Advice for paladin oath? Support paladin.

[Rfkannen]

I have been thinking about playing a character based off of Sancho from Man of la Mancha, a support based paladin who acts as squire to another member of the party. The only problem is I am not sure what oath would fit.

Oath of devotion fits thematically, but seems sort of.... off mechanically? It doesn't really have that many cool features. Also it looks fairly offensive instead of supportive? I have trouble picturing how this would play.

Oath of ancients seems perfect mechanically but is weird thematically. (though maybe with the knight errant thing????)

Crown would be cool mechanically maybe? Not sure on this one.

and those seem all that fit for a squire.

Any tips on which subclasses might work/ what subclasses are good? Devotion seems kinda weird, id be especially curious on that one. Any other tips for making a support paladin?

[Frogreaver]

I have been thinking about playing a character based off of Sancho from Man of la Mancha, a support based paladin who acts as squire to another member of the party. The only problem is I am not sure what oath would fit.

Oath of devotion fits thematically, but seems like of.... off mechanically? It doesn't really have that many cool features. Also it looks fairly offensive instead of supportive? I have trouble picturing how this would play.

Oath of ancients seems perfect mechanically but is weird thematically. (though maybe with the knight errant thing????)

Crown would be cool mechanically maybe? Not sure on this one.

and those seem all that fit for a squire.

Any tips on which subclasses might work/ what subclasses are good? Devotion seems kinda weird, id be especially curius on that one. Any other tips for making a support paladin?

It would be cool to play a fallen Paladin that's seeking to restore his oath. He's a squire of another until he can prove himself worthy of the devotion oath. Roleplay up the Paladin that keeps falling despite his best efforts.

[Satori01]

Oath of Glory could be a good fit.
Between the Heroism spell and the Channel Divinity power many a Temp HP will be given.

[OldTrees1]

Oath of Ancients is made for this. Even thematically it fits, but let me explain.

Oath of Ancients is about seeing this little candle of light inside everyone. You want to support those tiny lights and let them grow into bright beacons. Turn our world into a heavenly utopia by proactively growing that light.

Sancho was the squire of Don Quixote. Don Quixote was the man that dared dream the impossible dream. Sancho was the squire that supported this light inside Don Quixote. To kindle and protect Don Quixote's hope and will to continue to pursue that impossible task.

Paladin of Ancients: Celebrate and grow the good in the world. Take another step towards a future full of hope, laughter, and love.

"This little light of yours, I'm gonna help it shine. This little light of yours, you're gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine."

Oh, and mechanically you will fall in love with that 7th level Aura.

[Xihirli]

Sancho was the squire of Don Quixote. Don Quixote was the man that dared dream the impossible dream. Sancho was the squire that supported this light inside Don Quixote. To kindle and protect Don Quixote's hope and will to continue to pursue that impossible task.

Yeah, no. Don Quixote was a deluded, dangerous, violent man who attempted to impose his impossible dream onto people around him with force. He worsened the lives of nearly everyone he came across, and Sancho Panza was his beleaguered enabler who did not share Don Quixote's ideals but was dumb enough to be fooled by the "knight" most of the time. This is the explicit, intentional characterization done by Cervantes.

[OldTrees1]

Yeah, no. Don Quixote was a deluded, dangerous, violent man who attempted to impose his impossible dream onto people around him with force. He worsened the lives of nearly everyone he came across, and Sancho Panza was his beleaguered enabler who did not share Don Quixote's ideals but was dumb enough to be fooled by the "knight" most of the time. This is the explicit, intentional characterization done by Cervantes.

Sounds like you are talking about a different Don Quixote. The man of la manche made several unfaithful departures from the original work. And the song "the impossible dream" in that movie made a departure from the movie itself. I was talking about the latter, not about Cervantes's original characterization.

Given the OP is referencing Sancho from the movie rather than from Cervantes's novel, you can see how your comment can be seen as a tangent.

[Rfkannen]

Yeah, no. Don Quixote was a deluded, dangerous, violent man who attempted to impose his impossible dream onto people around him with force. He worsened the lives of nearly everyone he came across, and Sancho Panza was his beleaguered enabler who did not share Don Quixote's ideals but was dumb enough to be fooled by the "knight" most of the time. This is the explicit, intentional characterization done by Cervantes.


I love the book Don Quixote, but this character would be based off the musical Man of la Mancha, which has very different characterization (and theme and everything else)

[HappyDaze]

I love the book Don Quixote, but this character would be based off the musical Man of la Mancha, which has very different characterization (and theme and everything else)

Almost any support paladin idea I have falls short compared to a support cleric, but I'm heavily biased towards full casters.

[Rfkannen]

Almost any support paladin idea I have falls short compared to a support cleric, but I'm heavily biased towards full casters.

I got the idea from a podcast that answered a question i posted on reddit. https://www.potomacrpg.com/s1/20 My question starts at the 40 minute mark, they actually give a really interesting answer, I recommend checking this podcast out!

[micahaphone]

Both Crown and Redemption pally have a way to take a blow for an ally at level 7 (crown has 5 ft range, redemption 10 ft). Crown has warding bond but Redemption has counterspell. Crown has a situational bonus action heal as a CD, but imo paladins already have plenty of healing power through Lay on Hands. I'd lean towards Redemption being the better support pally, but if you like the warding bond and spirit guardians, I wouldn't blame you for going Crown either.

[cutlery]

I think it would be hard to top the ancients spell resist aura.

[Man_Over_Game]

Depends on your goals and party.


Redemption is an obvious socialite, good with absorbing damage on behalf of squishies near the front lines.
Crown is a tank that supports other tanks. Great in a melee-heavy team, awkward otherwise. You basically want to treat this as a Wolf Totem Barbarian with emphasis on support over damage.
Ancients is a controller and a tank, not much team support outside of manipulating the battlefield.
Devotion is a weird mixture of damage-dealer and aura generator. I'd actually recommend this as a ranged Dexterity Paladin build, as the Concentration spells you get out of it are top-notch and your Charisma weapon buff isn't melee-specific.

[KorvinStarmast]

Advice for paladin oath? Support paladin.
1. Ancients Paladin
2. Redemption Paladin.

[ProsecutorGodot]

I would recommend Redemption Paladin. I wrote a slightly out of date guide (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?583098-Violence-as-a-Last-Resort-A-Guide-to-the-Oath-of-Redemption-Paladin) on it. Planning on updating it once that new player option book comes out.