Paladin
Classic fifth-edition (2014) SRD 5.1 rules. The complete rules for this entry are reproduced below for use at the table.
- Hit Die: d10
- Saving Throws: WIS, CHA
- Proficiencies: All armor, Shields, Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons, Saving Throw: WIS, Saving Throw: CHA
- Skill choices: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion
Starting Equipment
- 1 × Chain Mail
- Choose: (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- Choose: (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
- Choose: (a) a priest’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
- Choose: holy symbol
Class Progression
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Aura Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +2 | Divine Sense, Lay on Hands | 0 |
| 2 | +2 | Fighting Style, Spellcasting: Paladin, Divine Smite | 0 |
| 3 | +2 | Divine Health, Sacred Oath, Oath Spells, Channel Divinity | 0 |
| 4 | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 0 |
| 5 | +3 | Extra Attack | 0 |
| 6 | +3 | Aura of Protection | 10 |
| 7 | +3 | Sacred Oath feature | 10 |
| 8 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 10 |
| 9 | +4 | None | 10 |
| 10 | +4 | Aura of Courage | 10 |
| 11 | +4 | Improved Divine Smite | 10 |
| 12 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 10 |
| 13 | +5 | None | 10 |
| 14 | +5 | Cleansing Touch | 10 |
| 15 | +5 | Sacred Oath feature | 10 |
| 16 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 10 |
| 17 | +6 | None | 10 |
| 18 | +6 | Aura improvements | 30 |
| 19 | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 30 |
| 20 | +6 | Sacred Oath feature | 30 |
Spellcasting Progression
| Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Spellcasting
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Paladin table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your paladin spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of paladin spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the paladin spell list. When you do so, choose a number of paladin spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your paladin level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 5th-level paladin, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd- level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of paladin spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. 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.
Class Features
Divine Sense
The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Lay on Hands
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 x 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.
Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. You can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each one.
This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.
Fighting Style
At 2nd 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 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 attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Spellcasting: Paladin
By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does.
Divine Smite
Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
Divine Health
By 3rd level, the divine magic flowing through you makes you immune to disease.
Sacred Oath
When you reach 3rd level, you swear the oath that binds you as a paladin forever. Up to this time you have been in a preparatory stage, committed to the path but not yet sworn to it. Now you choose an oath, such as the Oath of Devotion.
Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level. Those features include oath spells and the Channel Divinity feature.
Oath Spells
Each oath has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the oath description. Once you gain access to an oath spell, you always have it prepared. Oath spells don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
If you gain an oath spell that doesn't appear on the paladin spell list, the spell is nonetheless a paladin spell for you.
Channel Divinity
Your oath allows you to channel divine energy to fuel magical effects. Each Channel Divinity option provided by your oath explains how to use it.
When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.
Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your paladin spell save DC.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
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.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Aura of Courage
Starting at 10th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can't be frightened while you are conscious.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Improved Divine Smite
By 11th level, you are so suffused with righteous might that all your melee weapon strikes carry divine power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage. If you also use your Divine Smite with an attack, you add this damage to the extra damage of your Divine Smite.
Cleansing Touch
Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to end one spell on yourself or on one willing creature that you touch.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Aura improvements
At 18th level, the range of your auras increase to 30 feet.
Subclasses
- Ancients — Oath of the Ancients (PHB)
- Conquest — Oath of Conquest (XGE)
- Crown — Oath of the Crown (SCAG)
- Devotion — Oath of Devotion (PHB)
- Glory — Oath of Glory (TCE)
- Oathbreaker — Oathbreaker (DMG)
- Redemption — Oath of Redemption (XGE)
- Vengeance — Oath of Vengeance (PHB)
- Watchers — Oath of the Watchers (TCE)
Epic Levels 21-40
The following epic progression is fully summarized here for play on Tazzurath. All epic rules in this section use the purple epic-text style.
The character editor presents levels 1-40 as one Paladin class. When synchronized to Avrae, levels above 20 are automatically stored under EPaladin while retaining the same subclass.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Smites | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | +7 | 5 | Extra Attack, Second Cast, Smite Pool |
| 22nd | +7 | 5 | Second Fighting Style |
| 23rd | +7 | 5 | Second Sacred Oath |
| 24th | +7 | 5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 25th | +8 | 6 | Channel Divinity (2), Smite Improvement |
| 26th | +8 | 6 | Extra Attack |
| 27th | +8 | 6 | Second Sacred Oath Feature |
| 28th | +8 | 6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 29th | +9 | 7 | -- |
| 30th | +9 | 7 | Smite Improvement |
| 31st | +9 | 7 | Divine Specialty, Extra Attack |
| 32nd | +9 | 7 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 33rd | +10 | 8 | -- |
| 34th | +10 | 8 | -- |
| 35th | +10 | 8 | Channel Divinity (3), Second Sacred Oath Feature, Smite Improvement |
| 36th | +10 | 8 | Ability Score Improvement, Extra Attack |
| 37th | +11 | 9 | -- |
| 38th | +11 | 9 | -- |
| 39th | +11 | 9 | -- |
| 40th | +12 | 12 | Ability Score Improvement, Second Sacred Oath Feature, Smite Improvement, Ultimate Oath Protector |
Epic spell progression
| Level | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| 22nd | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 23rd | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 24th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 25th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 26th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 27th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 28th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 29th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 30th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 31st | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 32nd | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 33rd | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 34th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 35th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 36th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 37th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 38th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 39th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 40th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Epic feature rules
Extra Attack
Your Attack action makes three attacks at level 21, four at 26, five at 31, and six at 36.
Second Cast
After casting a leveled spell, cast a cantrip or another spell as part of the same action: 1st level at 21, 2nd at 28, and 3rd at 35.
Smite Pool
Gain the progression table's pool of smite points. Spend one point on a hit to smite without a spell slot. A smite can reach 10d8, or 11d8 against fiends and undead.
Second Fighting Style
Choose another option from the fighter or paladin Fighting Style list.
Second Sacred Oath
Choose another Sacred Oath at level 23 and gain its corresponding features at levels 23, 27, 35, and 40.
Ability Score Improvement
Gain 3 ability-score points. No score can exceed the character's total level. Instead, take a feat and increase one ability score by 1.
Channel Divinity
Gain a second Channel Divinity use at level 25 and a third at 35; all uses return after a short or long rest.
Smite Improvement
A smite point produces a 3rd-level smite at level 25, 4th at 30, 5th at 35, and 6th at 40.
Divine Specialty
At level 31 choose Divine Bolt (ranged attacks can use pool-powered smites), Divine Blast (spend a point for a 10-foot burst dealing 2d8 radiant, save for half), or Holy Imbuement (your melee hits deal +2d8 radiant and a point can grant another weapon +1d8 radiant for an hour).
Ultimate Oath Protector
Once per day at level 40, a hit deals an additional 40d10 radiant damage. Spend 6 smite points to use it again before the next day.
Epic progression credited to Adalwolf's Epic Level Handbook: Players.