Advice needed in creating a Paladin

[Visulth]

Hey all,
I'm entirely new to EverQuest and friend told me about Project 1999. So I've fully installed and what not, but now I just can't decide on what race to play as for a Paladin.

As far as I can tell, Paladins should focus on Sta and Int, so I'm trying to find a good balance.

Can someone give me some recommendations? (And some tips for playing further down the road would be nice too)