D&D (2024) Should paladin's aura of protection be "normalized" a little?

[EzekielRaiden]

Now, I like powerful features as much as the next guy, but is this really too much and does it forces paladin little too much into max CHA build?

one of the best features in the game, if not the best.

Nah. I think we should, instead, offer tempting alternatives that reward other forms of play. That's really what subclasses should have been doing all along, but 5e frankly dropped the ball pretty hard on the true potential of subclasses.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

While I hate that it's a strong enough of a feature that every party should have a Paladin...
It's only 10ft radius, and Paladins tend to be in melee, so this actually rewards forming a frontline.
And it makes Charisma Paladins a very valid build option, rather than just a niche curiosity.

 

[Kobold Stew]

It's fine as it is.

You wait 7 levels for it to come online, and then you, as a paladin, are rewarded by an ability that helps your whole party. That's the best outcome possible.

No one is incentivized to do a max CHA build, and (with point buy) I think it would be rare for a charisma to be above 16 even at level 8 -- there's too much incentive to use str or dex, for every round of combat in those first seven levels.

Sure, there are now great ways to do a charisma build (dipping warlock for a level or two, using True Strike but then foregoing Extra Attack), but all of those postpone the save payoff from the aura.

We want abilities that encourage teamwork, and they should always be just a bit more effective than ones that only benefit one's self, IMO.

 

[Horwath]

Nah. I think we should, instead, offer tempting alternatives that reward other forms of play. That's really what subclasses should have been doing all along, but 5e frankly dropped the ball pretty hard on the true potential of subclasses.

subclasses are just chain of predetermined feats that follow some theme

 

[sevenbastard]

but is this really too much and does it forces paladin little too much into max CHA build?

In 1e a Paladin had a minimum Chr of 17. So legacy wise high Charisma Paladins make sense.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Sure, there are now great ways to do a charisma build (dipping warlock for a level or two, using True Strike but then foregoing Extra Attack), but all of those postpone the save payoff from the aura.

You pick up Cha Shillelagh with Magic Initiate to avoid level delays. Of course, this restricts your weapon choice to club/quarterstaff. But the main thing holding Cha primary back is that all the combat feats raise just Str/Dex.

 

[Kobold Stew]

You pick up Cha Shillelagh with Magic Initiate to avoid level delays. Of course, this restricts your weapon choice to club/quarterstaff. But the main thing holding Cha primary back is that all the combat feats raise just Str/Dex.

Yes -- absolutely true. If you're playing with just the PHB 2024 (which is how I'm thinking of things), then you need to be Human or have the Guide background for Shillelagh, and Guide does not include a Charisma boost.

I understand that the DMG will probably allow people to workout things with their DMs, but I do believe the Backgrounds were designed to challenge players with exactly these sorts of trade-offs.

 

[mellored]

You pick up Cha Shillelagh with Magic Initiate to avoid level delays. Of course, this restricts your weapon choice to club/quarterstaff. But the main thing holding Cha primary back is that all the combat feats raise just Str/Dex.

Sure. But if your goal is to max Cha, you should give up the damage feats.

And inspiring leader still works great.

 

[Horwath]

Sure. But if your goal is to max Cha, you should give up the damage feats.

And inspiring leader still works great.

inspiring leader is 1st pick for me as paladin.
that is +8 THP at 4th level, 13 at 8th.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

subclasses are just chain of predetermined feats that follow some theme

I mean, that's what 5e actually did with them, more or less. I'm saying that that's criminally wasted potential. It's one of the very few areas of 5e that actually could've, maybe, kinda sorta, actually lived up to the vast "promises" (quotes because you know someone will say they didn't ACTUALLY promise anything...but you know they wanted us to see it that way) of modularity.