The Wall of Fear: A Complete Guide to the Oath of Conquest

[Sception]

Have we discussed optimal backgrounds for conqueror in this thread yet? If not, I propose Far Traveler, from, iirc, SCAG. It has the much desired perception proficiency, plus insight which is a useful skill, and thematically resonant for those who play up their conquest paladins as inquisitors or judges. It also grants proficiency in an instrument, which, as long as you pick a woodwind, allows you to use the pipes of haunting, one of the better uncommon magic items a conqueror might come across during their adventures.

EDIT: backgrounds did come up a bit around page 9, mostly in terms of using them to get perception proficiency, and Far Traveler was specifically mentioned there. The instrument proficiency didn't come up as relevant, though.

In terms of magic items, there are three main ones I know of that can inflict frighten: Pipes of Haunting, Mace of Terror, and Wand of Fear. Of those, the pipes are the more accessible (uncommon instead of rare), but requires proficiency in a woodwind instrument to use. All three are great grabs for a conqueror, albeit not as essential as a magic weapon (though mace of terror qualifies there, albeit without any bonus to hit or damage), nor as potentially impactful on your build as getting a pair of gauntlets of ogre strength or a belt of giant strength.

[Wildarm]

Not much to say on Backgrounds though Haunted One is interesting from a thematic point of view. Commoners can sense there is something odd about you and will do their best to help(obey) you.

What are folks thoughts on the new classes/spells/races from Wildemount?

Hollow One trait seems quite interesting for a Conquest Paladin. Forcing disadvantage before landing a Wrathful Smite or fear is a good way to instill fear in enemies with a high WIS save. 25% chance to come back a 1HP for each death save is also a strong feature for a frontline tank.

Echo Knight comes at a cost of 3 levels but you gain 2nd Fighting Style, 2nd Wind, Action Surge, a bonus action teleport, doubling your effective control area and some extra attacks a couple times a day.

Gift of Alacrity spell is generally good on anyone but a Conquest particularly likes gaining +1d8 to initiate for 8 hours.

Any other gems in the new book of interest to a Conquest Pally?

[Halvralf]

Hello and thank you for an outstanding guide to Oath of Conquest.

I am at the moment in need of some input and advice .

I play a Warforged Conquest Paladin with the following stats
lvl 5 (to be 6 )
Str 19
Dex 12
Con 16
Int 11
Wis 16
Cha 17
GWM Feat

In the Campaign I have been offered as a now or never opportunity to multiclas to hexblade (We did the Raven Queen a favor) and I can't decide if it's worth it as I have higher Str than Cha. I was planning to take ASI +1 Str and +1 Cha at lvl 8.

Thankful for advice

[Wildarm]

Hello and thank you for an outstanding guide to Oath of Conquest.

I am at the moment in need of some input and advice .

I play a Warforged Conquest Paladin with the following stats
lvl 5 (to be 6 )
Str 19
Dex 12
Con 16
Int 11
Wis 16
Cha 17
GWM Feat

In the Campaign I have been offered as a now or never opportunity to multiclas to hexblade (We did the Raven Queen a favor) and I can't decide if it's worth it as I have higher Str than Cha. I was planning to take ASI +1 Str and +1 Cha at lvl 8.

Thankful for advice

Skip it with those stats. You're good to go if you max your CHA with next two ASI. SADness is main reason to multi into hexblade and you don't need it.

[Halvralf]

So you don't think that Hexblade's Curse and Spells like Hex and Shield and 1 short rest spell slot is worth it? I forgot to mention that we have a Bard in the group that is also considering this option and he happens to have the Catnap spell learned at that would give us some more opportunities to use the short rest features.

[Wildarm]

So you don't think that Hexblade's Curse and Spells like Hex and Shield and 1 short rest spell slot is worth it? I forgot to mention that we have a Bard in the group that is also considering this option and he happens to have the Catnap spell learned at that would give us some more opportunities to use the short rest features.

A level further progress in Conquest is better than Hexblade if you can ignore SAD benefit. The other things are nice, but not as nice as getting Save boost, Conquest Aura , ASI , Fear Spell, Improved Divine Smite, etc one level earlier. Seriously, Conquest has very few "dead" levels. Stay true to terror and it will serve you.

[Halvralf]

A level further progress in Conquest is better than Hexblade if you can ignore SAD benefit. The other things are nice, but not as nice as getting Save boost, Conquest Aura , ASI , Fear Spell, Improved Divine Smite, etc one level earlier. Seriously, Conquest has very few "dead" levels. Stay true to terror and it will serve you.

Thanks alot for input. I'll stay true on my path to total domination then!!

[Alucard89]

I have love/hate relationship with Conquest Paladin.

The good:

1. The thematic and roleplaying value is huge. Imo best and most original 5e Oath for Paladin.
2. The Fear Aura effect is absolutely awesome idea and making a hard CC-character from Paladin is great alternative to typical "support + smite" style.
3. Sentinel + Fear Aura is great combo, as well as using Glaive/Halberd for reach attacks. I love when it all comes together.
4. Locking down a big bad guy with Wrathful Smite and poking him with Glaive whole fight is awesome feeling of a tank as he is one of few builds in game who can really "lock down" enemies on you and keep them away from your team.
5. The Fear spell + Aura synergy is just juicy.

The Bad:

1. Till level 9 (usually 10 if you want Hexblade dip) your only source of fear is your CD which is once/short rest and Wrathful Smite, which is single target. That is pretty much Tier 3 when you get Fear spell. So the whole great point about Conquest, the most juicy combo is only available after whole 9-10 levels of playing. And it's worth to mention that rarely any campaign goes to level 12+ so you spend more time waiting for that Fear spell than actually using it...
2. Sadly WoTC has obsession about making enemies of higher Tiers, mostly Tier 3+ but also quite a lot of Tier 2 (especially Undeads) immune to tons of conditions, like charm, frightended etc. Which of course pushes for "damage, damage, Force Wall, damage" in higher Tiers. Sadly Conquest Paladin really starts to fall short on Tier 3 and Tier 4 gameplay because almost every relevant enemy for Tier 3-4 party is immune to fear... Thanks, WoTC.
3. On Tier 3-4 you struggle harder and harder to find encounters where you can do your job. Conquests Paladins are awesome concept and idea, but sadly they are one-trick ponies. If your Fear Aura don't work often or often time is resisted - you are just Paladin without Oath feature pretty much.

To continue on that: Ancients Aura is relevant from level 7 to level 20 easy. Devotion Sacred Weapon + Anti-Charm Aura + Protection from Good and Evil stays relevant to level 20 easy (especially Charm immunity). Vengeance will continue to solo bosses on all levels since damage never gets old. Even Crown with Spirit Guardians + his reaction tanking stays relevant even it's least impressive Oath. Conquest has the hardest time in higher Tiers as almost every boss/high CR monster/fiend/undead/abberation etc. has immunity to fear.

I wish their level 15 Feature would be that they can ignore Fear Immunities of other creatures. That would be nice gateway to higher Tiers.

[Sception]

A level further progress in Conquest is better than Hexblade if you can ignore SAD benefit. The other things are nice, but not as nice as getting Save boost, Conquest Aura , ASI , Fear Spell, Improved Divine Smite, etc one level earlier. Seriously, Conquest has very few "dead" levels. Stay true to terror and it will serve you.

I've been a big proponent in this thread of the 'conquest has no dead levels' perspective, but even I kind of have to disagree with this. First level hexblade is *stacked*. It is in fact so very stacked that it's honestly kind of a problem, and is a big part of why hexblade complain threads have had a regular place on the first page of this forum pretty much since Xanathar's guide was released.

Hex warrior - fix your split attack scores, save 1 to 2 ASIs in your build, that's a big deal

Hexblade's Curse - significant short rest offensive boost that scales with character level and increases your chances of crit smites. This is a meaningful boost to your offensive ability, helps you a lot in situations where frightening enemies isn't a meaningful option, and gives you a solid short rest resource to help smooth out your ability to contribute over the course of a day, something that can be a problem for paladins with how much they rely on a half caster's limited supply of daily spell slots.

Booming Blade - great with war caster, and conquerors want to take a feat to shore up concentration saves anyway.

Eldritch Blast cantrip - even without the agonizing blast invocation, eldritch blast is still leagues better than your next best long ranged attack option. Conquest on its own is lacking in both range and mobility, having a decent ranged option matters.

Shield Spell - amazing in a pinch. Shouldn't be overused - you have the HP to take a couple hits, you don't want your DM to get discouraged and start having the enemies focus on your weaker allies, and you mostly want to use first level slots on wrathful smite and keep your reactions open to threaten opportunity attacks. However, this spell can often mean the difference between falling unconscious - losing your concentration spells and auras until an ally can heal you - and being fine, and being able to cast it in those situations is invaluable. You need war caster to use it with sword & board, but again a conqueror already wants a feat to shore up concentration saves.

Cause Fear Spell - not amazing, but the extra target for upcasting makes it arguably the best frightener for second level spell slots.

One first level slot per short rest. Again, paladin on its own is over-dependent on limited long rest resources. This short rest slot translates to 2 to 3 extra Wrathful Smites, Divine Smites, Blesses, or Shields per day, and that's a significant boost to a paladin's stamina.



That is A LOT of stuff for a single level investment. That is, in fact, so much stuff that I'd say a Conqueror X / Hexblade 1 is just out and out better than a Conqueror X+1 at most levels. Not at levels 5, 6, 7, 9, or 20. Maybe not at level 11, that's somewhat arguable. I wouldn't call pure conqueror bad at any level, mind, and the hex dip isn't dramatically better at any level since yeah, conquerors do keep getting good stuff at every level. But still, at every level other than the ones listed, I do think I think a build with the hexblade dip will be better overall. It's certainly more versatile, more able to deal with long adventuring days, and more comfortable confronting enemies that are immune or highly resistant to frighten effects.

Yeah, there's a big stretch of levels in the 5ish to 10ish range where single classed looks better, but you can always opt to delay the hex dip until after that, waiting to pick up the hexblade level until after you've raised your charisma some or even maxed it out, making hex warrior a bigger deal when you take it and not delaying the defining conquest features.

If on the other hand you're willing to take hexblade as early as level 2, that opens up more optimal racial options, since you don't need a racial bonus to strength or dexterity. Yuan-ti Pureblood, Scourge Aasimar, Verdan, Simic Hybrid, Warforged, and Changeling are compelling racial options for a conqueror, and while you can make a single classed conqueror out of any of these, they all work much better with the hex dip than without.


I do want to stress that I'm not saying a single classed Conqueror isn't great, they are. I don't think that's a 'wrong' or 'suboptimal' choice. But a 1 to 2 level hex dip (measuring invocations and a second spell slot against the paladin 19 ASI) offers enough that it is a serious alternative choice for what is otherwise a 'pure' conquest build - as opposed to builds that multiclass more heavily, particularly with sorcerer for heighten spell. Which is also a really valid and maybe even superior build option, but is different enough that it's harder to run a straight comparison on it.

[Sception]

I wish their level 15 Feature would be that they can ignore Fear Immunities of other creatures. That would be nice gateway to higher Tiers.

Yeah, level 15 helping you get past frighten resistance and immunity would have been great. As it is, though, even against immune enemies you've still got guided strike and spiritual weapon, plus the paladin's very nice parent class features. And bosses being immune to frighten aren't the end of the world, since fear and aura of conquest are really more about crowd control. WotC knows that failed wisdom saves tend to incapacitate targets entirely, so enemies intended to be solo/boss encounters tend to have sky high wisdom saves regardless. Honestly, it's common enemies with spell resistance that tend to bother me more. Fiends tend not to be immune to frighten, but that spell resistance means they'll pass their saves anyway.

This is a reason why, again, despite advocating for single class progressions earlier in the thread, I'm starting to lean more towards multiclass builds myself of late. Even a single level of hexblade does a lot to help your damage output against frighten immune bosses, and an extra first level spell slot per short rest for wrathful smite, divine smite, shield, or bless is going to be useful in every fight.

Jumping out of paladin and into sorcerer - long a multiclass combo of choice long before xanathar's guide was even a thing - also helps. Not only do you have more and higher level spell slots to smite with against frighten immune enemies, 3+ levels of sorcerer also gets you heighten spell, which can be used to cancel out advantage on a frighten save or impose disadvantage on a target that just has a good wisdom save. Either way, it does more to keep your frightening gimmick relevant into higher levels than more levels of conquest does. But even jumping in late and only picking up relatively low level spells known, a hexadorc can get a lot of utility out of stuff like misty step, and spirit guardians stays good and scales well enough to even be an impressive capstone ability, at least if you don't already have someone in the party casting it all the time.


Not that more levels of conquest are bad. Aura of Courage, Improved Divine Smite, Improved Find Steed, Cleansing Touch, ASIs (triple classing in particular can wreak havoc on your ASI progression if you're not careful), aura expansion, and the capstone are all amazing features.

[Alucard89]

Yeah, level 15 helping you get past frighten resistance and immunity would have been great. As it is, though, even against immune enemies you've still got guided strike and spiritual weapon, plus the paladin's very nice parent class features. And bosses being immune to frighten aren't the end of the world, since fear and aura of conquest are really more about crowd control. WotC knows that failed wisdom saves tend to incapacitate targets entirely, so enemies intended to be solo/boss encounters tend to have sky high wisdom saves regardless. Honestly, it's common enemies with spell resistance that tend to bother me more. Fiends tend not to be immune to frighten, but that spell resistance means they'll pass their saves anyway.

This is a reason why, again, despite advocating for single class progressions earlier in the thread, I'm starting to lean more towards multiclass builds myself of late. Even a single level of hexblade does a lot to help your damage output against frighten immune bosses, and an extra first level spell slot per short rest for wrathful smite, divine smite, shield, or bless is going to be useful in every fight.

Jumping out of paladin and into sorcerer - long a multiclass combo of choice long before xanathar's guide was even a thing - also helps. Not only do you have more and higher level spell slots to smite with against frighten immune enemies, 3+ levels of sorcerer also gets you heighten spell, which can be used to cancel out advantage on a frighten save or impose disadvantage on a target that just has a good wisdom save. Either way, it does more to keep your frightening gimmick relevant into higher levels than more levels of conquest does. But even jumping in late and only picking up relatively low level spells known, a hexadorc can get a lot of utility out of stuff like misty step, and spirit guardians stays good and scales well enough to even be an impressive capstone ability, at least if you don't already have someone in the party casting it all the time.


Not that more levels of conquest are bad. Aura of Courage, Improved Divine Smite, Improved Find Steed, Cleansing Touch, ASIs (triple classing in particular can wreak havoc on your ASI progression if you're not careful), aura expansion, and the capstone are all amazing features.

I always dip something for Paladin. Hexblade is just too good.


This is my Conquest Paladin that I played for a while:



Race: Fallen Aasmiar
Build: 1 Hexblade/12 Conquest Paladin
Stats: 16 STR, 15 CON, 17 CHA or 15 STR, 10 WIS/DEX, 15 CON, 17 CHA. Depends on weapon you want to use.
ASI: Level 5 +1 CON/CHA, Level 9- Sentinel, Level 13- +2 CHA/Warcaster

Weapons: Shield + Whip + Dueling Style. Plate Armor + Shield is 20 AC. Whip is 10 feet reach 2,5 damage + 2 from Dueling is 4.5 damage. To compare average damage of glaive is 5.5 but Defense style gives us +1 AC vs Shield +2 AC and if you can get magical shield it adds even more AC. If you use Whip, just stay with 15 STR and take 10 into DEX. If you prefer Glaive, go for 16 STR.

Features: SAD CHA for Whip attacks, Aura, additional warlock spells, Hex.

Dip bonus: Hexblade dip is great for Hex and Curse, Shield and Cause Fear spell.

1. Why Fallen Aaasimar?

Fallen Aasimar adds AOE Fear effect when you transform + increase your DPR for 1 minute. It's like 1/day Fear spell with additional damage boost that scales great 1-20 levels. Plus resistance to radiant and necrotic + darkvision is never bad. Necrotic Shroud also deals additional damage, which is great if you are low on slots for smites or just want additional boss staff. Also with Hex/Curse makes sure you are not "weak" when fighting enemies that resist Fear effects/spells.

Best thing about Necrotic Shroud is we not only increase our damage but potentiall also add fear which locks enemies down. All in 1 action.

2. Damage potential (no Smites)

So max DPR is Necrotic Shround + Hex, then Curse + 2 attacks, then Spiritual Weapon + 2 attacks + (if Fear worked) passive damage from Aura.

With Whip it's 54 DPR + 6 on 2nd turn and 71 DPR + 6 third turn. A very good DPR.

EDIT: Forgot to add Improved Divine Smite so extra 2d8 each turn. So 65 2nd turn and 80 third turn.

Even without full combo you can still do 2x Whip attack + Hex + Spiritual Weapon in "basic" encounters.

3. Additional Spells and Fears

Warlock dip also adds Shield Spell which is always great, 1/short rest slot (I used it for Hex in 99% times) and also adds Cause Fear, which is nice spell to have because it upscales by targeting additional creatures. And of course Hex spell, which is great DPR increase and work with Spiritual Weapon, same as Curse.

So before we get Fear spell on level 10 we have: Wraithful Smite (1 target), Cause Fear (1-3 targets), Channel Divinity (1/short rest AOE fear) and Necrotic Shroud AOE fear 1/day. It's enough to carry us to level 10 when we get our best spell.

This build can attack from 10 feet, lock down enemies with Aura or Sentinel, deal very good DPR vs bosses that are immune to fear effects and get additinal Aasimar bonuses.

Also all damage is calculated without Smites. You can definitely Nova hard in boss fight, since in most encounters your slot should only for for Hex and you should use Channel Divinity mostly and only use slots for W-Smite or Cause Fear when your CD is down or you really need to lock something down now.

[diplomancer]

I
1. Why Fallen Aaasimar?

Fallen Aasimar adds AOE Fear effect when you transform + increase your DPR for 1 minute. It's like 1/day Fear spell with additional damage boost that scales great 1-20 levels. Plus resistance to radiant and necrotic + darkvision is never bad. Necrotic Shroud also deals additional damage, which is great if you are low on slots for smites or just want additional boss staff. Also with Hex/Curse makes sure you are not "weak" when fighting enemies that resist Fear effects/spells.

Best thing about Necrotic Shroud is we not only increase our damage but potentiall also add fear which locks enemies down + damages them every turn in our Aura. All in 1 action.

The fear effect from the Fallen Aasimar racial lasts for only one round, though. Good, but not that good.

[Alucard89]

The fear effect from the Fallen Aasimar racial lasts for only one round, though. Good, but not that good.

True but again - it's just a cherry on top of Aasimar damage bonus + their other good stuff. Besides I went for more of a thematic-build here than full min-max, in which case I would just go Variant Human (again..) with Sentinel at start.

[Wildarm]

I've been a big proponent in this thread of the 'conquest has no dead levels' perspective, but even I kind of have to disagree with this. First level hexblade is *stacked*. It is in fact so very stacked that it's honestly kind of a problem, and is a big part of why hexblade complain threads have had a regular place on the first page of this forum pretty much since Xanathar's guide was released.

I definitely agree that on a standard array, hexblade dip is well worth it. My point was more that this level 5 character was already sitting at 19 Str, it's hard to justify a hexblade dip at level 5 for conquest pally who has higher STR than CHA. The other benefits are really useful but not worth delaying access to save bonuses, aura and fear spell. Taking it just before getting warcaster boosts the hexbalde utility a lot. Hexblade at Level 12 and Warcaster at Level 13 seems like a good option for this particular character.

[Alucard89]

I definitely agree that on a standard array, hexblade dip is well worth it. My point was more that this level 5 character was already sitting at 19 Str, it's hard to justify a hexblade dip at level 5 for conquest pally who has higher STR than . The other benefits are really useful but not worth delaying access to save bonuses, aura and fear spell. Taking it just before getting warcaster boosts the hexbalde utility a lot. Hexblade at Level 12 and Warcaster at Level 13 seems like a good option for this particular character.

I disagree. Even if you do not benefit from Hex Warrior you get: Shield spell, Cause Fear Spell, Hex + Curse which are great DPR tools for Conquest who doesn't have a good damage boosting source and this allows him to have very good DPR in fights when Fear Aura is not an option. Especially Curse is like Vow of Enmity for Conquest Paladin and it scales very good with your levels. 1 slot/short rest is also great and you get very good ranged Cantrip - Eldricht Blast because we all know that Paladins struggle against range/flying enemies and it gives you great option. Also if you have warcaster - booming blade is always great additional damage for free.

All of that for 1 level dip. It's a sin to not capitalize on that for any Paladin pretty much.

[Sception]

The fear effect from the Fallen Aasimar racial lasts for only one round, though. Good, but not that good.

It only lasts a round, BUT it leaves you with a significant damage boost AND it targets charisma - something no other frighten effect a conqueror can access does, at least not that I'm aware. A great many enemies have very tough wisdom save. Good charisma saves, on the other hand, are much rarer. Powering up while sticking even strong wisdom enemies in place for a round, leaving you to attack with increased damage or pull out an alternative frightener in the following round, is an incredibly good opener to be able to pull out of your pocket, even if it's restricted to once a day.

It really is quite good, and combined with everything else - the right stat mods, two damage resistances, an extra heal per day, and the light cantrip, fallen aasimar really makes a strong case for itself as the best race for conqueror. And while I do feel some races are on par - vuman for the bonus feat, half elf for the ott stat mods, triton in a maritime game, winter eladrin for dex builds, a few other options for hex dips - I don't think anything can claim to be better overall, certainly not for heavy armor builds.

[Sception]

I definitely agree that on a standard array, hexblade dip is well worth it. My point was more that this level 5 character was already sitting at 19 Str, it's hard to justify a hexblade dip at level 5 for conquest pally who has higher STR than CHA. The other benefits are really useful but not worth delaying access to save bonuses, aura and fear spell. Taking it just before getting warcaster boosts the hexbalde utility a lot. Hexblade at Level 12 and Warcaster at Level 13 seems like a good option for this particular character.

If you're already looking at 19 strength, then I wouldn't take hex dip before aura of conquest, certainly. Probably not before fear. I still think it's a very tempting option moving into the later levels of a progression.

[Halvralf]

If you're already looking at 19 strength, then I wouldn't take hex dip before aura of conquest, certainly. Probably not before fear. I still think it's a very tempting option moving into the later levels of a progression.

Well as I wrote in my post it's only a know or never situation before hitting lvl 6 and it will not be possible to go Hexblade at later levels. The Bard in the party went for it but I told the GM I'll stay Conquest (need the Aura) true.

[Alucard89]

Well as I wrote in my post it's only a know or never situation before hitting lvl 6 and it will not be possible to go Hexblade at later levels. The Bard in the party went for it but I told the GM I'll stay Conquest (need the Aura) true.

Hexblade dip is always worth it. It's free damage boost/defense boost for your Paladin, no matter of Oath. SAD CHA part is only a small part of Hexblade goods on level 1. You also get Cause Fear spell.

[diplomancer]

Hexblade dip is always worth it. It's free damage boost/defense boost for your Paladin, no matter of Oath. SAD CHA part is only a small part of Hexblade goods on level 1. You also get Cause Fear spell.

Cause fear is (in some very limited situations) better than wrathful smite, with a 2nd level slot (which eats your spiritual weapon uses). It's probably worse if your DM allows find steed shenanigans. I would almost say it's a trap option, but won't go that far.

As to the questioner's dilemma; what is your normal adventuring day? Lots of opportunities for short rest (at the very least 2, preferably 3 or more)? Then likely the curse, shield spell, and the short rest slot will be worth it. Otherwise getting higher level spells and class abilities is a higher priority.

Hexblade dip is not always worth it. It's always good, and with point-buy it's always worth it. But with higher strength than charisma (necessarily maxing both of them at the same time as just maxing cha, like the questioner's character), it's not that obvious. Other factors come into play.

[Halvralf]

Well our GM really likes to make it hard for us so getting short rests can sometimes be almost impossible. The question is anyways not an issue anymore since I decided to stay Paladin and the campaign has continued.

[Alucard89]

Well our GM really likes to make it hard for us so getting short rests can sometimes be almost impossible. The question is anyways not an issue anymore since I decided to stay Paladin and the campaign has continued.

In case of such GMs that don't respect short rest- there is no point playing short-rest classe so good decision. I would also stay Paladin.

[Zahoul]

First of all, love this character archetype. I've played one from levels 1-15 and we will most likely push to go to 20 and maybe even epic levels, if we can survive the DMs crazy sandbox world filled with insane boss fights (we've been fighting huge 500+ HP monsters regularly, but we've been able to handle it, in no small part to the Conquest Paladin )

I am however looking for advice on good ASI choices going forward. These are my current stats:

STR 25 (16) DEX 10 CON 16 INT 10 WIS 10 CHA 20
Feats: Shield Master, Menacing, Resilient CON
Items of note: Flame Tongue Longsword, Cloak of Protection, Belt of Fire Giant Strength (so damn OP), Adamantine Plate, Shield +2

While I'm pretty decked out with 24 AC and 143 HP, the big baddies of this world are equally threatening and I need make my choice very carefully.
Currently considering Alert, Lucky, Sentinel, Tough or a regular +2 CON for my next ASI. What would you guys pick in my shoes? Seems like they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

[Iron Frog]

First of all, love this character archetype. I've played one from levels 1-15 and we will most likely push to go to 20 and maybe even epic levels, if we can survive the DMs crazy sandbox world filled with insane boss fights (we've been fighting huge 500+ HP monsters regularly, but we've been able to handle it, in no small part to the Conquest Paladin )

I am however looking for advice on good ASI choices going forward. These are my current stats:

STR 25 (16) DEX 10 CON 16 INT 10 WIS 10 CHA 20
Feats: Shield Master, Menacing, Resilient CON
Items of note: Flame Tongue Longsword, Cloak of Protection, Belt of Fire Giant Strength (so damn OP), Adamantine Plate, Shield +2

While I'm pretty decked out with 24 AC and 143 HP, the big baddies of this world are equally threatening and I need make my choice very carefully.
Currently considering Alert, Lucky, Sentinel, Tough or a regular +2 CON for my next ASI. What would you guys pick in my shoes? Seems like they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

Sentinel is an awesome feat, it greatly increases you locking potential, but I honestly can't tell you how effective it is at such high tiers of gameplay (since I went only to level 11 or 12 with the last Conqueror I played.

[Wildarm]

First of all, love this character archetype. I've played one from levels 1-15 and we will most likely push to go to 20 and maybe even epic levels, if we can survive the DMs crazy sandbox world filled with insane boss fights (we've been fighting huge 500+ HP monsters regularly, but we've been able to handle it, in no small part to the Conquest Paladin )

I am however looking for advice on good ASI choices going forward. These are my current stats:

STR 25 (16) DEX 10 CON 16 INT 10 WIS 10 CHA 20
Feats: Shield Master, Menacing, Resilient CON
Items of note: Flame Tongue Longsword, Cloak of Protection, Belt of Fire Giant Strength (so damn OP), Adamantine Plate, Shield +2

While I'm pretty decked out with 24 AC and 143 HP, the big baddies of this world are equally threatening and I need make my choice very carefully.
Currently considering Alert, Lucky, Sentinel, Tough or a regular +2 CON for my next ASI. What would you guys pick in my shoes? Seems like they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

I’d say lucky for those rare moments you need a save or perhaps shield master. That is a big boost to Dex saves and possible evasion of nasty things like breath weapons catching only you.

[arnin77]

Love this guide!

The conquest paladin is right up my ally - playing a brooding dark knight hell bent on victory. Just got mine to level 5 and absolutely wrecked an encounter with Channel Divinity Fear, Spiritual Weapon and 2x Attacks. Just bought platemail and now my Ac is 22 with a shield, Defense and ring of pro (24 with shield of faith up). Very fun and thematic build! I am starting to quote Sauron and Darth Vader for my character.

Level 5 - VHuman (res con) Conquest Paladin

Str 19 (gauntlets of ogre power)
Dex 10
Con 14 (resilient)
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 18 (+2 @ L4)

If I get there:
Level 6- +4 to all saves (+9 con save for shield of faith, etc)
Level 7 - fear aura
Level 8 - +2 cha (spell/CD DC 16) (+5 to all saves)
Level 9 - fear spell, spirit guardians (Orzhov background), spell/CD DC 17

Not trying to think past that yet but there are a lot of options including multi class, feats like menacing, sentinal, tough, PAM or GWM

I’ve even used the +10 channel divinity when fear wasn’t an option and just got a guaranteed hit and maxed smite.

- wondering if there’s any ways to compliment the guided strike channel divinity, I’m guessing GWM and bless?

[Zahoul]

Sentinel is an awesome feat, it greatly increases you locking potential, but I honestly can't tell you how effective it is at such high tiers of gameplay (since I went only to level 11 or 12 with the last Conqueror I played.

Sentinel actually seems pretty insane for high tiers since the movement stopping part seem to have no limit on creature size. I'll ask my DM and see if he would nerf that bit or it would be an obvious choice. And I don't ever use my reaction for anything else so that would fit in nicely. The only problem is that I am currently the only real front liner, so I wouldn't get that many reaction attacks, but riding a steed into combat could provide that opportunity. Definitely tempting.

I’d say lucky for those rare moments you need a save or perhaps shield master. That is a big boost to Dex saves and possible evasion of nasty things like breath weapons catching only you.

Lucky for those failed campaign-defining rolls could be a great idea. I don't often fail saving throws to be honest, but having half a finger on that "nope" button in crucial combat or RP moments would be very reassuring. Shield Master I already have, and I'm using it nearly every turn to great effect with my high STR. Works wonders together with the Menacing feat as well. It's actually one of the most hilariously devastating combinations ever. You fear the enemy with the menace attack, shove them to the ground (which they then have disadvantage on), and proceed to strike them with advantage while leaving them unable to get up in your aura until the end of your next turn. It makes you feel like a complete bully

So yeah, seems like I'll go with Lucky and Sentinel. If my DM wants to nerf the latter, I'll probably end up with Tough. I have +14 to CON saves already and Alert wouldn't be that impactful as our party is pretty good at avoiding ambushes. Thanks guys.

[Sception]

Deciding on what could be the last level for my Hexadin in Descent to Avernus. Currently Changeling Conquest 9, Hexblade 3 (pact of the chain), cha 20 and warcaster, with one more level going into what will probably be last battle of the campaign, with about 50/50 odds of the game continuing forward after that.

Gear includes plate armor, +1 shield, +1 mace, and ring and cloak of protection, so my AC and saves are pretty great. I also picked up the services of a nightmare who the DM allows me to use as my found steed - shared spells & senses etc., though if it dies it's dead, and it can't access its ethereal stride ability while in Avernus. Someone else in the party ended up with Zariel's fancy sword. Obviously Id have liked to have a better weapon by this point, but I have enough that I really can't complain.

Main options I'm considering are:

1- warlock 4. This lets me go into the final battle with another feat. Maybe sentinel, maybe mounted combatant, maybe lucky, maybe alert. Any of those would be very helpful. If the game proceeds past level 13, then I could pick up warlock 5 for short rest Fear before finishing out with paladin or sorcerer.

2- Paladin 10. Not a huge level, but aura of courage is useful and gets me closer to improved divine smite, improved find steed (in case the nightmare dies), and so on. With three hexblade levels I won't be able to pick up expanded aura, but I could still get 5th level paladin spells.

3 - Divine Soul Sorcerer 1. Again doesn't do too much for me here and now, but if I don't take any more levels of warlock or paladin I could eventually get to 4th level sorcerer/cleric spells. Would help my daily slots a lot, would get to spirit guardians at level 17, which scales well enough to still be good even then and makes an excellent use of concentration in battles against fear-immune enemies. And pushing sorcerer for heightened spell would help keep fear relevant in the highest levels.


IMO all are viable options, Warlock 4 does the most for me right now, and that counts for a fair bit since right now might be all the game has left, but the other two potentially offer more if the game continues past the return from Avernus. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Corran]

IMO all are viable options, Warlock 4 does the most for me right now, and that counts for a fair bit since right now might be all the game has left, but the other two potentially offer more if the game continues past the return from Avernus. Any thoughts or suggestions?

50% chance of continuing to play the character would be more than enough for me to carry on with a progression that aims at better long-ish term results. But that's a lot more personal preference than anything else, so I am not sure how much this can help you making your decision. With the auras' increase out of the picture (and with find greater steed less appealing so long as your nightmare is around), I'd be tempted to invest in sorcerer levels more than anything else. It would take a while for this to pay off (since you already dipped into hexblade), but I'd eventually be glad to add spells like web, spirit guardians, counterspell and freedom of movement (misty step too, if you don't have it as a warlock spell for some reason; most likely death ward too, to increase the chances of the nightmare surviving) to my arsenal.

Do you have any idea about what enemy/enemies the final fight will feature? (might be best to use a spoiler if you do)
Cause that would help a lot evaluating the various boosts that each path gives you. For example, it could be a fight that calls for having a certain feat. Or a fight where it would be great to have that protection against fear on (and party friendly fear). Or you might really profit from having absorb elements from a sorcerer dip.

[Sception]

DtA can wrap up in a lot of ways, so I don't think it's too much of a spoiler, bit even so, it's looking like our game will end with:

Spoiler

Show

A time limited battle though an army of demons to reach Zariel, followed by either some diplomancer shenanigans to make friends with the final boss, leveraging her old sword and her pet psychic tandem war elephant to reach her. If that fails, a fight against Zariel herself supported by an army of devils.

Good point about endure elements, that might be boost enough to justify the first sorcerer level to myself.