Rolled Stats for Triton Paladin - How should I arrange STR/CON/CHA?

[Puh Laden]

For a Curse of Strahd game, I decided I wanted to be a paladin and it was a toss-up between being Superman (aasimar) and Undyne (triton). I decided to go with triton.

So I rolled my stats and here's how I've arranged them for now (racial bonuses are already applied):

STR 16
DEX 12
CON 14
INT 6
WIS 11
CHA 15

However, a lot of paladin spells are concentration based, particularly hunter's mark and hold person if I go vengeance-pally. Should I put the 15 in CON and take the resilient feat at 4th? Which of STR and CHA is it more important to be at +3? But I also like being able to jump and climb with ease, so maybe put the 15 in STR and taking athlete? 12 is in DEX for initiative, which I prioritize over WIS-saves. We will likely have a warlock and another martial, and probably a cleric.

[Biggstick]

This is the stat layout I would go with. This is pre-racial scores from Triton applied.

15(+1)
6
14(+1)
11
12
13(+1)

So you might be prioritizing Dex with your layout; I'm completely dumping it. Dexterity doesn't affect your character in a RP sense other then you simply don't have subtlety or ability to react quickly. If you have 6 Intelligence, your Find Steed mount will be as smart as you. You will be a hindrance to your party, unless you build the character as a yes man for one of the other characters. You don't want to be a yes man in Ravenloft.

As for level 4 and 8 ASI's, I'd go with +2 Strength at level 4 and Resilient Con at level 8. You can swap the levels at which you choose these though if you'd prefer to have Con save proficiency (and a bit more hp) earlier. If you decide to go this route, and follow this leveling scheme, you'll be pretty well off once you reach Ravenloft's end game.

[Puh Laden]

This is the stat layout I would go with. This is pre-racial scores from Triton applied.

15(+1)
6
14(+1)
11
12
13(+1)

So you might be prioritizing Dex with your layout; I'm completely dumping it. Dexterity doesn't affect your character in a RP sense other then you simply don't have subtlety or ability to react quickly. If you have 6 Intelligence, your Find Steed mount will be as smart as you. You will be a hindrance to your party, unless you build the character as a yes man for one of the other characters. You don't want to be a yes man in Ravenloft.

As for level 4 and 8 ASI's, I'd go with +2 Strength at level 4 and Resilient Con at level 8. You can swap the levels at which you choose these though if you'd prefer to have Con save proficiency (and a bit more hp) earlier. If you decide to go this route, and follow this leveling scheme, you'll be pretty well off once you reach Ravenloft's end game.

I was planning to role-play the low intelligence as "recklessness" and being a fish-out-water; she knows just how to deal with vampires: force it into its vampire squid form, tie its tentacles together with blessed sea weed so into can't turn gaseous, and hold it there while the priests transmute the sea-water around it into holy water. She is proficient in Religion though, so the more time she spends in Ravenloft (and levels up) the more she'll catch on to how to deal with these strange land-based vampires. (And if her recklessness gets her killed, her squire will seek to avenge her, though probably as a fighter just to mix things up.)

But back to my main question, Charisma is the least important of the three then? Admittedly I'm expecting hold-person to be pretty rarely needed in Ravenloft, and most of the other goodies of a vengeance paladin don't rely on saves. But then, if there is no cleric I'll want to plan to be a devotion paladin. If that happens, maybe I should put the 15 in STR and 16 in CHA, and take Athlete at 4th. Or maybe leave all those as-is, put 12 in WIS and 11 in DEX and still take Athlete. But then hunter's mark and especially misty step are pretty fun. I suppose I will go with vengeance, make CHA my third-highest, as you arranged it, and take resilient at 4th.

[Spore]

Personally I would even go as far and make her a dex based Paladin with Str 6. This solves some problems. She will use light armor and dex weapons (I think the short spear is finessable? if not it should be). What happened? Maybe her skin is brittle because she is not able to access salt water. Maybe crossing the mists has drained her strength?

I realize 6 Strength is almost sickly. But then again, 6 Dex is clumsy to the point where you could impale yourself on your own weapon. And Int 6 is ... well, in a more free form RPG I would consider her not being able to read, and not having seen a library.

But unless the DM refluffs the artifacts you CAN get most stuff there are strength weapons.


You don't want to be a yes man in Ravenloft.

To be fair, uneducated doesn't mean weak-willed. It is actually often quite the opposite. You could dump Int well if you agree wih a fellow player to be the brains of the operation.

[Biggstick]

I was planning to role-play the low intelligence as "recklessness" and being a fish-out-water; she knows just how to deal with vampires: force it into its vampire squid form, tie its tentacles together with blessed sea weed so into can't turn gaseous, and hold it there while the priests transmute the sea-water around it into holy water. She is proficient in Religion though, so the more time she spends in Ravenloft (and levels up) the more she'll catch on to how to deal with these strange land-based vampires. (And if her recklessness gets her killed, her squire will seek to avenge her, though probably as a fighter just to mix things up.)

But back to my main question, Charisma is the least important of the three then? Admittedly I'm expecting hold-person to be pretty rarely needed in Ravenloft, and most of the other goodies of a vengeance paladin don't rely on saves. But then, if there is no cleric I'll want to plan to be a devotion paladin. If that happens, maybe I should put the 15 in STR and 16 in CHA, and take Athlete at 4th. Or maybe leave all those as-is, put 12 in WIS and 11 in DEX and still take Athlete. But then hunter's mark and especially misty step are pretty fun. I suppose I will go with vengeance, make CHA my third-highest, as you arranged it, and take resilient at 4th.

I mean, what level is your character? Has she actually ever hunted Vampires before? If she's level 1-3, probably not. She might have acted as a squire or assistant to someone doing so, but she herself has probably not ever killed a Vampire.

Also, I'm pretty sure Vampires don't turn into squids. I'm also pretty sure running water in general is something they can deal with, so turning into a squid wouldn't make sense for them.

If it was a mistake, and you meant bat (which I'm assuming you did), how would you say you're forcing a Vampire to turn into a bat? Personally I don't think you as a level 1-3 PC are forcing a Vampire to do anything, let alone force it to turn into a creature within your reach that can be easily overpowered.

My personal recommendation for Ravenloft would have been a Devotion Paladin, but I didn't want to cramp your Vengeance style, and I also didn't want to accidentally drop any spoilers. I will continue to hold to the no-spoilers idea as well, and simply say any Paladin you play in Ravenloft will be great.

I would say a simple 14 Charisma will still be useful to your party and yourself. Getting 16 Con and 18 Strength will carry you as THE primary martial of the group, and really solidify your role as a damage-dealing-tank in the party. You'll still have decent saves if you go with my stat layout and progression (At PC level 6, +6 Str saves, +0 Dex saves, +4 Con saves, +2 Int saves, +5 Wis saves, and +7 Cha saves. At PC level 9, +6 Str saves, +0 Dex saves, +9 Con saves, +2 Int saves, +7 Wis saves, and +8 Cha saves.) If you go my route, at level 9 you'll always make your Concentration Save if the damage you take is 21 or less. I wouldn't be using spells that require DC's, as I'd be focused on spells like Bless, Cure Wounds, Protection from Good and Evil, Magic Weapon, and Divine Smite especially as a Vengeance Paladin.


Personally I would even go as far and make her a dex based Paladin with Str 6. This solves some problems. She will use light armor and dex weapons (I think the short spear is finessable? if not it should be). What happened? Maybe her skin is brittle because she is not able to access salt water. Maybe crossing the mists has drained her strength?

I realize 6 Strength is almost sickly. But then again, 6 Dex is clumsy to the point where you could impale yourself on your own weapon. And Int 6 is ... well, in a more free form RPG I would consider her not being able to read, and not having seen a library.

But unless the DM refluffs the artifacts you CAN get most stuff there are strength weapons.

To be fair, uneducated doesn't mean weak-willed. It is actually often quite the opposite. You could dump Int well if you agree wih a fellow player to be the brains of the operation.

I'm always a fan of Dexterity based Paladins, but 6 Strength is something I really only consider if I'm playing a cloth wearing caster. The reason I do that is even if my DM doesn't enforce it (and most of my DM's do, as well as I do when I DM), I play with encumbrance rules. Six Strength means you can carry 60 pounds at most, and 30 pounds if you're using encumbrance.

Studded Leather - 13 lbs
Shield - 6 lbs
Rapier - 2 lbs
Dagger - 1 lb
Longbow - 2lbs
20 Arrows - 1 lb
Quiver - 1 lb

With only the most basic of set-ups for the Dexterity Paladin, we're at 26 pounds carried. This means with the DM's I play with, we'd only have another 4 pounds of stuff we can lift up. Even if the DM didn't play with this and said one could carry the 60 pounds, that still isn't very much stuff on the PC in question. (read, no Vampire killing materials being able to really be carried on this PC)
Again, I'm a fan of Dexterity Paladins, but jamming a wooden stake into a Vampire's heart would probably require Strength. It's something you probably want to be able to do.

You're right, uneducated doesn't mean weak-willed. But it doesn't automatically mean often quite the opposite. Where are you drawing this information from?

I also agree that you can dump Int if you agree with a fellow player to follow them around like a lap dog. Personally, I don't like Paladins that dump Intelligence. I don't think of 6 Intelligence as simply uneducated (that's an 8 Intelligence), I think of them as being mentally slower then that. Sure, they can still function in society, but anything beyond a two-step plan is going to be beyond them. Killing Vampires requires critical thinking in my mind, with their being several things they need to be focused on at once, and isn't something this PC should consider as a viable dump stat.

[Puh Laden]

I mean, what level is your character? Has she actually ever hunted Vampires before? If she's level 1-3, probably not. She might have acted as a squire or assistant to someone doing so, but she herself has probably not ever killed a Vampire.

Also, I'm pretty sure Vampires don't turn into squids. I'm also pretty sure running water in general is something they can deal with, so turning into a squid wouldn't make sense for them.

If it was a mistake, and you meant bat (which I'm assuming you did), how would you say you're forcing a Vampire to turn into a bat? Personally I don't think you as a level 1-3 PC are forcing a Vampire to do anything, let alone force it to turn into a creature within your reach that can be easily overpowered.

My personal recommendation for Ravenloft would have been a Devotion Paladin, but I didn't want to cramp your Vengeance style, and I also didn't want to accidentally drop any spoilers. I will continue to hold to the no-spoilers idea as well, and simply say any Paladin you play in Ravenloft will be great.

I would say a simple 14 Charisma will still be useful to your party and yourself. Getting 16 Con and 18 Strength will carry you as THE primary martial of the group, and really solidify your role as a damage-dealing-tank in the party. You'll still have decent saves if you go with my stat layout and progression (At PC level 6, +6 Str saves, +0 Dex saves, +4 Con saves, +2 Int saves, +5 Wis saves, and +7 Cha saves. At PC level 9, +6 Str saves, +0 Dex saves, +9 Con saves, +2 Int saves, +7 Wis saves, and +8 Cha saves.) If you go my route, at level 9 you'll always make your Concentration Save if the damage you take is 21 or less. I wouldn't be using spells that require DC's, as I'd be focused on spells like Bless, Cure Wounds, Protection from Good and Evil, Magic Weapon, and Divine Smite especially as a Vengeance Paladin.



I'm always a fan of Dexterity based Paladins, but 6 Strength is something I really only consider if I'm playing a cloth wearing caster. The reason I do that is even if my DM doesn't enforce it (and most of my DM's do, as well as I do when I DM), I play with encumbrance rules. Six Strength means you can carry 60 pounds at most, and 30 pounds if you're using encumbrance.

Studded Leather - 13 lbs
Shield - 6 lbs
Rapier - 2 lbs
Dagger - 1 lb
Longbow - 2lbs
20 Arrows - 1 lb
Quiver - 1 lb

With only the most basic of set-ups for the Dexterity Paladin, we're at 26 pounds carried. This means with the DM's I play with, we'd only have another 4 pounds of stuff we can lift up. Even if the DM didn't play with this and said one could carry the 60 pounds, that still isn't very much stuff on the PC in question. (read, no Vampire killing materials being able to really be carried on this PC)
Again, I'm a fan of Dexterity Paladins, but jamming a wooden stake into a Vampire's heart would probably require Strength. It's something you probably want to be able to do.

You're right, uneducated doesn't mean weak-willed. But it doesn't automatically mean often quite the opposite. Where are you drawing this information from?

I also agree that you can dump Int if you agree with a fellow player to follow them around like a lap dog. Personally, I don't like Paladins that dump Intelligence. I don't think of 6 Intelligence as simply uneducated (that's an 8 Intelligence), I think of them as being mentally slower then that. Sure, they can still function in society, but anything beyond a two-step plan is going to be beyond them. Killing Vampires requires critical thinking in my mind, with their being several things they need to be focused on at once, and isn't something this PC should consider as a viable dump stat.

We're starting at level 1, but you don't need to have fought a vampire before to hear rumors of how to deal with one. And the vampire-squid thing was just something I made up to share as a quick joke in the first session. She's a triton, so she's from an underwater kingdom, so I figure an underwater vampire would turn into a vampire squid, at least in their legends.

I figure that since 6 Intelligence gives -2, which balances out a tier one proficiency bonus, she's the opposite of proficient in things that require intelligence: knowledge skills and investigation, which when taking into account an above average Charisma and an average Wisdom, I figure a 6 int combined with being from a vastly different culture and environment would be fun to role-play as impatience and cultural misunderstandings (while being slow to pick up new ideas). I'm not just dumping int because I like initiative and Wisdom is a more common save, it's because I think it's the best stat to dump for this character role-play wise. If I had gone with the more patient aasimar devotion paladin concept I was also considering, I probably would have dumped dex given my options, and it would have suited that character to be more reluctant to fight. But enough about which stat is my dump-stat and how I'm going to role-play the character, which I already have decided.

I still might go with devotion, because then if she dies, that could perhaps be a hook for her squire to become a vengeance paladin and my new character. It depends on how she ends up I suppose. To me, she's pretty borderline between devotion and vengeance, and whichever oath would be more fitting for her to swear in-character at the moment we level up to third will likely be a big deciding factor. If I do go devotion, should it change how I prioritize Charisma and Concentration at all? I won't have hunter's mark to worry about, and if I don't have to worry about concentration, I can take one of the damage-focused fighting styles instead of defense, and take a feat I'm actually interested in instead of resilient (Con). [edit: I might just go 16 STR and 15 CON, put 11 in DEX, 12 in WIS, and that way I have the option between Athlete and DEX improvement and Resilient CON.]

As for dexterity, even if the DM doesn't have us keep track of it, I still like to make sure that what my character is carrying is legal by the default carrying capacity rules. And I'm not really seeing her as dex-based.