Building a Triton Paladin

[Askedforit]

I am currently preparing for a campaign which will start at third level. My planned character will be a triton paladin who has taken the oath of vengeance. As I rolled her attribute spread, she is beginning with an 18, 15, 15, 15, 12, and 10, with three +1's to distribute among any three unique attributes. I placed these as 18 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 16 Constitution, 10 Intelligence, 16 Wisdom, and 16 Charisma, though I grappled between putting the last 16 in Wisdom or Dexterity.

I plan on taking Polearm Master next level and wielding a spear and shield, the spear flavored as a harpoon. Though reach is enticing, I do not believe that the additional damage of the two-handed polearms is more important than the additional tank afforded by a shield. I also figure that Polearm Master will synergize well with Relentless Avenger once I reach 7th level.

At this point, apart from a few potential tweaks, the main choice I have remaining is the magical item I will start with; I can choose any one common or uncommon item, though I am inclined to choose an uncommon item. I narrowed my choices down to a few options, though I am open to alternative suggestions. Among the list is;

Mind Carapace Chain Mail: Though it capitalizes an attunement slot, it grants advantage on all mental saving throws and immunity to the frightened condition. Paladins get nearly unmatched saving throws once they acquire their Aura of Protection, and the later Aura of Courage eliminates the need for defense against fright. However, I am uncertain as to the projected length of this campaign, which may mean that we will never reach 10th level.

Mithril Chain Mail: The negation of the strength requirement is not particularly useful, but the removal of the stealth penalty could be quite a useful investment, especially with my otherwise subpar Dexterity and lack of Dexterity (Stealth) proficiency.

Sentinel Shield: Advantage on initiative and Wisdom (Perception) checks is quite useful, especially to supplement my lower dexterity modifier. This would also put my passive perception at 20, which is a tasty perk and thematic for a paladin.

Cloak of Protection: Universally useful, I would prioritize this over +1 armor, as I hope to transition to plate armor later, and the Cloak of Protection also benefits saving throws. I would only ever leave this item were I to find three attunement items of greater power, and I doubt I would encounter such a situation without hoarding everything the party comes to own. For this reason, I see the Cloak of Protection being a more permanent investment than the others, which all assume that I will never find a better shield or better armor.

Eyes of the Eagle: Though the Sentinel Shield grants the same benefit on top of advantage on initiative, the Eyes of the Eagle would be another comparable long-term investment, as they would not take up a hand. The long-range sight has niche functionality but could be applicable in some cases, as the campaign will be taking place on the high seas, and they could be used to count the ranks of or interpret the flag of an approaching ship.

Shatterspike Spear: A +1 weapon that grants critical hits against objects and can deal bludgeoning or piercing damage. It could be potentially useful for breaking or sabotaging a boarded ship, as well as breaking skulls with its +1.

Thank you for reading; if you have any suggestions or alternative options in mind, please let me know! I have a week to refine this character and make her precisely as I want within the parameters presented.

And no, I am not taking a Trident of Fish Command.

[Corran]

I plan on taking Polearm Master next level and wielding a spear and shield, the spear flavored as a harpoon. Though reach is enticing, I do not believe that the additional damage of the two-handed polearms is more important than the additional tank afforded by a shield. I also figure that Polearm Master will synergize well with Relentless Avenger once I reach 7th level.
Generally I agree with that (and dueling, which is a great fighting style, plays into my general preference for spear over a heavy polearm). But it always helps looking at this while having your whole group in mind. If for example you play with in a group that has lots of melee characters (with low AC), this give points to the option that does more damage. While if you are the one doing most of the tanking, then the defensive option becomes even better.

Reach (10') is not easy to make good use of. Generally you are looking for fighting in very narrow places (eg 5' wide corridors), or for using it in conjunction with effects that inflict the frightened condition (eg wrathful smite, cause fear, etc). Or with sentinel (for potentially stopping an enemy on its tracks before they manage to get a hit on you), though if you've got sentinel and at least another melee ally, it might be even more worth it if you stay close to profit from the 3rd clause of sentinel (which requires of you to be within 5' of the enemy), so that you get more consistent use of your reaction attack (which will eventually benefit from IDS too). That said, the heavy polearm has two main advantages:

1) It allows you to pick up GWM (which plays really nice with whatever gives you advantage; eg vow of enmity, but more than that, ,it plays nicely with the whole approach that a vengeance paladin favors, which is to go for a quick kill).

2) It allows changing to a ranged weapon faster, while if holding a shield you need to spend one whole action to unequip it (I hate this rule). That is not a problem for anyone multiclassing or picking magic initiate for a ranged cantrip, which generally tends to be preferable than having to rely on a poor dex score for ranged attacks. But I am thinking, that since you are going vengeance paladin anyway, and since you could have a good dex score (assuming you swap your wisdom and dexterity scores), it might be worth going for the heavy polearm anyway (leaving GWM to be picked at a later point).



I am currently preparing for a campaign which will start at third level. My planned character will be a triton paladin who has taken the oath of vengeance. As I rolled her attribute spread, she is beginning with an 18, 15, 15, 15, 12, and 10, with three +1's to distribute among any three unique attributes. I placed these as 18 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 16 Constitution, 10 Intelligence, 16 Wisdom, and 16 Charisma, though I grappled between putting the last 16 in Wisdom or Dexterity.
I prefer dex just a tiny bit more. WIS saves tend to be more important, but since you are already proficient in them, I think your dex saves can benefit a little more by those 2 extra points. Then it's initiative, which is important for paladins, who generally want to close in fast and do their (big, when smiting) damage. And of course, if you end up going with a two handed weapon (or if your DM rules that dropping the shield does not cost you your action), instead of going for a cantrip (via mc or feat), dex will boost your ranged attacks too (greater range than javelins, and a bow can work with extra attack while thrown weapons might not, due to being limited to one object interaction per round).


I'll edit later for giving an opinion on the magic items (wanted to check rules for objects).
Edit: I have a silly idea that prevents me from looking at the equipment objectively. I'd go with the shatterspike weapon, but mainly for its ability to crit against objects. My sworn enemy? Masts! Unfortunately divine smite does not work against objects. And none of the smite spells does, apart from one. Thunderous smite (wrathful smite technically works too, but psychic damage does nothing against objects). Check with your dm first though, cause the idea that thunder damage can affect objects might not sit well with everyone (I'd allow it, cause I'd attribute the damage to the ostic wave of the blast; mentioning the shatter spell might help your case). So yeah, use thunderous smite and attack the mast of an enemy ship (presumably, AC 15, and most likely around 27 hp to mess with its intergrity enough), which on a hit, you'll crit (before extra attack you'll need about a round to bring it down half of the time, after extra attack most of the time you'll bring it down in one turn, otherwise almost surely during your second). I'd probably go for an axe (though there is no real need to do so) just for the visual. Or with a dagger, for the extra hillarity. Probably downgrading to breastplate for better stealth checks too, so that with stealth, a good swimming speed (later on with a sea appropriate mount; haste for extra speed, so that no ship is fast enough to escape the impending doom) and the ability to breathe underwater, I would be able to pull this stunt more easily (everything is easier against unsuspecting foes; remember, it's possible enough to take you two turns to destroy the mast, so having a surprise round can prove important). And after crippling the enemy ship, I'd dive back into the sea. Now all that's left is for the artificer to invent/create a canon with good enough range (crippled ships dont do well against canon fire)! And years later, your character's children's children will show this weapon (yes, I'd definitely make it a dagger) to their children, and say ''... and that's how [enter character's name] conquered the seas...''. It's definitely a little silly, but just in case it's the right amount of silly for your campaign.

[Askedforit]

But it always helps looking at this while having your whole group in mind. If for example you play with in a group that has lots of melee characters (with low AC), this give points to the option that does more damage. While if you are the one doing most of the tanking, then the defensive option becomes even better.

My group currently consists of a Hexblade warlock, Battlesmith artificer, Thief rogue, Totem Warrior barbarian, and a fighter of an undetermined subclass. Though the artificer will be primarily using ranged weapons with Repeating Shot, I believe both the warlock and barbarian will reliably be in melee combat; this is also quite useful, as our Dungeon Master is employing the flanking rule, though your ally must be on the opposite side of the target to gain advantage, rather than simply being adjacent. As for their armor class, I cannot say quite yet, but I predict our barbarian will take on the Totem of the Bear and would therefore draw in quite a bit of tanking.


Reach (10') is not easy to make good use of. Generally you are looking for fighting in very narrow places (eg 5' wide corridors), or for using it in conjunction with effects that inflict the frightened condition (eg wrathful smite, cause fear, etc). Or with sentinel (for potentially stopping an enemy on its tracks before they manage to get a hit on you), though if you've got sentinel and at least another melee ally, it might be even more worth it if you stay close to profit from the 3rd clause of sentinel (which requires of you to be within 5' of the enemy), so that you get more consistent use of your reaction attack (which will eventually benefit from IDS too).

I would agree. Especially with a higher armor class, it is less important to avoid being within range of your enemies. I can imagine that quite a bit of combat will take place atop the decks of ships, though that will hardly be the only battlefield setting.


1) It allows you to pick up GWM (which plays really nice with whatever gives you advantage; eg vow of enmity, but more than that, ,it plays nicely with the whole approach that a vengeance paladin favors, which is to go for a quick kill).

Between Polearm Master and Sentinel, it may take quite some time to get Great Weapon Master as a third feat, unless you would advise I take it earlier. Flanking and Vow of Enmity will afford me quite a bit of advantage, and the large damage of the critical smite will most likely shine through independent of the weapon delivering the strike.


2) It allows changing to a ranged weapon faster, while if holding a shield you need to spend one whole action to unequip it (I hate this rule). That is not a problem for anyone multiclassing or picking magic initiate for a ranged cantrip, which generally tends to be preferable than having to rely on a poor dex score for ranged attacks. But I am thinking, that since you are going vengeance paladin anyway, and since you could have a good dex score (assuming you swap your wisdom and dexterity scores), it might be worth going for the heavy polearm anyway (leaving GWM to be picked at a later point).

This is something to consider; however, as the spear does have the thrown property, this could be less relevant unless the target were in a position such that I would be unable to retrieve my thrown weapon.


I prefer dex just a tiny bit more. WIS saves tend to be more important, but since you are already proficient in them, I think your dex saves can benefit a little more by those 2 extra points. Then it's initiative, which is important for paladins, who generally want to close in fast and do their (big, when smiting) damage. And of course, if you end up going with a two handed weapon (or if your DM rules that dropping the shield does not cost you your action), instead of going for a cantrip (via mc or feat), dex will boost your ranged attacks too (greater range than javelins, and a bow can work with extra attack while thrown weapons might not, due to being limited to one object interaction per round).

Dexterity is quite useful, and the only benefit from a higher wisdom would be a few of its skills and a higher saving throw modifier, which will already be less important with my proficiency and once I get my Aura of Protection.



I'll edit later for giving an opinion on the magic items.

Thank you for your response! I do appreciate it. There is much to consider here and your input is invaluable.