Newish Player Paladin Build Advice needed

I am relatively new to D&D and current building a paladin and would like some advice to optimise this build a little and some tips on a few future class decisions
Stat array: i chose to roll my stats leaving me with 17,13,13,13,13,10.
Race: i am thinking Human Variant as i rolled lots of odd numbers so i don't need a +2 and give me flexibility as to some later decisions and a free feat which guides suggest i will likely want the stat bonus later although this isn't in stone.
Class/Class features (early)paladin Oath of the ancients is the route i think i want to play here more for how i imagine the character than any tactical reason However at level 2 i get my fighting style and i am unsure if i want to go great weapon fighting or protection.
Feat: This is where my main Question either heavy armour master because -3 physical is nice but extra attribute point is even better or great weapon master paired with great weapon fighting and at level 4 take resilient to bump con to 14 and get proficiency in it for con spells

They only things set in stone are my oath and class any help would be appreciated i know most of this comes down to if i want to use 1h and shield or 2h i am unsure and would like to know what you think is better

Well, from an optimization standpoint, Human is a good choice, but so is any race that boosts str or cha, honestly. Or even just any race. You rolled a 17. there is no real need to boost that further before taking a feat, and there are feats that give you a +1.

If you think your campaign will be well rounded, and include exploration challenges, Athlete is a great feat, especially if you're starting with an odd number in Str.

Dragonborn, with the 17(18) in Cha and a 13(15) in Str will also be a badass, especially with a +1 str feat to make that into a 16 at lvl 4. Either way works. In 5e, a starting 15 is a-ok, and even a starting 14 is fine, as long as you boost it once or twice.

AAsimar boost Cha and Wis, Con or Str, and wis is one of the most important general stats, between wisdom saves and perception, so any of the three would work well.

Goliath Have Strength and Con, and are very tough.

Tritons Give +1 to Str, Con, and Charisma, which is fun. and they're just pretty cool. A Paladin of a sea god sounds fun.

Dwarves boost con, hill dwarves get extra HP, and mountain dwarves give +2 to Str and Con. classic paladins, still.

Half-elves get +2 Cha, and 2 +1s, wherever you want them. Very solid with your stat array. The bonus skills are an excellent feature, as well. And a paladin that can't be easily charmed or put to sleep? Makes sense to me.

Half-Orcs make good aggressive Paladins, unsurprisingly.

Feats: If your character concept doesn't help you pick a race, or whether you're going to use a shield or a big weapon, I recommend just going for the big weapon. It's got good support, it (IMO) fits the Ancients paladin more than sword and shield, and if you use an ax, it's also a woodsman's tool, which is cool and thematically appropriate.

So, Great Weapon is an obvious pick. I'd also, like I said above, consider Athlete. After that, Heavy Armor Master is cool and all, but I'd seriously consider the less optimizing str and damage focused feats, and consider things like Mage Slayer, that increase the types of enemies you are strong against, or otherwise increase your versatility. Specialisation is smart, but there is such a thing as overspecialization.

I would say, do not feel pressured to take Standard human, since Paladins rely on 3 stats: Strength, Charisma, Constitution.

Getting good Constitution saving throws is important, so important that Resilient Constitution is widely considered the most important feat you can take.

If you take variant Human, you can put +1 into Strength and +1 Charisma, and take the feat resilient Constitution, ending up with:

18 str
13 dex
14 con
10 int
13 wis
14 cha

You'll have proficiency in Constitution saving throws, which will help you maintain concentration on all your important spells without wasting them. at level 4 I would put +2 to charisma, or take a feat like Shield Expert, Great Weapon Master, or Polearm Expert.

But remember, optimization can also mean optimizing your group, and getting +2 to charisma helps everyone in your party on saving throws, and it helps everyone else when you can maintain Bless for an entire fight, freeing up the Cleric to run Spirit Guardians.

Paladins have support abilities that fighters do not. Bless that the enemy can't make you drop is a huge gamechanger.

mq98 said:

However at level 2 i get my fighting style and i am unsure if i want to go great weapon fighting or protection.

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From personal experience I would shy away from Protection. I would recommend Defense over both options. +1 AC may not sound like much, but many more things will be swinging at you and that 1 point could be the difference between getting another round to attack or falling face first in the muck.

Feat: This is where my main Question either heavy armour master because -3 physical is nice but extra attribute point is even better or great weapon master paired with great weapon fighting and at level 4 take resilient to bump con to 14 and get proficiency in it for con spells

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Since you have a bunch of odd numbers, this can be a good option if your Str is in an "odd place". Personally, my character has a 17 Str currently and next level I am taking Tavern Brawler to pump it to 18 and because I like the idea of my character being able to Jackie Chan himself out of a situation. Heavy Armor Master is a good way to go too (I would have gone there with my character even though he is level 6, but I have decent Dex and magic Medium Armor).

Taking Resilient (Con) is not a bad idea either. Although the question is whether you plan on having Concentration spells running. If not I think it loses a bit of weight.

Great Weapon Fighting is pretty much universally agreed to be the ultimate cheesy melee booster. Even without the bonus damage, getting an extra swing after dropping an enemy is awesome. Its a solid choice too if you plan on focusing on the 2-Handed build (also consider Polearm Mastery).

They only things set in stone are my oath and class any help would be appreciated i know most of this comes down to if i want to use 1h and shield or 2h i am unsure and would like to know what you think is better

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My build started off as a 2-Handed big-damage build, but after my party turned out to be all spellcasters and I was the only one in melee...I changed my mind and went with Sword & Shield. So I would say check to see who is your table. If you have a good tank in the group or other people in melee so you can spread the hits around, then go 2-Handed. But if you are going to be up there by yourself, then a Shield will look awfully tempting after the 3rd time you drop (during the first few sessions I was dropping just about every fight and nearly dieing...I was also the only one with heal spells x_X).

Normal Human would be a good choice with those stats. The +1 to all stats would give you an 18, four 14's, and an 11.

IMO Protection is valuable if your PC has a teammate that also has Protection, so you can stand side-by-side and gain a consistent benefit. Otherwise, just take the +1 AC.

Ridley's Cohort said:

IMO Protection is valuable if your PC has a teammate that also has Protection, so you can stand side-by-side and gain a consistent benefit. Otherwise, just take the +1 AC.

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It still fades when you face enemies with multiple attacks or with multiple enemies attacking you/them. If you could provide Disadvantage for ALL attacks targeting that person for the entire round (or even from one source), then I would reconsider it.

Fog Cloud can do that, but not as a reaction.

You also need to convince the Wizard/Sorcerer/Ranger/Druid to memorize it.