I was kind of surprised to see that very few builds with these classes had been posted, there is one but it goes for devastating critical. I belaboured over the balance of the strength and charisma totals, which could be modified to suit play style. In the end, I wanted a high enough charisma that I could get a defensive bonus from Divine Shield, while still managing an above average AB. The build should be really strong in no to mid magic settings, once you start getting +10 equipment you will start hitting caps and the build will lose its effectiveness. The weakness for this build is wizards and sorcerers, if it weren't for Acid Sheath (hard to use holy sword against that kind of reciprocal damage), the Bigby's spells (Even with RDD strength, I don't like his odds of making that STR check, though buffed I believe the odds are in his favor) and IGMS (he can take two, but more than that would be lethal) he would stand a good chance. Another potential weakness is shadowdancers, but if he can buy a couple scrolls of trueseeing he can manage against them quite readily.
Advantages
-Good AB. A 45 AB is pretty good, on top of that he can add paladin buffs and taunt -Good AC. With +5 equipment he can manage a 61 AC, this can be increased to 73 through the use of divine shield. Without any magical equipment he can manage a 50 AC buffed. -Level 4 Paladin Spells. He has access to many cleric buffs as well as holy sword. Also his caster level is high enough that only Mordenkainen's Disjunction can remove the buffs. -Level 2 Bard Spells. He has to take off his armor to cast, but he can get a few useful buffs out of these levels. -Divine Might and Divine Shield. He can add his charisma bonus to his damage and AC, he should be able to get them to last 10-12 rounds depending on equipment. -Good Taunt total. He has a 49 taunt, this isn't going to guarrantee a taunt against an opponent with a maxed concentration, but it should still be useful. -Ability to use mage scrolls and wands. Most scrolls and wands are useable by bards. -Good Saves. He should be able to make his saves against spells. -Imune to fear, sleep, disease, paralysis and fire. Immunities are always nice. -Knockdown. Improved Knockdown would be better, but this is useful against casters and enemies who can only be hit on a 20.
Disadvantages
-Mediocre Hitpoints. 488 is okay, and with a potion of endurance he can manage over 500. -Alignment change along Law-Chaos axis. It is a Law to Chaos change which isn't that bad, but it is hard, if not impossible in some settings, to manage this change.
Knight of Bahamut
Race Human
Alignment Lawful Good
Base Attributes STR 14 DEX 8 CON 14 INT 14 WIS 14 CHA 14
Attribute Bonuses Level 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 Attribute Bonuses go to Strength Level 36 and 40 Attribute Bonuses go to Charisma
Final Level Distribution Bard 4 Paladin 26 Red Dragon Disciple 10
Final Attributes STR 32 DEX 8 CON 16 INT 16 WIS 14 CHA 22
AB and Damage (no buffs, normal scimitar) 45/40/35/30 11+1D6 (15-20 x2)
(+4 to STR and +8 to CHA [Eagles's Splendor, Bull's Strength, Aura of Glory], divine might, bless, aid, prayer, divine favor, deafening clang, bless weapon, holy sword) 60/55/50/45 19+1D6 +3 sonic +5 magic +10 divine (+2D6 divine Vs. Undead) (+1D6 divine Vs. Evil) Deafen and Dispel on hit (15-20 x2)
(+12 to STR, +12 to CHA, keen Scimitar and everything else as above) 64/59/54/49 23+1D6 +3 sonic +5 magic +12 divine (+2D6 divine Vs. Undead) (+1D6 divine Vs. Evil) Deafen and Dispel on hit (12-20 x2)
Max AB: 71
AC 23 (Nothing) 34 (Mundane Full Plate and Tower Shield) 50 (As above, +4 to DEX, +8 to CHA, Divine Shield, Mage Armor) 73 (+4 to DEX, +12 to CHA, +5 Full Plate, +5 Tower Shield, Divine Shield, +5 amulet of natural armor, +5 ring of protection, Mage Armor, Boots of Speed)
Hit Points 488 (Max Every Level)
Final Saves (Vs. Spells) Fortitude 31 (40) Reflex 21 (30) Will 24 (33)
Bard Spells
Level 0: Cure Minor Wounds, Daze, Flare, Light, Resistance
Level 1: Grease, Mage Armor, Protection from Alignment
Amazing build. With AB, AC, and saves that high, you'll have no trouble (your HP isn't bad either...). Don't be afraid of acid sheath - a holy avenger should dispel it for you. Overall, very good ... I'm going to need to play this. Most verily. _________________ CATS!
Nice build. I think the reason you don't see many posted is due to the alignment shift. I know I have 2 or 3 in my stable (as I love the thought of a Bard/Pally mix), but I've never posted a build that requires a shift in alignment. Hmmm, perhaps I should revisit that policy, as it may serve to get the creative juices flowing again... _________________ Where I'm playing now: World of Greyhawk.
A single alignment shift on one axis isn't too bad IMO. I've posted a couple builds that use it. Unfortunately it's a lot easier to shift good-evil than law/chaos, or I bet paladin/bard combos would get pretty popular even without RDD thrown in - so few classes can make much use of charisma after all. And paladins can make very good use of it.
Solid build all around, I'm always happy to see characters who can use the divine feats well, but not depend too much on them. _________________ Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.