Paladin & Where to go?

[Mr Fantastic]

Hello everyone,

I normally DM so I'm usually on the other side of the screen, for the past few months I've been playing. For the first time in about ten years. I find myself deciding how to breathe life into my character.

So a bit of background on the character.

Karahak Tho'dak Shi'shihak
Copper Dragonborn
Paladin with Oath of Vengeance (doesn't know he's being given powers by a deity, is too caught up in revenge to care).

As a soldier of the Shi'shihak (copper dragonborn) clan, Karahak lived a life of martial servitude and the benefits that came from such obedience. Allowed to take a wife and rear a clutch, he was blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) with a single child. An era of peace reigned supreme among the dragon clans of the Black Mountains until all contact with the Tara'hat (silver dragonborn) ceased. It soon became evident that the whole nation was under threat as more and more clans fell silent.

The cause of this was the treacherous Zi'zidak, a tribe of isolationist black dragonborn who in secret had turned to god worship of the foulest kind. Under the direction of an insidious Black Dragon named Shadow Born, the Zi'zidak came at Karahak's clan like a storm against a cliff. The enemy used revenants and the risen dead as a psychological terror weapon, sending waves of zombified dragon kin, their souls used to summon forth the Lich-Wyrm. The Thunder Cliff, ancestral site of the first Dragonborn in the mountains was the site of the final battle. It is here, the Shi'shihak discover the draconic god of undeath, Falazure, has sent this Dragon forth to enslave the remaining clans to dig something from the depths of the mountain caves.

The Shi'shihak War Bringers fight valiantly but suffer a shattering defeat and are routed, driven from their home in the mountains. Karahak fled, his father driving him away and pledging to protect his family. He makes Karahak swear an oath to discover a way to end this madness, to return with a way to free his people. Karahak ranges far from his ancestral home, in search of power and knowledge to bring vengeance to the Shadow Born and his unclean servants. His journey finds him entering the Hunter Games, seeking rumour of a dragon hidden in the depths of Darkhorn Castle. Maybe, if he can truck with this entity, he can return home. If not, he must learn how to kill a God.

That's the story including the first sessions summary. Now he has embarked on a fantastical quest with the party to take down a conclave of ancient dragons seeking dominion over the world. A little grander than my own backstory (which does include one of said Big Bad Dragons). It's here I find myself exploring the PHB to find a way to grow my character in a way that doesn't just seem like optimization. I'm the tank of the party, so naturally I went full bore tank with decent damage output to Level 4 and now I find myself looking to the future.

Stat block is:
STR 18
DEX 10
CON 14
INT 10
WIS 12
CHA 15


HP 32 (Need to roll Level 4 HD at the start of next session)
AC is 20 with plate and shield.
Paladin of Vengeance.
At Level 2 I took Dueling for the extra damage on my Longsword.
At Level 4 I took Sentinel to provide a much needed buff to the front line characters.


He is consumed by shame over what happened to his tribe and will stop at nothing in the fight against the great enemy. Per his character background rolls there isn't anything he wouldn't do in order to defeat those Dragons. He wouldn't be above sacrificing people or cutting them down if they stood in his way. Only the destruction of the Black Dragon and it's kind is paramount.

What would you focus on for advancement? Any suggestions or tips?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[Willie the Duck]

Sentinel and longsword (well, sentinel and any non-reach) is interesting. How's that working out? You have great stats, so I get choosing a feat rather than ASI. What is your character's background and skills? More importantly, what does the rest of the party look like? That will inform our attempts at advice more than anything.

[Mr Fantastic]

Sentinel and longsword (well, sentinel and any non-reach) is interesting. How's that working out? You have great stats, so I get choosing a feat rather than ASI. What is your character's background and skills? More importantly, what does the rest of the party look like? That will inform our attempts at advice more than anything.

I went with longsword/shield and Sentinel because typically my paladin fights alongside the groups Cleric and one of the Fighters. So I negate some of the flak that comes their way with being mobbed by enemies (The Halfling Cleric also rides around on a harness strapped to my back so that helps!). The DM loves to throw multiple hostiles at each player. The Feat is actually working out really well, on average, I'm getting an extra attack almost every turn against the enemy using my reaction.

Group composition is:

Dragonborn Paladin (Me)
Lightfoot Halfling Cleric
Human Monk
Human Barbarian
Dwarven Fighter
Half Orc Ranger
Half Elf Rogue
Human Fighter



The background rolls were for Soldier.


Personality Trait - I can stare down a hell hound without flinching.
Ideals - My people are all that matter.
Bonds - I will never forget the crushing defeat at the hands of my enemies.
Flaws - My hatred of my enemy is blind and unreasoning.


I built the backstory from these roles to fit in with the DM's world.

The skills are as follows:

Acrobatics 0
Animal Handle 1
Arcana 0
Athletics 6
Deception 2
History 0
Insight 3
Intimidation 6
Investigation 0
Medicine 5
Nature 0
Perception 1
Performance 2
Persuasion 2
Religion 0
Sleight of Hand 0
Stealth 0 (Disadvantage)
Survival 1


The spells I'm using are divided between smiting/hunters mark and healing.

[Mr Fantastic]

Any one have any suggestions?

[Beleriphon]

Heavy Armor Master is a good one, boost your strength to within one point of its max and gain DR 3 against basically everything that isn't magical is hard to say no to. Makes you tankier and is loads of fun. Shield Master is a fun choice as well if you plan on using a shield all of the time.

[Firechanter]

Paladin is just fine for leveling straight through. You get something nice and worthwhile every level for a looong time, so it's extremely hard to find a good cutoff point for multiclassing. Typically after level 6, because the level 7 oath feature is not so hot for Vengadins.
But once you take Paladin 7, you're commited: ASI, level 3 spells, fear immunity, damage boost... the list goes on.

For your level 8 ASI, I strongly recommend Resilient (Con). And then, if you play long enough, the level 12 ASI to round up Con and Cha to even numbers.

Your setup is very unorthodox to say the least. Normally, Vengeance Palas are skilled very offensively, with a heavy weapon and Great Weapon Master and/or Polearm Master. Defensive/Tank builds are much more often seen with Oaths of Devotion, Ancients or Crown. And a defensive feat like Sentinel is normally paired with Reach weapons like 99% of the time.
So I guess that's why rather few people respond here. It's something nobody has seen before. So congratulations, you're unique. ;)

[Corran]

I would aim for charisma bumps and inspiring leader.
With that many allies, both aura of protection and inspiring leader would work at 110%. And both of those profit from higher charisma. So yeah, cha bumps and inspiring leader is my suggestion.

ps: There will be some redundancy between sentinel and soul of vengeance when/if you hit paladin level 15, but oh well...
Avoid haste until you get IDS at paladin 11, and even then, dont use it until you get resilient con (12 or 16 or 19); if you dont, then avoid haste completelly.