Played 3.0/3.5 a bit, lots of 2014 5E, a bit of Baldur's Gate 1-3, first time playing 2024 coming up. Campaign with be semi-gritty, but also will have a high(er) magic item quantity and quality. Maybe boons as well, (before level 16).  But I have decided that I want to go martial - melee. I play a lot of 2014 Gloom Stalker/Multi Class, Warlock/Druids, a few sorcerers, clerics, and some other stuff - but I've never had the chance to really sit and play a old fashioned poke-em-with-the-pointy end.

Rolled stats. Starting at level 4, with the intention of going to 20. DM (team of 2) is quite good at balancing out encounters with regards to high power characters - so a little munchkin min-maxing won't be a problem. BUT, I do still want to RP AND build the character as intended. 5 players.

I've done a little research, via google. It seems that Berserker GWM barb is the best DPR?  But I don't want to be a Barbarian starting out, per my character backstory and arc. Eventually (2+) levels of barbarian will happen, but I want to know the general opinion and DPR potential of [now nerfed] 2024 Paladin, using 2014 Oathbreaker subclass.  Things I know. Smite got hard nerfed. GWM is now flat damage based on prof, with no attack roll decreasing. Weapon Mastery properties, are a thing - and Maul (Topple) and Greatsword (Graze) seem like fine combo. I expect to at least have a mid-tier Belt of Giant Strength at some point, so Topple should be very fine indeed and I don't have to go higher than 15 Str at the start.

Character's basic backstory is that he started off as a Bodyguard (Paladin, Oath of...whatever) for a minor 5th or 6th line Noble kid. Kid turned out to be a right awful piece of work (think Joffrey, and worse than that.) My character offs him after finding the kid in the act of horrendous stomach-churning horribleness. Breaking his oath (legal and divine,) and becoming an Oathbreaker (which I have done some minor reflavouring work as Ronnin-esque.)


So, I'm looking at Oathbreaker to 8, 2 levels of barbarian (for Reckless Attack and a little bit of Rage for flavour,)  and them maybe his desire for more magical power later on pushes him down the path of learning wizardly magic (mostly for Shield, and Haste) for 5 levels. Then whatever 5 levels of something after that.

15(14) / 9 / 16 / 10 / 16 / 20 (18)
Human, Skilled, GWM 2024
Lang: Common, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Sylven, per DM advice/input.
Skill Profs: Animal Handling, Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception, Persuasion. (Seemed like a good mix for a bodyguard type character to know threats, magic, handle a horse (riding or carriage.) 

Maul, and Greatsword 
Plate armor, with one-hand weapon and shield backup.

Quote from Maruntoryx >>

Idea: build a fun character. Don't minmax for damage.

 Idea: re-read my post

Just a note, Oathbreaker is not currently in 2024. That generally means that you're free to use the 2014 stuff and it sounds like you've done at least some work in that regard, but I'd go through it a couple times to make sure that it does what you want it to do within the new rules. That said, unless you use every spell slot on smites, paladins are just as half-caster as rangers. When I think pure martial, I'm thinking champion/battlemaster, barbs, and thief/assassin.

Quote from sabin76 >>

Just a note, Oathbreaker is not currently in 2024. That generally means that you're free to use the 2014 stuff and it sounds like you've done at least some work in that regard, but I'd go through it a couple times to make sure that it does what you want it to do within the new rules. That said, unless you use every spell slot on smites, paladins are just as half-caster as rangers. When I think pure martial, I'm thinking champion/battlemaster, barbs, and thief/assassin.

 I appreciate that your reply was actually understanding, unlike the other person above.

I'm not looking for pure martial, and Oathbreaker's Aura of Hate looks pretty good. I know the limited spell slots and smiting will also greatly limit my spell abilities - but the list of spells I'm seeing on the 2024 Paladin ain't much. I've gone over Oathbreaker with my DMs for 2024 and there's nothing in it that conflicts with 2014 as far as we can tell (it will also be a join first 2024 adventure for us all.)

I'm not interested in playing Rogue, other than as a multiclass with Ranger (gloomstalker-phantom is fun in 2014,) or Cleric (Rogue-Twilight is fairly fun, just for bonus action dash/disengage/hide allowing a lot of flexibility to clerics) And Fighter is just a little to basic. 

I'm not looking for a perfect damage dealer, I just want to make sure that I'm not doing something to inefficient.

Quote from sabin76 >>

Just a note, Oathbreaker is not currently in 2024. That generally means that you're free to use the 2014 stuff and it sounds like you've done at least some work in that regard, but I'd go through it a couple times to make sure that it does what you want it to do within the new rules. That said, unless you use every spell slot on smites, paladins are just as half-caster as rangers. When I think pure martial, I'm thinking champion/battlemaster, barbs, and thief/assassin.

 I appreciate that your reply was actually understanding, unlike the other person above.

I'm not looking for pure martial, and Oathbreaker's Aura of Hate looks pretty good. I know the limited spell slots and smiting will also greatly limit my spell abilities - but the list of spells I'm seeing on the 2024 Paladin ain't much. I've gone over Oathbreaker with my DMs for 2024 and there's nothing in it that conflicts with 2014 as far as we can tell (it will also be a join first 2024 adventure for us all.)

I'm not interested in playing Rogue, other than as a multiclass with Ranger (gloomstalker-phantom is fun in 2014,) or Cleric (Rogue-Twilight is fairly fun, just for bonus action dash/disengage/hide allowing a lot of flexibility to clerics) And Fighter is just a little to basic.  
I just want to make sure that I'm not doing something to inefficient.