Which oaths are viable for my character RP-wise/party-wise?

[Vexen92]

Hi all,

I have recently joined the realm of DnD with some IRL friends and it got me hooked immediately. My lvl 2 Mountain Dwarf Paladin, Thulmyr Hraustligr, is close to level 3 so I am currently researching all the possible Oaths. RP-wise I have lost my parents at young age and was raised by the master blacksmith of a clan. When he passed away I wasn't appointed as his runner-up, but instead I had received his diary with mysterious writings that he intended me to research. "It would give me greater wisdom than staying here". I left my hometown and crossed paths with two elves (1 wildshape druid who is most of the time a bear taking a lot of dmg to the face in stupid situations, 1 elf wizard standing a far and 1 halfling cleric pulling off flashy light cantrips more than dealing damage) whilst doing research on the diary. The way I RP Thulmyr is heavily influenced by his love for blacksmithing and even though he can become quite annoyed by bad craftsmanship he still has a good heart.

My character has been the tank of the party so-far, having Defense (+1AC) and carrying a mace and shield. My decisionmaking so far has been to try and intimidate the enemies into trying not to fight (high CHA and CON). When they caressly engaged in combat I wouldn't mind swinging my hammer anyhow.. My heart belongs to the forge and I also grew closer to my party, even though I haven't made friends since my 'master' passed away. This is kind of why I'm struggling in my choice between oaths because every oath can be connected RP-wise but it doesn't mean its a good benefit to the party as a tank. Therefore I would like to ask you all what would be best oath to take, considering my character's storyline and role in the party. I love sticking to my RP, but having played a 1-shot session with a lvl 15 character made me realise it is also important to have a benefit to a party. What would be an in-betweener? Home-brew an Oath of the Forge has come to mind, but having the auras from conquest or the defense from ancients seem strong too.

My DM adviced me to think about whether I want full RP (craftsman heavy playing) or combat-related gameplay (other oaths). As I believe my character is ever-developing I can't really answer this question but wanted to share this nonetheless.

Thanks in advance!

[Unoriginal]

You could go for Oath of Redemption or Oath of the Ancient.

[Dungeon-noob]

The Oaths are fairly permissive nowadays, so so long as you don't take any of the evilly edgy ones you should be fine. Devotion, Anchients, Crown and others all sound okay. It sounds like your paladin doesn't have any leaning towards any of them already, so you're fairly free to pick.

[Unoriginal]

The Oaths are fairly permissive nowadays, so so long as you don't take any of the evilly edgy ones you should be fine. Devotion, Anchients, Crown and others all sound okay. It sounds like your paladin doesn't have any leaning towards any of them already, so you're fairly free to pick.

"Try to convince the enemies to not fight" sounds like Redemption to me.

[Vexen92]

"Try to convince the enemies to not fight" sounds like Redemption to me.

Thanks for all the replies so far! I must say that this conviction is not born from a feeling for justice, but merely for a 'I'd rather keep everyone safe from harm than fight'-perspective. I don't feel like Thulmyr is a paladin that has his heart at righteousness but purely at having a safe environment. I'm not a redeemer RP-wise.
Also, Redemption does feel quite lacking in combat. Anyone disagrees? :)

[Unoriginal]

Then go for Oath of the Ancients.

[Corran]

If you want to keep everyone safe in combat, crown would be a good choice of oath. Crown gives you a channel divinity that help you keep enemies close to you and away from your backrow allies (provided they keep some distance). It also gives you spells like warding bond and later spirit guardians. The first one is good when you want to protect an ally that is under fire, the second usually ends up drawing the attention of the enemies and also adds a small speed debuff. Now, that said, I don't really see how crown's tenets would fit with what you have there, but you can always keep the abilities and completely reflavor the tenets of the oath.

That said, and since you said you feel redemption is not a good fit, I see your character more like a devotion paladin. A decent fellow, who wants to protect his friends and do some good. Seeing violence as the last resort meshes well with a devotion's paladin attitude as well. Personally I would go with devotion. It might not have the crowd control some of the crown's features offer you, but it has more than enough good features to compensate for it. For example, aura of devotion (at level 7) is better than most people give it credit for.

Just go with the oath that feels home. Whatever your choice is, you will have enough customization left to do (through feats and spells) to tailor your character build mechanically this way or the other.

[strangebloke]

So there's two main approaches:

Roleplaying Considerations
Your character comes across as being withdrawn, steady, and reasonable, more concerned with private interests than with the larger scene. So really most of the 'good' alignments fit. I'd have a tough time seeing him as a conquest or vengeance paladin, but ancients, devotion, and crown are all decent fits.

Crown simply requires you to adopt a pretty lawful, by-the-books roleplay attitude, which seems in character.

Ancients fits from the perspective that he's withdrawn. Ancients paladins always struck me as a little mystical, and I can easily see a dwarf traveling with a druid to develop such attitudes.

Devotion is simple: He wants to be a good dude.

Redemption is fine too, but honestly I don't really care for that class.

Gamist Considerations
As a 'tank' I would generally suggest that you max CHA before STR. Higher strength doesn't make you tougher, but higher CHA makes everyone tougher, and makes you better at controlling the battlefield(so that your enemies get hit less). Consider the feats Inspiring Leader and Sentinel.

Crown: This Oath is the best 'tank' in the sense of being able to direct enemies to attack him. Compelled duel is classic aggro management, and the channel divinities, while situational, can be handy for shutting down kiting strategies or getting the party back on their feet. The level seven aura bonus is a straight tanking ability. Pick up spirit guardians when you can, and cast it on yourself and on your mount. Sanctuary is a great protective spell as well if you've got a more support-oriented player.

Devotion: This is always a strong pick, but it isn't particularly suited to your playstyle. The standout ability here is the CHA to attack rolls, but that's kind of meh for you since you don't have GWM.

Ancients: Always solid, and has great control options. This subclass is most famous for the aura ability, but their spell list holds some interesting potential as well. Plant Growth, Ensaring Strike, and Nature's Wrath are all solid control abilities.

[Corran]

@strangeblock: AFB, but pretty sure that sanctuary is on devotion's bonus spells, and not crown's.

[strangebloke]

@strangeblock: AFB, but pretty sure that sanctuary is on devotion's bonus spells, and not crown's.

Derp, you're right.

[Vexen92]

So there's two main approaches:

Roleplaying Considerations
Your character comes across as being withdrawn, steady, and reasonable, more concerned with private interests than with the larger scene. So really most of the 'good' alignments fit. I'd have a tough time seeing him as a conquest or vengeance paladin, but ancients, devotion, and crown are all decent fits.

Crown simply requires you to adopt a pretty lawful, by-the-books roleplay attitude, which seems in character.

Ancients fits from the perspective that he's withdrawn. Ancients paladins always struck me as a little mystical, and I can easily see a dwarf traveling with a druid to develop such attitudes.

Devotion is simple: He wants to be a good dude.

Redemption is fine too, but honestly I don't really care for that class.

Gamist Considerations
As a 'tank' I would generally suggest that you max CHA before STR. Higher strength doesn't make you tougher, but higher CHA makes everyone tougher, and makes you better at controlling the battlefield(so that your enemies get hit less). Consider the feats Inspiring Leader and Sentinel.

Crown: This Oath is the best 'tank' in the sense of being able to direct enemies to attack him. Compelled duel is classic aggro management, and the channel divinities, while situational, can be handy for shutting down kiting strategies or getting the party back on their feet. The level seven aura bonus is a straight tanking ability. Pick up spirit guardians when you can, and cast it on yourself and on your mount. Sanctuary is a great protective spell as well if you've got a more support-oriented player.

Devotion: This is always a strong pick, but it isn't particularly suited to your playstyle. The standout ability here is the CHA to attack rolls, but that's kind of meh for you since you don't have GWM.

Ancients: Always solid, and has great control options. This subclass is most famous for the aura ability, but their spell list holds some interesting potential as well. Plant Growth, Ensaring Strike, and Nature's Wrath are all solid control abilities.

Wow, this is a great read! I love how you actually pin-pointed Thulmyr's character in just my single post. I'm actually pretty withdrawn to the druid in my party since he's quite the ego and seems to get in trouble a lot (being captured twice already in town by the local guards). I will definitely think about this. Thanks!