I'm starting a campaign in two weeks. One of my players wants to be a gnome paladin, I am familiar with these as separate entities but not together. I'm also an inexperienced DM but I have some very experienced players in the game as well.
I'd love some advice on helping him make his character sheet and optimize the character if this seems like something we can manage.
You could build the Character here on DnD Beyond. The Character builder ( https://www.dndbeyond.com/my-characters ) is pretty good at walking you through the steps, and showing you the options available.
Even with basic rules access you should be able to build a Gnome Paladin. If you're using source material beyond that outside DnD Beyond ( like printed copies of the books ), it would at least give you a solid basic core to start fleshing out using the other material.
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I'd love some advice on helping him make his character sheet and optimize the character if this seems like something we can manage.
Yes 100% gnomes can be Paladins, there are no limits on race-class combinations (unless you as the DM determine that for your game, but why would you?).
When you say "something we can manage" what do you mean? Is it that neither of you have played paladins before and so you're looking for mechanical advice or suggestions? Or are you saying that narratively the idea of a heavily armored gnome paladin seems confusing for your setting? Either I think won't be a huge challenge to deal with if you can give us a little more detail.
I eventually want to play a forest gnome Oath of Ancients Paladin that is essentially Sir Didymus from the film Labyrinth.
I'm starting a campaign in two weeks. One of my players wants to be a gnome paladin, I am familiar with these as separate entities but not together. I'm also an inexperienced DM but I have some very experienced players in the game as well.
I'd love some advice on helping him make his character sheet and optimize the character if this seems like something we can manage.
If you aren’t yet quite sure that players must combine race and class to make their characters, my advice to you is to read the Basic Rules before doing anything else.
Gnomes won't make the most efficient paladins, their ability bonuses don't line up well with what a paladin needs, but there's certainly nothing preventing doing so.
Gnomes won't make the most efficient paladins, their ability bonuses don't line up well with what a paladin needs, but there's certainly nothing preventing doing so.
Sorry in advance, but man do I dislike such statements.
Just remember that small creatures have disadvantage on attacks made with heavy weapons. That's one of the drawbacks that being a gnome Paladin could have. Racial bonuses may not line up for optimization purposes, but that's more of an inconvenience at low levels than anything else. Flavor wise... that's interesting! I may have to make that my next creation that I may never get a chance to play!
Gnomes won't make the most efficient paladins, their ability bonuses don't line up well with what a paladin needs, but there's certainly nothing preventing doing so.
Sorry in advance, but man do I dislike such statements.
Blame the game system. The key stats for a paladin are Charisma and either Strength or Dexterity. You can get a +1 Dexterity out of a gnome, but their big ability bonus is +2 Int, which has no specific relevance to paladins. Once WoTC comes out with their race rework that gets rid of racial attributes that situation should change, but they haven't really done so yet.
Just remember that small creatures have disadvantage on attacks made with heavy weapons. That's one of the drawbacks that being a gnome Paladin could have. Racial bonuses may not line up for optimization purposes, but that's more of an inconvenience at low levels than anything else. Flavor wise... that's interesting! I may have to make that my next creation that I may never get a chance to play!
Gnomes won't make the most efficient paladins, their ability bonuses don't line up well with what a paladin needs, but there's certainly nothing preventing doing so.
Sorry in advance, but man do I dislike such statements.
I suspect that what you're disliking is the emphasis of "tactical efficiency" over a "role playing possibilities". I would agree, were it my table - but it's not. Different people have different priorities, is all. They're not wrong, you're not wrong - you're just not compatible.
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Just remember that small creatures have disadvantage on attacks made with heavy weapons. That's one of the drawbacks that being a gnome Paladin could have. Racial bonuses may not line up for optimization purposes, but that's more of an inconvenience at low levels than anything else. Flavor wise... that's interesting! I may have to make that my next creation that I may never get a chance to play!
I love the interplay between the more chaotic, mischievous feel of Minor Illusion with the more stereotypical lawful approach of the paladin class in general, with the touch of fey of an Ancients Paladin. Plenty of room to explore that dynamic and really find out the complexities of the character while wading through the inner tension of doing what's natural and doing what one feels that they should do. Speak with Small Beasts is just icing on the cake there.
Getting into the mechanics, Gnome Cunning combined with Aura of protection and Aura of Warding is just nasty. The irony of this small creature being able to go sword and board and be a miserable target to damage is awesome.
Edit: This might have just got moved to the top of my list of characters to play.
I told ya that seemed cool! And then you can take the new UA Fey Touched feat and bamf all over to be in the best place to do your thing. Or maybe either the Metamagic or Eldritch Adept feat? 😉
Fey Touched Your exposure to the Feywild or one of its denizens has left a magical mark on you. You gain the following benefits: • Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You learn the misty step spell and one 1st-level spell of your choice. The 1st-level spell must be from the divination or enchantment school of magic. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells in this way, you can’t cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level. The spells’ spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
Gnomes won't make the most efficient paladins, their ability bonuses don't line up well with what a paladin needs, but there's certainly nothing preventing doing so.
Sorry in advance, but man do I dislike such statements.
Just do point buy and it all comes out in the wash.
I told ya that seemed cool! And then you can take the new UA Fey Touched feat and bamf all over to be in the best place to do your thing. Or maybe either the Metamagic or Eldritch Adept feat? 😉
Fey Touched Your exposure to the Feywild or one of its denizens has left a magical mark on you. You gain the following benefits: • Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You learn the misty step spell and one 1st-level spell of your choice. The 1st-level spell must be from the divination or enchantment school of magic. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells in this way, you can’t cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level. The spells’ spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
Though, I think I'd have to work with the DM to get Scale Mail instead of Chain Mail and then swap the strength and dexterity, possibly put the 8 to strength the 10 to intelligence and the 15 to dexterity. That would involve a swap to rapier from warhammer... This guy is seriously giving me Beachcomber from the Transformers animated series vibes, with a touch of Hound. Fey Touched would be a nasty little addition, to get the free cast of Misty Step a level earlier than Ancients would get it automatically. I'd have to consider whether that free cast would be worth it vis a vis other feats, but there is no doubting the flavor match. That might be a better fit at a later level than 4 from a story perspective. If the DM gave a free feat at level 1 and that was eligible, I think I'd have to snap it up as a story telling reason why he chose the Oath of the Ancients.
It's not just the free cast on Misty Step, it's also a free cast on any one 1st level Spell from any Class' Spell List* from either the Divination or Enchantment list, and you can cast that spell normally too, and a +1 Cha on top as a nice cherry.
Probably Hex between those two to play into the mischievous side of the fey and the character. There are plenty of good options there, though several are also on the Paladin spell list. Still, getting a free cast could be interesting for that spell even if it was on the list, and being able to get hex or hunters mark to stack with divine smites on those crits!?! I'd missed the extra spell on this read through and forgot about it from the UA discussion. That certainly pushes it into a level 4 consideration.
Edit: Hex targeting the athletics checks for an 8 strength gnome Paladin seems particularly on flavor.
Probably Hex between those two to play into the mischievous side of the fey and the character. There are plenty of good options there, though several are also on the Paladin spell list. Still, getting a free cast could be interesting for that spell even if it was on the list, and being able to get hex or hunters mark to stack with divine smites on those crits!?! I'd missed the extra spell on this read through and forgot about it from the UA discussion. That certainly pushes it into a level 4 consideration.
Edit: Hex targeting the athletics checks for an 8 strength gnome Paladin seems particularly on flavor.
You could even pick Gift of Alacrity. You could give yourself a free +1d8 to initiative rolls for 8 hours.
Just do point buy and it all comes out in the wash.
While it would be possible to have a point buy where that's true (in fact, I favor such a system), it's not true under RAW (it doesn't make a terribly big difference, but it's there).
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I'm starting a campaign in two weeks. One of my players wants to be a gnome paladin, I am familiar with these as separate entities but not together. I'm also an inexperienced DM but I have some very experienced players in the game as well.
I'd love some advice on helping him make his character sheet and optimize the character if this seems like something we can manage.
In D&D 5e every species can be every class. So, it is no problem at all, that a Gnome becomes a Paladin.
Do you need specific build advice?
How are you determining stats?
You could build the Character here on DnD Beyond. The Character builder ( https://www.dndbeyond.com/my-characters ) is pretty good at walking you through the steps, and showing you the options available.
Even with basic rules access you should be able to build a Gnome Paladin. If you're using source material beyond that outside DnD Beyond ( like printed copies of the books ), it would at least give you a solid basic core to start fleshing out using the other material.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
Yes 100% gnomes can be Paladins, there are no limits on race-class combinations (unless you as the DM determine that for your game, but why would you?).
When you say "something we can manage" what do you mean? Is it that neither of you have played paladins before and so you're looking for mechanical advice or suggestions? Or are you saying that narratively the idea of a heavily armored gnome paladin seems confusing for your setting? Either I think won't be a huge challenge to deal with if you can give us a little more detail.
I eventually want to play a forest gnome Oath of Ancients Paladin that is essentially Sir Didymus from the film Labyrinth.
If you aren’t yet quite sure that players must combine race and class to make their characters, my advice to you is to read the Basic Rules before doing anything else.
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Gnomes certainly can become paladins. Their oaths are just smaller.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Gnomes won't make the most efficient paladins, their ability bonuses don't line up well with what a paladin needs, but there's certainly nothing preventing doing so.
Sorry in advance, but man do I dislike such statements.
Just remember that small creatures have disadvantage on attacks made with heavy weapons. That's one of the drawbacks that being a gnome Paladin could have. Racial bonuses may not line up for optimization purposes, but that's more of an inconvenience at low levels than anything else. Flavor wise... that's interesting! I may have to make that my next creation that I may never get a chance to play!
Blame the game system. The key stats for a paladin are Charisma and either Strength or Dexterity. You can get a +1 Dexterity out of a gnome, but their big ability bonus is +2 Int, which has no specific relevance to paladins. Once WoTC comes out with their race rework that gets rid of racial attributes that situation should change, but they haven't really done so yet.
A Forest Gnome, Oath of the Ancients Paladin with the Hermit Background always looked fun to play.
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I suspect that what you're disliking is the emphasis of "tactical efficiency" over a "role playing possibilities". I would agree, were it my table - but it's not. Different people have different priorities, is all. They're not wrong, you're not wrong - you're just not compatible.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I love the interplay between the more chaotic, mischievous feel of Minor Illusion with the more stereotypical lawful approach of the paladin class in general, with the touch of fey of an Ancients Paladin. Plenty of room to explore that dynamic and really find out the complexities of the character while wading through the inner tension of doing what's natural and doing what one feels that they should do. Speak with Small Beasts is just icing on the cake there.
Getting into the mechanics, Gnome Cunning combined with Aura of protection and Aura of Warding is just nasty. The irony of this small creature being able to go sword and board and be a miserable target to damage is awesome.
Edit: This might have just got moved to the top of my list of characters to play.
I told ya that seemed cool! And then you can take the new UA Fey Touched feat and bamf all over to be in the best place to do your thing. Or maybe either the Metamagic or Eldritch Adept feat? 😉
Fey Touched
Your exposure to the Feywild or one of its denizens has left a magical mark on you. You gain the following benefits:
• Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You learn the misty step spell and one 1st-level spell of your choice. The 1st-level spell must be from the divination or enchantment school of magic. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells in this way, you can’t cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level. The spells’ spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
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Just do point buy and it all comes out in the wash.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
That plus this:
https://ddb.ac/characters/33004773/zBvNz3
Though, I think I'd have to work with the DM to get Scale Mail instead of Chain Mail and then swap the strength and dexterity, possibly put the 8 to strength the 10 to intelligence and the 15 to dexterity. That would involve a swap to rapier from warhammer... This guy is seriously giving me Beachcomber from the Transformers animated series vibes, with a touch of Hound. Fey Touched would be a nasty little addition, to get the free cast of Misty Step a level earlier than Ancients would get it automatically. I'd have to consider whether that free cast would be worth it vis a vis other feats, but there is no doubting the flavor match. That might be a better fit at a later level than 4 from a story perspective. If the DM gave a free feat at level 1 and that was eligible, I think I'd have to snap it up as a story telling reason why he chose the Oath of the Ancients.
It's not just the free cast on Misty Step, it's also a free cast on any one 1st level Spell from any Class' Spell List* from either the Divination or Enchantment list, and you can cast that spell normally too, and a +1 Cha on top as a nice cherry.
*Anything off of this list look good to you? Like maybe Hex or Hunter's Mark?
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Probably Hex between those two to play into the mischievous side of the fey and the character. There are plenty of good options there, though several are also on the Paladin spell list. Still, getting a free cast could be interesting for that spell even if it was on the list, and being able to get hex or hunters mark to stack with divine smites on those crits!?! I'd missed the extra spell on this read through and forgot about it from the UA discussion. That certainly pushes it into a level 4 consideration.
Edit: Hex targeting the athletics checks for an 8 strength gnome Paladin seems particularly on flavor.
You could even pick Gift of Alacrity. You could give yourself a free +1d8 to initiative rolls for 8 hours.
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While it would be possible to have a point buy where that's true (in fact, I favor such a system), it's not true under RAW (it doesn't make a terribly big difference, but it's there).