Hi,

I am role playing paladin.

Now L10 - invested attr points in strength, dex, speed [initially in constitution during char generation but realized that cons overlaps with str - hence moved to speed as my tertiary attribute]

I have been able to gather 2 companions - a dog and another paladin.

Main skills are armor (L13) and melee (L7) - just moved on to divine protection (L5) after my first encounter with magic. My char & companions just lose health too quickly while facing magic. Observation based on 2 encounters

a) Fire breathing monsters at Dragon Rock - didnt even get the opportunity to see those critters - entire party got killed in 1 second
b) Weinberg's maid - was almost killed there - all i did was retreat and let the guardsmen deal with her

Requesting help on character build and game progression - which are the easier areas that I should be targeting first?

Thanks.

Maybe tips from these two threads could help you a bit: here and here.

As far as which areas to visit first, I can't help you much because it has been some time since I played Inquisitor. But you can use the "trial and error" approach, I guess. Just pick an area, attack a few enemies and if they are too strong leave the area and try another one. As a paladin, you can also use your Enemy Estimation skill to see what kind of enemies you face.

You can also go through the Book of Magic to see what can help you against various types of attacks (spells and potions increasing your Fire/Frost/Poison/Physical Protection).

i think i figured out game progression through trial and error - payment was in the form of diabolus' life :)
following are few easier areas- [ordered by difficulty level]
new players may find this useful:

Hillbrandt Cemetery
Hillbrandt Place of Execution
Mining Village Cemetery
Asherbalt
Iron Mines [EDIT - easier than Dragon Rock]
Road to Dragon Rock
Tree of Life
Dragon Rock [only southern segment dont go too far north till you're level 15]