Conquest Paladin Build Guide – Terrifyingly Powerful – 2024 Update
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Article Disclaimers
For all D&D guides on Nat1gaming, they only use the main sourcebooks (Player’s Handbook, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) as well as Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (mostly for Silvery Barbs) as those tend to be the most commonly used books at tables. Always be sure that if you’re following a guide that you’re adhering to your tables rules about what sourcebooks you are allowed to follow.
Any spell, class, feature, or other game item that is linkable on this website is covered by the 5th edition Open Games License and will be in the Player’s Handbook, but not everything in the Player’s Handbook will be linked to. All other materials that aren’t linked to are from other sourcebooks or aren’t allowed to be linked to per the 5th Edition Open Games License, so please refer to the appropriate sourcebooks for that information.
For the purposes of this guide, it will be assumed that you would not be multiclassing. While multiclassing can be excellent for many of these, this is for those who want to play the build all the way through in the same class. Guides that use multiclassing will be separate from these.
For spellcasters, you may notice substantial overlap between the spell lists of builds with the same base class. This is due to each guide utilizing a generically good spell list and not considering extenuating factors that will influence how you particularly sculpt your spell list. When creating your own spell list, you should take into account the campaign setting, what spells any other party members are capable of casting, potential overlap (ritual spells tend to overlap so it’s rare you need multiple people capable of casting them), or potential shortcomings in the parties total spell list. While this guide can definitely help point you in the right direction for crafting a spell list, you should use your judgement and preferences to figure out what spells make the most sense for your character.
To that end, please refer to the Spell List and Spell Tier list for any substitutions you’d want to make to the build.
Paladin Spell List and Spell Tier List
Why Oath of Conquest Paladin?
Oath of Conquest Paladin has three distinct advantages over other builds.
The first one is from a roleplaying perspective you get to play an edgy paladin! Who doesn’t love edgy paladins?
The second one is that, simply, this is one of the strongest subclasses for Paladin as the abilities and spell list are both quite good (the abilities are better than the spell list, but that’s perfectly fine).
Finally, the abilities lend itself to having a more unique play style compared to other Paladins where you have substantially more CC options available without having to sacrifice any damage or tanking capabilities to make them viable.
Overall, this is a unique, powerful, and fun subclass that will work excellently in functionally any campaign. That said, considering this build is focusing on fear and knocking enemies prone, this build will excel in parties that have multiple front line melee characters that can capitalize on these conditions.
Conquest Paladin Abilities Ranked
Channel Divinity (Level 3) – B+ Tier – A mass fear effect or an attack roll boost is definitely solid. I mention in the guide that if you want to follow the new Paladin guideline more, I would just go for the mass feat effect for your Channel Divinity option, but even still, I would give this a B+.
1st Level Spells (Level 3) – B- Tier – Two solid spells, it’s just a shame that Armor of Agathys received a nerf making it way less appealing for front line characters.
2nd Level Spells (Level 5) – C+ Tier – Hold Person is only going to be helpful in specific situations, but Spiritual Weapon is an alright option, even if you get it two levels later than Clerics.
Aura of Conquest (Level 7) – A Tier – This combines deliciously with your Channel Divinity to lock enemies in place. If you knock them prone, they are stuck there as well which is a really brutal interaction this subclass loves taking advantage of!
3rd Level Spells (Level 9) – B+ Tier – Bestow Curse isn’t the best, but Fear is an excellent option with your Aura.
4th Level Spells (Level 13) – D+ Tier – Dominate Beast is really bad, but Stoneskin isn’t too bad. It’s not something I would be excited about, but reasonable if you are the lone front line, you’re low on health, or you’re in a tough encounter.
Scornful Rebuke (Level 15) – C Tier – This damage won’t be much, but this is literally free damage so it’s not a bad feature.
5th Level Spells (Level 17) – D+ Tier – Two pretty niche, but not terrible options.
Invincible Conqueror (Level 20) – A Tier – While taking an Action sucks (you could homebrew it to bonus action if you’re following how the updated Paladins work), having resistance to all damage, getting an extra attack, and doubling your critical hit range is really strong.
Quick Level Up Guide
| Level | Class Features/Feat | Notes |
| 1 | Lay on Hands, Spellcasting, Weapon Mastery | + Bless + Thunderous Smite |
| 2 | Fighting Style (Protection), Paladin’s Smite | Protection Fighting Style + Divine Smite + Wrathful Smite |
| 3 | Oath of Conquest, Divine Health, Channel Divinity | + Armor of Agathys (Conquest) + Command (Conquest) + Shield of Faith |
| 4 | Feat: Shield Master (Strength) | + Compelled Duel |
| 5 | Extra Attack, Faithful Steed | + Aid + Find Steed + Hold Person (Conquest) + Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 6 | Aura of Protection | None |
| 7 | Aura of Conquest | + Lesser Restoration |
| 8 | Feat: War Caster (CHA) | None |
| 9 | Abjure Foes | + Bestow Curse (Conquest) + Dispel Magic + Fear (Conquest) + Revivify |
| 10 | Aura of Courage | None |
| 11 | Radiant Strikes | + Aura of Vitality |
| 12 | Feat: Charisma to 18 | None |
| 13 | None | + Banishment + Dominate Beast (Conquest) + Stoneskin (Conquest) |
| 14 | Restoring Touch | None |
| 15 | Scornful Rebuke | + Death Ward |
| 16 | Feat: Charisma to 20 | None |
| 17 | None | + Cloudkill (Conquest) + Dominate Person (Conquest) + Holy Weapon |
| 18 | Aura Expansion | None |
| 19 | Epic Boon: Boon of Combat Prowess | + Circle of Power |
| 20 | Invincible Conqueror | None |
The Ultimate One D&D Paladin Guide
Not seeing the build you would want from this guide? This article can help!
Level One Build
Species: Goliath (Hill Giant)
Attributes:
| POINT BUY | |
| STRENGTH | 15 (+2 background) = 17 |
| DEXTERITY | 8 |
| CONSTITUTION | 15 (+1 background) = 16 |
| INTELLIGENCE | 8 |
| WISDOM | 8 |
| CHARISMA | 15 |
Class: Paladin
Class Features: Lay on Hands, Spellcasting, Weapon Mastery
Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation and Persuasion
Background: Farmer (Tough)
Starting Equipment: Trident, Shield, 10 Javelins, Explorer’s Pack, Chain Mail, Holy Symbol, and 40 gold + 50 gp from background
Starting Spells:
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
Species: Goliath (Hill Giant)
For any martial character, it’s hard to justify not going for Goliath as the Hill Giant topple is so incredibly good to get advantage on attacks. There are other solid options for species as well like Human for an additional origin feat or Aasimar as they are just generally strong, but Goliath is generally going to be my choice.
Attributes
| POINT BUY | |
| STRENGTH | 15 (+2 background) = 17 |
| DEXTERITY | 8 |
| CONSTITUTION | 15 (+1 background) = 16 |
| INTELLIGENCE | 8 |
| WISDOM | 8 |
| CHARISMA | 15 |
Paladins are MAD classes so it can be a bit difficult to properly balance the attributes, but you want to prioritize Strength, Constitution, and Charisma for all Paladins.
Proficiencies: Intimidation and Persuasion
Pretty standard skill proficiencies for Paladins. Nothing novel here.
Background: Farmer (Tough)
The best background for Paladins as it gives Strength and Constituion on top of the best Origin feat that you can get with this attribute split.
Starting Equipment – Trident, Shield, 10 Javelins, Explorer’s Pack, Chain Mail, Holy Symbol, and 40 gold + 50 gp from background
The standard equipment if you use the starting gold rather than what the book gives you.
Class – Paladin
Your starting class is Paladin and you get two abilities to start off with – Lay on Hands, Spellcasting, and Weapon Mastery.
Your first ability is Lay on Hands. You get a pool of health equal to 5 times your paladin level, and as an action, you can heal someone as much as you’d like using that pool. This is a solid ability and will always provide a decent amount of healing whether you need to bring an ally up, top an ally off, or even spend 5 points to cure a disease or neutralize a poison. A solid ability all around.
Your second ability is Spellcasting which will be expanded upon later, but Paladins are your typical half-caster.
Finally, you get Weapon Mastery for two weapons, and you should choose whatever weapons you have currently have. Which, in this case, will be the Trident and Javelins.
Starting Spells
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
You can only prepare two spells to start with, and I will always recommend starting with the best two – Bless and Thunderous Smite.
Bless is an excellent buff that gives you and a few homies a little buff to attack rolls and saving throws.
Thunderous Smite is a derivative of Divine Smite which gives up a smidge of damage for the chance to push an enemy back and knock them prone. We love knocking enemies prone already, so having another shot at it is always nice.
The Build Level 2 Onward
Level 2-5
Level 2
Class Features: Fighting Style (Protection), Paladin’s Smite
Spell Change Log: + Divine Smite (Paladin’s Smite) + Wrathful Smite
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
Level 2 brings more spells, your Fighting Style, and Paladin’s Smite!
While there are a few fighting styles that are super reasonable for Paladins, for this build, I like grabbing Protection. Giving attacks against an ally disadvantage is super nice if you have an ally that’s palling around in the front lines. That said, if it’s only one other melee ally in your group, you may want to opt for Defense instead as you may not get enough mileage out of Protection to make it worth it.
As the Paladin’s most famous feature, you get Divine Smite! Divine Smite lets you convert spell slots into damage with the base being 2d8 radiant which is quite strong. What makes Divine Smite so potent is that you can tack it on after you know whether you hit or not so you can never accidentally waste them, and better yet, you can throw them into a critical hit to get double the damage! As a general note, a lot of Paladins tend to use all their spell slots on just simply Divine Smiting, and while you absolutely can do that and have good results, I think it’s generally better to save Smites in an attempt to finish a problematic enemy off or when you get a critical hit rather than just doing it with every hit. Even as a half-caster, your spells are potent so don’t forget about them!
Finally, you get your spell choice this level with Wrathful Smite. Unfortunately, this spell did get nerfed from the previous version, but giving up damage to potentially frighten the enemy is a pretty good deal.
Level 3
Class: Oath of Conquest
Class Features: Channel Divinity
Spell Change Log: + Armor of Agathys (Conquest) + Command (Conquest) + Shield of Faith
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
Level 3 brings your subclass, and of course, you’re picking Oath of Conquest!
With the older Paladin subclasses, Conquest comes with two Channel Divinity options to work with, and in this case, they are both quite strong with Conquering Presence and Guided Strike.
Conquering Presence is going to be your main Fear enabler as you can make multiple creatures frightened of you with a single action which is extremely potent.
Guided Strike, on the other hand, gives you a massive boost to one attack roll after you see the result. While these effects tend not to be that good, with Divine Smite and all your alternate Smites, your hits can be extremely impactful so this can convert a miss on a nearly downed enemy into a finishing blow.
As a quick aside, as the updated Paladin subclasses only have one Channel Divinity option, your DM may want to follow that for all Paladin subclasses, and if they do, keep Conquering Presence and ditch Guided Strike.
Furthermore, like other Paladin subclasses, you get Oath spells that are always prepared for you!
The first one you get for this level is the absolutely excellent Armor of Agathys. Getting temporary health and punishing any enemy that attacks you is very strong, and this upcasts reasonably well too making it a good option early and late!
The second one you get for this level is Command, and while it’s not too great at level one as you’re trading a spell slot and an action for the chance to deprive someone of one action, but in an emergency, sometimes that’s all you need! That said, at higher levels, getting the chance to rid an action from multiple enemies can be very strong.
For your spell choice this level, you can pick up Shield of Faith. Getting +2 AC when your AC is high makes it that much harder to hit you, which is especially good with the Protection fighting style.
Level 4
Feat: Shield Master (Strength)
Class Features: None
Spell Change Log: + Compelled Duel
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
Level 4 brings your first feat, and while raising your Charisma is tempting, I would opt for more Strength. To that end, I really like picking up Shield Master first. This feat is phenomenal as you can potentially knock an enemy down with your attack which is great, especially the more martial allies you have. This whole build loves knocking enemies down as, if you can restrain them with your Channel Divinity before hand, they won’t be able to get up!
For your spell choice, you can pick up Compelled Duel! If you need to get an enemy off of an ally or want to ensure they only have eyes for you, Compelled Duel is the way to do it.
Level 5
Class Features: Extra Attack, Faithful Steed
Spell Change Log: + Aid + Find Steed + Hold Person (Conquest) + Spiritual Weapon (Conquest)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
Level 5 brings what all martial characters have been waiting for – the Extra Attack. Double the damage potential is obviously insane!
This level brings a new feature for Paladin as well in Faithful Steed. This gives you Find Steed for free, and while this may tempt you to fight on horseback, you absolutely don’t need to and having a free horse is more helpful than many may anticipate.
Furthermore, you get more Oath spells to work with in Hold Person and Spiritual Weapon.
Hold Person can be pretty niche as most human NPCs are going to be either village fodder or legendary heroes making this tough to use, but if you find suitable human opponents, this “save or suck” option can be devastating as you can end a combat quickly if this works.
Your second Oath spell is the Cleric staple – Spiritual Weapon. While this is excellent spell for Clerics, it definitely isn’t as exciting for Paladins. Your bonus action is taken up way more often than it would be for a Cleric (all your Smite spells are Bonus Action casts) and this isn’t great against enemies that are spread out as the weapon has low movement, but if you can get a few enemies together, this can still be a potent option for combat
For your actual spell choice, you get to pick up one of (if not the best) second level spells with Aid! 15 temporary hit points spread throughout your team is pretty strong, and getting 15 more to work with for each upcast makes this good in earlier and later levels!
Level 6-10
Level 6
Class Features: Aura of Protection
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
Level 6 brings what is the most important ability a Paladin can get – Aura of Protection.
Giving your allies a flat bonus to saving throws is extremely powerful, especially if you have a team that tends to group up. Aura of Protection is the reason that an optimized party will always have a Paladin where every other class is more or less replaceable.
Level 7
Class Features: Aura of Conquest
Spell Change Log: + Lesser Restoration
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
Level 7 brings a new Aura to work with and what this guide is more or less built around – Aura of Conquest.
In short, any creature that is within 10 feet of you and frightened of you have no movement speed. Why is that so good? Two reasons – enemies won’t be able to escape you and with how prone works.
The first is the obvious interaction – enemies are afraid of you, they can’t get you out of their line of sight, they have disadvantage on attacks which is obviously great. The second interaction is the one we’re truly after and that is the prone condition. Being prone means that all martial attacks against that individual will be at advantage (ranged attacks get disadvantage, but still). To get out of prone, it costs half of your movement speed to stand up. So what happens if they have no movement speed? They can’t stand up! If you can knock an enemy over while they are frightened of you (with Topple, Shield Master, or your Goliath ability), they will be stuck in prone and you’ll be able to just whack them while they’re stuck on the ground.
For your spell choice, you can pick up Lesser Restoration. While you won’t use this often, being able to heal a few status conditions can be really helpful.
Level 8
Feat: War Caster (CHA)
Class Features: None
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
For your second feat, you absolutely have to pick up War Caster. Buffing your Charisma to 18, getting advantage on concentration checks, and being able to spellcast when you don’t have two free hands is excellent.
Level 9
Class Features: Abjure Foes
Spell Change Log: + Bestow Curse (Conquest) + Dispel Magic + Fear (Conquest) + Revivify
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
Level 9 brings access to level 3 spells and your next base class feature, Abjure Foes.
Abjure Foes lets you trade in a Channel Divinity for a mass fear that also limits the amount of things an enemy can do in a turn. This is very strong and helps if you don’t have a particularly good Channel Divinity option otherwise (which is not an issue for this build in particular of course).
You get more Oath spells to work with in Bestow Curse and Fear.
Bestow Curse is an interesting spell that can act as CC, but has four effects to choose from depending on what you need. While the ability check nerf and damage buff are likely not going to be used often, but giving them disadvantage on attack rolls against you or multiple chances for them to lose their turn can be pretty good. I’m personally not the biggest fan of this spell, but against a tough boss, this can be really debilitating.
Fear, on the other hand, is an extremely powerful and crippling CC spell that forces the targets to drop what they’re holding and use their action to run away as fast as they can until they’re far enough to make the saving throw again. Crucially, this is yet another fear enabler to make this build really shine.
For your chosen spells, you can pick up Dispel Magic and Revivify.
While it’s not Counterspell, you get to pick up Dispel Magic at this level! Being able to stop an ongoing magical effect is really powerful and there will be plenty of spells that Counterspell won’t be able to stop (it was already happening, you’re out of range, you failed the Charisma check) that Dispel Magic could potentially clear!
Revivify is just a staple spell that anyone who can take likely should. You never know who might kick the bucket, so having a way to bring them right back up and without penalty.
Level 10
Class Features: Aura of Courage
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
Level 10 brings a new Paladin ability with Aura of Courage. Now allies within 10 feet of you can’t get frightened anymore which can be extremely relevant, especially since there are a lot of fearsome foes that will use fear against use (like the titular Dragons with their Frightful Presence!)
Level 11-15
Level 11
Class Features: Radiant Strikes
Spell Change Log: + Aura of Vitality
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
Level 11 brings the strong ability of Radiant Strikes. This makes it so that all your melee attacks deal an additional 1d8 radiant damage. Simple, yet great ability.
For your spell choice, you can pick up Aura of Vitality. Aura of Vitality is a weird healing spell that lasts for a minute and you can dole out 2d6 healing per bonus action which isn’t ideal in combat, but can be an excellent healing option outside of combat offering a staggering average of 70 health split however you want. You likely don’t want to use this often over Lay on Hands or short resting, but it’s there for you if you need it.
Level 12
Feat: Charisma to 18
Class Feature: None
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
Level 12 brings your next feat, and you should be pumping Charisma to make your spells and your Aura of Protection as strong as possible.
Level 13
Class Features: None
Spell Change Log: + Banishment + Dominate Beast (Conquest) + Stoneskin (Conquest)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
Level 13 means access to fourth level spells!
You get two more Oath spells to work with in Dominate Beast and Stoneskin.
Dominate Beast, realistically, is not a particularly good spell. Beast enemies should not be an issue for you at level 13 and a Beast likely can’t do anything more for you than a steed from Find Steed could. I’d be surprised if you ever cast this, but if you find the opportunity, go nuts.
Stoneskin is a strong defensive buff that does have an annoying 100gp spell component that’s consumed, but getting resistance to all non-magical damage is really strong, especially since many enemies are likely to be targeting you. It could be hard to find a good opportunity to cast this, but with an hour long duration, you may be able to get through multiple fights with this still active!
For your spell choice, you get to pick up Banishment! Banishment is an extremely strong CC spell that has the ability to take an enemy out of the fight for a full minute, but if they’re an extraplanar enemy, the combat just ends if they fail the saving throw and you can concentrate for a minute. They are just simply sent back to their home plane with very little recourse to come back (unless they specifically have Plane Shift or some strange ability).
Level 14
Class Features: Restoring Touch
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
Level 14 brings your final non-subclass Paladin ability with Cleansing Touch. When you spend 5 points on your Lay on Hands, you functionally get a better Lesser Restoration. Solid ability, this just feels a bit late to get!
Level 15
Class Features: Scornful Rebuke
Spell Change Log: + Death Ward
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
You get your penultimate subclass ability at level 15 with Scornful Rebuke. Whenever an enemy connects with an attack, they get a little bit hurt. For a level 15 ability, this is unfortunately pretty bad and will rarely be relevant.
Death Ward is a bit niche, but it is nice insurance against you or an ally going down in combat, or better yet, stopping instant death effects.
Level 16-20
Level 16
Feat: Charisma to 20
Class Feature: None
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
For your final feat, you should definitely be maxing out your Charisma for the best spells and the most potent Aura of Protection possible.
Level 17
Class Features: None
Spell Change Log: + Cloudkill (Conquest) + Dominate Person (Conquest) + Holy Weapon
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Dominate Person (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
This level brings fifth level spells and your final Oath spells with Cloudkill and Dominate Person.
Cloudkill is an alright AOE damage spell that doesn’t synergize the best on a martial character, but can be good if you have allies to keep them in the spell area via grappling or difficult terrain.
Dominate Person, similar to Dominate Beast, is not very exciting. While this may seem like a combat spell, you have a much better chance using this out of combat to get an NPC to do what you want. Not too exciting for your final oath spell, but it is at least thematic.
For your chosen spell, you get to pick up the very powerful Holy Weapon. Simply having a damage buff that deals a lot of damage is nice for longer fights, even at this level of play. Then when you want to stop concentrating on it, you can make your weapon explode for additional damage rather than letting it peter out.
Level 18
Class Features: Aura Expansion
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Dominate Person (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
Level 18 is when all your auras extend from 10 feet to 30 feet, so this is a pretty nice upgrade to have.
Level 19
Epic Boon: Boon of Combat Prowess (STR)
Class Features: None
Spell Change Log: + Circle of Power
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Circle of Power |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Dominate Person (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
You get another spell this level so you can pick up the second best fifth level option – Circle of Power. Alongside your Aura of Protection, your allies will have a really hard time failing any saving throws which can be extremely important in some encounters. If you’re lucky, you’ll know to set this up before hand to not lose your action.
Level 20
Class Feature: Invincible Conqueror
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Armor of Agathys (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Command (Conquest) |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Hold Person (Conquest) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Spiritual Weapon (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Bestow Curse (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Fear (Conquest) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Dominate Beast (Conquest) |
| 4th Level Spell | Stoneskin (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Circle of Power |
| 5th Level Spell | Cloudkill (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Dominate Person (Conquest) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
Level 20 brings your capstone ability for your subclass!
Your capstone is Invincible Conqueror which, as an action, you can be resistant to all damage, get an extra attack, and have double the critical hit range for one minute. While consuming an action isn’t great, this is still a pretty powerful capstone ability that you want to activate in a tough fight. As a final note, if you/your DM is looking to have this subclass fall in line with the updated ones, you should be able to reactivate this ability with a fifth level spell slot. If not, then no big deal at all.
