D&D (2024) Is Oath of the Noble Genie Green, Yellow, or Red?

[ECMO3]

While the higher AC of a shield is nice and a valid option, I think, for this Paladin, 2 weapon fighting is hard to pass up, especially since Paladins can take the two-weapon fighting style now.

With Nick you get the extra attack and you still get your bonus action to do Paladin smites and the like. And your AC is STILL excellent.

Yes that is an option and probably a really good one. I still think you want to go dex and finesse weapons though.

 

[ECMO3]

You need to roll well to get any benefits from adding Bladesinger.

Bladesinger is really tough to do. I think if you really want that you dump Constitution, play a human, play a custom background so you can take both the Tough Feat and Magic Initiate Druid and run a 12 Dex:

S13 D12 C8 I17 W8 CH16

Take Magic Initiate Druid-Intelligence with Shilleleagh.

Start Paladin in Chain and shield (AC18) sword and board swinging a staff, get the two-weapon fighting style, which you will not use for a while.

Go 4 levels in Paladin, drop the chain for studded at level 3 (still 18 AC), take warcaster-Intelligence at level 4, then switch Wizard. Go 6 levels in Wizard boosting Intelligence to 20. Switch from studded and shield to mage armor at Wizard 1, which is 1 point worse initially, but you have the shield spell and two weapon fighting. For mastery at P4/W1 switch to Hand Axe and Scimitar. Until extra attack is online fight with a Scimitar and Shilleleagh-Club or Scimitar and Hand Axe in Bladesong and Truestrike with a Shillelagh-Club when not in Bladesong.

After 10th level I probably go back to Paladin, pick up 11 levels in Paladin (boosting Charisma at P8), then one more Wizard level and take your last two levels in Wizard 8 and Paladin 12 to pick up two epic boons

At level 20 your stats should be: S13 D12 C8 I22 W8 CH18 with 128 hit points. AC is 18 or 24 in Bladesong before any magic item or spell boosts. Saves are good S+5 D+5 C+3 I+10 W+9 CH+14

I think this character struggles a bit in levels 5-10 until the Bladesinger extra attack comes online, but using Truestrike and Shillelagh helps. I don't think this is better than a single class Dex Paladin though. If you can't do a custom background then you can't get both Magic Initiate(Druid) and Tough. This makes it quite a bit worse at low levels. You probably want Merchant for Lucky if you have to go this way.

 

[pukunui]

5e is nothing if not consistent in the "Jesus, just start the game at level 3" messaging.

One of the reasons I quit the group in which I was a player was because the DM insisted on starting every campaign at 1st level because "that is where the fun is". Ugh.

1st and 2nd level in 5e are the tutorial levels. The "learn how to play D&D" levels. The revised PHB even flat-out says more experienced groups should start at 3rd level!