Id like your thoughts on just about everything here as this is something that Ive wanted to do since the game came out. I know there are a few different defintions of a Paladin by several games, but Ive always seen them more as a protection class with a shield and mace (or sword) with the ability to heal. The restoration tree helps out here with turn and detect undead which really aids to the whole Paladin feel. Keybind the ability to switch out weapon+shield to heal during combat then switch back. Seems like it would work.

So here are my questions:

Sword or Mace? From what Ive read so far it seems that theres no real advantage to using a mace over a sword. Undead can be crit and they dont usually have any armor on. This may just come down to personal preference.

Which Race? Id think either Imperial or Nord would be the right choice here as Bretons are normally more magic oriented and we'll just be using the restoration tree. Possibly High Elf IF and only IF joining the Thalmar is an option (which Im not sure of). Orcs and other races dont really appeal to me personally as they dont really have that Paladin feel about them.

Which Faction? Stormcloak or Legion? Ive come to the conclusion that both have their ups and downs and Ive sort of settled on Nords would be Stormcloak and Imperials/High Elves would be Legion. A Paladin needs a cause to fight for yes? The lesser of two evils doesnt really exist here.

The spec itself. How far should we go into the restoration tree? Hp, Mana or Endurance? Which shouts would be beneficial or semi iconic (which would make sense)?

And of course anything else you'd like to throw in here. Blacksmith/Mining/Enchanting? Thoughts on using other trees? What would your defintiion of this character be? And of course end game Death Knight optional just for that Arthas feel. Skyrim does look a bit like Northrend should at times but yes I know people hate Warcraft.

Sword, Redguard, Legion

Well I'll tackle this with my usual combination of ignorance and ambition.

First off, weapons- maces make much more sense than swords for fighting undead going from a purely in-universe view. It takes a lot of upper body strength to drive a sword through somebody, and that's assuming that somebody actually can bleed to death or has vital organs to wound. A mace simply bashes things into dust and mush, and since undead are fairly brittle anyways I'd say mace, no question. Two handed or one-handed is more of a preference thing but I'd imagine a lone paladin might learn to appreciate a shield when the fights get a little nuttier than he/she'd like.

Race I would actually axe the Altmer but not the Bretons. Paladins and magic resistance go together like chocolate and peanut butter- most of their enemies are magically-sustained, after all. So Bretons are a viable choice at least to me. Nords might be less likely to be paladins mostly because they're Nords. At least from my experience with the term most paladins are fighting for their gods, and while Nords do fight for their gods I really can't see the likes of that bearskin wearing guy in Windhelm praising the Divines after a victory, at least not before he got good and smashed. That's not to say they don't exist, because I would think the ongoing division between the eight/nine Divines would prompt Nords to become the equivalent of Paladins, but they might be rarer than Imperial paladins fighting on behest of the Empire to stamp out the "heresy" of Talos worship.

Axing the Altmer is a quick one for me- Justicars are basically paladins already. They exist to root out non-compliance and "correct" it. Though their methods are a bit more brutal than the average paladin they have the same role. If you wanted to play an Altmer, by all means, but the term "paladin" suggested to me you might want the more traditional white-knight-holy-warrior.

For the faction you want I'd say it would depend on your chosen race if you're inclined to go along with it. Imperial/Breton/Altmer paladins would be fighting for the Eight Divines, while Nords might be fighting for either Eight or Nine depending on where they're from. The circumstances are yours to decide, of course, though as a basic rule of thumb.

Restoration I would say go as far in as you're willing to. The paladins I'm used to are well-versed in using "holy energy" to heal themselves, others, and banish undead/daemons, so something like that would fit nicely. As far as professions are concerned your choices seem solid to me, necessary to upkeep his/her equipment and maybe make a bit of money on the side to upgrade. Depending on if you want to go all-out it might be cool to eventually save up for a house in the city with the chapel of your paladin's elohim, to use the term- his/her favored Divine.

Hope this helped, happy playing!

My Imperial Paladin is level 50 now and I've focused on One-Handed, Restoration, Block, Heavy Armor, Smithing and Enchanting, with Speech and Lockpocking improving but naturally but without perks. I've also got a bow to fire at dragons or mages if need be.

Early game, it may take a bit of getting used to, but late game with smithing and enchanting improving equipment, your a powerhouse. I didn't go through the whole multiple stacking potions thing either, just one pre-made potion to optimize both crafting skills plus whatever enchanted crafting gear I could use to improve smithing.

I use swords as my one handed weapon, right now I'm using some specially enchanted ebony blades + Dawnbreaker and the Spellbreaker shield. For spells, I use Close Wounds most often for healing and Greater Turn Undead hotkeyed for any undead lower than Deathlord. Fighting undead, I switch between that an my shield through hotkeys as you mentioned (though I've been using the Master Restoration spells lately since I just got to 100 Resto, very fun though it's likely faster to just attack instead due to the long casting time they've got).

I went full into Restoration, part way into Heavy Armor, getting close to full Block, and pretty much full One-Handed, though you likely don't need master Restoration, I just wanted to try those spells out.

I joined the Empire as my character has a backstory that includes a long family tradition of serving in the Legion. He doesn't like the Thalmor and still venerates Talos in private, but it usually doesn't affect him too much as he has devoted his life to serving Stendarr in particular. In moral choices, I try to stay as close to Lawful Good as I could, though not all quests have that option and sometimes he's got to take a Chaotic option to have a good outcome. Overall doesn't like Daedric Princes, though he doesn't mind Azura and sort of likes Meridia. He also did Peryite's quest [spoiler]Partly to get Spellbreaker and partly because Peryite is having him kill his own evil cultists of disease. That mission didn't offend him too much, though he didn't like Peryite asserting that he was serving him.[spoiler]

He'll continue to stick to the Lawful Good path even if there may be a few setbacks along the way, and atone at a shrine of Stendarr if he transgresses any laws or commits any wrongs. A disclaimer if your going to be Lawful Good: it's much harder in Skyrim than it was in Oblivion. Markarth and Riften quests tend to be pretty grey morality at times, so just make the best decision you can and move on.

Have fun!