Paladin Subclass Tier Ranking (Part 1) In Dungeons and Dragons 5e

[@kielweiss3606]

"Being charmed is a rare situation". So you're saying my DM is torturing us.

[@quentindevlay3359]

Ain't that the DM's job, really?

[@rysonperry8069]

It is if you're playing right(within reason). Which begs the question, have you or anyone else at the table been spite-ing/provoking the DM(intentionally or not) recently.If so consider your options.

[@kielweiss3606]

@@rysonperry8069 nah he's been our DM for 20 years. He likes doing it similar to how he likes throwing Drow at us. It doesnt help our ACs were in the 20s by tier 2.

[@studentofsmith]

As a rule you want to avoid things that cause players to lose control of their characters. While it's fine to take a monster out of the fight with something like Tasha's Laughter if a monster does that to a PC suddenly that player has nothing to do but roll saving throws, and that's not fun.

[@kielweiss3606]

@@studentofsmith we don't mind. It makes us broaden our strategies in combat and gives us more to look for in shops.

[@coltonsmorong]

When all the classes are ranked, you should compared all of the S-Ranks classes as a fun video, or run a campaign with the most optimal group.

[@ChitenBugMan]

Oh god a party with an Arcane Archer, A Shepherd Druid, A Way of Four Elements Monk, and I want to say College of Creation Bard

[@coltonsmorong]

Those are wicked ideas!

[@macdameron9321]

Please please please Dungeon Dudes, make this a video

[@ChitenBugMan]

@@aldoushuxley5953 I agree with you on the count of berserker barbarian, but I would argue that Fey background is a weaker Patron

[@jayleno2192]

@@ChitenBugMan You forgot the OG beastmaster ranger. Tasha's Cauldron of Everything finally made that subclass what it should be, but if you just go by the player's handbook it's quite possibly the worst subclass in the game.

[@BNRmatt]

Watching Kelly try to keep a straight face while Monty recited the "Vengeance brings hate . . ." mantra was sheer joy. Never change, guys.

[@KatanaKamisama]

Vengeance leads to Oathbreaking, and Oathbreaking leads to Aura of Hate... Yoda LIED to us...

[@mixmastermike2128]

AYE.

[@VirtuesOfSin]

I wish Paladin of the Ancients allowed me to use WIS instead of CHA for spellcasting ... Ancients Paladin seems like it would fit good for one of my charactets. Lol

[@NotYourAverageNothing]

@@VirtuesOfSin You obviously want to multi class into Druid, huh?

[@VirtuesOfSin]

@@NotYourAverageNothing Shillelagh is the best spell ever, I refuse to believe otherwise. :P

[@stormallen1490]

Consider: Oath of Ancients aura is not for enemy casters, but ally sorcerers who love fireballs. Remember: Paladins are front line combatants.

[@ryanpeters3812]

That was my first thought, as my friend is essentially JoCat's wizard in a nutshell.

[@pranakhan]

Yes, the OoA sub is strong all the way through, with a strong finisher in Elder Champion at 20. Not giving this an S tier is mind blowing to me

[@ryanpeters3812]

@@pranakhan I understand why they didn't. It is more niche, aka you need a Fireball slinger on your side. My current wizard I built to have a fear of fire, so that type of paladin doesn't help much, while OoV, well, you always need the movement boost, and the vow of emnity keeps your damage high. A tier difference between makes sense. But I say OoA is probably the second highest of these, hands down.

[@pranakhan]

@@ryanpeters3812 I'm sure a difference of campaign & player types is the X Factor. With my group, I can always rely on someone building a damager. I built with a eye to CC/tank with Polearm Sentinel and finisher damage on the occasional Smite. OoA is a sub which matures well into the high level bracket, even if most groups don't see it. You need versatility in the upper tier, and Vengeance is a little too focused on damage in my book. There is also the RP consideration of maintaining a vengeance-mindset for dozens of hours of play.

[@jcdenton2187]

There is also the fact that Paladins get to add their Charisma modifier to every single saving throw to begin with, so although the Oath of Ancients spell damage advantage is situational, it's good synergy with the base paladin abilities.

[@troymiddleton4883]

Playing an evil character campaign with a necromancy wizard and oathbreaker pally... absolutely insane combination

[@Hjortur95]

​@@aldoushuxley5953 evil clerics in previous systems commanded any undeads that failed the save instead of destroying them. can take that as inspiration!

[@Malisteen]

It's not quite as silly as you'd think, since in general Necromancer wizards prefer skeletal minions for their ranged attacks, and Oathbreaker aura only buffs melee attacks. Still, a nice and thematic combo.

[@masterreaper115]

@@Malisteen wait really? i had squads of minions. I kept 5-10 skele heavy crossbowman and the rest were armored shield and sword zombies

[@Malisteen]

@@masterreaper115 keep in mind that using equipment not in their stat block isn't going to be available in all campaigns, so swords and shields on zombies isn't necessarily possible. Even with custom gear, front line skittles & zombs tend to fall pretty quickly, which can be badly draining on a necromancer's spell slots. I'm not saying melee undead are useless, *especially* if you habe an Oathbreaker in the party, just that skeletons with their shortbows tend to be the most efficient use of animate dead slots offensively while also letting you keep them back to avoid trouble.

[@masterreaper115]

@@Malisteen in the obedient servant rules it literally states that if you give a zombie armor or a weapon they will use it. They won't however just walk over and pick up a sword off the ground of their own volition. It even says that neither zombies nor skeletons have inherent disadvantage with any weapon or armor. Soooo any campaign at all that let's you craft or buy weapons/armor...can have armored zombinos on your side

[@studentofsmith]

I love the flavour of the Oath of Ancients paladin. I read the tenets in the Player's Handbook and just fell in love.

[@abigaylegeisel]

That oath is literally me in real life. That's my flavour lol

[@Trenell83]

It's pretty much the blue lanterns oath lol.

[@conradkorbol]

It’s great. The thing that the spell damage resistance is awesome because you also get the bonus to saving throws you already get as a paladin. Also I have used ensnaring strike all the time. I use it more than my divine smites lol.

[@Tmanowns]

Exactly. I made mine have just the worst backstory, so absurdly tragic that you would expect vengeance. But instead he has to learn how to grieve his murdered wife while still trying to uphold the "Protect your Light" tenet, and trying to not fall victim to depression.

[@atanor2768]

It's the Chaotic Good oath!

[@ScarletMagus]

I'm DMing a Vengeance Paladin that multiclassed into Champion. I wondered why, until they then took Polearm Master. After casting Haste, they were critting almost every single turn. I've never seen someone turn a fiend into mush so efficiently before.

[@maid_of_heart3261]

Absolute demon blender

[@TheDancerMacabre]

So, I'm trying to do the math with Regular attack (+1) haste (+1 Attack) PAM (+1 as bonus) with Fighter (+2 since they're not level 20) So with action surge, you're saying they had 10 different attacks to roll to hit and then calculate damage with a double chance to crit? Like, bro, how would you even be able to keep track of all that?! I'm impressed by the sheer volume of dice

[@ScarletMagus]

@@TheDancerMacabre and all attacks were with advantage thanks to their Channel Divinity. It's an all-in build, but highly effective.

[@CastleRaccon]

@@ScarletMagus At what level did he multiclass

[@ScarletMagus]

@@CastleRaccon they were pretty dedicated to the idea, so they started paladin, went 9 levels to get access to haste, then multiclassed started at level 10. After 9 paladin/3 fighter they went back to paladin, I think to get improved divine smite ASAP.

[@joshuaarnaud993]

I love the idea of an oathbreaker (like a drow) breaking an oath too lolth, and trying too be good, but getting evil esq magics too keep tempting them back too evil

[@joshuaarnaud993]

@@aldoushuxley5953 exactly, it fulfills the oathbreaking prerequisite, and gives alot of character flavor too RP, and struggle with, along side some pretty strong features

[@sandrols7]

I played it that way with a Drow Paladin, and eventually got into Oath of Vengeance, as a way of saying 'I will pay you back a thousand times what you have done to me and others of my kind, Loth' Sadly, we never got there, but it was very engaging!

[@joshuaarnaud993]

@@sandrols7 my very 1st time playing D&D, I joined a live table with this concept, however my pc died in that session, and I have yet too go back too it, although I want too.

[@sandrols7]

​@@joshuaarnaud993 you should :) It can still be rewarding to follow up on a concept that you couldn't try before So if you ever find a new table: go for it!

[@joshuaarnaud993]

@@sandrols7 won't be finding a live game any time soon lol, but I've had good success online and with Adventures league

[@elliot2118]

Let’s not kid ourselves here, we all know the ultimate paladin subclass is Kelly’s mustache!

[@jeicastor]

It's not even his final form...

[@edwinlevi6608]

@Bryce Nelson you deal extra damage equal to your Charisma to any enemies that lack facial hair

[@lucack6348]

True

[@BNRmatt]

Sturm would be proud.

[@captainthorrek262]

His 'stache really does need it's own tee shirt!

[@allenfortenberry9924]

One thing I like about ancient paladins is that they get access to AOE which is something that most paladins lack

[@NoSteppie]

Moonbeam carried so much weight and impact in fights through Curse of Strahd

[@docnevyn5814]

Moonbeam ftw

[@altair6491]

Another thing about ancients paladin, the natural healing from their 20th level feature doesn't specify you need to be conscious meaning for its duration, you can't die from rolling failed death saves

[@noahmehringer29]

And an argument can still be made for the Aura. It's not magic resistance, but Paladins by level 7-8 should have at least a +3 for Cha, by that level/logic, you're basically giving all players in that aura are essentially getting Proficiency to all spell saves while mitigating AOE damage which is a HUGE drawback to the Paladin's Aura abilities. Also for role-play purpose, a Triton Padlock Oath of Ancients/Fey or Fathomless warlock pact (at least a 2-level dip) could really crank up your effectiveness and role play.

[@reloadpsi]

That's fair. I think AOE is a bit out of character for a paladin in general - they'd normally be honourable duelists. It's good to have a niche filled though.

[@orarinnsnorrason4614]

Oath of Vengeance feels like Anakin before he turned to the dark side. Just full of energy and straight to the point but tethering on the edge. And its awesome to play.

[@mattsomers6446]

I never understood how paladin orders discourage being oathbreaker: "Remember young paladin, never break your sacred oath! Otherwise, you will be forced to sow fear in your enemies, control undead, wield awesome demonic power and generally look like a badass."

[@Dragonspassage]

Because it's not paladin orders paladin oaths are an internal choose. Breaking your faith in your oath is breaking a part of yourself.

[@EnrocaLaRoca]

Because breaking your Oath doesn't automatically make you an Oathbreaker. Corrupting your divine powers into a malevolent force is what makes you an Oathbreaker. At least that's the difference I see between an ex-paladin and and Oathbreaker.

[@HistorysRaven]

"Did you ever hear the story of Darth Oathbreaker the Wise? I thought not. It's not something the Paladin would tell you."

[@muskatDR]

@@HistorysRaven "But i dont wanna be sith. I dont want to be able to love, shoot awesome lightning and choke enemies without touching them"

[@agentchaos9332]

...because 9 times out of ten, that amounts to BETRAYING YOUR GOD FOR PERSONAL GAIN!! Which loyal paladins would be absolutely against, for several reasons lol. Armies don't encourage desertion, religious orders don't encourage heretics, paladin orders are both of the former and oathbreakers are generally both of the latter

[@francesco8000]

The oathbreaker is an S if you decide to play a campaign where your group are the bad guys.

[@kingnothing007]

The Oathbreaker is always at the very top

[@isaacgraff8288]

Wights are wonderful minions because they can get minions of their own.

[@nerrex11]

@@aldoushuxley5953 literally played an Oathbreaker for an evil campaign we ran and when he died I switched to death domain cleric who was obsessed with raising bodies.

[@OldWitchDoctor]

Oathbreaker also cool if you mix it with the Hexblade Warlock and make the biggest Charisma beatstick DnD has to offer.

[@razordance]

@@OldWitchDoctor Oathbreaker 8/ Hexblade 12 with Polearm Master and Spirit Shroud up, holeee shit.

[@NoSteppie]

Played an Oathbreaked and grabbed a Zombie Beholder with the channel divinity. Was hecking awesome for a while until the clerics raised a good point that we can't take it back into town.

[@Hollyclown]

F

[@SgtNuker]

I mean...you *could* have taken it back into town, but it's not a great idea. Unless of course you're running an evil party. Then by all means, go nuts, have fun!

[@arcticwiz2249]

Shoulda rayed the cleric

[@spencercastle7514]

bag of holding

[@spencercastle7514]

or portable hole

[@Ephsy]

Folk who wonder "why would you ever use Hunter's Mark after having Haste?" when you cast it on a caster and they attempt to dimension door away you'll know where they are and can dimension door after them to murder their asses.

[@moosemafia]

I just got this amazing visual in my head. An enemy Mage, beat up and bloody flees the battle. He steps out of the magical gateway into an empty alleyway and lets out a sigh of relief. Then his eyes go wide with fear when a few seconds later another portal opens and out steps the Paladin. He points his Flametongue Greatsword at the Mage and says "I am the one who knocks." And then he skewers the Mage on the end of his blade and walks away. This Paladin is Walter White in my head 😂

[@rararasputin8608]

Warp Paladin: I must break you.

[@hickorybane9323]

Alternatively: Out of 3rd lvl slots lol

[@mitchelltyner5670]

alternative: You know in which general direction he went, he doesn't show up on your "mini map" so then the chase begins as you have to stalk him as he tries to flee.

[@crownlexicon5225]

You also have to factor in spell slots. They only get so many 3rd level slots That being said, I multiclassed out after 6 levels, so I don't get haste anyway. But warlock *does* get the new Spirit Shroud spell which is a d8 on every attack against creatures within 10', which that damage cannot be healed until the start of your next turn, and enemies speed is reduced by 10'

[@Calebgoblin]

The regular timing of these videos is starting to Pavlov me to be excited and I don't even remember why half the time until the notification drops

[@RTFK]

I played an Oath of the Ancients Paladin in my first ever campaign. He was an 80 year old human called Alfred who lived all of his years protecting a holy forest and the tree of life at the center (think Korok forest) with 9 int but high wisdom and charisma. He played as the parties moral compass and while he didn't always know what was going on, he always knew the right thing to do. Made it all the way to level 20 with him where he sacrificed himself to save the younger party members against the BBEG, though he did manage to do over 300 damage in 3 rounds to the BBEG. He was later saved by his goddess and ascended to godhood to watch over the campaign world as "The Green Man". Highly recommend the class, he was so useful with all the protection to the party and a blast of a first experience in the game.

[@Hesauce]

Regardless of subclass viability, I think all Paladins are auto S tier

[@M_M_ODonnell]

I thought my swashbuckler/battlemaster was great and useful in combat...and then the party's paladin walked up to the devil that had been giving us so much trouble and *stomped* it. Given how many campaigns use undead and fiends as frequent enemies, paladins are just about always great.

[@bagamer13]

Agreed; Their base kit is really strong. Divine Smite, Lay on Hands, and Aura of Protection in particular are all incredibly useful.

[@beneteus3833]

For the Grace and the might of our Lords

[@scottripley5764]

SMITE

[@edvingjervaldsaeter3659]

As a DM, I can agree! Not salty at all at my Paladin in my campaign... Not at all...

[@ProfessorJabir]

After the awful time I’ve been having, to be able to sit here and see y’all absolutely gush over the Oath of Vengeance, the first subclass I ever played and easily my favorite, is exactly what I needed. Thank you!

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

I always felt it was the bonus action teleport (Misty Step) and battlefield control options that Oath of Ancients provides that was the draw, not the 7th level aura. I feel an A ranking is entirely fair. It's strong, but not completely broken.

[@VMSelvaggio]

Kelly made a valid point, in that it comes down to "niche" situational abilities. -- But this is part of what this game (and RPGs in general) is about, making choices that force you to decide where you want your strengths and weaknesses. Games become boring or "less fun" if you become immune to everything and have an answer to every situation. It gives you the opportunity to work as a team with your friends, something I love about RPGs.

[@matthewgonzalez7794]

Nothing scarier then a Yuan-Ti Pureblood Oath of Ancients Paladin

[@oliverwilhelm6171]

A Theros Satyr Oath of the Ancients paladin. Because they're also thematically appropriate!

[@alexsantos-hc4io]

What about two yuan-ti pureblood oath of the ancients paladins

[@OmegaGuess]

@@oliverwilhelm6171 Multiclass, Satyr Oath of Ancients Paladin/Monk. "Make me make a Saving Throw. I dare you."

[@zebswanson5881]

add shield master on top of it, then you will not take a lot of spell or aoe damage.

[@Klaital1]

I prefer Satyr, much more thematic for the oath.

[@HiddenNerdySide]

In conclusion: it doesn't matter what you play - paladins are awesome

[@acarnivorouslizardfolk1033]

So true!

[@arcticwiz2249]

Paladins are just so good dude

[@greenhawk3796]

Disagree lol

[@motymurm]

Gotta do some guesses: Devotion - B Ancients - A Vengeance - S Oathbreaker - S

[@PUNishment777]

🔊 BASS

[@Quipek]

Almost perfect prediction

[@motymurm]

@@Quipek they underrated a lot AoE fear which disallows to repeat saves immediately and permanent Charisma to Damge, imo

[@Quipek]

I won’t rate the oathbreaker I haven’t played it yet so you are probably right

[@motymurm]

@@Quipek "He" did indeed predicted the video :p

[@Redchakra007]

In my first campaign as a player, I played solo as a wizard but I had two sidekicks, a set of brothers who were a Devotion Paladin and a Vengeance Paladin. The two of them together made combat SO fun.

[@Hesauce]

Kelly's reaction to the Star Wars reference is and always will be the highlight of this whole series

[@shaynecarter-murray3127]

Take your oath of Ancients pally on a trip to find a psuedo dragon. Convince thenlittle dude to join you as a familiar. It can share magic resistance with you

[@Almighty_Mage]

Or be a yuan ti or satyr

[@BoredMarcus]

*resistance to damage from spells you mean. sorry, had to do it ;)

[@joelsasmad]

@@BoredMarcus No, pseudo dragons get advantage on saves against magic and have the ability to share that. This way you can have that and the halfed damage.

[@wagnerfaria1601]

Paladin of devotion on "The curse of Strahd" ... becomes an S tier

[@SanneNC]

Agreed. My current group is playing CoS and the GM threw a horde of six or seven zombies at us. Forgetting that I was an Oath of Devotion Paladin. With Turn the Unholy. He was not happy when half his encounter fled from the fight in terror.

[@DDCRExposed]

I haven't played that module but I would certainly agree. The subclass will stand out if the theme fits. Each will shine depending on what/where the campaign is at.

[@siriswarrior]

Same with Decent into Avernus. That devotion paladin is just ridiculous in the party I DM in.

[@archmagemc3561]

Eh, Paladins in general are S tier for Strahd. A single smite round from 3 paladins if at least two crit can one round kill strahd. If one of them run sentinal, he can't use his legendary action to run away either.

[@SgtNuker]

Therein lies the "situational" bit they mentioned. In the right situation Devotion is absolutely going to have its way with Fiends or Undead. It's honestly probably the BEST choice in that circumstance.

[@patrickcalabro2550]

Played Curse of Strahd as an Ancients Paladin, my aura combined with the Ancestral Guardians Barbarian’s Spirit Shield was so clutch in a bunch of encounters.

[@lechkaminski9128]

Kelly- I just really appreciate your introspection, the way you can reconsider your own opinions and how open you are to the thoughts of the other conversee. That's my real life definition of Wisdom. I get inspired to do that just by seeing what an awesome skill it is in most of your ranking videos. Thanks.

[@Malisteen]

With a little reflavoring, Oathbreaker works fantastically as a 'cursed warrior' kind of character, like Guts from Berserk or Simon Belmont from Castlevania 2. In particular with the aura that enhances your strength but also that of the fiends and undead that you hunt and that hunt you in turn.

[@andrewdinse7658]

The two spells I’m surprised you didn’t bring up in the Oath of Devotion’s spell list are Guardian of Faith and Beacon of Hope. Guardian of Faith is good for locking down an area from enemies, and Beacon of Hope’s advantage on Wisdom saves and death saves, as well as healing for max makes it great for keeping your party alive. Both of these spells fit the subclass’ role as a defense/support team player very well, which makes it weird that they weren’t mentioned since I think they help to cement the Oath of Devotion’s role.

[@phillconklin382]

I'm playing oath of devotion as my first 5e character now and I'm having a blast. :) I feel like it is most emblematic of who a paladin is and also what a paladin should be doing. A support tank.

[@agentchaos9332]

It's clear they're ranking these based on offensive power rather then defensive/ healing utility, which is weird for a tank class that's built for those things. But whatever if you want to rank a non-DPS class based on DPS go for it

[@mac_sour]

@@agentchaos9332 But paladins as you can see, ARE huge damage dealers. Stacking multiple smites outclass a lot of other classes, and multiclassing just makes you a fucking 40-50+ damage average monster on the battlefield.

[@ai2802]

@@agentchaos9332 I get their mentality as D&D 5e really screams "the best defensive is a good offensive", but you do make a great point. Devotion is in my opinion one of the best subclass's for Paladin because it combines both offensive & defensive and is much more flexible than say Vengeance who, yes can kill 1 enemy quicker, can't really do much else. Vengeance is still amazing, and Ancients is amazing for defensive (mostly), but Devotion is just amazing for its ability to do a little of both really well.

[@muscularclassrepresentativ5663]

@@agentchaos9332smites are insanely high damage if you build for them. And you have spell slot smites as bonus actions, lol. And multiple attacks

[@TheZandaz]

Oath of Vengeance with divine soul sorcerer: you were made by the gods and born a miracle child, causing stir and making you famous in your town. One day however, a cult tries to kidnap you for nefarious purposes, killing your family in the process, in fury, you destroy them with your innate magic. However, as your grow up your grow more resentful toward the deities that created you, eventually swearing to have your revenge against them for destroying everything you hold dear. You use this commitment and the powers they gave you to bring them to ruin.

[@hoppyhopper2020]

I'm getting a Kratos vibe off this, and I love it!

[@FlyAbove]

What race did you pick with that

[@TheZandaz]

@Pelinal Whitestrake depends how you play it out. Being more "original" doesn't necessarily makenit more interesting, all about how you rp. Along the way you could realise that you've let anger consume you and relinquish that desire, or maybe you start off not put for vengeance and a string of events convinces you thats the path to follow. Also: just bc somethings a trope, doesn't mean everyone's experienced. I've had 4 character in 3 campaigns and only once did someone in the campaigj have dead parents, so playing a character with dead parents would actually be a new and interesting choice for me. 😃

[@TheZandaz]

@@FlyAbove you could be any really, with all the different pantheons and such. Tiefling might be interesting as it might seem like some cosmic joke to imbue a child of the race with divine power considering their infernal heritage. Maybe a more "jolly" race such as a Halfling or Gnome, showing how despite their good nature this person has been utterly broken. Alternatively, you might come across as very friendly and nice and keep this struggle of yours private.

[@TheZandaz]

@Pelinal Whitestrake I mean if that's the case then fair enough. I find it also comes down to style of play as well. Campaigns I've been in tend to he more character than action based, and tho we RP quite well the focus is mainly on the quest and the combat, and character growth takes a backseat. However I've just started DMing Descent Into Avernus, and with the way the story is set up characters will end up engaging with their past and various misdeeds. Dead parents could actually be interesting if their souls ended up in hell?

[@ScottRoth1986]

I appreciate Kelly acknowledging biases throughout the series. I think Monty could do better recognizing what he thinks is objective is actually still a subjective take.

[@faselfasel2864]

@@rule-of-three1483 Not a "right" way, but rather a "this might be more potent than that"- way, which is what a tier list is about.

[@KatanaKamisama]

I think a lot of their rankings are based on playstyle preference, or taking a subclass in a vacuum. Which is their right... it's their channel. I just disagree with a lot of their assertions.

[@faselfasel2864]

@@rule-of-three1483 I understand where you are coming from, but im really curious where you would want Monty to admit bias. If you agree with the notion that you can represent classes and subclasses in a tier-list and make transparent criteria for that tier list and then apply those criteria to get a power ranking, i really dont see where the bias would be. Do you reject the notion that some subclasses are stronger than others? Do you reject the criteria they put in place to measure a subclasses power? Do you reject the application of montys categorization? On what level does the bias occur? Imho it only occurs on the last level.

[@JB-xl2jc]

@@rule-of-three1483 You're not wrong, but it would be pretty hard to rank anything at all without some subjective bias cropping in about what games they've experienced. I mean, you could take literally the worst class in the game, and if someone only ever plays with a DM that delivers a playstyle that caters DIRECTLY to that class, it'll still be pretty great. By which I mean, unless we make certain assumptions about what will happen in the game, ranking is utterly impossible.

[@phillconklin382]

My problem with Kelly is he always concedes to Monty's opinion. Have a backbone dude you make good points.

[@Necromatehun]

Kelly is looking more and more like a hungarian hussar :D You rock that mustache sir! :D

[@KatanaKamisama]

And then the Winged Kelly arrives....

[@minionofhavoc7266]

I've played many paladins in the past and I generally avoid vengeance paladins because I normally build paladins around my auras (because aura of protection is the single most op ability in all of D&D). Vengeance paladins get one less aura which makes it plainly less effective for my normal build. If your building a paladin around attacks and smites then yes vengeance paladin is the best, but if you're building a charisma based support paladin you're going to want to go with another subclass.

[@kalebramirez9563]

That sounds pretty cool, which subclass do you normally go with?

[@minionofhavoc7266]

@@kalebramirez9563 I actually like Oath of the Crown as it allows be to tank even when I pose less of a threat, but which one is the best depends on party comp. If the party has low wisdom Devotion, if the party needs a tank use Crown, if you can't see a clear weakness go for Ancients. It's a nice alternative to the all offense Vengeance or Conquest paladins.

[@KatanaKamisama]

I also dislike Vengeance Paladin. For the Aura reason, but also just find it boring, and vanilla. Everyone uses the "but the spell list" argument... as though paladins cast spells. Listen folks.. getting haste AT 9th LEVEL is 4 levels too late to be relevant. Ask one of your friends to make a Sorcerer and they can TWIN HASTE you and the rogue/fighter/any martial. That way you can be a good little paladin and use your spell slots to smite. I also will multiclass Hexblade on literally EVERY paladin so.. capstones are irrelevant, and I'm looking for what synergizes best with Pact of the Blade / Hexblade, and sadly Vengeance ranks quite low for the way I build a paladin character.

[@KatanaKamisama]

@@minionofhavoc7266 I would take Conquest over Vengeance EVERY time. Especially.... if you take Fallen Aasamar for their level 3 racial ability to AoE fear. The synergy is delicious.

[@minionofhavoc7266]

@@KatanaKamisama I agree the synergy in that combination is phenomenal, but if you're looking to just stick enemies to you, Champion's Challenge from oath of the Crown is strictly better than oath of Conquest's aura of conquest until you reach 18th level paladin. I also think Vow of Enmity + Hexblade's Curse + Hex or Hunter's Mark sound's like a brutal combo so I wouldn't completely rule out Oath of Vengeance.

[@jessicaleclerc3469]

I'm playing a level 10 Paladin in my friend's game that's been going on for three years. I took a slightly homebrewed subclass, the Moon Knight. It's basically the first and last subclass features from Devotion and the middle ones from Ancients, and it's been very fun.

[@TheZandaz]

Aura of Warding on top of the Paladin's Aura that lets you add Cha to STs means you can usually end up taking 1/4 damage from spells (if you max out Cha). It's insanely powerful and actually means your party is better off bunching up against casters, meaning its harder for one to get surrounded and easier to heal/buff each other.

[@miracleman.0126]

Bunching up against damage sure, but some of those control and disorient type spells might end up allowing your party to get wrecked

[@TheZandaz]

@@miracleman.0126 Perhaps, but a lot less likely when everyone has +5 to saves. Depends if you know what you're up against. Like you know you're gonna be in for constant fireballs, then do it. Also most dungeons have very confined spaces so within 10ft is quite common.

[@kailupo7543]

My personal favorite is the oath of conquest.

[@Hesauce]

Same here!

[@thiccler1127]

I see you are a man of culture as well , DEUS VULT

[@beneteus3833]

Yes its time for Deus Vult!

[@conradkorbol]

It’s over powered but if your dm is actually enforcing the oath is hard to follow with a party.

[@abigaylegeisel]

I'm playing an oath of conquest paladin in descent into avernus. She is a noble background and takes her future as a leader seriously. She also is "conquesting" her way through hell, so it works out

[@callumc3006]

After getting Tasha's, i'm just about to make a paladin - perfect timing! Love the D Dudes!!

[@saintpoli6800]

Vengeance is just such a cool “judge” type; the abilities are just so good. Vow of Enmity, Abjure Enemy, and getting Bane plus Misty Step too. Just so good. I normally take a 3 level dip into Paladins for a Hexadin build, but going all Paladin is just amazing

[@studentofsmith]

Judge Dredd: I am the law!

[@kyle21843]

i love oath of vengeance as well but it gets such a bad rep from the players who play to win. i played in a campaign with a guy who said how his character was an oath of vengenace paladin every other second. yet he never mentioned his deity a single time and wouldnt even tell us what his oath was. in other words he didnt care about the subclass, just how "good" it was -_-

[@saintpoli6800]

@@kyle21843 Ahhh, so a Min-Maxer who doesn’t take part in RP. That’s very unfortunate honestly. I’ll admit I’m 60% Min-Maxer/40% RP; I create detailed characters and jot down the classes that’d match, then I figure out “what can be my job in the party? Maybe damage?” Then I’ll work on that.

[@jonnystorms3310]

@@kyle21843 5e paladins dont require a diety.

[@ThrawnIsAlive]

You get a like just for the Star Wars reference. You would get it anyway, but still.

[@Broxigar25]

I'm playing a Oath of Ancients Paladin/Divine Soul Sorcerer right now and it's probably my favorite character I've ever made. A badass tank, with strong support upside.. oh, and did I mention Spiritual Weapon and Spirit Guardians?

[@DefaultSeaTurtle]

Imagine an alternate universe where they go with Kelly's rankings.

[@madhurdhingra4525]

In monk ranking it did happen

[@mitchelltyner5670]

yeah it almost seems like the only reason they have two guys is to be "different" but the other is just a talking head.

[@acarnivorouslizardfolk1033]

@@madhurdhingra4525 it was more of an in-between in that one, and it was still not a lot Kelly.

[@PandaKnightsFightingDragons]

I think that's just the nature of Monty being more experienced than Kelly. Monty's played/ran previous editions. Kelly's first edition was this one

[@DefaultSeaTurtle]

@@mitchelltyner5670 I mean no hate to either of them. I really like their dynamic. The trend is just something I noticed.

[@chadnorris8257]

Oath of Ancients with the mage slayer feat synergizes really well.

[@themetalone7739]

Only started playing a couple months ago. Been rocking a vengeance paladin, with a couple levels put into warlock. I'm easily the most consistent damage-dealer in the party, and those warlock levels give me some pretty decent range (the invocations for Eldritch Blast make it a solid weapon to use if your enemy can't be reached by melee).

[@psoren423]

Love your guys comparisons on classes. It has changed my perspective on a lot of characters in the campaigns I run. Keep it up guys.

[@TerribleGM]

I can't tell you how much I love this series.

[@antonlowe5370]

I bet we as a community undervalue Oath of Redemption even though it has counterspell, AKA BEST SPELL.

[@henrykottsick6622]

You had me for a second when you called Oath of Vengeance a D ranking. Gave me a great laugh

[@churchfan1]

My counterpoint for why the devotion paladin’s empowering weapon ability should be an action is so you can combine it at the start of combat with a smite spell which uses your bonus action. It doesn’t shine and sparkle like most paladin subclasses but it’s absolutely a solid option for most any campaign.

[@EvilGeniusPrime]

Catching up on these analysis videos and it's always interesting to see which combos people recognize early on and which they only get later, usually after playing a class and figuring out how to optimize stuff. :D

[@themakeshop1499]

Thanks for this ranking. While you were discussing the Oathbreaker, I was thinking, "Pair an oathbreaker pally with a necromancer as the bad guys in a stronghold and they would be a tough out".

[@TheHutt0326]

I'm too biased to rank paladins. They are my favorite class and I'd give all the subclasses a S.

[@j.a.6310]

I mean as someone else above said, paladins are pretty much all S tier already regardless of subclass.

[@TheHutt0326]

@@j.a.6310 That is very true. What I was trying to imply is even if paladin was the worst class I'd still give them all an S regardless. If been playing mostly Paladins (or the paladin archetype) in rpgs 20 years.

[@THEGRUMPTRUCK]

@@j.a.6310 true. Even the "worst" Paladin subclass are better than most other classes subclasses.

[@j.a.6310]

@@TheHutt0326 totally, i played a dwarf vengeance paladin in my first full campaign ever (ToA) and loved it. Always want to play another paladin to get that fix. My DM has a homebrew rule that you have to call smites before you roll to attack (you dont waste the smite on a miss its just to reduce crit fishing) and even with that "nerf" its still an incredible class

[@conradkorbol]

@@TheHutt0326 nah devotion and crown are for sure a lol.

[@reloadpsi]

"What's a good paladin subclass?" "I'm not entirely sure."

[@johnpiland]

I feel like that mustache is disappointed in my life choices.

[@markmonfasani1741]

watching their expressions when they listen to each other talk gives me life

[@TheSwordkill38]

Im playing an Protector Aasimar Oath of Devotion/Forge Cleric hybrid in the Curse of Strahd campaign and i am 6/6 split. Incredibly fun to play (Aasimar since my original dwarf died in the death house and reincarnated through Moradins blessing and sent back to the party)

[@GrassPokeKing]

Did your dwarf come back as their Aasimar version, or did they become someone new?

[@TheSwordkill38]

@@GrassPokeKing So i'll write what happened and give a TL:DR at the end of the post. So the way it happened was I wanted to switch my character out in the death house for a homebrew crazy necrowizard pixie so my dwarf was going to go back home and the pixie would come. My pixie however got treated badly being grabbed by the party all the time so she left and joined strahd so i wanted to go back to the dwarf. The twist was the dwarf instead of getting sent back to his homeworld was being experimented on (We were level 2) by shar who was controlling the strings of fate and was wanting to find the power of paladin oaths. My dwarfs body was destroyed and his soul put into a new aasimar body but his memories got pushed down so he forgot temporarily who he was before. My dwarfs mother was a cleric of moradin so made her prayer for Moradin to save her son and he intervened and saved him from that situation and brought him back to where he was before which was barovia back to the party. There is a tower in COS, not sure if homebrew) that has an anti-magic field that rejogged his memory while he was in it but when he left was back to not remembering everything. After some convincing by the confused members of the party and the players at the table my dwarf made a diary in the tower that only he would remember when he came back out. Over time he has slowly regained his old memories. Definitely liked how he was brought along by the DM. TL:DR- Yes old consciousness in a new aasimar body. Cleric levels are because Moradin saved him, Paladin when he remembered his original path.

[@thecommenter1002]

Kelly looks like a villan from a wild west movie. Idk why my mind went to that immediately but just give him a ten gallon hat in blak and it'll be perfect.

[@jessicaclark4544]

Oath of the stache

[@GrassPokeKing]

_The 'Stache in Black fled across the desert_ _And the Homebrewer followed..._

[@jacobreichert6239]

I love using the oath of devotion channel divinity with great weapon master. With maxed out charisma I can basically get a free plus 10 to all my attacks

[@phillconklin382]

Great idea!

[@jacobreichert6239]

@@phillconklin382 thanks.

[@deantitus9734]

I'm into my first spellcaster of any kind playing a Half-Elf Oath of Vengeance paladin with a Noble background!! I have to say that I wasn't aware of how powerful the paladin is and can be!! I can't wait to begin smiting enemies!!

[@alexsantos-hc4io]

Only when you see a level 8 character dealing over 100 damage in a single turn you see clearly the destruction that a paladin/fighter can bring to the table

[@jcdenton2187]

Paladin Smites and Fighters getting 3 attacks is just incredible in combat. Also incredibly scary if the DM uses them against you. My Rogue almost got one-shot by a Battlemaster Orc that hit him all three times. If he happened to crit i would have died. XD

[@alexsantos-hc4io]

@@jcdenton2187 yeah, it is really scary, this multiclass allows a player to do an absurd amount of damage so early in the game, just the combination of the channel divinity with action surge is absurd, 4 attacks with advantage where you add together superiority die and divine smite, is just too much.

[@jcdenton2187]

@@alexsantos-hc4io really any class with an Action Surge can be very scary. Action Surge is basically a once a day Legendary Action for players. Although i haven't played a high enough level to make use of it yet, i want to play a Rogue combined with 5 levels of Champion Fighter. Archery Fighting style, Second Wind, Action Surge, Two Attacks, and Improved Critical, is a great compliment to Rogues from what I've seen.

[@alexsantos-hc4io]

@@jcdenton2187 oh it sounds very cool, especially if you can make use of elven accuracy

[@jcdenton2187]

@@alexsantos-hc4io I could see that. Although i probably won't use it cause I'm personally not that big on elves lol. Also Tasha's gives the Rogue Steady Aim as a bonus action at level 3, giving you advantage on a ranged attack but reducing your movement speed to 0 until the end of your turn. Basically free sneak attack if you're in a good spot where you don't need to move. It's so good and helped me get the killing shot on the Battlemaster Orc boss in that game.

[@therealbaddie6959]

Been waiting for this 😭 so good

[@wutangfury9283]

I played an oath breaker warlock multiclass and it was nasty! Devils sight with sentinel and divine smite with eldritch smite in the darkness spell made him an absolute nightmare. My dm told me he had to craft every encounter keeping him away from the big bad and trying to pin me down. Needless to say a lot of encounters had ranged combatants but eldritch blast took care of that problem too!

[@Multistrangedude1]

For Oath of Ancients take Circle of Power spell and you're all set you almost never have to worry about spells, also it's 20th level ability doesn't deactivate upon being dropped to 0 you can always get back up

[@BudroThePious]

To put it in perspective you are much more likely to take damage from a spell than effected by charm.

[@jonathantifone8001]

True, but a downed character is -1. I charmed character can be -2 immediately and turn into minus-more very quickly if it is your barbarian friend.

[@JaelinBezel]

To be fair, if there is one party member you do not want to get brainwashed, it’s the one with the highest defense, hit points, and at least one of the highest damage per second complete with a healing pool they can use on themselves. That is the kind of class you should be glad is on your side.

[@luigifan4585]

@@JaelinBezel Exactly! It's why a guaranteed immunity to a very dangerous condition with a 10-30ft. aura is so good to have on a Paladin. Having Aura of Protection isn't foolproof, you could have shit luck on a save when it matters or have the DC for the charmed condition be super high

[@pnutbteronbwlz9799]

@@luigifan4585 yea but it’s not about the fact it doesn’t help with those things. The other Paladin subclasses don’t, and just because warding doesn’t give that, doesn’t mean that warding isn’t amazing for halving huge aoe damage on your party. Focusing so much on, “yea but it’s not a perfect ability”, doesn’t mean it’s not amazing! You could view any ability that way and it would seem worse. Remember, this aura is passive.

[@luigifan4585]

@@pnutbteronbwlz9799 Never said Aura lf Warding wasn't good. I just personally value being immune to a condition that can basically flip your party's power drastically just that much.

[@WiIICheck]

Kelly, you grew that stache so fast in two seconds, blew my mind.

[@epinedorer]

Oath of the ancient is an A tier for me, yes is aura of warding is not magic resistance, BUT you already have aura of protection, which means that you and your allies will have a bonus to their rolls. With my level 8 charisma specialist paladin, I resisted any hypnotic pattern or equivalent spell. (+1 sag, +4 cha, +3 saving throws = +8 bonus). Advantage is nice, but i need more damage resistance. And his spells are so useful.

[@erichobbs4042]

I'm getting ready to play a paladin in a one shot. I've watched a number of these ranking videos, and honestly you guys have the best analysis. Dungeon Dudes are S tier 😁

[@nicholascartagena349]

I would give the oath of vengeance an s tier. It is a GREAT subclass.

[@havocwrecker6305]

I just wanna see them do rogue so bad, I bet it will come down to swashbuckler and trickster. EDIT: To everyone talking about what tier rogue subclasses will be in, Arcane tricker will obviously be S and S( we all know Monty loves his trickster), I think swashbuckler and scout will be S and A most likely, swashbuckler I feel it lingers between the two because because you don’t need advantage or an ally to get sneak attack, and fancy footwork means you don’t need mobile feat, capstone swashbuckler ability is good, and gurantee sneak attack even if you had disadvantage(s). Scout rogue, two sneak attack, I don’t think I need to go further, inquisitive is good to, wouldn’t predict it will be S class though, likely A

[@theyonlycomeoutwhenitsquiet]

Scout, phantom, and swashbuckler. I submit these are the best ones

[@calyokayu2320]

As a guy who's played swashbuckler to level 12 it is very overrated. The one on one sneak attack feature in particular is redundant virtually every fight.

[@joshuaarnaud993]

Arcan trickster has to be S tier... It does everything a rogue does, and it gets magic too give them even more flexibility/utility... A rogue with a familiar, shadow blade, invisibility, mirror image, minor illusion, a sneaky mage hand... is all jusy extra gravy

[@havocwrecker6305]

@@calyokayu2320 are you stacking booming blade on top? Magic initiate and mage slayer are insane against spell casters.

[@RasmusVJS]

Inquisitive definitely not above a B, probably C, too dependent on the DM making it useful to be an S or A.

[@CarbonKnights]

Our paladin recently went oathbreaker because he failed a lot of saves against a cursed sword and in his second session as the subclass, we used his control undead to make a zombie I.E.D. against a boss, that was the end of the session though, so we aren't sure just how effective it was yet (thought it sounds like it worked pretty well!)

[@LordPeddleby]

Loving the "Val Kilmer in Tombstone" look Kelly!

[@danariola9169]

Man...I’d love to see your take on Oath of Conquest. That subclass is *potent*

[@thunderbuddy78]

Guys when you imbue your weapon with some extra type of damage and it takes an action you try and use that before you enter combat. That way its already set up before entering.

[@willieoelkers5568]

Right, but it has a very short duration, so it can be hard to get it off before the DM has the party roll initiative. Granted, some DM's are more permissive in pre-battle actions than others, but the timing on it is still very fiddly.

[@annasolovyeva1013]

Sure! You just do nothing and then there's a giant monster that's right next at you. It's often just no time for blessings...

[@crimfan]

OoA's aura is tactically VERY useful. The party spellcasters can dump area effect damage spells freely on the front line, who are protected from most of the effects by the paladin's aura. An OaA Paladin and a Bladesinger can be bestest pals.

[@taustyz5875]

Oathbreaker is my favorite subclass, it has a lot of roleplay potential and you can easily make that sort of Character which is easy for the dm to work into the story. Especially if you're looking to play an antihero type. As far as mechanics go it's really strong

[@jonbuq2418]

I haven't watched in a while and oh boy is that an amazing moustache

[@fedrikrose2277]

The Aura of Warding is not to protect you from the enemy casters, it is to protect you from the fireball spamming wizard/sorcerer.

[@Huxxleigh]

It made me happy when you said that an Elvish Oath of the Ancients Paladin would be cool because I'm playing an Elf Oath of the Ancients Paladin 🥺

[@srvfan17]

Looking at their abilities, I think the same can be said of the Paladin that you said in the Cleric videos: the worst Paladin subclass is still a Paladin, it's such a good base class kit that the subclass is really more of an augmentation than anything else

[@KevbotFalconhammer]

"There's no situation that your paladin isn't going to smash things with a sword and probably want to smite them and probably want advantage on those attacks." Laughs in Rust Monster

[@KikinCh1kin]

Hol up lemme just also take one level into forge cleric and make rust monsters my lil hoes

[@Jk-zv6tz]

Its painful how unoriginal you are. Firstly, "laughs in" is so overused. You may as well be a clone of everyone else that says it because you have know unique identity to set you aside from anyone else. Secondly. The amount of people to turn to rust monster as the answer to all melee is yet another strike at your lack of originality, go you, 2 for 2. FYI. Rust monster doesn't work on magical weapons, which a Paladin can transform his own non magic weapon into one via a spell. You bellend

[@KikinCh1kin]

@@Jk-zv6tz ya didnt have to go that hard on em dude

[@Jk-zv6tz]

@@KikinCh1kin I go hard in without lube. Max tear.

[@johnhuffman9533]

You mentioned that you'll do Xanathar's and Tasha's in another video, but will that also include Oath Of The Crown from SCAG? I'm asking for a me.

[@j.a.6310]

ya I'm hella confused why the Oathbreaker from the DMG is included but not the Oath of the Crown?

[@DungeonDudes]

Yes it will.

[@Aturnadagar]

Oath Of The Crown is one of my favorite Tank/offensive one. The combo to do make enemies to not be able to run out of 30ft of you until they take you down with Spirit Guardians. Is awesome with group of enemies, which is rare for paladins. A most for this type is to go with a Shield, and is a most to get War priest or Resilient (Constitution) feat. Sentinel is recommended. Enemies can't scape this one, and been hard to hit they will die trying, while focus on the paladin, group can pick the lower hp ones.

[@Aturnadagar]

2-handed Character that have decent AC, would love to have a Oath Of The Crown at 5ft. This paladin can do a warding bond, combine with any THP like Heroism, the dmg reduction is so much on hit, that doing "Divine Allegiance" all day, will not really hurt the paladin and the one warded will avoid dmg altogether. Making the enemies not very effective on dealing dmg to "the right hand" of a Oath Of The Crown paladin.

[@Castheknotted]

Love the video and no hate whatsoever, but im a visual guy and seeing the abilities while they are explained is super helpful. :)

[@MitchieB]

As a player that has played an Ancients Pally, I think Moonbeam gets overlooked as an available spell. It helped overcome the lack of great range attacks (although it competes with spell slots for Misty Step). More than once, I cast Moonbeam on top of myself with a few enemies around and used my abilities to save against the damage and then use my Aura of Warding to half it and outlast them. I ended up using it as a combo aura of damage.

[@knightoftheblackrose]

I just had one of my characters die. My new character is a drow oath of conquest paladin. cant wait to see what you guys rate it.

[@kingofrunes5291]

Yeah, I would think A or S. From my experience Vengeance, Conquest and Ancient are the Top 3 (best offense, best controle, best defense).

[@TheXasTube]

For style alone they are S+. You don't care what or if your target has done anything vile. You crush them for the sole sin of opposing you.

[@sirforcer]

I'm currently playing in a game as an Oathbreaker, but the way I'm playing it is that instead of being a good paladin turned evil, they were an evil paladin who saw the error in their ways. They have a neutral alignment, and while their spells and abilities are rather "evil" in flavor, it's because that's just what they were trained in and have practiced, and not a reflection of how they might act in non-combat situations. Their story arc is focused on finding a way to reconcile their past, and perhaps down the line maybe transition into learning less "evil" abilities.

[@jcdenton2187]

I really like that idea and might use that to play an Oathbreaker in a non-evil party.

[@sirforcer]

@@jcdenton2187 Thanks, I got the idea when the DM said they were homebrewing alignment and deity a bit since they felt the systems in 5e for them weren't that great (in their opinion). So for a game that is already messing with what alignment and religion means for the players, I thought having a character based around questioning those seemed like the perfect fit. We are still in early game (level 3) so I've yet to see really how it is going to play out, but my hopes are high.

[@vololudo4671]

I can't agree more on the Oath of Vengeance. I am DMing for a group that has one and....damn he has created more creative encounter building on my part than I thought was possible.

[@jonmajid4886]

Just watched your Vengence Paladin video yesterday morning, can’t wait to hear more!

[@siriswarrior]

I'm DMing Descent into Avernus and the Devotion paladin is 100% the party MVP

[@DekArosaro]

Mounted Paladin of the Ancient, Treestride with your mount through Trees, Misty step with your Mount, Stoneskin same thing. Its fun

[@jordanwhite8718]

Not to mention that all of your auras also affect your mounts. Your horse might actually survive of fireball.

[@DekArosaro]

@@jordanwhite8718 With Mounted Combatant it should

[@phillconklin382]

Neat idea!

[@MrDe4dGuy34]

Paladins really got a huge boost in terms of playability in 5e. I always enjoyed playing them in previous editions, but I did feel like a one trick pony (especially in 3.5). It’s truly exhilarating to see them become so popular in 5e. Can’t wait to hear you two talk about Oath of Conquest and Oath of Redemption subclasses. Cheers!

[@fr0stbite797]

Paladin is my favorite class, the first paladin I’ve every played was a forest gnome oath of the ancients paladin named Snickerdoodle, One of the best memories I’ve had with that character is trapping a shadow with ensnaring strike for an entire battle... ohh good times... Also: my group has home brew that the seventh level ability is magic resistance plus the advantage against spell saving throws

[@XoRandomGuyoX]

Before watching I can say that for me Oath of the Ancients is my S Tier. From mechanics to having an excuse to distance yourself from the standard Lawful Stupid jokes it's a very solid class.

[@lukemartineau490]

"...and I really love the idea of an elvish Oath of the Ancients Paladin. It really hits this cool vibe with me." Hahahahahahaha...you haven't seen our giddy, owlbear-searching, making-friends-with-everything, hugging-far-beyond-the-discomfort-level, mushroom-eating, mind-of-a-four-year-old Half-Elf Paladin. o_0

[@Dragonkindred]

Adds a whole new meaning to the the saying "vengeance is mine"

[@JohnW-yv6yp]

Since I chose Paladin as my first class, I’ve been thinking which subclass to play. I liked the sounds of all of em, but leaned most towards Vengeance. This video reaffirms that my choice is a good one.

[@AC-eb7kt]

Yes, been waiting for this

[@abigaylegeisel]

I think you were too hard on the 7th level ability for the Acients. Though its not magic resistence, it is still better than many of the other auras. Magic resistence would be broken imo

[@westermatt]

I played an 11th level Oathbreaker in a one shot and wnjoyed it very much. I talked with the DM for the game and asked if we could tweek the Aura of Hate to include allies instead of undead. I pitched the idea saying that my PC was working for a mob boss and would be working with others all the time. He said yes and it made the Aura of Hate much stronger and it made a difference in thw game we played. Very fun.

[@Malisteen]

I really love paladin in 5e. They've got it all, strong narrative archetype, strong mechanics that reward thematic play (aura of protection will have the party rallying around you as their champion and their rock, while divine smite encourages you to push padt the small fry in order to challenge the real villain), a blend of offensive, defensive, & support abilities, nice mix of magical and martial features with the divine smite ability to blend them together. No extra skill support but they do have good charisma which lets the paladin effectively engage with the skill system in non combat encounters. That means the paladin gets to dip a toe in every major system of the game, while maintaining a coherent identity and areas of expertise to avoid the 'jack of all trades master of none' problem. And since these abilities are introduced in a gradual manner, and in particular since divine smite lets players make effective use of spell slots without bothering with the complications of spellcasting until they're ready, they make for an especially fantastic introductory class for new players. The strong archetype and oath framework of their subclasses also encourages new players to role play by providing a sturdy scaffolding for characterization. Further enhancing paladin as the best new player class in 5e, paladins are super forgiving, with good ac, good hp between decent hit die and healing abilities, and great saving throws with aura of protection. On top of all that, paladins have a wide range of effective and thematically compelling subclasses, none of which are outright bad - though a few do lean harder than others on the strong parent class package. But the parent class package us strong enough to make that fine, especially after Tasha's added some extra combat styles and a decent fallback option for your channel divinity, so even if an oath only has one or two decent features it can still make for a fun and effective character. Plus, magical warriors are just cool, and paladin absolutely delivers on that aesthetic concept. Reaching beyond the classic arthurian inspirations, there are tons of fantasy genre magical warrior concepts in movies, books, cartoons & video games - Jedi, magical girls, masters of the universe, keyblade wielders - many coupled with paladin-esque codes of conduct & thematic conflicts between light and darkness, nearly all of which translate better to paladin than any other class. Not only is this testament to the enduring popularity of the archetype, it also provides a constellation of refetence points to again help draw new players in to the experience.