Subclass help

[ChaosStar]

Alright, so the next character I'm making is a Sorcadin. Dhampir lineage from the soon to be released Ravenloft book. Background is Knight. Backstory is that her mother, a Samurai from Kara-Tur, was charmed by a Vampire she was sent to kill, and her husband saved her by killing the Vampire. Later it was revealed that she was pregnant and Sarphi was born. She has struggled her entire life with her thirst for Blood, even joining a Temple in order to control it. The Temple eventually sent her to Faerun to fight against evil.

I'm just not sure which Paladin Subclass works best with this backstory. Going with a 12/8 split with this and the Sorcerer side is Divine Soul. For progression, probably going Paladin 6/Sorcerer 8/Paladin +6. I know this isn't the optimal 14/6, but I want Divine Smite and I like having max ASIs.

[Composer99]

Conquest or Vengeance seem like the most thematic picks to me?

[ChaosStar]

Conquest or Vengeance seem like the most thematic picks to me?

Could you explain why, as I just don't see it. I did have ideas regarding which Oaths fit, but wanted to see what other people thought first.

[sayaijin]

Could you explain why, as I just don't see it. I did have ideas regarding which Oaths fit, but wanted to see what other people thought first.

So vengeance is one of the strongest subclasses. For flavor, I would say maybe this character resents their lineage, and they want vengeance on the bloodline they came from.

An argument can also be made for redemption. Kinda just depends on how the character feels about their origin, and their motivation for fighting evil.

[Ertwin]

Yeah, I'd second Oath of Redemption. It would thematically fit especially if your soradin has succumbed to their blood lust in the past.

Another option could be Oath of Glory, if they feel like they have to always be perfect, and show the world they aren't just vampire spawn

[ChaosStar]

Redemption and Glory were two of the ones I was thinking of. The other two being Crown and Devotion. Crown due to her Family, Devotion due to the Temple, Glory due to her Mission, and Redemption due to her Thirst.

[thoroughlyS]

For more context: You mention that your character joined a temple in hopes of finding control. You also mention wanting the Knight background. I get that your character was born to a samurai, but how old were they when they joined this temple? And is this temple a monastery or is it a knightly order?

[ChaosStar]

For more context: You mention that your character joined a temple in hopes of finding control. You also mention wanting the Knight background. I get that your character was born to a samurai, but how old were they when they joined this temple? And is this temple a monastery or is it a knightly order?

Joined at 16, currently 19. She's the youngest among her siblings, her Brother (25) is the scion of the family and a Samurai while her Sister (22) is a Bardlock. Also it's a monastery, though she joined more as a bodyguard who gets to seek enlightenment. The original plan was for her to be a Monkadin, but she didn't get good enough stats. She'd just barely qualify. She did have some accidents where she fed on maybe a retainer or two, but her family swept that under the rug. Still kind of debating between the 'I have an insatiable desire for Carnal Pleasure' and the 'I have a secret that would ruin my family if it got out' flaws, but mostly leaning toward the former.

[thoroughlyS]

Ok, I would suggest going with redemption paladin. If your table uses the Forgotten realms deities, then I think Lathander is a good fit for the patron deity of the temple.

[ChaosStar]

Ok, I would suggest going with redemption paladin. If your table uses the Forgotten realms deities, then I think Lathander is a good fit for the patron deity of the temple.

Samurai families are the equivalent of Knight families for Kara-Tur, due to Kara-Tur being the equivalent of Medieval China/Feudal Japan to Faerun's Medieval Europe. Also Kara-Tur does not follow the Faerunian gods. It follows the Celestial Bureaucracy.

[thoroughlyS]

Sorry, your backstory said your mother was from Kara-Tur, so I assumed she wasn't there any more.

[kazaryu]

Alright, so the next character I'm making is a Sorcadin. Dhampir lineage from the soon to be released Ravenloft book. Background is Knight. Backstory is that her mother, a Samurai from Kara-Tur, was charmed by a Vampire she was sent to kill, and her husband saved her by killing the Vampire. Later it was revealed that she was pregnant and Sarphi was born. She has struggled her entire life with her thirst for Blood, even joining a Temple in order to control it. The Temple eventually sent her to Faerun to fight against evil.

I'm just not sure which Paladin Subclass works best with this backstory. Going with a 12/8 split with this and the Sorcerer side is Divine Soul. For progression, probably going Paladin 6/Sorcerer 8/Paladin +6. I know this isn't the optimal 14/6, but I want Divine Smite and I like having max ASIs.

So, i think devotion is the obvious one here. The tenets of duty and honor particularly are well suited for a person that has an 'evil' nature trying to do good.

Redemption and ancients are(imo) the only other reasonable option. They didnt join the church to fight evil, so vengeance makes no sense. And they seemingly have no interest in power, so conquest is equally nonsensical.

Redemption would be something more like 'even with my nature, i still choose to do good, so can you'. But imo itd be harder to square with your backstory. Since youre being sent to fight evil, and 'fighting' is meant to be a last resort for a redeemer. Im not saying it cant work, but itd be harder.

Ancients are all about preserving life and beauty. The tenet of 'preserve your own light' fits really well with the theme of not wanting to give in to your darker urges.

Ultimately the choice comes down to character motivation. Paladins are devotees of ideals more than churches or gods. So its a question of the characters ideals. What ideals do they focus on when their hunger is at its worst?

[Ertwin]

Sorry, your backstory said your mother was from Kara-Tur, so I assumed she wasn't there any more.

I mean even if you move to another country, you're still culturally where you're from, not the new country. Most people don't change religion when moving to a different country either. I mean A family of Orthodox Russians moving to Australia are still going to be a family of Orthodox Russians.

[kazaryu]

I mean even if you move to another country, you're still culturally where you're from, not the new country. Most people don't change religion when moving to a different country either. I mean A family of Orthodox Russians moving to Australia are still going to be a family of Orthodox Russians.
No, but the daughter, born in australia, might not have an orthodox temple to server at. And so would have to choose a different one. If they felt they needed a church to jeep their nature at bay

[Composer99]

Could you explain why, as I just don't see it. I did have ideas regarding which Oaths fit, but wanted to see what other people thought first.

So, based on your original post...


Alright, so the next character I'm making is a Sorcadin. Dhampir lineage from the soon to be released Ravenloft book. Background is Knight. Backstory is that her mother, a Samurai from Kara-Tur, was charmed by a Vampire she was sent to kill, and her husband saved her by killing the Vampire. Later it was revealed that she was pregnant and Sarphi was born. She has struggled her entire life with her thirst for Blood, even joining a Temple in order to control it. The Temple eventually sent her to Faerun to fight against evil.

I'm just not sure which Paladin Subclass works best with this backstory. Going with a 12/8 split with this and the Sorcerer side is Divine Soul. For progression, probably going Paladin 6/Sorcerer 8/Paladin +6. I know this isn't the optimal 14/6, but I want Divine Smite and I like having max ASIs.

... what I was thinking is that based on your remark that the temple has sent the dhampir to Faerûn to fight evil, a more aggressively-minded oath would fit.

Vengeance would be a probable default IMO, with Conquest and its fearsomeness as a suitable alternative for a dhampir struggling with their vampiric nature and its innate fearsomeness.

[Sigreid]

I could see Ancients. All about seeking and protecting love, life and happiness.

[kazaryu]

... what I was thinking is that based on your remark that the temple has sent the dhampir to Faerûn to fight evil, a more aggressively-minded oath would fit.

Vengeance would be a probable default IMO, with Conquest and its fearsomeness as a suitable alternative for a dhampir struggling with their vampiric nature and its innate fearsomeness.

Paladins subclasses are based on motivation, not activity. With the exeption of redemption, theyre all meant to be frontline fighters (in lore i mean, not just mechanically). Theyre meant to be the type that 'goes out and fights'. What matters is *why* they fight and *who* they fight.

Vengeance makes no sense as a servant of a church, much less a character that joined said church 'to help control their urges'.

Conquest paladins at least make some sense as members of a church. Particularly a church that is domineering. But the character motivation makes no sense, and it takes a bit of a stretch for a church to send someone out for the express purpose of 'fighting evil'. It feels less personal. Obviously almost any action can be justified under the guise of 'wanting to gain favor, and by extension power' but thats such a generic motivation it feels wrong.

Either way neither conquest nor vengeance fit the expressed character motivations.

[sayaijin]

"She has struggled her entire life with her thirst for Blood, even joining a Temple in order to control it. The Temple eventually sent her to Faerun to fight against evil."

I guess some answers to some questions night help here:

We know that this character "struggled" with a curse that they are not responsible for.
Are they still struggling?
Did the temple help them learn to deal with it, and now they proudly sent her out as a representative?
Were they unable to help? Did they send her out in hopes that she will find the help she needs in her service?
Did something happen to make them send her out?

How does she view vampires?
Does she empathize with them, or does she resent them for what happened to her?
Does she want to fight evil because the temple told her to, or because she wants to?
Does she struggle to travel with humans because they worsen her thirst, or do they remind her of what she hopes to become?
Does she taste the blood of evil doers that she slays as a way to feed her thirst without harming innocents, or does she refrain for fear of their blood corrupting her more?

I earlier recommended Vengeance or Redemption because I could easily see her going either way. Maybe she hates who she is and the evil that formed her, so she wishes to rid the world of all vampires.
Or maybe she has enough control of herself now that it's not about eliminating evil out of anger... maybe she wants to prove that she's better than them. Maybe she gives them a chance to change too? Maybe she wants to believe that they're all capable of better because she is.

Anyways, your subclass won't dictate how you roleplay all these things, but thematically I think several Oaths make sense...just depends how you want to play her.

[Nidgit]

Devotion, Redemption, and Ancients all seem to fit quite well. Devotion would seem to lean on using faith to keep her thirst for blood at bay, while Redemption would probably carry a certain amount of guilt- "if one as cursed as I am can find the light, anyone can." If you're thinking about it being a monastery, though, Ancients seems to fit quite well. You can focus on finding inner peace and spreading it to others. It's probably got the least angst involved and could mesh pretty easily with the carnal pleasures flaw.

Oath of the Watchers is feasible too, but I don't care for it since the Tenets are pretty generic.