D&D 5E Are Aura's burdensome?

[Dit464]

So I've recently been wanting to play a Paladin when I told my GM this he sighed and asked me to be a different class. When I asked why he said that the paladins' auras make DM'ing remarkably more difficult and that my party should fail saves every once in a while. (not get the +3 to all saves when within 10 feet of me)2 Questions with this one. Are Paladins really that burdening on a campaign, and what could be a decent substitution for the Paladins aura?

 

[Illithidbix]

The Paladin Auras do rock but I think your DM is over reacting.

If you look at the Saving throw DCs of monsters as they raise their CR, then there is still a high chance of failure with saving throws characters are not proficient/high ability score in.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Yeah, not to mention that there will be plenty of times your companions will be outside the 10' radius. It doesn't increase to 30' until 18th level, by which time the DCs are high enough even a +5 won't guarantee success with an otherwise weak save bonus.

 

[Blue]

Playing an Oath of the Ancients paladin, currently 7th. Most of the time I have at most one other PC close enough to take advantage of it. When we're outdoors I often have none, since I'm rushing up to engage and my allies are usually more ranged or support. Indoors it can be higher. Grouping us up also hurts for area of effect attacks. If the foe throws a fireball and hits five instead of three, odds are he'll have the same number of failed saves anyhow because more need to be made, plus half damage for all the others.

You posted, so I assume you're going to try to convince your DM to let you play. If so, ask if this is from play experience.

 

[pukunui]

I've been playing a paladin for a while now. Got her all the way up to level 20. She has a 20 Charisma, but the +5 doesn't always save her comrades. They can still roll low enough to fail. I think my DM has found the aura that makes everyone immune to fear a little more annoying, but even then, he doesn't seem to mind too much. I'd say your DM is overreacting.

 

[Savage Wombat]

Let's not forget the other factor involved, which my party keeps running into:

Forgetting to use the paladin's aura when it comes up.

 

[Celtavian]

Paladins are one of the most powerful classes in the game and the saving throw aura is one of the abilities that makes them so.

 

[Quickleaf]

So I've recently been wanting to play a Paladin when I told my GM this he sighed and asked me to be a different class. When I asked why he said that the paladins' auras make DM'ing remarkably more difficult and that my party should fail saves every once in a while. (not get the +3 to all saves when within 10 feet of me)2 Questions with this one. Are Paladins really that burdening on a campaign, and what could be a decent substitution for the Paladins aura?

First.

It's not the DM's job to remember or remind players when they benefit from an aura (or any other spell for that matter). If they forget it, tough luck, play it where it lies and hope they remember next time. DMs who try to becomes the "collective memory" of the group are bound to become frustrated.

Second.

If your DM primarily runs dungeon crawls where the party is operating in a tight formation, then yes the Paladin's aura is pretty amazing. Then again, so are 10' wide pit traps and fireballs in enclosed spaces used against said party.

The lesson for your DM is two-fold: "Play hard. And adapt."

 

[mellored]

You take more damage from a Fireball standing by a paladin then if you where standing 40' away.

Besids, protecting the party us pretty much the paladins thing. That's like complaining the wizard keeps using AOES or the fighter keeps doing damage.

 

[Sunseeker]

The catch to Paladin aura's is that you need to be w/in 10 feet (30 at high levels). Now, a party operating like an organized fighting unit can take some pretty huge advantage of that, but at the same time it puts the entire party in AOE range from breath weapons, fireballs, cloudkills, sleep, etc... You may have more better saves against some of them, but that's a far cry from not having to bother with the save at all because you're 30 feet away. Or avoiding traps, or avoiding difficult terrain.

The trick is really just making the party split up.