A paladin is a holy warrior, a champion of righteousness and a beacon of divine power. Adorned in gleaming armor adorned with sacred symbols, paladins are sworn to uphold justice, protect the innocent, and combat the forces of darkness. They draw their magicfrom a divine oath, which can represent a sacred bond with a higher power or in some cases, simply represents a conviction so unwavering that it manifests powers resembling the divine. Paladins are unwavering defenders of virtue, combining martial prowess with divine favor to stand against the tide of evil.
Paladin Gameplay
Paladins are versatile warriors, skilled in both combat and the use of divine magic. They can smite foes with holy strikes, heal the wounded, and invoke protective auras to shield themselves and their allies. Paladins also swear sacred oaths, which define their convictions and grant them additional powers. Whether sworn to protect the innocent, uphold the law, or seek vengeance against the wicked, paladins are steadfast in their pursuit of justice. They can also summon steeds to aid them in battle, charging into the fray with divine purpose.
Paladin Roleplay
Roleplaying a paladin involves embodying a paragon of virtue, driven by a sense of duty or a divine calling. Your character may have taken oaths in sacred ceremonies, undergone rigorous training in a religious order, or received a divine vision that set them on their righteous path. As a paladin, your actions are guided by a strict moral code, your beliefs and values may center around principles such as honor, compassion, or the pursuit of justice. Whether leading a charge against undead hordes, defending the helpless, or purging corruption from the land, paladins exemplify the unwavering resolve.
Class Attributes
Hit Points
- Starting Hit Points (at 1st Level): 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 6 + your Constitution modifier per Paladin level after 1st
Mana
- Mana per Level (Starting at 2nd Level): Equal to your Charisma modifier per Paladin level
Proficiencies
- Armor: light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields
- Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: none
- Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
- Skills: Choose 2 from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion.
Multiclassing
- Ability Score Minimum: Strength 12, Charisma 12
When you gain a level in a class other than your first, you gain only some of that class's starting proficiencies.
- Armor: light armor, medium armor, shields
- Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
Class Progression
Class Features
Lay on Hands
Beginning at 1st level, Your blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level × 5.
As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool.
This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.
Fighting Style
Also at 1st level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Protection
When you are wielding a shield and a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attacker's roll and increase the target's AC by an amount equal to the AC bonus of your shield.
Spellcasting
Starting at 2nd level, you have learned to cast spells through prayer, meditation, and devotion. This devotion fuels your magic.
You'll need to familiarlize yourself with the
rules of spellcasting, and you can choose your spells from the
Paladin Spells list.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You can spontaneously cast any paladin spell you know. The Spells Known column of Class Progression table shows when you learn more paladin spells of your choice.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the paladin spells you know and replace it with another spell from the
Paladin Spells list.
Maximum Spell Level
You cannot know a paladin spell that has a higher level than your maximum spell level. As a 2nd level paladin, you can only cast 1st level paladin spells. Your maximum spell level increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Class Progression table.
Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the performance of your music or oration. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
- Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
- Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus for your paladin spells.
Martial Divinity
When you reach 2nd level, you can channel divine energy to fuel magical effects or execute maneuvers. You learn one maneuvers of your choice from the paladin maneuvers list. You learn additional maneuvers as you gain levels in this class.
When using maneuvers that augments your attack in some way, you can only use one maneuver per attack. Some of your maneuvers may also require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
- Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Charisma modifier (your choice)
You can use your martial divinity a number of time equal to half your paladin level (rounded down), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Divine Smite
Starting at 2nd level, you can infuse your attacks with your righteous energy. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack or an unarmed strike, you can spend 2 mana to deal radiant damage instead of the attack's normal damage type and deal an extra 2d8 damage. You can increase this damage by spending additional mana, increasing it by 1d8 for every 2 mana spent this way up to the Maximum Smite Damage shown in the Paladin Class Progression Table.
Paladin Archetype
When you reach 3rd level, you swear the oath that binds you as a paladin forever, gaining its associated archetype.
| Archetype | Description |
|---|
| Ardent |
Weilds their righteous convictions and radiant magic to smite evil, protect the innocent. |
| Avenger |
A relentless and vengeful warrior, driven by a deep thirst for justice and retribution. |
| Conqueror |
A zealous commander who uses fear to dominate foes and establish authority. |
Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Martial Divinity Improvement (2 Maneuvers)
At 4th level, you learn an additional maneuver from the Paladin Maneuvers list. In addition, you can replace one of the maneuvers you've previously learned with another paladin maneuver.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Maximum Spell Level Increase (2nd-Level Spells)
Also at 5th level, you gain the ability to cast 2nd-level paladin spells.
Aura of Protection
Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.
If another Paladin is present, a creature can benefit from only one Aura of Protection at a time; the creature chooses which one when entering the auras.
Paladin Archetype Feature
At 6th level, you gain a feature granted by your chosen Paladin archetype.
Loyal Steed
At 7th level, you can use your
action to summon a spirit that assumes the form of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed, creating a long-lasting bond with it. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the steed takes on a form that you choose: a warhorse, a pony, a camel, an elk, or a mastiff. The steed has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial or fiend (your choice) instead of its normal type. Additionally, if your steed has an Intelligence of 5 or less, its Intelligence becomes 6, and it gains the ability to understand one language of your choice that you speak.
Your steed serves you as a mount, both in combat and out, and you have an instinctive bond with it that allows you to fight as a seamless unit. While mounted on your steed, you can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target your steed.
When the steed drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. You can also dismiss your steed at any time as an
action, causing it to disappear. In either case, using this feature again summons the same steed, restored to its hit point maximum.
While your steed is within 1 mile of you, you can communicate with each other telepathically.
You can't have more than one steed bonded by this spell at a time. As an
Action , you can release the steed from its bond at any time, causing it to disappear.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a
long rest.
Martial Divinity Improvement (3 Maneuvers)
At 8th level, you learn an additional maneuver from the Paladin Maneuvers list. In addition, you can replace one of the maneuvers you've previously learned with another paladin maneuver.
Maximum Spell Level Increase (3rd-Level Spells)
At 9th level, you gain the ability to cast 3rd-level paladin spells.
Paladin Archetype Feature
At 10th level, you gain a feature granted by your chosen Paladin archetype.
Aura of Courage
Starting at 11th level, you and your allies can't be frightened while in your Aura of Protection as long as your conscious. A frightened ally that enters the aura, has that condition suppressed while they remain within the aura.
Martial Divinity Improvement (4 Maneuvers)
At 12th level, you learn an additional maneuver from the Paladin Maneuvers list. In addition, you can replace one of the maneuvers you've previously learned with another paladin maneuver.
Maximum Spell Level Increase (4th-Level Spells)
At 13th level, you gain the ability to cast 4th-level paladin spells.
Paladin Archetype Feature
At 14th level, you gain a feature granted by your chosen Paladin archetype.
Grand Steed
By 15th level, your Loyal Steed's spirit grows, allowing it to take on a more powerful form of your choice from: a griffon, a pegasus, a peryton, a dire wolf, a rhinoceros, or a saber-toothed tiger.
Divine Health
By 16th level, the divine magic flowing through you makes you resistant to disease. You have advantage on saving throws made to resist or recover from diseases.
Martial Divinity Improvement (5 Maneuvers)
Also at 16th level, you learn an additional maneuver from the Paladin Maneuvers list. In addition, you can replace one of the maneuvers you've previously learned with another paladin maneuver.
Maximum Spell Level Increase (5th-Level Spells)
At 17th level, you gain the ability to cast 5th-level paladin spells.
Aura Expansion
At 18th level, the range of your Aura of Protection increases to 30 feet.
Martial Divinity Improvement (6 Maneuvers)
At 19th level, you learn an additional maneuver from the Paladin Maneuvers list. In addition, you can replace one of the maneuvers you've previously learned with another paladin maneuver.
Paragon
At 20th level, you become an exemplary model for others. Whenever you succeed on a saving throw or ability check, any ally in your Aura of Protection that makes a saving throw or ability check using the same ability can roll with advantage until the end of your next turn.
Paladin Maneuvers
Standard Maneuvers
Standard maneuvers are demonstrations of martial skill in battle that most competent paladins will be able to perform.
Available Standard Maneuvers
Heroic Maneuvers
Heroic maneuvers are exemplary feats of martial skill that only elite paladins who've dedicate their lives to training can perform. You must be have 12 or more levels in the Paladin class to learn and perform a heroic maneuver. Using a heroic maneuver counts as
two uses of your
Martial Divinity.
Available Heroic Maneuvers
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