Paladin Oath

[DracoKnight]

I'm currently building a Dragonborn Paladin - my favorite Oath is Vengeance because it gets Hunter's Mark, and I love the capstone Avenging Angel. However, I was reading over the Devotion's Channel Divinity option Sacred Weapon.

My stats are:

Strength: 20
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 18

Given that I will only gain Hunter's Mark at the expense of a spell slot (read: Smite), for an hour's concentration, recharging over long rest with an average damage of 3.5, or I can have the Sacred Weapon which makes my weapon a +4 magic weapon for 1 minute recharging on a short rest. Which option is better in the long run?

Also if I get any +1, +2, or +3 magic weapons down the road, does that stack with Sacred Weapon?

[Inevitability]

Sacred weapon doesn't make your weapon +4. It only applies your Charisma bonus to attack rolls, not damage rolls.

[ZenBear]

I say Devotion. With your stats you can easily pick up Polearm Master which means Sacred Weapon is extra effective because it boosts all of your attacks. Add on Elemental Weapon (which you can cast the same turn as activating SW) and you're attacking at +11 to hit before proficiency and magic weapon enhancements at 1d10+1d8+1d4+6(x2) and 1d4+1d8+1d4+6 with the option to Smite 3 times. Magic weapon bonuses will add to it.

[Shining Wrath]

What does the rest of your party need? Paladins bring the auras, that might be a tie breaker.

[Citan]

I'm currently building a Dragonborn Paladin - my favorite Oath is Vengeance because it gets Hunter's Mark, and I love the capstone Avenging Angel. However, I was reading over the Devotion's Channel Divinity option Sacred Weapon.

My stats are:

Strength: 20
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 18

Given that I will only gain Hunter's Mark at the expense of a spell slot (read: Smite), for an hour's concentration, recharging over long rest with an average damage of 3.5, or I can have the Sacred Weapon which makes my weapon a +4 magic weapon for 1 minute recharging on a short rest. Which option is better in the long run?

Also if I get any +1, +2, or +3 magic weapons down the road, does that stack with Sacred Weapon?
Hi ;)

Giving a definitive, "good for all situations" answer is not possible.
With that warning gone, my personal preference without any other information would be Sacred Weapon. Just because if offsets GWM malus, so you can up your damage. And your concentration slot is free for Elemental Weapon (which stacks without problem).
It's my favorite weapon buff combo overall. :)

With that said, I'd suggest you to think on these...
- Do you prefer being good overall on melee damage? >> Devotion (better chance to hit everyone + Elemental Weapon)
- Do you prefer being good against that BBEG >> Both are viable: (I'd prefer devotion but it's arguable, advantage is very good also, see next line).
- Do you prefer being more versatile on control? >> Vengeance. Misty Escape is great to move quickly (get to your enemy or escape a situation), and Hold Person is great to take another enemy out of the equation for a few turns while you're taking out your prey.
- Do your party needs better protection? >> Devotion (well, actually the best could be Ancients here for lvl7 aura).

It also depends on when you stop being Paladin. If you go up to 17th level, then spells and abilities are better on Vengeance path imo.

TL;DR: If you don't have any specific preferences on spells and abilities AND don't plan on being pure Paladin, Devotion is probably the best choice. If you plan on going Paladin 17+, go Vengeance.

[coredump]

I'm currently building a Dragonborn Paladin - my favorite Oath is Vengeance because it gets Hunter's Mark, and I love the capstone Avenging Angel. However, I was reading over the Devotion's Channel Divinity option Sacred Weapon.

My stats are:

Strength: 20
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 18

Given that I will only gain Hunter's Mark at the expense of a spell slot (read: Smite), for an hour's concentration, recharging over long rest with an average damage of 3.5, or I can have the Sacred Weapon which makes my weapon a +4 magic weapon for 1 minute recharging on a short rest. Which option is better in the long run? that strikes me as a horrible comparison.

A more direct comparison would be the +4 to hit for 1 min, compared to Advantage to hit against 1 target... *and* ability to cast Hunter's mark.
For my VP, I use Hunter's mark when the targets start getting a bit tough, and smites for the BBEG. If it is not up already, I will often not use H'sM against the BBEG, but its a nice damage boost on the way to get to him so I don't need to spend a bunch of Smites on the way.


Also if I get any +1, +2, or +3 magic weapons down the road, does that stack with Sacred Weapon?Yes.

[MadBear]

One of the big things that Vengeance Paladin's get is the ability to eventually cast haste. Yeah, it takes the place of hunters mark, but it's such a great self-buff that it overshadow's the others in my opinion. Being able to attack 3-4 times (depending on what weapon you use) with advantage against the BBEG and stacking smite on each attack is just brutal.