Just downloaded PoE

I've grown very tired of the same stuff over and over again in D3 and have only heard great things about PoE so I decided to try the game out and see what it is like. My first character I want to make is a templar and I want to go with a death knight/shadow knight build because I loved playing those type of classes during my days of WoW and EQ. I would like to ask for advice from more experienced players on the route I should take on my skill tree or maybe even a link to one someone has already made. Thanks for any advice in advance and I look forward to playing the game. :)

Hmm my best bet for that would be a summoner build and the best class to make those type of builds is a witch :)

Mixing attacks and offensive spells does not really work in this game because it usually splits your gear/skill point priorities in a bad way, but you could make a melee character focused on elemental damage with supplemental spells like Molten Shell, or a melee minion character. Templar fits both of those, and while the latter is less conventional in a sense, it should still work I think. I guess those are like what you are asking for.
I suggest looking through http://en.pathofexilewiki.com/wiki/Skill_Gems for skills you like the sound of, and try not to avoid mixing ones that work off totally different stats (like Infernal Blow and Ethereal Knives, for example). Passive tree paths are designed based on chosen skills.