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When mostDungeons & Dragonsplayers think of a paladin, they probably imagine an Oath of Devotion paladin. These paladins stand up for truth, justice, duty, honor, and compassion and spend their entire lives devoted to these tenets. They’re the goody-goodies of the D&D world, with most being obnoxiously righteous in the face of even minor evils.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build An Oath Of Vengeance Paladin
But that doesn’t mean Oath of Devotion paladins are bad to play! They can be extremely effective at keeping the party alive while simultaneously smiting evil. If you’d like to do some good, here is how to build an Oath of Devotion paladin.
Oath Of Devotion Paladin Features
Upon taking your Oath of Devotion at level three, you gain twoChannel Divinityoptions: Sacred Weapon and Turn the Unholy.
Sacred Weaponimbues your weapon with holy energy, making it glow brightly for 20 feet and turning it into a magical weapon for the purposes of damage calculation. It also adds your Charisma modifier to attack rolls, making it highly accurate.
Turn the Unholyforces fiends and undead within 30 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they have to flee from you as a Dash action and it can’t take reactions.
Also at level three, Oath of Devotion paladins gain their first set ofOath Spells, which are described in the table below.
13th Level
17th Level
Aura of Devotionat level seven prevents you and friendly creatures within 10 feet from being charmed, and this grows to 30 feet at level 18. Purity of Spirit at level 15 provides you with the same effects as the Protection From Evil And Good spell permanently.
Finally, at level 20,Holy Nimbuscauses bright light to emanate from you for one minute in a 30-foot radius. Enemies that walk into this radius are blinded by the light and take 10 radiant damage. You also have advantage on all saving throws against spells cast by fiends and undead.
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Best Species For An Oath Of Devotion Paladin
Anyone can be a paladin, so feel free to play as any species and expect to be reasonably effective. That said,there are a few species that pair well with the capabilities of an Oath of Devotion paladin. Here are a few suggestions.
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
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. Who needs a horse with a centaur paladin around?
Dragonborn
There’s less reason to be a dragonborn paladin ever since the custom origin rules made ability score increases more flexible. That said,Breath Weaponis still a valuable and viable crowd control ability for a class that sometimes struggles with crowds, and anelemental resistanceis always nice to have.
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 in difficult terrain, andDarkvisionis always nice to have.
Goblin
It might be weird, but a goblin paladin is perfectly viable.Fury of the Smallis a great damage boost, while being able todisengage or hide as a bonus actioncan be useful at times.Charm resistanceis unnecessary after level seven, but good to have in the meantime.Darkvisionis always a plus.
Goliath
Paladins don’t do a lot with their reactions (outside of opportunity attacks), soStone’s Endurancecan really help keep you in the fight.Athleticsis a good skill to have, andcold resistanceis also nice.
Half-Orc
High Charisma meansIntimidationproficiency is very helpful.Relentless Endurancelets you fight beyond your hit points, andSavage Attacksmake critical hits that much more potent.Darkvisionis as great as always.
Hobgoblin
If you’re playing with more than one front-line character, hobgoblins are the best.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 a great crowd-control option very early on.Draconic Sorceryprovides you with a ranged attack cantrip like Fire Bolt or a useful combat trick like Booming Blade. Or you could goCraftinessfor a skill proficiency.Defianceis less useful after you learn Protection From Evil And Good.
Minotaur
Hornsgive youa useful unarmed strike, abonus action push, and anattack after using a Dashaction.Survivalis a fine proficiency to shore up what is typically a skill-shy class.
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 ACas a warforged, then addresistance to poisonandimmunity to sleep effects. Then add askill and tool proficiencyof your choice.
Best Ability Scores For An Oath Of Devotion Paladin
Paladins needStrength,Constitution, andCharismato be effective. Strength empowers your melee combat and lets you wear heavy armor. Constitution provides hit points and lets you keep concentration on certain spells. Charisma empowers those spells and many of your subclass abilities.
You could swap Strength for Dexterity to gain access to ranged attacks via bows, but Divine Smite requires melee attacks to work, and Strength-based weapons just deal more damage.Consider an optional class feature or a species with access to a cantrip if you’re concerned about your lack of ranged damage. Or you could just keep some javelins handy.
Dexterity,Intelligence, andWisdomcanall be safely ignored.
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 Vengeance Paladin
With access to all simple and martial weapons,there are many ways to build your paladin.
You can either start with ashieldanda single martial weapon, or anytwo martial weapons. A battleaxe, longsword, and warhammer are all good options with a shield, or you can pair any of these with a larger two-handed weapon like a lance, maul, or greatsword.
You could pick up two shortswords to try your hand attwo-weapon fighting, but thisis generally less effective than using a two-handed weaponbecause fighting with two weapons takes up your bonus action.
Five javelinsprovide you with an early ranged attack, but you can replace that with a simple melee weapon if you plan to use a cantrip.
Anexplorer’s packprovides a few more useful items 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 Vengeance Paladin
Your oath provides you with a few useful spells, but you’ll be able to choose a few more as you level up. Here are a fewuseful paladin spells you should consider.
