II’ve read a billion guides on the Paladin, I have chosen the Oath of Conquest, it just sounds sweet. This is my first game of 5th. We are going into the 3rd session this Friday, I want to make sure I’m in a good place for progression. We are only using the core book, and Xanthar. I will not be multiclassing to keep this as simple as possible (maybe around 9 I can go for Hex like everyone says, if I am bored, but I think my stats are good enough not to need it).
I Rolled 18, 16,16, 14, 13, 12, I have chosen a Variant Human. I went with sword and chose Sentinel for my first feat, I want to be up in the front with the Barbarian. I went ST18, Dex12, Con16, Int13, Wis14, Char16. I added +1 to St and to Charisma. How does all of this look? Am I messing up something obvious on my path to getting a 20? Can I eventually hit a 20 in both St and Con, is that asking to much? Please advise.
our DM gave us all a free feat at the end of the second session as a reward (he clearly let us know this is a one-time thing and will never happen again). I THINK I will add Shield Master. My thinking is that every round I will be walking, attacking, pushing, moving to set up for good position if need be, and hopefully reacting with sentinel or aoo... this will keep me feeling dynamic in the earlier levels, for the whole turn, rather than just walk and swing. Thoughts? Am I off here, is this awful? Please advise?
I’m having a tough time deciding between Defender and Dueling for my fighting style. I’m not hitting very hard, and with the starting chain I am not tanking super well, can really see going either way here. I guess I lean toward Defender, but I hear a lot of arguments for Duel, ie, you don’t need ac if they are dead already, and that makes its own sense. I guess I see better and better ac as providing more flexibility to get up front, tank, and try and help create more options for the rest of the party. Thoughts?
I'm looking for any general advice and thoughts on top of this stuff. I appreciate any time and consideration, thank you very much!!!
As an Oath of Conquest paladin your priority should be your charisma. You will want to be able to CC as many enemies as you can based on your channel divinity. Get to 20 charisma ASAP and the feats I would recommend would be Heavy Armor Master and Sentinel. Reason being that Heavy Armor Master while losing some potency later on towards end game will be a wonderful help early and mid. Three damage reduction PER non magical hit will add up to be quite useful. Sentinel is a great feat to prevent mobs from running away from you while also breaking their spirits. There can be many different ways to fight as a conquest paladin in regards to weapons so choose what you feel would be best for your character.
Since you say you want to tank and with a shield you should want to get shield master and place your enemies in the prone trap. Fear em then knock them prone so they can't get back up. Wrathful smite might just be the best spell because the save is a wisdom CHECK and being frightened and being within sight of you gives them disadvantage on all checks that includes the check I just stated as well as athletic or acrobatic checks to avoid getting knocked prone.
Ok, 3 scenarios/builds based on your advice. #1 is where I’m heading now without help. #2 is applying advice I got elsewhere, #3 is looking at yours. Can you please look at 2&3 and give me your thoughts? Thank you!!!
Scenario 1. (Sword and board) If I stay on the progression I’m on now I have st 19, and Charisma 17. -I get Sentinel for variant human, and Shield Master for free.... I take Defense at 2, Armor Master at 4, Resistance Charisma at 8, ASI Charisma at 12 Warcaster at 16 Whatever at 19 -I hit 20 strength at lvl 4 And 20 Charisma at lvl 12
Scenario 2 (sword and board) I switch it up -I have 19 in Charisma and 17 in strength -I have sentinel for variant human, and Resilient Charisma for free -I take defense at 2 Armor master at 4 ASI strength at 8 Shield Master at 12 Warcaster at 16 Whatever at 19 - I hit 20 Charisma at lvl 1 I hit 20 strength at lvl 8
scenario 3
(sword and board) I switch it up again: -I have 19 in Charisma and 17 in strength -I have sentinel for variant human, and Armor master for free -I take defense at 2 Armor master at 4 ASI strength at 8 Shield Master at 12 Warcaster at 16 Whatever at 19
I hit 20 Charisma at lvl 1, i hit 20 strength at lvl 8, I could do shield master or asi strength at 8&12, whatever makes more sense.
I’m nervous scenario 2 is better in every way except it’s boring at lower levels.
I’m nervous scenario 1 is more dynamic early, but doesn’t hit Charisma 20 until lvl 12, does that matter?
Am I putting too much value on hitting 20?
What is more important early, strength or Charisma for the Oath of Conquest, and why?
Any other feats I should be looking at, especially at 19?
Thank you all so much for your help!!! ❤️ I’ll stop bothering you soon, I promise!
You're likely planning this out a bit too much. Most campaigns end before level 15. You will enjoy it more just focusing on levels 1 through 10.
Conquest Paladin is different from other Paladins b/c their fear ability is changes their battlefield presence. You want high CHA to have as many uses of your Channel Divinity as possible. I recommend Resilient feat over Warcaster since you will probably be using your shield as your spellcasting focus anyway and you have no cantrips.
All those scenarios can work. Only reason why I say to get to 20 Charisma by level 8 is because of what you get as a conquest paladin at level 7. Preventing creatures from being able to run away from you is one of the most important aspects as a Conquest Paladin. In regards to warcaster or resilience it depends on whether you will be using spells that require concentration, but since you will be getting CHA to 20 anyways you will be adding +5 to those saving throws.
The unique ability paladins have is the 6th level aura that grants charisma modifier to all their saves and all their allies - nothing else does this, NOTHING. charisma to 20 even at the expense of melee presence will allow for otherwise unlikely saves made by your group in 10' being made possible or even simple. if you have gnomes, yuanti or others gaining advantage on saves in your party with this buff then they will reliably unaffected by all but the most unlucky rolls. You will have a 5 in all your base saves, and 13 in charisma, bring on those ghost possession attempts! Shield master feat becomes more attractive, and the ability to fail concentration checks in the aura for you and your caster friends is reduced.
The unique ability paladins have is the 6th level aura that grants charisma modifier to all their saves and all their allies - nothing else does this, NOTHING. charisma to 20 even at the expense of melee presence will allow for otherwise unlikely saves made by your group in 10' being made possible or even simple. if you have gnomes, yuanti or others gaining advantage on saves in your party with this buff then they will reliably unaffected by all but the most unlucky rolls. You will have a 5 in all your base saves, and 13 in charisma, bring on those ghost possession attempts! Shield master feat becomes more attractive, and the ability to fail concentration checks in the aura for you and your caster friends is reduced.
Doesn't Conquest Paladin's aura work in reverse? Basically it punishes enemies close to you rather than aids allies close to you. That's what's different about Vengeance and Conquest sub-classes.
Starting at 7th level, you constantly emanate a menacing aura while you’re not incapacitated. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.
If a creature is frightened of you, its speed is reduced to 0 while in the aura, and that creature takes psychic damage equal to half your paladin level if it starts its turn there.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Then it only applies to your enemies. Conquest Paladins still get Aura of Protection and quite frankly make better use of it then most of paladins because for Conquest Paladins their priority is towards Charisma.
So they get two different auras with almost opposite effects happening at the Same Time? That's really sweet. I misinterpreted the rules then. No wonder so many people choose this sub-class.
I would take Shield master with your free feat, dueling as your fighting style, at level 4 even out your Str(20)/Cha(18) so both get a bump, then max your Cha a level 8. Your defense will be good from your aura of protection plus using a shield, damage will be better with dueling, conquest aura is still solid, and you can control a lot better with both sentinel and shield master.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
hi all, long time lurker, first time posting.
II’ve read a billion guides on the Paladin, I have chosen the Oath of Conquest, it just sounds sweet. This is my first game of 5th. We are going into the 3rd session this Friday, I want to make sure I’m in a good place for progression. We are only using the core book, and Xanthar. I will not be multiclassing to keep this as simple as possible (maybe around 9 I can go for Hex like everyone says, if I am bored, but I think my stats are good enough not to need it).
I Rolled 18, 16,16, 14, 13, 12, I have chosen a Variant Human. I went with sword and chose Sentinel for my first feat, I want to be up in the front with the Barbarian. I went ST18, Dex12, Con16, Int13, Wis14, Char16. I added +1 to St and to Charisma. How does all of this look? Am I messing up something obvious on my path to getting a 20? Can I eventually hit a 20 in both St and Con, is that asking to much? Please advise.
our DM gave us all a free feat at the end of the second session as a reward (he clearly let us know this is a one-time thing and will never happen again). I THINK I will add Shield Master. My thinking is that every round I will be walking, attacking, pushing, moving to set up for good position if need be, and hopefully reacting with sentinel or aoo... this will keep me feeling dynamic in the earlier levels, for the whole turn, rather than just walk and swing. Thoughts? Am I off here, is this awful? Please advise?
I’m having a tough time deciding between Defender and Dueling for my fighting style. I’m not hitting very hard, and with the starting chain I am not tanking super well, can really see going either way here. I guess I lean toward Defender, but I hear a lot of arguments for Duel, ie, you don’t need ac if they are dead already, and that makes its own sense. I guess I see better and better ac as providing more flexibility to get up front, tank, and try and help create more options for the rest of the party. Thoughts?
I'm looking for any general advice and thoughts on top of this stuff. I appreciate any time and consideration, thank you very much!!!
As an Oath of Conquest paladin your priority should be your charisma. You will want to be able to CC as many enemies as you can based on your channel divinity. Get to 20 charisma ASAP and the feats I would recommend would be Heavy Armor Master and Sentinel. Reason being that Heavy Armor Master while losing some potency later on towards end game will be a wonderful help early and mid. Three damage reduction PER non magical hit will add up to be quite useful. Sentinel is a great feat to prevent mobs from running away from you while also breaking their spirits. There can be many different ways to fight as a conquest paladin in regards to weapons so choose what you feel would be best for your character.
Since you say you want to tank and with a shield you should want to get shield master and place your enemies in the prone trap. Fear em then knock them prone so they can't get back up. Wrathful smite might just be the best spell because the save is a wisdom CHECK and being frightened and being within sight of you gives them disadvantage on all checks that includes the check I just stated as well as athletic or acrobatic checks to avoid getting knocked prone.
Ok, 3 scenarios/builds based on your advice. #1 is where I’m heading now without help. #2 is applying advice I got elsewhere, #3 is looking at yours. Can you please look at 2&3 and give me your thoughts? Thank you!!!
Scenario 1. (Sword and board)
If I stay on the progression I’m on now I have st 19, and Charisma 17.
-I get Sentinel for variant human, and Shield Master for free....
I take Defense at 2,
Armor Master at 4, Resistance Charisma at 8,
ASI Charisma at 12
Warcaster at 16
Whatever at 19
-I hit 20 strength at lvl 4
And 20 Charisma at lvl 12
Scenario 2 (sword and board)
I switch it up
-I have 19 in Charisma and
17 in strength
-I have sentinel for variant human, and Resilient Charisma for free
-I take defense at 2
Armor master at 4
ASI strength at 8
Shield Master at 12
Warcaster at 16
Whatever at 19
- I hit 20 Charisma at lvl 1
I hit 20 strength at lvl 8
scenario 3
(sword and board)
I switch it up again:
-I have 19 in Charisma and
17 in strength
-I have sentinel for variant human, and Armor master for free
-I take defense at 2
Armor master at 4
ASI strength at 8
Shield Master at 12
Warcaster at 16
Whatever at 19
I hit 20 Charisma at lvl 1, i hit 20 strength at lvl 8, I could do shield master or asi strength at 8&12, whatever makes more sense.
I’m nervous scenario 2 is better in every way except it’s boring at lower levels.
I’m nervous scenario 1 is more dynamic early, but doesn’t hit Charisma 20 until lvl 12, does that matter?
Am I putting too much value on hitting 20?
What is more important early, strength or Charisma for the Oath of Conquest, and why?
Any other feats I should be looking at, especially at 19?
Thank you all so much for your help!!! ❤️ I’ll stop bothering you soon, I promise!
You're likely planning this out a bit too much. Most campaigns end before level 15. You will enjoy it more just focusing on levels 1 through 10.
Conquest Paladin is different from other Paladins b/c their fear ability is changes their battlefield presence. You want high CHA to have as many uses of your Channel Divinity as possible. I recommend Resilient feat over Warcaster since you will probably be using your shield as your spellcasting focus anyway and you have no cantrips.
Thank you both so much!
All those scenarios can work. Only reason why I say to get to 20 Charisma by level 8 is because of what you get as a conquest paladin at level 7. Preventing creatures from being able to run away from you is one of the most important aspects as a Conquest Paladin. In regards to warcaster or resilience it depends on whether you will be using spells that require concentration, but since you will be getting CHA to 20 anyways you will be adding +5 to those saving throws.
Thank you!!!
The unique ability paladins have is the 6th level aura that grants charisma modifier to all their saves and all their allies - nothing else does this, NOTHING. charisma to 20 even at the expense of melee presence will allow for otherwise unlikely saves made by your group in 10' being made possible or even simple. if you have gnomes, yuanti or others gaining advantage on saves in your party with this buff then they will reliably unaffected by all but the most unlucky rolls. You will have a 5 in all your base saves, and 13 in charisma, bring on those ghost possession attempts! Shield master feat becomes more attractive, and the ability to fail concentration checks in the aura for you and your caster friends is reduced.
Doesn't Conquest Paladin's aura work in reverse? Basically it punishes enemies close to you rather than aids allies close to you. That's what's different about Vengeance and Conquest sub-classes.
If your talking about this
Aura of Conquest
Starting at 7th level, you constantly emanate a menacing aura while you’re not incapacitated. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.
If a creature is frightened of you, its speed is reduced to 0 while in the aura, and that creature takes psychic damage equal to half your paladin level if it starts its turn there.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Then it only applies to your enemies. Conquest Paladins still get Aura of Protection and quite frankly make better use of it then most of paladins because for Conquest Paladins their priority is towards Charisma.
So they get two different auras with almost opposite effects happening at the Same Time? That's really sweet. I misinterpreted the rules then. No wonder so many people choose this sub-class.
For me, the subclasses are largely irrelevant compared to a +5 to all saves to all allies in 10' including you.
I would take Shield master with your free feat, dueling as your fighting style, at level 4 even out your Str(20)/Cha(18) so both get a bump, then max your Cha a level 8. Your defense will be good from your aura of protection plus using a shield, damage will be better with dueling, conquest aura is still solid, and you can control a lot better with both sentinel and shield master.