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Warriors of justice, knights imbued with divine power, and mounted wielders of divine magic, paladins are one of the most self-sufficient classes inDungeons & Dragonsand fit easily into any party. In fact, they’re almost a whole party by themselves, capable of healing, wearing armor, distributing buffs, and dealing enormous amounts of damage.
Paladins were often considered to be the strongest class in the 2014 Player’s Handbook, and while the 2024 rules update scaled them back slightly, they’re still a force to be reckoned with, and they’re far easier to roleplay in newer editions. With a little guidance, you can build your very own knight in shining armor.
Paladin Highlights
At a glance,paladins seem like they’re half fighter, half cleric: They get the same hit dice, weapon proficiencies, and Fighting Style as fighters, plus half of the spellcasting progression of clerics and a spell list that largely pulls from the cleric list.
The ability to wear plate armor and carry a shield combined with the ability to heal themselves makes paladins a force to be reckoned with in melee, and in a pinch, they can also act as the party’s healer. While no man is an island,a paladin is practically a one-man army.
Differences From The 2014 Players Handbook
Paladins have undergone a lot of changes between the 2014 and 2024 Player’s Handbooks, mostly at lower levels.
Lay on Hands can no longer remove diseases, but it has been reduced to a Bonus Actioninstead of an Action, which makes it more useful in combat. Spellcasting has also been buffed slightly, sincepaladins can start casting spells at level oneinstead of waiting until level two. However, they’re a little more locked into their spell selection, since they can only change one prepared spell per Long Rest.
Paladins also getWeapon Mastery at level one, the same as fighters, allowing them to add additional effects to their weapon-based attacks. This works well with Fighting Style at level two.Paladins are now able to choose any Fighting Stylefrom the same list as fighters, so you can finally make a ranged paladin with the Archery fighting style. Or, if you want to focus on divine spellcasting, you can take two cleric cantrips by choosing Blessed Warrior instead.
Just because you can make a ranged paladin doesn’t mean you should. paladins get a lot of bonuses in melee that they miss out on during ranged combat.
Divine Smite is now a spell, and starting at level two, paladins always have it prepared. They can cast it once per Long Rest for free; after that, they can cast it with a spell slot as a Bonus Action immediately after landing a melee attack (including an unarmed strike).
Divine Health has been removed, andDivine Sense is an option for Channel Divinityinstead of being separate. It’s the only Channel Divinity option initially available in the base class, but each subclass has an additional option at the same level that paladins gain this class feature.
Paladins have been traditionally associated with their mounts, and atfifth level, paladins now get the Find Steedspell to cast free once per Long Rest (or from a spell slot afterward). The summoned mounts all use the same stat blocks (with some variation based on the origin) but can be any type of appropriate creature, so you can have a warhorse, an elk, a reindeer, or even a unicorn.
As always, the result of this spell is at your DM’s discretion. They might be okay with a dire wolf mount for an orc, but not a gnome, and might outright reject your bid for a unicorn or griffon.
All paladin auras have been combinedinto Aura of Protection: instead of adding new auras at higher levels, those effects are added to the Aura of Protection. Functionally, it’s virtually identical but a little less clunky.
Abjure Foes moves the Abjure Enemy feature from the oath of vengeance subclass to the class proper,giving all paladins the ability to frighten their foeswith their Holy Symbol or weapon.
Radiant Strikes is the new name for Improved Divine Smite but is otherwise unchanged. Meanwhile, Cleansing Touch is gone and replaced by Restoring Touch, which allows you touse five points worth of Lay on Hands to clear one status conditionfrom the target.
Subclass Highlights
Paladin subclasses are represented aspaladins who follow different oaths: an oath of oengeance oaladin is sworn to hunt and smite evil, while an oath of the ancients paladin is devoted to protecting life in all forms.
Oath of vengeance, oath of the ancients, and oath of devotion paladins received minor rules updatesfrom the 2014 Player’s Handbook, as well as simplified versions of the oaths. Meanwhile,oath of glory paladins have been imported from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everythinginto the core rulebook.
Oath Of Devotion
Oath of devotion paladinsare the most similar to the paladins from Third Edition: they’re very much driven by honor and adherence to law and attempt to set the example of what a champion of their god or order should look like. Fans of classic paladins will enjoy this subclass.
Oath of devotion paladins can be tough to roleplay in more chaotic parties, and you may find your character at odds with your companions. This, combined with the fact that all of a devotion paladin’s best features are available at level three, means that you might want to stick to low-level campaigns for this build.
Oath Of Glory
Paladins who take the oath of glorydevote themselves to grand adventures and feats of strengthand to the pursuit of glory. These are the crusaders who go out looking for adventure, not to get rich but rather to become a hero of legend.
Oath of glory paladinsget a lot of class features that revolve aroundgiving themselves and their allies bonuses, like the Enhance Ability spell and Inspiring Smite. This makes them feel almost like bards in a suit of armor, but they have a lot more survival skills and damage output than the classic buffing class.
Oath Of The Ancients
Oath of the ancients paladinslove life and celebrate nature. They devote themselves to protecting and encouraging life in all forms, so of all the paladins, they’re the ones most likely to be found in the wilderness or among the elves.
As defenders of life,oath of the ancients paladins gain abilities that help them protect themselves and their allies, with a natural twist. Nature’s Wrath gives them a little crowd control, while Aura of Warding protects everyone around you from Radiant, Necrotic, and Psychic damage.
Oath Of Vengeance
Oath of vengeance paladinsare devoted to justice,acting as judge, jury, and executioner and punishing evildoers. They can have a bit of an anime protagonist feel, since their primary drive is often revenge against the person or type of monster that traumatized them, like a construct razing their hometown or a giant eating their parents in front of them.
Paladins who have taken the oath of vengeance get several subclass features that help them tokeep their targets from escaping, such as the Relentless Avenger feature, which allows them to drop an opponent’s move speed to zero for a turn and toland attacks more consistently.
Best Species Options
Anyone can take the vows to become a paladin, but a few species are better suited for it than others. Don’t let that stop you from choosing another species, though!
Dwarves make excellent paladins, and not just because of the stereotype of armor-clad dwarves swinging mauls as large as they are sticks in people’s minds. They getextra hit pointsandresistance to Poison, one of the more common damage types, which are both phenomenal for melee combatants. AddDarkvision and Tremorsenseso that they can fight in the dark and against invisible opponents, and you’ve got a killer paladin from the start!
Elvesmay not seem beefy enough to be paladins, but they get someinnate spellcastingoutside the paladin spell list that adds to the class’s utility. That, plusDarkvision and an extra skill, makes an elvish paladin an extremely versatile character.
Gnomesdon’t seem like they’d be particularly intimidating paladins, but theadvantage to saves from Gnomish Cunning,along with the bonus from your Aura of Protection, means you’ll almost never fail an Intelligence, Charisma, or Wisdom saving throw. Plus, you get the always-usefulDarkvisionand a couple ofcantrips outside the paladin spell list.
Depending on which Giant Ancestry option you choose,goliaths can make excellent paladins. Cloud’s Jaunt can get you in and out of combat easily, Fire’s Burn and Frost’s Chill add damage to your weapon attacks without taking up any action slots, and Stone’s Endurance can absorb a lot of damage. Hill’s Topple might be the best, though, allowing you to knock an opponent prone when you land an attack.
Humans get an extra feat and skill, allowing them to perform well as any class. Human fighters are a little more versatile than other species as a result.
Best Stat Placement
Paladins are one of the classes that are most dependent on having a lot of high ability scores, requiring at leastthree high scores to functionproperly. This can make stat placement difficult, especially if you’re using the standard array.
If your DM prefers to use randomized stats, talk to them about creating characters out of order. Three or four high rolls give you a great opportunity to make a paladin or monk, whereas a single high roll might mean it’s a good campaign to play a wizard.
Strength is the most important ability score for Strength-based paladins, but it is usually a dump stat for Dexterity-based paladins. The exception is blessed warrior paladins, who will want 15 in order to qualify for heavy armor.
Similarly,Dexterity is the most important stat for a Dexterity-based paladin, but it’s a dump stat for strength-based paladins, since it doesn’t give the AC bonus of previous editions.
Constitution is vital, not only for the extra HP but also for the saves. Paladins do not get proficiency with Constitution saves, so you’ll need as much as possible in order to avoid having spells interrupted by failed concentration checks.
Wisdomis good for all kinds of saves, butpaladins are already stretched thin. Use this as a dump stat unless you get a fourth high roll on randomized stats.
Intelligencedoes nothing for paladins. This should be your lowest score.
Charisma is a paladin’s spellcasting stat; it also determines the bonuses from the Aura of Protection. Several paladin skills are Charisma-based, and blessed warrior paladins may end up using it as their main offensive stat instead of Strength or Dexterity. Thisshould be your second-highest stat.
Best Spells For Paladins
Paladins don’t get a lot of spells, andsome of their best spells, like Divine Smite and Find Steed, are provided for freeas part of their class features. Most spell slots will end up being used for smites, so no Smite spells aside from a level-one option will be presented.
Bless
1
Give three of your party membersan extra d4 to attack rolls and saves for a full minute. This is a huge boost for important fights and can be used right before bursting into the boss’s lair for full effect.
Thundering Smite
This variation of your Divine Smite deals a little less damage but addsten feet of knockback and knocks your opponent proneon a failed strength save.
Magic Weapon
2
Early on, this spellgives your weapon a +1 bonus and makes it count as magic, which is important for dealing with some monsters with resistance to nonmagical weapons. Once you pick up an actual magic weapon, you can prepare another spell.
Revivify
3
Death sucks, but it isn’t permanent in D&D. Revivify is one of the earliest spells that you can get torevive fallen party members, and if you’re the main healer, it’s vital that you have this available. If there’s another healer with a resurrection spell, this is still a good backup in case they die.
Banishment
4
Players hate “save or suck” spells that have debilitating effects on a failed save, but Banishment allows you to force those saves on opponents. A target that fails a Charisma save isteleported to a demiplane for a whole minute, effectively eliminating them from the fight, while aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, and fiends are permanently teleported back to their home plane.
Greater Restoration
5
Greater Restoration is an important spell to have handy at higher levels todeal with the various curses, ability score reductions, and other afflictionsyou’re likely to encounter.
Best Starting Equipment
By default, paladins get a set of chain mail, a shield, a longsword, six javelins, a holy symbol, a priest’s pack containing a backpack, a blanket, holy water, a lamp, seven days worth of rations, a robe, and a tinderbox, plus nine gold pieces (GP). They can choose to start with 150 GP instead of this starting package.
The paladin starting package is solid for a Strength-based Paladin: you won’t be able to buy better armor with that starting GP, but the weapons aren’t outstanding. If you have the opportunity,use the remaining GP on a trident and a waterskin, and consider trading up the longsword for a maul or rapier, depending on your build.
If you’re building based around Dexterity, you may rebuild the starting package from 150 GP andbuy studded leather armor right off the bat.
Weapons
Paladins are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and there are a LOT of good martial weapons. Unfortunately, the nature of Divine Smite means that they don’t get any bonus to dual-wielding or ranged attacks, which locks them into melee. A ranged weapon is a good idea for a backup for dealing with flying or otherwise unreachable opponents.
If you want to play aggressively with a two-handed weapon,a maul is an excellent option. Topple means you can knock an opponent down and then take attacks with Advantage while they’re on the ground.
Rapiers are an excellent choice for paladins built around Dexterity. Since they’re Vex weapons, once you hit, you’ll keep on hitting on your follow-up attacks.
Thehalberd has Reach and Cleave, so you’re able to get a free attack against an enemy standing behind the first one that you attack. Reach weapons, in general, are fantastic.
Tridents are an excellent option: they’re versatile (so you can use them with one or two hands), have the Topple trait, and can be thrown, giving you the ability toknock opponents prone at range. Use that feature to protect allies or drop flying enemies out of the sky.
Armor
Like ability scores, armor is dependent on your build.Dexterity paladins should pick up studded leatherarmor, whileStrength-based paladins should upgrade to full platearmor as soon as they can.
Shields provide a plus-two bonus to AC, which is pretty big, soany paladin not using a two-handed weapon should use their shield, as well.
Best Feats And Backgrounds
A lot of feats look initially appealing for paladins, but a few stand out above the rest. We won’t address Epic Boons, since by the time you earn those, you should have established your style and be more aware of your needs than this guide can hope to match.
Blind Fighting
Fighting Style
This is anexcellent option for paladins in parties that rely on darkness, but most of the time, you won’t get any use out of it.
Defense
A flatplus-one boost to ACis superb in Fifth Edition, including in the 2024 update.
Dueling
Paladins using one-handed weaponssuch as longswords and rapiersshould always pick this optionfor the flat, consistent damage boost.
Inspiring Leader
General
Every time you finish a Long or Short Rest, you cangive your whole party a big pile of Temporary Hit Points. Add a boost to your Charisma, and you’ve got one of the best general feats for all paladins.
Great Weapon Fighting
This is anexcellent option for paladins using two-handed weaponslike a maul. It increases your average damage and eliminates the bad feeling of landing a tough attack and doing paltry damage.
Lucky
Origin
Lucky works well on any character, regardless of class and build. Choose this if no other origin feat works for you.
Magic Initiate
Hands-downthe best origin feat for blessed warrior paladins.Choose from the druid or wizard spell lists and look for utility spells like Shillelagh, Fire Bolt, and Shield.
Mounted Combatant
Paladins arethe class best suited for mounted combat, thanks to the Find Steed spell. This feat gives a boost to Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom, plus Advantage on attacks against unmounted opponents and several other bonuses to protect yourself and your mount.
Shield Master
This is thebest option for a paladin using a shield. On a successful melee attack, you can Push or Topple an opponent and use your shield to block damage from effects where you would normally take half damage on a successful saving throw.
Skilled
If the paladin is the only Charisma-based character, this allows them topick up more Charisma skills to act as the party’s face. This origin is less useful if your party already has a bard and sorcerer.
Anyone can become a paladin, whether they were raised in a monastery or are a noble seeking vengeance for the murder of both of their parents. Still, some backgrounds are more suitable for a Paladin than others.
Benefit
Charlatan
The Charlatan background hasperfect ability scores for a blessed warrior or Dexterity-based paladin, plus the Skilled feat to pick up a bunch of Charisma skills.
Merchant
Blessed warriors have another great optionin the Merchant background, which has good ability scores and Persuasion.
Noble
This is anexcellent background for Strength-based paladins, offering good ability scores and proficiency in Persuasion. You might not get much out of the Gaming Set, but at least the History proficiency is flavorful.
Wayfarer
Wayfarer offersanother good option for Dexterity-based paladins, who get two good ability scores and the Lucky feat. The Thieves' Tools and proficiency with them can be useful if your party doesn’t have a rogue or a bard who is built for them.
Best Multiclass Options
Paladins have enough class features and do them well enough that there are really no multiclass options that make them more useful than their base class. However, a few offer some advantages.
Ranger
One level as a ranger gets paladins anadditional Fighting Style and more Weapon Mastery slotsto play with, which makes them more versatile without giving up their spell progression.
Sorcerer
One level gets youmore spell slots to smite your opponentswith, as well as a handful of Charisma-based cantrips. A second level gives you Font of Magic, which allows you to turn your higher-level spell slots into level-one spell slots so that you can smite even more.
Warlock
Pact Magic spell slots can be used for Divine Smiteand recharge on a short rest, allowing you to smite much more often. Pact Weapon also allows you touse Charisma for your attack and damage rolls, but that won’t scale well at higher levels since so many feats that enhance your weapon skills increase your Strength or Dexterity.
