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Paladins are already one of the most combat-capable classes inDungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. Taking an Oath of Vengeance hones those combat skills to a razor’s edge. Embarking on this oath sets your character on the path of righteous justice, no matter where it may lead or who might stand in your way.
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Oath of Vengeance paladins are never out of place in combat thanks to spells like Misty Step and Dimension Door, and they never lose their pray thanks to Hunter’s Mark and Scrying. If you’re prepared to mete out some hardcore justice, here’s how you can make an Oath of Vengeance paladin.
Oath Of Vengeance Paladin Features
You take yourOath of Vengeance at level three, which gives you both your Channel Divinity and Oath spells. YourChannel Divinityprovides you with two options: Abjure Enemy and Vow of Enmity.
Abjure Enemycauses you to potentially frighten one creature you’re able to see within 60 feet for one minute, with fiends and undead having disadvantage on their Wisdom saving throw.Vow of Enmityprovides you with advantage on attack rolls against a single enemy you see within 10 feet of you for one minute.
YourOath Spellsare provided at certain paladin levels and are learned in addition to the spells you prepare every long rest. These spells are always available but still require a spell slot of the appropriate level to cast. These spells are listed below:
13th Level
17th Level
At level seven,Relentless Avengerlets you move half your movement speed after successfully striking a creature as part of an opportunity attack. At level 15,Soul of Vengeanceempowers your Vow of Enmity so whenever the affected creature attacks you may spend your reaction to make a melee attack against that creature.
Finally,Avenging Angelat level 20 provides a flying speed of 60 feet and a menacing aura that can frighten creatures within 30 feet of you.
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Best Species For An Oath Of Vengeance Paladin
Paladins are a versatile class that can be played by any species and still be effective. However, there are a few species that provide paladins with additional synergistic benefits.Here are a few suggestionsto 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 made it so you don’t have to stick to strict ability score bonuses. That said,Breath Weaponis still a valuable and viable crowd control ability for a class that sometimes struggles with crowds.
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
Oath of Vengeance 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 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 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.
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 ACas a warforged, 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 Vengeance Paladin
Paladins need three ability scores to be effective:Strength,Constitution, andCharisma. Strength gives them powerful attacks and lets them wear heavy armor. Constituion helps keep concentration on spells and provides hit points. Charisma empowers your spells and abilities.
Theoretically, 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 cantripif you’re concerned about ranged or flying enemies, or just have some javelins handy.
Dexterity,Intelligence, andWisdom can all 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
You have a lot of options in terms of equipment when creating a paladin. you may either start witha shield and a single martial weapon, orany two 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 couldpick up two shortswords if you’d like to try your hand at two-weapon fighting, but only try this if you don’t have plans for your bonus action.
Five javelinsprovide you with a ranged option, but you can replace that with a simple melee weapon if you don’t want to bother with throwing pointy sticks.
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 Vengeance Paladin
Like clerics, paladins can choose their spells from the entire paladin spell list every long rest, so don’t feel like you’re locked into whichever spells you prepare at the start of your campaign. That said, there are some spells that an Oath of Vengeance paladin will probably find more useful than others.Here are a few suggested spellsat each level.
