-2- The Job

==================



2A) The Paladin

---------------



Alright, so what's a Paladin?



"Similar to warriors, paladins excel in close combat. However, intensive

spiritual training allows them to learn white magic spells as well."



A Paladin is a holy knight with the ability to cast white magic, with

great defensive stats. The Paladin is arguably the best tanking class

in the game, because it not only has defensive bonuses and the ability

to equip the best armor, it also has great hate-building tools, such as

white spells like Flash.



What's the Paladin's job in a party?



The Paladin's job in a party is simple: It is to take damage instead of

the ones with less defense and HP in a party, such as mages. A bad

tanking Paladin can result in death.



What defines a good Paladin?



A good Paladin is one that can generate enough hate during battle to

keep the enemy attacking it, and not other party members. To do this,

Paladins must use their hate-producing abilities. At low levels, it

isn't hard to keep an enemy attacking you, but it gets harder as levels

go up...



Are Paladins rare? Original? Unique?



Paladins are the most numerous of advanced jobs, followed by Dark Knight.

However, this doesn't mean they have trouble finding party like some other

numerous jobs, in fact, to my experience, one of the most needed advanced

jobs in a party is a Paladin. If you're looking for uniqueness, perhaps this

isn't for you... Try, say, being a Galka BST/SAM. Now that's unique!



I heard I get to solo a lot! Is this true?



You'll never solo like a Beastmaster can, but you can do low-level soloing

until like level 14 or 15. After that, it's possible to solo some monsters,

but the exp will never be as good as a full party's can be...

I once met a Paladin guy that just hated looking for parties, and... you know,

all the whole 6-people-party routine, so he asked one of his best friends

(a Dark Knight), to go low-level exp hunting, and it worked out pretty well,

but the exp wasn't enough... So they decided to get a third member, and they

asked a Black Mage with White Mage subjob, and they were able to kick some

serious low-level monster behind. The point of all this bedtime story is that

it isn't necessary until high-level to follow the 6-people-party routine...

A lot of people don't like it, if you don't, try something different first!



So what race should you pick for your Paladin?



This is one of the most frequently asked questions about Paladins.

If you're going strictly for stats and effectiveness, Tarus and Mithras

are out of the competition, leaving Hume, Elvaan and Galka.



Here are the level 75 stats for each:



---------------------------------------------------------------

Job | HP | MP | STR | DEX | VIT | AGI | INT | MND | CHR |

---------------------------------------------------------------

Hume | 1333 | 312 | 76 | 62 | 77 | 53 | 49 | 66 | 67 |

Elvaan | 1454 | 236 | 85 | 59 | 82 | 45 | 41 | 75 | 67 |

Galka | 1605 | 121 | 81 | 62 | 91 | 50 | 46 | 66 | 59 |

---------------------------------------------------------------



Galka have the more HP and VIT, making a great Paladin, but lacks MP, which

is needed a lot to produce hate.



Elvaan have the best MND (which affects white magic directly), good HP and

VIT, but have the same problem as Galkas: They'll run out of MP too soon.



Humes will have no MP problems, and they have the same MND as Galkas, but

lower HP and VIT than the previous two.



I say the three races are pretty balanced as Paladins, choose depending

of what you want to do as a Paladin...



--

After a lot of e-mails asking me why I discarded Tarutarus out of the race

picking section, I've decided to include one of the best mails about this.



Tarutaru PLD/WHM are arguably the best tanks in the game. Their Defense can

be just as high as any other Race/Subjob combination and Taru evasion is

second only to Mithra. With their deep MP reservers, a Taru PLD/WHM can chain

cast Cure to generate more hate than a War's provoke. To play as a Taru

PLD/WHM, Draw the monster from afar with Dia and begin attacking. Instruct

any other healers in the party to not heal you unless you go into the Red.

Learn how much each lvl cure heals and cast that as soon as you take that

much damage.



For example, if you take 30 damage and your Cure I heals up to 30, cast

Cure I to heal yourself and draw hate away from the rest of the party.

Healing yourself draws an immense amount of hate. Act as a backup healer

as required. Once you hit Lvl 30 PLD/WHM use Divine Seal + Cure III to draw

enough hate to last the rest of the battle. at Lvl 32 you can now use

Divine Seal + Curaga to generate even more hate! Flash at lvl 37 PLD is

designed to generate nothing but Hate.



You will also gain access to Blink to evade even more attacks, Stoneskin to

take less damage, and Raise at lvl 50 versus lvl 75 to make you the perfect

party tank.



Tarutaru PLD/WHM are the best solo players in the game.

You have access to Invisible/Sneak much like the ranger to avoid trouble

before it starts. Your ridiculous Defense along with

Parlyze/Slow/Blink/Stoneskin/BarSpells will let you take less damage while

Dias let you deal more.



Last argument: 8 MP=30HP So at lvl 70 PLD



Taru: 876 + 8*505 = 4916 HP

Hume: 1087 + 8*292 = 3433 HP

Mithra: 1087 + 8*292 = 3433 HP

Elvan: 1198 + 8*221 = 2966 HP

Galka: 1339 + 8*113 = 2243 HP



Obviously, for effective HP, more MP is king. Oh, and did I mention above that

those numbers do not take into account a subjob of WHM (read: even more MP)

nor that Tarutaru have much better AGI/Evasion and will take less hits while

connecting on more hits.



Granted, Tarutaru are not damage dealers, but you didn't pick PLD to be a

damage dealer anyway.



--



My opinion: That could be a good strategy, especially at higher levels when

making enough hate is harder, but it's also a bit harder to play, just voking

stuff makes things a lot easier.



2B) Unlocking the Job

---------------------



How do I unlock the job?



The quest to unlock the Paladin job is relatively easy. You must be (as with

all advanced jobs) level 30 before talking to the start NPC.



First, go to San d'Oria South, and talk to Balasiel. He's located in F-7.

After you talk to him, you just need to bring him a Revival Tree Root, which

is randomly dropped by some undead, like hounds and ghosts. You can also try

your luck at the Auction House, but I'm not sure about the prices.



Second, you need to go to Ordelles Cave. Go to G-7 and you'll find a pool of

water. Touch the ??? there, and then touch the ??? on a sandy spot near the

pool. After you touch both, you'll get an item, which you have to bring back

to Balasiel (trade it to him). Remember that monsters are aggro here if

you're low-level, so either do it with a party or be careful.



Third, go to talk to Cahaurme at J-9 in South San d'Oria (in a guard post),

and Baurise at H-9. Now go to Davoi and examine the well between D-10 and E-10

and you'll get the Knight's Soul.



Triplet from Shiva (ztttz@pol.com) has submitted the following Davoi guide:



--



Obtaining the Knights Soul is a dangerous task. Even a group of level 60

players will have trouble keeping a level 30 player alive since even a very

well equipped WHM can only take one hit.



Stealth is therefore your best option. Take a party no larger than two

people, one of which has the ability to cast Sneak and Invisible.

All of the Orcs detect by Sight and the Pugils/Lizards detect by Sound.

Yes they aggro, yes they link, and yes you will be killed if you do not keep

both up at all times.



Navigation: It is highly recommened to buy a map from Violitte in Southern

San d'Oria (G-10). Enter Davoi and head due south until you come to a lake at

J-7:J-8. Head West along the north end of the lake and then southwest to I-8

where there is a broken bridge. Step off of the bridge down into the river.

Stay in the river until advised not to do so! Head south in the river until

it comes to a fork (I-9) and head West. Take the river west all the way to E-8

and exit the river to the South. Continue South until you come to a wall then

follow that wall SE to the Well (E-10). A Davoi Slime guards the well, and you

cannot touch the well while invisibile. Fortunately the Slime detects by Sound

so you can stand right next to it and click on the well.



Exiting: Well worth the money to buy the conquest item Scroll of Instant Warp

and just use it to leave if you have the 750 gil. Head North West back to the

river and Follow the River East back to the fork at (I-9). This time head South

in the river until you read J-10 right before it ends and exit the river

Eastward.

Head East until K-10 and head due North until you exit the zone at J-6.



Last notes: Even though the pugil in the river detect by sound alone, you have

to have invisiblity on or an Orcish Farkiller (Ranger) will shoot you for 348

damage between the eyes. Just keep both up at all times. If you fall below

level 30 while doing this quest, you can still recieve the Paladin job so long

as you recieved the Knights quest before heading to Davoi.



--



Return this item to Balasiel, and boom! You can now be a Paladin.



Woo! On to the good stuff.





2C) Abilities and Spells

------------------------



Lvl. = Level in which the ability/spell is aquired.

Dur. = Duration of the ability.

CT. = Cast time. (Spells only)

RC. = Recast time. ("Cooloff" time)

Rt. = Rating. (Based on the usefulness of that spell or ability on a Paladin,

not in general.)



(Active) ::



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ability Name | Lvl | Dur. | RC. | Target | Effect | Rt. |

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Invincibility | 01 | 30s. | 2h. | Single | Zero physical damage. |*****|

Holy Circle | 05 | 01m. | 10m.| Party | Party Def vs undead up. |*** |

Shield Bash | 15 | --- | 5m. | Single | Slams enemy with Shield. |**** |

Sentinel | 30 | 30s. | 5m. | Single | Single Def up. |**** |

Cover | 35 | 30s. | 5m. | Single | "Protect" party member. |**** |

----------------------------------------------------------------------------



(Passive) ::



-------------------------------------------------------

Ability Name | Lvl | Effect | Rt. |

-------------------------------------------------------

Undead Killer | 05 | Damage vs undead up. |** |

Phys Def Up 1 | 10 | Defense up. |*****|

Resist Sleep | 20 | Resistance to Sleep. |** |

Phys Def Up 2 | 30 | Defense up. |*****|

Resist Sleep | 40 | Resistance to Sleep. |** |

Phys Def Up 3 | 50 | Defense up. |*****|

-------------------------------------------------------



(Spells) ::



-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spell name | Lvl | MP | RC. | CT. | Effect | Rt. |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cure I | 05 | 08 | 5s. | 2s. | Heal small amount of HP. |*****|

Cure II | 17 | 24 | 5s. | 2s. | Heal medium amount of HP.|**** |

Cure III | 30 | 46 | 5.5s. | 2.5s. | Heal large amount of HP. |*** |

Cure IV | 55 | 96 | 6s. | 3s. | Heal large amount of HP. |*** |

Raise | 75 | 150 | 60s. | 15s. | Revives dead player. |**** |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------



-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spell name | Lvl | MP | RC. | CT. | Effect | Rt. |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shell I | 20 | 18 | 5s. | 1s. | Increase Magic Def. |*** |

Shell II | 40 | 37 | 5s. | 1s. | Increase Magic Def. |*** |

Shell III | 60 | 56 | 5.5s. | 1.5s. | Increase Magic Def. |**** |

Protect I | 10 | 09 | 5s. | 1s. | Increase Physical Def. |**** |

Protect II | 30 | 28 | 5s. | 1s. | Increase Physical Def. |*****|

Protect III | 50 | 46 | 5.5s. | 1.5s. | Increase Physical Def. |*****|

Protect IV | 70 | 65 | 5.5s. | 1.5s. | Increase Physical Def. |**** |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------



------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spell name | Lvl | MP | RC. | CT. | Effect | Rt. |

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Banish I | 07 | 18 | 20s. | 5s. | Holy damage. |*** |

Banish II | 34 | 74 | 20s. | 5s. | Holy damage. |**** |

Banish III | 61 | 127 | 20s. | 5.5s. | Holy damage. |*** |

Holy | 55 | 100 | 60s. | 6s. | Holy damage. |**** |

Flash | 37 | 35 | 45s. | 2s. | Blinds a single target. |*****|

------------------------------------------------------------------------



Notes:



- Invincibility will build unbelievable amounts of hate. It's very hard to

take a monster off the Paladin once this ability is used.



- Shield Bash will stun the enemy, and it will also stop some of the

monster's abilities, like the Goblin's bombs, if timed correctly.

It also depends on the monster's level and type...

The only drawback is its 5 minutes recast time.



- Cover will redirect damage from a party member you choose to you, but

you have to stand between the enemy and the chosen party member for it

to work, and if the monster changes targets, it will not be effective

in the new target.



- Flash is a very useful hate-building tool! If you just can't seem to

get the mob off a mage, or your Provoke (PLD/WAR) isn't up yet, use this,

it's great.



2D) Job Combinations

--------------------



What are the best job combinations for a Paladin?



Here's a small list of all of them:



--------------------

Warrior [*****] ::

--------------------

The standard combination. Warriors have Provoke, which you'll be using a lot

as a Paladin, they have defense bonus, and they're the tanks of low-level

parties. (Most of the time anyways.)



Pros: Provoke, good hate handling, and defense bonus.

Cons: Average damage. Paladins aren't meant to do (much) damage anyways.

--------------------



--------------------

Monk [****] ::

--------------------

You'll do more damage as a PLD/MNK than as a PLD/WAR, and you'll have

similar defense (a bit less), but you won't have Provoke.



Pros: Decent tank, better damage than PLD/WAR.

Cons: Bad hate handling.

--------------------



--------------------

Thief [****] ::

--------------------

This combo helps with agility and dexterity, but it doesn't have

any stat bonuses the PLD can really benefit from, like HP or

VIT, and it won't really help you hold hate effectively.

You get some good abilities later on, though.



Pros: You get more agility and dexterity, and some abilities.

Cons: Less defense. Hate handling isn't bad, but it's easier

as a PLD/WAR.

--------------------



--------------------

Black Mage [**] ::

--------------------

Pretty awful for tanking. If you choose this combination,

you'll be casting weak black and white spells from afar,

and Paladins aren't meant to do that.



Pros: You get debuffs, you get hate.

Cons: Even though you get hate, you don't tank well.



--------------------



--------------------

White Mage [****] ::

--------------------

This combination is not as bad as the Black Mage one. You'd be a support

healer and you can also take some damage. You'll have more spells, you'll

have more MP.



Pros: More spells, more MP, easy hate.

Cons: Weaker defense and damage.

--------------------



--------------------

Red Mage [**] ::

--------------------

This combination is awful. You'll have half the black and white spells of

a Red Mage, which are already halved. If you choose this, you'll be away

from the fray, casting weak spells, not doing much damage, and not being

an efficient healer.



Pros: You can cast spells and take some damage.

Cons: Weak defense, damage and spells.

--------------------



--------------------

Dark Knight [***] ::

--------------------

The stats are similar to the PLD/WAR ones, but you don't get the defense

bonus or Provoke. Although not a bad combination, the black magic you get

is not really good, and the attack bonus doesn't make a huge difference.



Pros: The small attack bonus and some skills.

Cons: Hate handling.

--------------------



--------------------

Summoner[*] ::

--------------------

Horrible combination. Useless summons, no good stat bonuses.



Pros: ?

Cons: Very weak, bad tank, bad damage, bad hate handling.

--------------------



--------------------

Bard[*] ::

--------------------

Subbing Bard isn't a good idea in most cases, and this is no exception.

You'll have one song, and no good stats bonuses.



Pros: Mediocre support character.

Cons: Bad tank, bad damage.

--------------------



--------------------

Beast Tamer [**] ::

--------------------

Mediocre stat bonuses. The Paladin's white magic might be good for

low-level soloing, but Beast Tamer as a subjob isn't all that

good.



Pros: Decent for low-level soloing.

Cons: Bad tank, bad damage.

--------------------



--------------------

Ninja [***] ::

--------------------

Mediocre stat bonuses, and Paladins are very shield-dependant, so

dual wielding is no good.



Pros: Blink ninjitsu, added dexterity.

Cons: No dual wielding or no shield.

--------------------



--------------------

Ranger [**] ::

--------------------

Rangers are good at ranged attacks, and Paladins are meant to be in

battle taking damage. 2+2=4.



Pros: You won't die easily since you'd be away from battle.

Cons: You don't do much damage, you don't absorb damage.

--------------------



--------------------

Samurai [****] ::

--------------------

Another decent combination. With this, you'll get a lot of TP,

and although you won't be as resistant as a PLD/WAR you'll be doing

at least some damage.



Pros: Decent damage.

Cons: SAM's TP bonus is at level 30, so you'd have to be a level

60 PLD to get it.

--------------------



--------------------

Dragoon [**] ::

--------------------

You'll do some decent damage, but you won't have your dragon. And

super jump makes all hate go away, you don't really want that as a

PLD, do you?



Pros: Decent damage.

Cons: No dragon, no decent skills.

--------------------



In conclusion, I'd say PLD/WAR is the way to go, and if you feel like being

original, I'd recommend going for PLD/SAM or PLD/MNK, which are also good.



Remember that Paladins are not meant to be spellcasters, and they're meant to

be in the battle absorbing damage (most of the time), not away from it doing

ranged attacks or spells.





2E) AF Armor (Incomplete)

------------



Quests coming soon.

These are the 5 pieces of the Paladin's AF Armor:



_____________________

Gallant Surcoat |

--------------------|

Body |

Defense: 47 |

-------- |

Stats |

-------- |

HP: 20 |

VIT: 4 |

-------- |

Skills |

-------- |

Divine Magic: 5 |

Enmity: 2 |

--------------------|

Level to Use: 60 |

____________________/



_____________________

Gallant Breeches |

--------------------|

Legs |

Defense: 34 |

-------- |

Stats |

-------- |

HP: 15 |

AGI: 3 |

-------- |

Skills |

-------- |

Magic Skill: 3 |

Enmity: 2 |

--------------------|

Level to Use: 58 |

____________________/



_____________________

Gallant Coronet |

--------------------|

Head |

Defense: 24 |

-------- |

Stats |

-------- |

HP: 12 |

-------- |

Skills |

-------- |

Shield Skill: 5 |

Enhance Protect |

--------------------|

Level to Use: 56 |

____________________/



_____________________

Gallant Gauntlets |

--------------------|

Hands |

Defense: 16 |

-------- |

Stats |

-------- |

HP: 11 |

DEX: 3 |

-------- |

Skills |

-------- |

Light: 10 |

Enmity: 2 |

--------------------|

Level to Use: 54 |

____________________/



_____________________

Gallant Leggings |

--------------------|

Feet |

Defense: 14 |

-------- |

Stats |

-------- |

HP: 15 |

CHR: 5 |

-------- |

Skills |

-------- |

Shield Skill: 10 |

Enhance Holy Circle |

--------------------|

Level to Use: 52 |

____________________/



==================

-3- Other

==================





3A) FAQ

-------



Q: What is invincibility used for?



A: Well, for one, it's a good way of surviving when everyone is dead and you

really don't want to die, however, it creates huge amounts of hate

(unbelievable amounts), so you can also use it if your provokes aren't

generating enough hate (as a PLD/WAR), and the mob is going for the

mages.





Q: Is there any good job combination for doing damage?



A: Paladin isn't exactly the best job to do damage, although you can

actually do some damage as a PLD/SAM, but you'll have to wait until

level 60 to get the TP madness. Other than that, I can't think of a

subjob that makes the Paladin do heavy damage.





Q: Is there any good combination for a Paladin as a subjob?



A: Well... no. The same applies to most jobs that try to sub Paladin:

The added defense isn't great, the white magic you have (which is

already poor) is halved, and if you want to tank, use Paladin as the

main job. Some people say that DRG/PLD isn't all that bad, but as I said,

the white magic isn't good, and your dragon doing random healing isn't

that good either.





Q: Can you tell us what jobs to choose from the start to become a Paladin?



A: No. But I can give you my opinion.



- Start with Warrior until level 18. Get your subjob ability from Mhaura

or Selbina. Finding party won't be as easy as if you were a WHM or BLM,

but it won't be hard, even though there'll be a lot of WARs sometimes

in the same area.



- Now, pick a job to sub until level 30. Most people here pick THF or MNK.

I picked MNK, but I wish I had picked THF so I can have Ranger/Thief

someday. Anyways, make that your main job and take it to level 15 with

WAR as your subjob.



- Change back to WAR, make the other job your subjob, and level up all

the way until 30.



- Do the Paladin flag quest (section 2B). Ask for help if you need it,

and you probably will for Davoi.



- Switch back to PLD/WAR and that's it.





Q: As a Paladin, you said we'd do a lot of low-level soloing... where?



A: Well, here's a quick leveling guide for Paladins:



(Bastok)



Levels 1-5: SGustaberg. You shouldn't have trouble finding good exp

mobs here. It's really easy to get to level 5.



Levels 6-8: Vomp Hill. Stay in the first level when you're level 6,

move to the second level of the hill when you're 7 and

start killing most goblins when you're 8. You should have

no trouble.



Levels 9-10: Konschtat, near the cave where the Ghost or Elementals spawn,

there are Rock Eaters all around, and they'll eveluate from

"Decent Challenge" to "Tough". You can party up with another

person and easily kill the tough ones for around 70 exp each.



Levels 10-12: You can stay in the same Rock Eaters spot, or go kill Sheeps

in Konschtat.



Levels 12-15: Even though it's a little slower than partying, it's possible

as a Paladin, to stay in the Highlands and kill Goblins. The

14-15 level will be long to achieve if you do this, but it

isn't that hard.

OR

Go to Valkurm Dunes, find a 6-people party, and kill Hill

Lizard or Sand Bats.



(General)



Levels 16-20: In order: Snippers, low-level Gobs, DamselFlies, Ghouls,

Thread Leeches (make sure they don't link), high-level

Gobs. There are some other mobs here, but they're not

worth the effort.



Levels 20-26: Qufim. Fight Worms, Clippers and Pugils. Acrophies are not

worth it in my opinion, unless you're getting the ruby for

the SMN quest.



Levels 26-28: Yuhtunga Jungle, right outside Khazam.

OR

If you don't have your Khazam airship keys yet, go to

Batallia. Some people get a party in Qufim and suggest

going to Batallia, the exp is better than Qufim.



Levels 28-33: Yhoator Jungle, the jungle next to Yuhtunga. Kill

Mandragoras at first for easy exp, then gobs.



Levels 33+: See the following guide.



[mhpatel@uwalumni.com] submitted this general leveling up guide:

----------

(San d'Oria)



As a PLD, generally, I found that most of us levelled solo till about 15

again, as a PLD/WAR I was able to solo fort Ghelshba and the surrounding

areas and taking on up to tough monsters by myself. Great exp - no

low-level party BS.



(General)



[15-20]: In the dunes in a full party - there is no reason you can't chain

kill everything and go up to #5 with 2 WHM's and a PLD in the party.

[20-28]: Qufim - contrary to popular belief, the exp is terrible here,

but you do what you gotta do - Worms, Crabs, Fish, Wights, Giants, and

Acrophies in that order - you can even skip the last one. Acros are a

pain. Banshees and weapons are not worth the risk for the exp gained.

[28-33]: Khazam jungle right outside town. Kill everything at first, then

for 32 & 33 go down to the hidden waterfall and avoid the monkeys at all

costs.

[33-38]: Garlaige Citadel entrance - fight bats only until about 35.

[38-48]: Crawler's nest - start with Worker crawlers, then Soldier

crawlers, Flies, Exorays and the lot. Plus Exorays drop a lvl 50 quest

item, Exoray mold.

[48-52]: Garlaige Citadel, lower level, Fight Beetles only down here,

everything else will slag you.

[52-60]: Quicksand caves.

[52-55]: Helm Beetles in the Crawler's nest work well - just past the

Rumble Crawler point - gotta be very careful though.

[54-57]: Kuftal Tunnel Kill Lizards and Crabs - but beware the Fire

Elementals.

[55-58]: Boyhada Tree.



Also - Avoid hunting coffer AF until lvl 60 unless you have

high level help.



*** [If you want to submit level-up strategies,

please do so at blizz@gamebox.net.]





Q: Do female characters have less defense than male ones? Are they bad at

tanking?



A: No, male and female characters of the same race have the exact same

stats.





Q: What should a PLD use, a sword or a greatsword?



A: Sword. Of course, this doesn't mean you'll just suck at tanking with

a greatsword, but you wouldn't be able to use Shield Bash, and parry

some attacks with your shield. The added defense isn't awesome, but

the only reason to use a greatsword would be to do damage, and that

isn't the Paladin's job.

You should know better then to go off an old guide for this sta rotfl pld has gotten Raise at level 50 for the past 3 years >_> So please don't go off a guide from 5 years ago when writing your guides thanks ^^

Other then that tho it was a very superb guide that deserves good credit. ^^



Character- Evander
Server- Ifrit
Nation - Bastok
Rank - 6
Job- Paladin
Level- 69

My PLD is only level 59 but I know most of the stuff I need to know...

Galka are best PLD, no arguing high hp & def VITAL at end game low MP but MP isnt really needed end game exept for flash
Elvaan are 2nd best, also high def+HP low MP but MP isnt really needed end game exept for flash
Mithra are 3rd best not too bad HP decent MP not too bad def, but they are good as dodging parrying and shielding which helps alot (not advised for kiting)
Hume are 4th best, decent HP/MP/def
Taru are jus pure suck at PLD MP doesnt do much if you dont stay alive they have bad DEF and bad HP

PLD/WAR is the most common SJ this is used because of defender (def boost). provoke, and they have good def. (its a must for parties) holds hate the best
PLD/NIN this can be used for all end game NMs because there are some mobs that hit for over 300+ each on a 75PLD shadow tanking is really nice, but you need to give the PLD time to get some hate before melee or mages go in.
PLD/RDM because of RDMs buff spells phalanx & spikes this makes PLD have REALLY high def so this is a really good job while killing some thing that hts weak, it will hit alot weaker and you can last alot longer
forget about any other SJs

I think PLD get another DEF trait at 70 and now PLD get Rampart which helps hate and DEF alot. There is also a new spell called Repraisal which enhances shield skill alot and some times gives back dmg to the mob I think this is at 62.

If you want to be a PLD the first thing you must know is there is very little dmg involved... so dont try any way to try improve att or STR just stick with your little dmg and get DEF, VIT, HP and +ENM items these help GREATLY while tanking and getting some MP gear is ok until end game... also when you go /NIN you will need some haste%+ gear for less utsusemi recast time. If you want a job that does DMG dont do PLD.

"Can you tell us what jobs to choose from the start to become a Paladin?"
Well since you are going to have to use /WAR start with WAR but dont stop it at 30 go up to 37 so you can take PLD to 75 without having to level it, also WAR is a very well used subjob for other DD or tank jobs so if you decide to quit PLD it wasnt a complete waste of time.

Weapons:
for kiting you wont have any chance blocking with shield or parrying, so you should get a earth or terra's staff because the -20% dmg is very handy but if you have aegis use that
for straight tanking you should used sword/shield. there are some occasions where great sword can be used... mainly when messing about with friends or when you doing mission and you have another tank if they lose hate or die change to sword/shield or staff depending on stratagy.

What is invincibility used for?
There are many purposes for this ability the main ones are using when your about to do, when some one else is about to do or giving you time to get to a zone.
I used it alot for pulling the Quadav God NM since there are alot of links they will kill you you aggro them all with invincible and bring them all to zone have a friend bind the main NM and let the rest go away... if you can think of any other uses post a reply

The AF Sword has... 32dmg +2VIT and +2MND... I think I cant be arsed to check wiki.