Strength, and +25 Health for 60 seconds

2.     Orc:  If the Redguard is the offensive melee powerhouse, then the Orc is his opposite.  Orcs generally start with higher Endurance and Willpower than the other races of Tamriel which greatly increase their survivability against both melee combatants and spell-casters. Orcs do generally start with lower Intelligence and Speed which makes spell-casting more difficult for them than other races. Orcs have naturally affinity with protecting themselves by creating and using shields and heavy armor.  While Orcs are not generally magically inclined they do have an innate resistance to magic, and when pushed they can unleash a righteous fury upon enemies.
Summary:
+10 Endurance and Willpower; -10 Intelligence and Speed
+10 Armorer, Block, Blunt, Heavy Armor, and +5 Hand-to-Hand
25% Resistance to Magic
Berserk:  +200 Fatigue, +50 Strength, +20 Health, and -100 Agility

3.     Nord:  The Nords are the toughened warriors from the frigid land of Skyrim to the north.  Nords are skilled warriors with a working knowledge of restoration magic.  The Nord's share physical characteristics with the Redguards.  Nords are at home in the frigid temperatures of Skyrim and have a natural resistance to frost.  The Nordic Paladin has had a great deal of training with all types of melee weapons and is comfortable in Heavy armor.
Summary:
+10 Strength and Endurance; -10 Intelligence, Personality, and Willpower
+10 Blade, Blunt, Heavy Armor; +5 Armorer and Block
50% Resistance to Frost
30% Shield for 60 Seconds
50 Points of Frost Damage on Touch:  Usable once per day


BIRTHSIGNS:
The next step in developing our Paladin is the choosing of a birth sign.  As with race the choose of birth sign depends on a particular concept, however these are the best suited, in my opinion, to the Paladin.

1.     The Warrior:  The simplest, and arguably most powerful birth sign that a Paladin can be born under is the sign of The Warrior.  Those born under this sign are blessed with enhanced Strength and Endurance.  This birth sign will allow the Paladin's attacks to strike harder and truer against his enemies.  +10 Strength and Endurance

2.     The Lady:  This is another very basic and useful birth sign for the Paladin as it increases two important attributes:  Endurance and Willpower.  With this birth sign, the paladin is better suited to battling enemy spellcasters.  +10 Endurance and Willpower.

3.     The Ritual:  This is a unique option for birthsigns.  With the ability to use a powerful self heal once per day and a turn undead spell, it allows the Paladin to specialize more in the destruction of undead abominations.  Paladins born under this sign play more closely to traditional Pencil and Paper versions of the Paladin.  Restore Health 200 points and Turn Undead level 25 for 30 seconds.


CLASS GENERATION
There is no premade "Paladin" class for Oblivion.  The closest option of premade characters is the "Crusader, which unfortunately doesn't really capture the essence of a Paladin,  so a custom class will need to be created by the player.

1.     Specialization:  The Paladin is foremost a melee combatant, relying primarily on heavy arms and armor.  He wades into the thick of evil and smites it down with a flaming sword of justice.  The Paladin will always choose "Combat" as his Specialization.  This specialization will increase the following skills by 10 points:  Armorer, Athletics, Blade, Block, Blunt, Hand-to-Hand, and Heavy Armor

2.     Favored Attributes:  Due to the Paladin's role as a front line fighter, he or she will need the ability to soak up damage.  Therefore, many attributes are essential to the Paladin's survival however, the most important is Endurance.  Endurance increases the Paladin's health and fatigue pools.  After Endurance, the next most important attributes are Strength, which increases the paladins ability to damage his opponents and carry additional gear; and Willpower, which not only increases how quickly his magicka pool refills but also determines how likely he is to shrug off the affects of an enemies spell.
Summary:
Endurance - Increases Health and Fatigue Pools
Strength - Increases Physical Damage and carrying capacity
Willpower - Increases Magicka regeneration and ability to resist offensive spells

3.     Skills:  Each class must choose seven skills at which they excel above all others.  Now that we've discussed the role that a Paladin can play, lets delve into what skills that a Paladin requires.

Heavy Armor - As melee combatants, a Paladin can not afford to skimp on protection.  Often the Paladin may find himself surround by a small army of claws, blades, and clubs.  He must be comfortable in the heaviest of armors.
Blade OR Blunt - The Paladin needs a weapon as strong as he.  Whether he wields an axe, sword, or mace he must be proficient in its use to vanquish his enemies.
Armorer - As the Paladin travels deeper into the dark, dank dungeons or realms of Oblivion his armor and weapon will become damaged.  The more damaged the item becomes the less effective it will become, and if it breaks it will be unusable.  A Paladin will prepare for this and bring along a few repair hammers to beat the dings or nicks out of his gear.
Restoration - We've discussed the importance of combat in a Paladin's life, but very little of the magical side of his training, but it is a very important aspect of his abilities.  Restoration magic allows the Paladin to heal himself in combat or after combat.  Restoration magic also allows the paladin to buff himself before combat or remove poisons and diseases.
Alteration - The other school of magic that is vital to the survival of the Paladin is Alteration, which allows the caster to 'alter' the fabric of reality.  -          The paladin can use this school of magic to protect himself from physical and magical harm and lighten his pack allowing him to carry more gear.  This school of magic Provides the Paladin with spells that Shield him from physical, fire, frost and shock damage and Ease Burdens.
Speechcraft - Not all evils hide in the damp dark dungeons of the world.  And the Paladin cannot rely solely upon his blade and armor when entering town.  A strong and charismatic personality is a requisite to root out the evil-doers within town, whether gaining information from bystanders or coercing villains into revealing information.


GUILDS/QUESTS
The Paladin is a perfect candidate to complete the main quest line.  He is a defensive and offensive powerhouse who can rely on protective and healing magic to stay alive in the thick of combat.  The Paladin should also consider joining the mage's guild as an avenue to train his spellcasting ability and to combat the mage's guild's enemy, the Necromancers.  The Paladin should also consider joining the Fighters guild as they can help enhance his combat prowess and only allow upstanding citizens into their ranks.

SPELLS
While a Paladin generally doesn't rely on a large amount of spells there are a few that are essential to his quest to destroy evil and protect the weak.

Restore Health on Self:  This is a very important spell for the Paladin to have as he will be taking a lot of damage in melee combat.  There are two varieties of spells (to be made at spell altars): one is the in combat regeneration (small amount of healing over time) these are generally less expensive to make and cast; and two is the instant heal (use these as emergency heals) as they are quite expensive to cast.
Restore Health on Touch:  This is an often overlooked spell as Paladin's are often traveling alone.  However, sometimes the Paladin is accompanied by a companion or even a horse.  And it's the Paladin's responsibility to help keep him or her alive.
Shield:  This spell protects the Paladin from income damage by boosting his defense rating.  This spell comes in three additional varities:  Fire, Frost, and Shock which, in addition to protecting from physical damage also reduce damage dealt by elemental sources such as spells.
Fortify Attribute:  These spells bolster the Paladin's attributes allowing him to better combat the forces of evil.
Light:  Evil hides in the darkest of places and the Paladin can not hold a torch while fighting.



SAMPLE PALADIN BUILDS

The Vanguard
Race:     Orc; Birth sign:     The Lady
Class:  Paladin;     Specialization:  Combat;  Favored Attributes:  Endurance and Willpower
Attributes at Level One:
Health  140, Magicka 60;  Fatigue 225;  Encumbrance 90
Agility     35
Endurance     70
Intelligence     30
Luck     50
Personality     30
Speed     30
Strength     45
Willpower     70
Major Skills:     Alteration 25;  Armorer 45;  Block 45;  Blunt 45;  Heavy Armor 45;  Restoration 25;  Speechcraft 25
Minor Skills:     Acrobatics 5;  Alchemy 5;  Athletics 15;  Blade 15;  Conjuration 5;  Destruction 5;  Hand-to-Hand 20;  Illusion 5;  Light Armor 5;  Marksman 5;  Mercantile 5;  Mystiscism 5;  Security 5; Sneak 5
Misc:  25% resistance to magic;  Berserk

PLAYSTYLE
The Vanguard is a primarily defensive Paladin, he is cautious and tactical.  He weighs his opponents carefully before combat.  He realizes the ramifications of not being prepared to properly face his enemies.  He usually  carries several potions and scrolls that will help him resolve situations such as poisons, disease, reduced attributes or skills or even locked doors.  He outfits himself with a full suit of heavy armor along with a one-handed mace or axe and shield.  The vanguard is an expert at using the terrain to his advantage, often weaving  between pillars to avoid an enemy's arrows or spells or luring multiple melee combatants into a narrow corridor and using his shield to wait for an openly to land a telling blow.

The Inquisitor

Race:     Redguard; Birth sign:     The Warrior

Class:  Paladin;     Specialization:  Combat;  Favored Attributes:  Endurance and Willpower

Attributes at Level One:

Health  140, Magicka 60;  Fatigue 210;  Encumbrance 140

Agility     40

Endurance     70

Intelligence     30

Luck     50

Personality     30

Speed     40

Strength     70

Willpower     30

Major Skills:     Alteration 25;  Armorer 35;  Block 35;  Blade 45;  Heavy Armor 40;  Restoration 25;  Speechcraft 25

Minor Skills:     Acrobatics 5;  Alchemy 5;  Athletics 25;  Blunt 25;  Conjuration 5;  Destruction 5;  Hand-to-Hand 15;  Illusion 5;  Light Armor 10;  Marksman 5;  Mercantile 10;  Mystiscism 5;  Security 5; Sneak 5

Misc:  75% resistance to poison and disease;  Adrenaline Rush

PLAYSTYLE
The Inquisitor attacks first and asks questions later.  The Inquisitor knows the harm that unchecked evil can cause, he's seen the pain and misery that it causes first hand.  He's dedicated his life to hunting down any and all evil to destroy it.  He trades the protection of a shield for the extra potency of a two handed greatsword.  His tactics usually involve charging forward in a power attack to slay the enemy before they can land a counter attack.  He generally only relies on himself or a small reserve of potions for healing or magical protection, he also understands that evil can reside in the darkest places hidden behind locked doors so he's learned the basic tenants of dealing with tumblers.


I hope you enjoyed this guide to building and play the Paladin, in The Elder Scrolls 4:  Oblivion.  Look for more guilds and make sure to let me know what you think of this post or if you have any requests.