My next character I'm dreaming up is an Eladrin Oath of the Ancients Paladin. I think the stats distribution via point buy works out as follows: 15 10 14 10 10 15. It's not optimal from 1-4, but this serves as a potential back up character for a current level 5 party, so I realize I will likely start with stat bumps hoping for: 16 10 14 10 10 16. Fine and dandy.
But I'm really tempted to use Elven Accuracy, however, while I can bump Cha to 16, I'm stuck with +2 Str until level 8. Not sure if the super advantage (easy to trigger via Ensnaring Strike or Nature's Wrath) is worth the loss in Strength, especially if the strategy is to restrain and smite.
Thoughts on the value of 16 Str at 4, versus Elven Accuracy at 4 with 14 Str?
(Note: For class fantasy, I'd hope to be a plate wearing longsword paladin. I know I can probably make an Eladrin with 16 Dex and 16 Cha while still being able to get Elven Accuracy, but wanted to see thoughts. I realize a dex-paladin might just be better assuming sword and board Eladrin...)
If its for fey flavour, ( and eladrin / ancients screams YEEEHAAA that it is) You could consider Paladin one, then warlock hexblade one then continue paladin. If you want to wear plate you will need 15 str at some point but this way CHA will now apply to your hit and damage melee rolls making you less MAD dependant and focusing everything into cha. Have the patron be a fey spirit - but instead of the 'archfey forest oo la la' types its more lady of the lake, heres a sword go smite the enemies kind of fey. After 7th, or 8th you may decide you dont need more levels in paladin and dive into hexblade but that ultimately depends on how 'mystic defender of the green wood or Great Huntsman' you want to make yourself.
Hoping to not multiclass, mostly because I don't like the idea of the ever present "Hexblade splash!" that that class caused. Also the flavor of Hexblade wouldn't fit at all. Thanks for the suggestion though! Also realized another reason I was interested in Str was precisely so that heavier AC could be achieved, knowing that my aura would help balance other saves.
Yeah, I hear that Xacrom. If you go full Ancients you might find past 7th / 8th lacking - but thats only if your playing and leveling through them (the abilities begin being overshadowed by spell potential and sadly you have to wait till 17th to get your highest level spell for the paladin class) Thats if combat is the forum your game shines the spotlight on - in a social or rather diplomacy and intrigue heavy game your fun will come from other sources than new combat abilities.
If your planning this one perhaps consider only a 14 in str at level 1, then later you can take heavy armour master get the +1str and the damage reduction (perhaps at 4th) or if 15 str it will put str up to 16 and increase your melee chance whilst boosting your ability to weather minion swarms. Decide early if your planning defence or offence - shield or two handed and if shield will you want shield master feat? with your aura saves adding to your rolls it becomes considerably more enticing.
Shield of faith is your friend early on, and at later levels as well - if you can avoid hits / make pesky concentration checks. Dont forget it.
regarding flavour of hexblade, I addressed how you could fit it together. Flavour is flavour. Sometimes its bitter sometimes its sweet. Depending on your fey legend of choice an Eladrin hexblade makes a much more lore friendly fickle capricous Fey than an Eladrin, which changes seasons, whilst pledging itself to spreading happiness joy and hope dogmatically.
I built a Dex and Str, and after looking it over, my gut says to run the Dex build in the end. Seems like if I can make the AC anyway, and despite the loss of using magical weapons that aren't rapiers or shortswords, that Dex overall is stronger.
There's nothing wrong with a dex-based paladin. I built one as an NPC and he runs really well and can definitely hold his own. If you're using a shield a rapier really is no different than a longsword damage-wise!
And if you're really after that plate & longsword aesthetic, why not just ask the DM if your player can specially request (aka, reskin) a rapier and medium armor? There's no reason you can't have a longsword-like "rapier" or "special light" elven plate armor (aka, regular half plate, haha). It may cost a few extra gold, but I think it's silly to force yourself to choose between effective stats and a certain character appearance when you can easily have both.
Yeah, I would just ask the DM to let you use a Longsword as a finesse weapon while wielding it as an Eladrin (I made a feat here in the home brew section for just such a thing for Elves, Elven Weapon Mastery). As for the plate look, try half plate, can get your +2 dex to ac on it making it effectively 1 less than full plate (17ac vs 18ac), and you could also grab the defense fighting style for an additional +1 ac instead of dueling if you choose.
I feel the player needs to be comfortable with the character they created and sometimes the DM may need to modify a few things for the players aesthetic, it all works out in the end. I have yet to see the D&D police arrive at my table and say we are violating "the RAW Law".
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Hey guys,
My next character I'm dreaming up is an Eladrin Oath of the Ancients Paladin. I think the stats distribution via point buy works out as follows: 15 10 14 10 10 15. It's not optimal from 1-4, but this serves as a potential back up character for a current level 5 party, so I realize I will likely start with stat bumps hoping for: 16 10 14 10 10 16. Fine and dandy.
But I'm really tempted to use Elven Accuracy, however, while I can bump Cha to 16, I'm stuck with +2 Str until level 8. Not sure if the super advantage (easy to trigger via Ensnaring Strike or Nature's Wrath) is worth the loss in Strength, especially if the strategy is to restrain and smite.
Thoughts on the value of 16 Str at 4, versus Elven Accuracy at 4 with 14 Str?
(Note: For class fantasy, I'd hope to be a plate wearing longsword paladin. I know I can probably make an Eladrin with 16 Dex and 16 Cha while still being able to get Elven Accuracy, but wanted to see thoughts. I realize a dex-paladin might just be better assuming sword and board Eladrin...)
Toremar, Paladin 6 / Dez, Gnome Wizard 5 / Perios, Elf Wizard 10 / Skadr, Dwarf Pugilist 7
If its for fey flavour, ( and eladrin / ancients screams YEEEHAAA that it is) You could consider Paladin one, then warlock hexblade one then continue paladin. If you want to wear plate you will need 15 str at some point but this way CHA will now apply to your hit and damage melee rolls making you less MAD dependant and focusing everything into cha. Have the patron be a fey spirit - but instead of the 'archfey forest oo la la' types its more lady of the lake, heres a sword go smite the enemies kind of fey. After 7th, or 8th you may decide you dont need more levels in paladin and dive into hexblade but that ultimately depends on how 'mystic defender of the green wood or Great Huntsman' you want to make yourself.
Enjoy, but beware - Moon druids never sleep.
Hoping to not multiclass, mostly because I don't like the idea of the ever present "Hexblade splash!" that that class caused. Also the flavor of Hexblade wouldn't fit at all. Thanks for the suggestion though! Also realized another reason I was interested in Str was precisely so that heavier AC could be achieved, knowing that my aura would help balance other saves.
Toremar, Paladin 6 / Dez, Gnome Wizard 5 / Perios, Elf Wizard 10 / Skadr, Dwarf Pugilist 7
Yeah, I hear that Xacrom. If you go full Ancients you might find past 7th / 8th lacking - but thats only if your playing and leveling through them (the abilities begin being overshadowed by spell potential and sadly you have to wait till 17th to get your highest level spell for the paladin class) Thats if combat is the forum your game shines the spotlight on - in a social or rather diplomacy and intrigue heavy game your fun will come from other sources than new combat abilities.
If your planning this one perhaps consider only a 14 in str at level 1, then later you can take heavy armour master get the +1str and the damage reduction (perhaps at 4th) or if 15 str it will put str up to 16 and increase your melee chance whilst boosting your ability to weather minion swarms. Decide early if your planning defence or offence - shield or two handed and if shield will you want shield master feat? with your aura saves adding to your rolls it becomes considerably more enticing.
Shield of faith is your friend early on, and at later levels as well - if you can avoid hits / make pesky concentration checks. Dont forget it.
regarding flavour of hexblade, I addressed how you could fit it together. Flavour is flavour. Sometimes its bitter sometimes its sweet. Depending on your fey legend of choice an Eladrin hexblade makes a much more lore friendly fickle capricous Fey than an Eladrin, which changes seasons, whilst pledging itself to spreading happiness joy and hope dogmatically.
Remember, elven accuracy doesn't trigger on STR based attacks (would work fine with Cha if you took the hex dip others suggested)
Oh! So moot point anyway. Interesting.
I built a Dex and Str, and after looking it over, my gut says to run the Dex build in the end. Seems like if I can make the AC anyway, and despite the loss of using magical weapons that aren't rapiers or shortswords, that Dex overall is stronger.
Toremar, Paladin 6 / Dez, Gnome Wizard 5 / Perios, Elf Wizard 10 / Skadr, Dwarf Pugilist 7
Dex doesnt apply to heavy armour AC and only 2 (or three with medium armour mastery) for medium armour. Keep that in mind but enjoy your character!
I did. Calculating as a level 4 character (+4 Dex) I'm wearing studded leather with a shield so it's still 18 AC!
Toremar, Paladin 6 / Dez, Gnome Wizard 5 / Perios, Elf Wizard 10 / Skadr, Dwarf Pugilist 7
There's nothing wrong with a dex-based paladin. I built one as an NPC and he runs really well and can definitely hold his own. If you're using a shield a rapier really is no different than a longsword damage-wise!
And if you're really after that plate & longsword aesthetic, why not just ask the DM if your player can specially request (aka, reskin) a rapier and medium armor? There's no reason you can't have a longsword-like "rapier" or "special light" elven plate armor (aka, regular half plate, haha). It may cost a few extra gold, but I think it's silly to force yourself to choose between effective stats and a certain character appearance when you can easily have both.
Yeah, I would just ask the DM to let you use a Longsword as a finesse weapon while wielding it as an Eladrin (I made a feat here in the home brew section for just such a thing for Elves, Elven Weapon Mastery). As for the plate look, try half plate, can get your +2 dex to ac on it making it effectively 1 less than full plate (17ac vs 18ac), and you could also grab the defense fighting style for an additional +1 ac instead of dueling if you choose.
I feel the player needs to be comfortable with the character they created and sometimes the DM may need to modify a few things for the players aesthetic, it all works out in the end. I have yet to see the D&D police arrive at my table and say we are violating "the RAW Law".