1. Can I get a neat spell list somewhere? There's none in my manual. :(

2. Are the spells worth getting aasimar race with 16 WIS and Spellcasting Prodigy feat instead of a regular 14 WIS human paladin? Numbers-wise, the difference is that 16 WIS gives you a bonus level 3 spell (and also means you get it earlier than normal in case of a paladin), while SP would also add a level 4 spell to your bonus list (also getting it earlier than your normal level 4 spells). Alternatively, is human with SP, or aasimar without SP (but a different feat instead), a better choice?

3. Power Attack and Cleave, do I need any of these two or can I live without? I probably need Power Attack for Divine Might, but, in this case, is Cleave worth the feat slot if you already have PA, or are there better picks? Or maybe PA and DM aren't worth it either?

4. Do I need a ton of HP? The game seems to make it easy to accumulate some, as CON is no longer so costly with more points to spare, while there is also Toughness... But of course, I have better uses for the points and feat slots. So, is d10 per level with 10 CON enough to play comfortably or will I need a lot of healing, resting, reloading etc?

5. Able Learner and human with 14 INT or aasimar with 16 (don't ask... I just make paladins with 16 INT sometimes) seems to be a nice choice for some extracurricular skills. ;) Are the skills in the OC worth it?

6. Does the PC seem to benefit from really large CHA/Diplomacy values?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I don't have the list in front of me now to see the Paladin spell list, but the Ranger spell list wasn't anything special.

Cleave (and Great Cleave) is certainly useful because there are frequent mobs of enemies.

I wouldn't say you need a ton of HP; my Ranger had a 10 CON, and I never felt like I was too short on HP.

There are lots of skills in the OC, especially if you want to craft your own arms and armor.

I don't know about the CHA/Diplomacy benefit since I had none :) But it seemed like there was lots of opportunity for it to be useful.

Is crafting worth taking or am I equally as well off with henchmen doing it for me? ;) And do skills pop up in dialogues, other than bluff/diplomacy/intimidate? ;)

/me mourns the lack of Sense Motive ;)

Thanks for coming to my aid so quickly. :)

If you happen to like the henchman with the crafting skills you want (or you give those skills/feats to them during level-up) then sure that's fine for crafting. There is at least one significant thing in the game which necessitates a conversation to use your crafting skills to improve something, so you would not be able to if your character did not have them (which is not a big deal really).

But it's more of a pain to rearrange your party, so if you don't often use the NPC(s) with the crafting skills/feats that you want to use, then crafting becomes pretty inconvenient.

As for other skills, yes there are situations where other skills are used in dialogs to accomplish something. I can recall Lore, Survival, Search... maybe some others.

That "one significant thing" is currently bugged and not really worth bothering with.

You'll get lots of henchmen, so there's not much point in a Paladin with 14 or 16 Intelligence. Let henchmen do the crafting. Put points into Diplomacy and maybe Taunt and Heal. No need for Able Learner.

Paladin spells are mostly buffing, so there's no point in taking Spellcasting Prodigy.

Power Attack, Cleave and Great Cleave would be good choices. Extra Turning would come in handy as well.

Real paladins don't take power attack and cleave!! Any reckless barabarian or fighter can recklessly hack at an opponent, paladins are more...precise.

PLaying a paladin in my first run, I found Diplomacy extremely useful, and I earn just enough skill points to have a high craft armor, and a decent craft weapon rank. I only went to 14 on Wisdom, as you can only cast 4th level spells.

Taking levels in Divine Champion and Neverwinter Nine also added significant bonuses to my character. I also chose extra smiting - that helps a lot!! But otherwise, I usually take feats that make an interesting character. I took:

Luck of Heroes and Exotic Weapons at 1st level
Weapon focus in Longsword and Bastard Sword
Power Weapon in Longsword and Bastard Sword
Skill Focus: Diplomacy

I can't remember the rest...I'll post them later.