Which brings up the question, to what end do you want the class?
Just to improve the paladin's divine abilities, but to stay a paladin.
Huh... which abilities? There are several classes that increases different abilities in different ways and let you stay a paladin.
Paladin 5/paladin 15. Improves all of your paladin abilities and you stay a paladin.
Second.
If you want to stay a Paladin and progress Paladin abilities, that's it. Only a few Monk PrCs progress all the base class' abilities.
Maybe Pious Templar (CD), but it doesn't say you can multiclass with Paladin (which makes no sense). Or Gray Guard (CS).
Mostly the class is front loaded, by level 5 you have all the basics. The only things which improve are...
- Smite Evil (main special attack really).
- Lay On Hands (or substitute method of healing).
- Remove Disease (how much do you expect to use it?).
- Spellcasting (not very powerful, most paladin builds abandon it).
- Special Mount (this is the awkward one, in many campaigns the special mount gets overlooked, but in games where it gets used it needs to be full power to be effective).
- Turn Undead (mostly used for Divine Feats; a paladin's turning ability is not strong enough to deal with undead which are a threat to him).
So the question is which of these do you care about? Which will be improved by your class abilities.
One fine class is the Shadowstriker, a 3-level class which allows you to make your weapon do extra damage vs evil & undead for a short time, briefly make your weapon flaming, and improve your smite evil. They have another consecrate/holy burst ability but their main feature is being able to do lots of damage in a few rounds where needed.
The requirement for Shadowstriker is one of many (Domain) Devotion feats. My favourite is Healing Devotion, which is slow-acting but if you sacrifice a few (2 or 3) Turn Undead uses will easily provide healing for between combats. At levels 5-9, Healing Devotion could easily heal 60 or 80 hit points in a day, compare that to lay on hands, which at CHA 18 would heal 20-36 hp.
Another good class is Pious Templar. It improves your Smite, and actually overtakes paladin Spellcasting using the same spell list. They gain bonus combat feats as well. Many Paladin/Pious Templar builds use the Holy Warrior Variant from Complete Champion (which trades the paladin spell progression for bonus feats) because the spellcasting with both is more or less redundant, while the bonus feats from Holy Warrior and Pious Templar can complement each other very nicely.
Incidentally, Divine Grace + Mettle is a very solid defence.
Both of these options are very Smite-heavy, their main function is to hit evil so hard that it sees little demonic birds. The class features and divine feats also combine well together to support each other - for example Luminous Weapon + Divine Might can be around +10 damage per hit, combined with Smite Evil and possible Power Attack can be devestating (8th level, greatsword +1 with Weapon Focus, STR 18 and CHA 18 with minor stat-boosting items, Luminous Weapon + Divine Might, Smite Evil = Attack +15/+10, 2d6 + 25 damage).
Dracolyte gives you an extra domain and a wyrmling.
Platinum night gives you smite evil dragon.
Dragon rider, well the name is all that needs said. I think you can build up your Special mount to the point where you get a dragon with the right feats and or level.
Dragon Steed
[General]
(Dcn p105)
Ride: 8 ranks
Charisma 13
Speak Language
(Draconic)
You gain the service of a Dragonnel(Dcn p150) as a steed. It serves you loyally, like a Cohort.
If you have the Special Mount class feature (i.e., a Paladin or similar), the Dragonnel replaces your special
mount.
you might want to check the oriental adventures, I can't check my copy now but it has a load of prestige classes.
None, for a paladin though. The class wasn't allowed in a standard campaign of that type.
None, for a paladin though. The class wasn't allowed in a standard campaign of that type.
But you can still use the classes from it in whatever campaign setting you are in at DM's approval.
My personal favorite Paladin Prestige Class would be the Bone Knight in the Five Nations book.
While it is considered a "fallen Paladin" class, it continues to give you spells after the first level plus a handfull of death-centered spells, doesn't require you to be evil (just non-good). You retain your divine grace, lay on hands, aura of courage, divine health, and spells...you just can't continue gaining Paladin levels. You lose your mount but gain the ability to summon a skeletal mount. You lose your turning but can rebuke undead which allows you to control them instead. Plus it allows you to do a bunch of other cool necro abilities like take over control of your allies undead minions so they can continue making more or what have you, give turn resist to your minions permenantly, build bone armor and weapons that pack quite a punch (+1d6 versus living and later smite living) and give you undead-like resistances (versus stunning, nonlethal dmg, 50% crits and sneak, not hampered when disabled or dying, etc), create superior undead (Karrnathi Undead but can be reflavored)...etc.
It's rather badass.
