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There are plenty of paladins that fight for lofty ideals inDungeons & Dragons. Most fight for truth, honor, justice, and all that is good. An Oath of Conquest paladin fights for victory at any cost. These paladins impose their will or the will of their masters on the masses, ensuring order at the tip of a blade.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build An Oath Of Vengeance Paladin
Those who take the Oath of Conquest aren’t the nicest paladins you’ll ever meet, but they are the most ruthless. Taking the Oath of Conquest means ensuring your supremacy, even if it means performing acts no other paladin would even consider. If you’re willing to do whatever it takes, here’s how you can make an Oath of Conquest paladin.
Oath Of Conquest Paladin Features
you’re able to take the Oath of Conquest once your paladin reaches level three. Upon doing so, you learn the first of yourOath of Conquest Spells(with more learned at subsequent levels detailed in the table below) as well as your twoChannel Divinityoptions.
Conquering Presenceforces each creature you see within 30 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they become frightened for one minute.Guided Strikeprovides you a +10 bonus to your attack roll, which can be applied after rolling your d20 but before being told whether or not your attack hits.
At level seven, anAura of Conquestemanates from you for 10 feet. If a creature is frightened within this aura, its speed is reduced to zero, and it takes psychic damage equal to half your paladin level every turn it starts within that aura. At level 18, the aura extends to 30 feet.
Scornful Rebukeat level 15 applies psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier to any creature that strikes you. And at level 20,Invincible Conquerorprovides you with resistance to all damage, an additional attack, and critical hits on rolls of 19 and 20 for one minute.
13th Level
17th Level
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Best Species For An Oath Of Conquest Paladin
Any species can be a paladin, so feel free to play yours however you like. That said, there area few species with abilities that lend themselves to being a paladinmore than others. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Astral Elf
HavingSacred Flameas a cantrip provides a much-needed ranged attack, whileStarlight Stepgets you into combat faster.Charm resistanceis great for a class that struggles with mind-control effects, andKeen Sensesprovides another much-needed skill proficiency.
Centaur
Why bother with a horse when you could justbethe horse?Ten extra feet of movementis always good,hoovesgive you an unarmed strike option and added bonus action damage, andEquine Buildlets you pull the party’s cart.
Dragonborn
There’s less reason to be a dragonborn paladin ever since the custom origin rules allowed more flexible ability score bonuses. That said,Breath Weaponis still a valuable and viable crowd control ability for a class that sometimes struggles with crowds, anddamage resistanceis never a bad thing.
Duergar
Enlarge/Reduceis a useful spell for a melee-focused class, andInvisibilitycan help with a paladin’s complete lack of subtlety.Resistance to poisonandadvantage against being poisoned, charmed, or stunnedare all good for paladins, as is 120 feet ofDarkvision.
Earth Genasi
Like the duergar, earth genasi’sPass Without Tracecan help with those unavoidable stealth checks.Earth Walkcan ensure your mobility, andDarkvisionis always nice to have.
Goblin
Fury of the Smallis a great damage boost for an already highly damaging subclass. Being able to disengage as a bonus action is great too, although you’re not likely to useNimble Escapeto hide.Darkvisionandcharm resistanceare good too.
Goliath
Paladins don’t do a lot with their reactions (outside of opportunity attacks), soStone’s Endurancecan really help keep you in the fight when other species are in their death saves.Athleticsis a good skill to have, andcold resistanceis also nice.
Half-Orc
Intimidationis a good skill proficiency for paladins, andDarkvisionis great to have too.Relentless Endurancekeeps you fighting beyond your hit points, andSavage Attackscan make those rare crits that much more impactful.
Hobgoblin
If you’re playing with more than one front-line character, hobgoblins are incredible.Fey Giftlets you consistently use your bonus action to provide buffs to your pal.Fortune of the Manymakes your rolls more consistent.DarkvisionandFey Ancestryare always groovy.
Human
Variant human gives you access toa powerful feat at level one. Polearm Master, Mobile, and Great Weapon Master are all great choices.
Kobold
Draconic Crygives you another option to gain advantage in combat against a whole crowd of enemies.Draconic Sorceryprovides you with a ranged attack cantrip like Fire Bolt or a useful combat trick like Booming Blade.Darkvisionis always great to have.
Minotaur
Hornsgive you a useful unarmed strike, a bonus action push, and an attack after using a Dash action.Survivalis a fine proficiency to have and definitely on-brand for an Oath of Vengeance paladin.
Satyr
PerformanceandPersuasionare both useful Charisma-based skills, andMagic Resistancehelps protect you from a paladin’s typical weakness. Mobility comes fromMirthful Leapsand an extrafive feet of movement, and your horns give you a usefulunarmed strikeif you’re ever disarmed.
Shifter
Paladins are already very tough. Shifters add sometemporary hit pointsand eithersome ACoradditional movement, but both are good. PickIntimidationfor your skill proficiency.
Warforged
Paladins are traditionally the heavy armor class of D&D.Add +1 to that AC, then addresistance to poisonandimmunity to sleep effects. Then add askill and tool proficiencyof your choice. Perfect match for a paladin.
Best Ability Scores For An Oath Of Conquest Paladin
You’ll want high Strength and Charismascores to be an effective Oath of Conquest paladin. Strength ensures your melee attacks hit accurately and hard. Charisma empowers your spells and abilities, so you’ll want this to be as high as possible as well.
Constitutionensures you keep concentration for some of your spells and also provides you with all-important hit points.
You’ll be wearing heavy armor, soDexterity can be safely ignored along with Intelligence and Wisdom.
You’ll be able to choose a few skill proficiencies, butyou’ll probably be relying on your teammates for skill checksthat don’t involve Strength or Charisma.
If you’re using the points buy system for D&D,a good starting ability score spreadmight look something like this:
17(+3)
8(-1)
15(+2)
16(+3)
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Best Starting Equipment For An Oath Of Conquest Paladin
A paladin has a lot of options in terms of starting equipment. You could play more defensively with ashield and a single martial weapon, or you could go for high-octane offense withtwo martial weapons.
Abattleaxe,longsword, andwarhammerare allgood options with a shield, or you’re able to pair any of these with a larger two-handed weapon like alance,maul, orgreatsword.
Five javelinsprovide you with a ranged option, but you can replace that with a simple melee weapon if you’ve taken a species that provides a ranged-attack cantrip.
Anexplorer’s packprovides more goodies than a priest’s pack, so pick that. A set ofchain mailand aholy symbolare the last you need to prepare for your adventure.
Best Spells For An Oath Of Conquest Paladin
Paladins don’t get many spells, and they’re often competing with Divine Smite, so the spells you pick had better be good.Here are a few suggested spells to considerat each paladin level.
