So, just getting back into D&D after about oh, I dont know 25 years out of it and going through my first campaign with my Goliath Paladin build. Im at lvl 4 in our campaign so far and cannot decide between taking a feat, or taking the ability score increase.
Right now Im at Strength 17, Dexterity 12, Constitution 13, Intelligence 9. Wisdom 9, Charisma 15. Took Oath of Conquest at lvl 3. Also pretty much the only front line build in the group for our campaign, if that is important or not!
Currently was looking at Great Weapon Master which gives me +1 strength along with Heavy weapon mastery that lets me add my proficiency (+2) to damage rolls, and Hew which if I crit hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP with one I can make an attack with the same weapon as a bonus action.
But from what I read at lvl 6 when I get my Aura I want that Charisma at 16 for the boost.
So the long and the short is, take a feat (Great Weapon Master, maybe Polearm Master) or take the ASI and add one to strength and one to Charisma to get me to 18/16?
You need to look at which benefit is most beneficial to you. If you get a feat you will probably boost your strength.
So it comes down to the feat versus the cha bonus. If you use a lot of spells, maybe boosting the CHA is worth it. If you get by with your spells, then maybe the feat is a better buy for you.
So, just getting back into D&D after about oh, I dont know 25 years out of it and going through my first campaign with my Goliath Paladin build. Im at lvl 4 in our campaign so far and cannot decide between taking a feat, or taking the ability score increase.
Right now Im at Strength 17, Dexterity 12, Constitution 13, Intelligence 9. Wisdom 9, Charisma 15. Took Oath of Conquest at lvl 3. Also pretty much the only front line build in the group for our campaign, if that is important or not!
Currently was looking at Great Weapon Master which gives me +1 strength along with Heavy weapon mastery that lets me add my proficiency (+2) to damage rolls, and Hew which if I crit hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP with one I can make an attack with the same weapon as a bonus action.
But from what I read at lvl 6 when I get my Aura I want that Charisma at 16 for the boost.
So the long and the short is, take a feat (Great Weapon Master, maybe Polearm Master) or take the ASI and add one to strength and one to Charisma to get me to 18/16?
Something to consider here is that with Oath of Conquest, one of your main Channel Divinity options and most of your subclass-specific spells only work if the enemy fails a saving throw, and the DCs for those saving throws are based on your Charisma.
So, if you think you're going to be using stuff like Conquering Presence, Command, or Hold Person a lot, you do need to invest in Charisma to keep those things effective at higher levels. And if you're not using that stuff a lot and just want to dish out damage, then your subclass isn't doing much for you and you might be better off with something like Oath of Vengeance instead.
Just an aside, because you appear to be using the 5.5e Paladin class with a subclass that was written for 5e: D&D Beyond's online character sheet has a long-standing notorious bug where the subclass-specific spells that are supposed to be "always prepared" do not show up as such on your character sheet if you're using an old-style subclass with the new class. Be aware that this is just a bug in D&D Beyond and you are supposed to have those spells available at all times even if they don't show up.
Just an aside, because you appear to be using the 5.5e Paladin class with a subclass that was written for 5e: D&D Beyond's online character sheet has a long-standing notorious bug where the subclass-specific spells that are supposed to be "always prepared" do not show up as such on your character sheet if you're using an old-style subclass with the new class. Be aware that this is just a bug in D&D Beyond and you are supposed to have those spells available at all times even if they don't show up.
The DM and I already saw that and addressed it with some background work I believe by giving me a sigil ring which has those always prepared on it. It is a weid bug between the two.
Also playing a Paladin currently - the struggle is real, between fun feats and many necessary ASIs.
I think your instincts are right to do a STR feat at 4 and a CHA feat at 8. Great Weapon Master is such a solid, stress-free, flat damage buff for you. Polearm Master is fantastic also but would compete for your Bonus Action every turn, which is now kinda full as a 2024 Paladin (Smites, Lay on Hands, etc.).
Once you Aura comes online, strengthening it is vital. Failing saves is often a heavier impact in a combat than damage. Raising your CHA gets you +1 to all your saves and your allies w/in 10 ft. That's massive bang for your buck and will feel so epic when you're helping teammates halve damage, not get paralyzed, etc. With Lay on Hands now a Bonus Action, you have a go-to self-heal option, so failing saves is a greater risk I'd say.
Inspiring Leader: solid temp HP for up to 6 allies (for you at level 8: +11 HP)
Fey Touched: free Misty Step (teleport) & one first-level Divination or Enchantment spell (e.g. Silvery Barbs, Gift of Alacrity, etc.)
Skill Expert: one extra skill proficiency & one skill expertise for a skill you are proficient in
With your key stats rounded off, you'll want to think carefully about your ASIs/feats at levels 12 & 16, since taking a feat would mean forgoing raising your stat modifier until level 16. As wagnarokker, highlighted, your subclass has a lot based on your CHA. So getting it to +4 at level 12 would likely feel pretty good, between that and your Aura going to +4.
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So, just getting back into D&D after about oh, I dont know 25 years out of it and going through my first campaign with my Goliath Paladin build. Im at lvl 4 in our campaign so far and cannot decide between taking a feat, or taking the ability score increase.
Right now Im at Strength 17, Dexterity 12, Constitution 13, Intelligence 9. Wisdom 9, Charisma 15. Took Oath of Conquest at lvl 3. Also pretty much the only front line build in the group for our campaign, if that is important or not!
Currently was looking at Great Weapon Master which gives me +1 strength along with Heavy weapon mastery that lets me add my proficiency (+2) to damage rolls, and Hew which if I crit hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP with one I can make an attack with the same weapon as a bonus action.
But from what I read at lvl 6 when I get my Aura I want that Charisma at 16 for the boost.
So the long and the short is, take a feat (Great Weapon Master, maybe Polearm Master) or take the ASI and add one to strength and one to Charisma to get me to 18/16?
You need to look at which benefit is most beneficial to you. If you get a feat you will probably boost your strength.
So it comes down to the feat versus the cha bonus. If you use a lot of spells, maybe boosting the CHA is worth it. If you get by with your spells, then maybe the feat is a better buy for you.
Something to consider here is that with Oath of Conquest, one of your main Channel Divinity options and most of your subclass-specific spells only work if the enemy fails a saving throw, and the DCs for those saving throws are based on your Charisma.
So, if you think you're going to be using stuff like Conquering Presence, Command, or Hold Person a lot, you do need to invest in Charisma to keep those things effective at higher levels. And if you're not using that stuff a lot and just want to dish out damage, then your subclass isn't doing much for you and you might be better off with something like Oath of Vengeance instead.
Just an aside, because you appear to be using the 5.5e Paladin class with a subclass that was written for 5e: D&D Beyond's online character sheet has a long-standing notorious bug where the subclass-specific spells that are supposed to be "always prepared" do not show up as such on your character sheet if you're using an old-style subclass with the new class. Be aware that this is just a bug in D&D Beyond and you are supposed to have those spells available at all times even if they don't show up.
pronouns: he/she/they
The DM and I already saw that and addressed it with some background work I believe by giving me a sigil ring which has those always prepared on it. It is a weid bug between the two.
Also playing a Paladin currently - the struggle is real, between fun feats and many necessary ASIs.
I think your instincts are right to do a STR feat at 4 and a CHA feat at 8. Great Weapon Master is such a solid, stress-free, flat damage buff for you. Polearm Master is fantastic also but would compete for your Bonus Action every turn, which is now kinda full as a 2024 Paladin (Smites, Lay on Hands, etc.).
Once you Aura comes online, strengthening it is vital. Failing saves is often a heavier impact in a combat than damage. Raising your CHA gets you +1 to all your saves and your allies w/in 10 ft. That's massive bang for your buck and will feel so epic when you're helping teammates halve damage, not get paralyzed, etc. With Lay on Hands now a Bonus Action, you have a go-to self-heal option, so failing saves is a greater risk I'd say.
There are several great feats that raise CHA, like:
With your key stats rounded off, you'll want to think carefully about your ASIs/feats at levels 12 & 16, since taking a feat would mean forgoing raising your stat modifier until level 16. As wagnarokker, highlighted, your subclass has a lot based on your CHA. So getting it to +4 at level 12 would likely feel pretty good, between that and your Aura going to +4.