D&D 5E [GUIDE] My Word Is My Sword: The Paladin Guide

[Yunru]

Shield master was my choice with same build. It's on all the time and you choose when to use it. Sentinel requires your DM to let you use it, by triggering the conditions.

Also, if you can get the prone in, your attacks will be with advantage, which greatly increases your damage and gives you 2 chances to land that double damage Smite.


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Of course, one the other hand, Sentinel is best when your DM "doesn't" let you use it, as it's designed to enable you to go all Gandalf and stop enemies from passing.

 

[Arslan]

Building an Oath of the Crown Mountain Dwarf, for my first ASI I'm torn between Shield Master and Sentinel. Any synergies that I'm missing that might make either of the feats edge infront of eachother?

I'm playing a Human (variant) Devotion Paladin, just made level 7. I went with Sentinel at 1st level and I've found it to be a useful feat. It often gives you another attack each round when they attack someone else within 5ft of you. Your mileage may vary as you'll need another melee or two member in the party to have it be useful. Ideally someone who has less AC and looks more squishy. I'm usually tanking at the front and fighting with a Open Hand Monk or an Assassin Rogue.

But I've always looked at shield bash with an interest. If your not going to use your bonus actions for other attacks then its really what better fits your character concept. Are you a defender/guardian of your friends or a wild eyed zealot who wants to bash your foes to the ground before smitting them with vengeance?

 

[Kevin Duffy]

Is this build pretty much THE Min/Max way to go for a oathbreaker? I need to roll a 2nd character as a backup, and this one will work great thematically. Just curious if this is the OPTIMAL build/options to go with.

Fallen Aasimar Oathbreaker, dual-wielder


Turning his back on the divine admonition of both his race and his Oath, this evil Paladin takes full advantage of Aura of Hate with his dual-wielding prowess. Has turned to piracy for a living. Maxed-out Charisma is a must for this build.

Despite the Fallen Aasimar having a STR bonus, this Oathbreaker prefers to attack with DEX. It helps that DEX builds can dump STR entirely, which is not true vice-versa.

Race: Aasimar (Fallen)
Background: Pirate
Alignment: NE

Proficient Skills: Intimidation (CHA), Athletics (STR), Perception (WIS), Acrobatics (DEX) (free pick)
Proficient Tools: Navigator’s Tools, Vehicles (Water)

Armor: Studded leather
Weapon: Shortswords OR scimitars (x2), longbow
Other: Holy Symbol (amulet)

Point buy array: 15, 15, 14, 10, 8, 8

Attributes and feats:
Lv. 1: STR 9, DEX 15, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 17
Lv. 4: STR 9, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 18
Lv. 8: STR 9, DEX 18, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 18
Lv. 12: STR 9, DEX 20, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 18
Lv. 16: STR 9, DEX 15, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 20
Lv. 19: STR 9, DEX 15, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 20, Defensive Duelist

 

[smbakeresq]

I'm playing a Human (variant) Devotion Paladin, just made level 7. I went with Sentinel at 1st level and I've found it to be a useful feat. It often gives you another attack each round when they attack someone else within 5ft of you. Your mileage may vary as you'll need another melee or two member in the party to have it be useful. Ideally someone who has less AC and looks more squishy. I'm usually tanking at the front and fighting with a Open Hand Monk or an Assassin Rogue.

But I've always looked at shield bash with an interest. If your not going to use your bonus actions for other attacks then its really what better fits your character concept. Are you a defender/guardian of your friends or a wild eyed zealot who wants to bash your foes to the ground before smitting them with vengeance?

I took Shield Master first. Your DM doesn't have to let you use it and you don't need your teammates next to you. You take a shot at proning them first, then you get your attack sequence at advantage. The prone attempt works with Bless too, it's an ability check, and works better with enlarge person. You get some save bonuses also.

When you prone them your Melee buddies get advantage, and you just cost them half their movement. Prone them or push them into damage areas also for fun.




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[Blue]

Is this build pretty much THE Min/Max way to go for a oathbreaker? I need to roll a 2nd character as a backup, and this one will work great thematically. Just curious if this is the OPTIMAL build/options to go with.

Look, with the only guidance "is this the OPTIMAL build" but without telling us what you are trying to optimize, we can just guess at your goals.

If you're looking for THE Min/Max undead army, you're not doing anything special besides maxing Chr. It's nice, but nothing special over other oathbreakers.

If you're looking for the THE Min/Max damage, it's not close. Oathbreaker misses many of the advantages of other paladin oaths that race for Great Weapon Mastery (advantage of bonus to attack), but that doesn't mean that even within Oathbreaker you can't do better. Dex and TWF without multiclassing to get the Two-Weapon Fighting style (not offered to paladins) and without the Dual Wielder feat doesn't do a lot of damage. Now, three attacks is nice for nova damage, but having played a paladin you will run out of spell slots for Smites well before you run out of attacks for the day. If you do want to spend the feat, spending the same feat on Polearm Mastery and going STR instead would still be a big jump over TWF without the fighting style, plus give you more reaction attacks, more damage on an opportunity attack, reach, and only needing one magic weapon.

You are doing well on defenses. Not THE Min/Max, simple plate gives AC 18 vs. Studded Leather + 20 DEX of AC 17. Dual Wielder feat would allow you to pull even. All paladins do well on saves thanks to their auras, you do significantly better than most on Dex (damage) saves, are proficient with CON saves, and your only weakness among the big three saves is Wis (control) without proficiency or bonus. But with your paladin aura you're still doing fine.

Fallen Aasimar, as you mentioned, give +1 STR which doesn't help your dex build. Because of the nature of point-buy, putting that to your lowest vs. one of the highest will make a big difference in the value of your ability scores. Darkvision is nice. Healing Hands rather overlaps your lay-on-hands. Necrotic Shroud is a nice once per day power, though you need to be careful not accidentally scare your allies. Also it takes an action to trigger so it is likely that you won't make up that action's lost damage potential with the bonus damage.

Now, all of that - forget it. It's a cool build and I'd have fun playing it. It may not be "the OPTIMIZE build" but it hangs together mechanically and I like your whole piracy angle. Enjoy your concept.

 

[Kevin Duffy]

This is op's build from the first page. His Polearm Vengeance build seems extremely fine-tuned and optimized, i was just curious if this one is as well. From your post it appears you do not think so. I was hoping he'd reply and give some insight.

Look, with the only guidance "is this the OPTIMAL build" but without telling us what you are trying to optimize, we can just guess at your goals.

If you're looking for THE Min/Max undead army, you're not doing anything special besides maxing Chr. It's nice, but nothing special over other oathbreakers.

If you're looking for the THE Min/Max damage, it's not close. Oathbreaker misses many of the advantages of other paladin oaths that race for Great Weapon Mastery (advantage of bonus to attack), but that doesn't mean that even within Oathbreaker you can't do better. Dex and TWF without multiclassing to get the Two-Weapon Fighting style (not offered to paladins) and without the Dual Wielder feat doesn't do a lot of damage. Now, three attacks is nice for nova damage, but having played a paladin you will run out of spell slots for Smites well before you run out of attacks for the day. If you do want to spend the feat, spending the same feat on Polearm Mastery and going STR instead would still be a big jump over TWF without the fighting style, plus give you more reaction attacks, more damage on an opportunity attack, reach, and only needing one magic weapon.

You are doing well on defenses. Not THE Min/Max, simple plate gives AC 18 vs. Studded Leather + 20 DEX of AC 17. Dual Wielder feat would allow you to pull even. All paladins do well on saves thanks to their auras, you do significantly better than most on Dex (damage) saves, are proficient with CON saves, and your only weakness among the big three saves is Wis (control) without proficiency or bonus. But with your paladin aura you're still doing fine.

Fallen Aasimar, as you mentioned, give +1 STR which doesn't help your dex build. Because of the nature of point-buy, putting that to your lowest vs. one of the highest will make a big difference in the value of your ability scores. Darkvision is nice. Healing Hands rather overlaps your lay-on-hands. Necrotic Shroud is a nice once per day power, though you need to be careful not accidentally scare your allies. Also it takes an action to trigger so it is likely that you won't make up that action's lost damage potential with the bonus damage.

Now, all of that - forget it. It's a cool build and I'd have fun playing it. It may not be "the OPTIMIZE build" but it hangs together mechanically and I like your whole piracy angle. Enjoy your concept.

 

[Yunru]

Ignore Blue, he obviously hasn't thought it out [emoji14]
(Seriously though Blue, Dual Wielder? No-one takes Dual Wielder for DPR. It adds at most an average of +1. Two-Weapon Fighting? Adds + Mod to one attack.)

By itself a TWF Oathbreaker Paladin matches up with a GWF when neither have advantage (although I think advantage swings it towards the GWF).

Between Improved Divine Smite and Aura of Hate, you're stacking 1d8+Cha mod onto every hit, so a free bonus action attack each turn is just gravy. Add even more sources of +Cha mod onto that?
Yeah, you do great damage. And are somewhat original for a Paladin.

You probably want to go Strength based though, so you can focus those two stats.

 

[Kevin Duffy]

What exactly is it that Dex does for you in this build vs strength? Did he do dex on this one just to switch it up vs. his other builds?

Ignore Blue, he obviously hasn't thought it out [emoji14]
(Seriously though Blue, Dual Wielder? No-one takes Dual Wielder for DPR. It adds at most an average of +1. Two-Weapon Fighting? Adds + Mod to one attack.)

By itself a TWF Oathbreaker Paladin matches up with a GWF when neither have advantage (although I think advantage swings it towards the GWF).

Between Improved Divine Smite and Aura of Hate, you're stacking 1d8+Cha mod onto every hit, so a free bonus action attack each turn is just gravy. Add even more sources of +Cha mod onto that?
Yeah, you do great damage. And are somewhat original for a Paladin.

You probably want to go Strength based though, so you can focus those two stats.

 

[Kevin Duffy]

Can't figure out how just to tag you.

Halp

 

[Gladius Legis]

That dual-wielding Oathbreaker is not fully optimized. I just wanted one in the examples that was an evil Aasimar.