D&D 5E Dealing with a Heavily Armored Paladin?

[Yunru]

+1 Plate is a Legendary item (17th+).
+2 Plate is fraction of a percentage chance on the Legendary table (.00133...). You are 18 times more likely to get a Holy Avenger than +2 Plate.

Plate armor by itself is the equivalent of a Rare magic item (500-5000gp, Level 5+).

Of course then they pass it out to a bunch of low level mobs.

Unless you don't use the tables. In which case +2 armor (of any kind) is "very rare".

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Arial Black]

Yes because 1500gp definitely isn't almost chump change for mid-tier adventurers or anything :/

There is a table in the DMG for equipping PCs that start above 1st level.

From 2nd to 4th, it's just the same starting money as 1st level PCs, and no magic items.

For 5th to 10th level PCs, they get starting equipment plus no more than 850gp, and even in a high magic campaign they start with just one uncommon magic item.

According to that table, you should be at least 11th level before you can afford even a non-magical set of plate armour.

(BTW, it's not just you, but I hate the constant 'sent from my tapatalk' thing. Can you switch that bit off?)

 

[jodyjohnson]

I don't use the tables. I pass out magic items like candy.

My party killed Frazzy at 12th, most of the rest at 13th, Orcus at 14th, and man-handled Demogorgon at 15th.

And that was my intention. Those +2 or +3 items made a huge difference (multiple levels per plus).

And I'll do it again in SKT.

 

[Yunru]

There is a table in the DMG for equipping PCs that start above 1st level.

From 2nd to 4th, it's just the same starting money as 1st level PCs, and no magic items.

For 5th to 10th level PCs, they get starting equipment plus no more than 850gp, and even in a high magic campaign they start with just one uncommon magic item.

According to that table, you should be at least 11th level before you can afford even a non-magical set of plate armour.

(BTW, it's not just you, but I hate the constant 'sent from my tapatalk' thing. Can you switch that bit off?)

That's for starting out. If you check how much can be earned by rolling on the tables it's a loooot higher.

Also I can but it's more annoying than you'd think. It's on by default for every. single. post. :/

 

[TheEvilDM]

Asides from throwing Magic Missiles at him, how can I stop this juggernaut from being such a... juggernaut?

Why do you feel the need to stop him? Paladins are designed to be juggernauts, and chances are that's exactly why the player has chosen to play one. That's fine!

If, on the other hand, the player is bored and never feels threatened, I understand the need to challenge the PC a bit more once in a while. You could use monsters with a higher to hit bonus, create circumstances where attackers easily gain advantage, or have the Paladin swarmed by a horde of weaker but relentless foes, increasing the odds that at least some will hit. Also look for spells that target his dump stats, because even with a +4 bonus on top of a +0 from a lower stat (I'm assuming he has one), he's got a 50% chance of failing a DC 15 save.

Hope this helps!

 

[Yunru]

Why do you feel the need to stop him? Paladins are designed to be juggernauts, and chances are that's exactly why the player has chosen to play one. That's fine!

If, on the other hand, the player is bored and never feels threatened, I understand the need to challenge the PC a bit more once in a while. You could use monsters with a higher to hit bonus, create circumstances where attackers easily gain advantage, or have the Paladin swarmed by a horde of weaker but relentless foes, increasing the odds that at least some will hit. Also look for spells that target his dump stats, because even with a +4 bonus on top of a +0 from a lower stat (I'm assuming he has one), he's got a 50% chance of failing a DC 15 save.

Hope this helps!

Mainly because it started getting boring during such a horde event. Enough weren't hitting him that the horde started ignoring him, and then he got bored because they were ignoring him.

I'll try more precise monsters, but bounded accuracy makes that hard. Thankfully dexterity is one of his worst saving throws, so I'll try throwing more foes with 'dodge-damage' effects.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Arial Black]

Also I can but it's more annoying than you'd think. It's on by default for every. single. post. :/

: (

 

[Saeviomagy]

His +4 to saves shouldn't be making saves that pass 90% of the time. My guess is that you've used rolled stats and he had good all round stats as well.

 

[TheEvilDM]

Mainly because it started getting boring during such a horde event. Enough weren't hitting him that the horde started ignoring him, and then he got bored because they were ignoring him.

I'll try more precise monsters, but bounded accuracy makes that hard. Thankfully dexterity is one of his worst saving throws, so I'll try throwing more foes with 'dodge-damage' effects.

Fair enough! What might be another good tactic for hordes, is to simply use the 'Shove' attack action to try and knock him prone. This will give all subsequent attackers advantage, at least until he gets up again on his turn. But if there's something like 6 attackers who all get 2 attacks, and say you manage to succeed in shoving him on the 3rd attempt (maybe even have 2 mobs work together, one helping the other), that's still 9 attacks made with advantage.

 

[KahlessNestor]

Put him in situations where he had to take that armor off. Catch him sleeping. Send the PCs to a banquet where weapons and armor are uncouth. Challenge him to a classic duel.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk