D&D PALADIN RANKING (part 1)

We have an oath of vengeance paladin that took 2 barbarian levels...they're scary. lol

I hope you haven't given up doing these videos for the other D&D Classes. I think they're really good!!!

Also I wish you would redo the Barbarian class video because it is so hard to follow that I never go back to it

Counterintuitive and counterthematic, but relentless avenger is great for kiting (running away), especially with polearm. I'd give it D or even C. The spell list is S tier. Haste on a paladin is great, and you're pretty likely to maintain concentration without a need for a feat. Haste on a paladin who has advantage on all their attacks against a creature? It is difficult to overstate how effective that is. That's before we get to other rich spells. But I'd tend to agree the mechanical support for the theme tappers sharply as you progress. In the right campaign I think a lot if subclasses beat it. But Vengeance is solid no matter what kind of campaign it's in.

I would say Devotion and Vengeance are A-tier always, with vengeance beating Devotion for sacrificing some versatility to double down on something Paladins already excell at, burst damage. The other three I would say are B-tier subclasses that, depending on the campaign can jump straight to S-tier which kind of implies that they are more thematically deep in their mechanics which it seems you value very highly. Generally I do too... But I guess in this case there's almost something off-putting about the specificity of your top three. Though I'd agree Ancients offers the most freedom of rp and generally strong mechanics of those three. It's frankly really hard with Paladins because they're so good across the board. Well done. Lovely video.

You finally hit 100k Esper, congratulations.

So excited for paladins to be added to baldur's gate 3. I've watch this and part 2 probably 4-5 times over its early access so far as I randomly get hyped for the paladin again

Oath of Conquest. Raised by Hobgoblins to fight a continual border war against Orcs. I think OoC fits.

Hit Die (A)
Armor (S)
Weapon (S)

hehe ASS

Obi Wan Kenobi = Oath of the Redeemer.

Paladin is my favorite class, has been since 3rd edition. I've seen a ton of Vengeance paladins warlocks since 5th has come out I was worried it was gonna take first. Personally the most fun I've had was as an Ancients Paladin Barbarian and after seeing Ancients take first I wish I could subscribe twice.

I have a soft spot for paladins. My first ever character was one (Oath of Devotion) and I loved him to pieces, still do. I dabbled with a few other classes, but I went back to my roots recently. Newest character multiclassed into warlock too, he has a whole backstory with how he ended up here and everything and playing him hurts but I love it anyways (Oathbreaker 3/Great Old One 3)

Correction: All features are D-Tier, for DEUS VAULT

Oath of Vengeance is last because one feature is F-rated? It has one of the best spell lists, can get advantage on attacks against an enemy for 10 rounds(for a bonus action, can't be resisted or dispelled) and has by far the best mobility with 2 teleport spells, the ability to get movement on an opportunity attack and 60 flying movement speed for an hour(and a fear aura).

It can depend on the game you're in, if movement inside and outside of combat is not a concern, the DM likes to throw actual spell damage at you rather than control spells like polymorph or non-spell magical damage like fire breaths and you're in forests and feywild a lot, then an ancients paladin can be better than a vengeance paladin.

If you compare oath of ancients and oath of vengeance feature by feature, vengeance is better or equal at every stage except level 7. The spell list is strictly better unless you're in a forest. Channel divinity features are more reliable for vengeance, vow of enmity is uncounterable. Undying Sentinel is one free Death Ward(which you could simply cast) and aging immunity. Soul of Vengeance let's you attack your vow target most of the time. Elder Champion heals you for 90 and makes your spells castable as a bonus action and offensive spells harder to resist...for enemies in smiting distance. Your offensive spell list is also: Destructive Wave(max 2 time), Ice Storm or Banishment(max of 3, banishment also uses your concentration) and a bunch of on-melee-hit spells like ensnaring strike. Vengeance gets to fly for an entire hour and a fear aura on top, while you already use all your actions, bonus actions and reactions to attack, smite and teleport.

these are more like a deep dive than a ranking and I'm all for it

DEUS VULT DEUS VULT DEUS VULT DEUS VULT!

Bruh, Aura of Courage is a godsend against bosses with Frightful Presence.

Thanks.

In one of my longest and greatest campaigns, one of the key characters was a Paladin of the Mystic, goddess of Magic. She was a good deity, accepted all alignments but despised senseless cruelty. If you were a Paladin of hers, you could multi class warrior, mage and cleric with unlimited restrictions on those classes as if you were single classed but with the added XP of each. Costly but worth it.
This brings back memories. Paladins are highly underestimated and should have high standards to keep for being chosen spokesmen for a deity, answering to a high priest on occasion with many adventure hooks. Only chosen warriors, 5th level or higher, with the highest potential (stats) could ever become Paladins. Those that did not make the cut were clerics, Holy Warriors or Knights (fancy names but still clerics).

I honestly think that Oath of Vengeance, at least in my eyes, shines with its roleplay potential. Give them a backstory revolving around their own desire for revenge and give them a Guts from Berserk level of focused savagery and you have a fun character to play. I love roleplaying characters with a righteous fury because, quite simply, you don’t need to be a Barbarian to have an angry character. Vengeance really makes you feel like a magically powered medieval Punisher.

"intelligence is likely to be your Achilles heel. Mor-on...." Was that deliberate? 😂