Devotion Paladin Build Guide – The Warrior of Light – 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 Devotion Paladin?
While freshly updated for the 2024 handbook and being the iconic Paladin, Devotion still is lacking a bit in terms of power as both the spell list and abilities leave a good amount to be desired (especially in later levels). That said, the Channel Divinity is reasonably strong, so if you are playing a campaign that’s going to end in lower levels or you really like the flavor of this Paladin subclass, it can be a solid choice!
Devotion Paladin Abilities Ranked
Sacred Weapon (Level 3) – C+ Tier – This is a solid attack roll boost to your weapon and it can even deal Radiant damage if you’re facing any susceptible undead.
1st Level Spells (Level 3) – C- Tier – Two niche defense spells, neither great, but you’ll probably get some value out of both.
2nd Level Spells (Level 5) – C- Tier – Aid is solid, Zone of Truth is terrible.
Aura of Warding (Level 7) – D Tier – This Aura is way too specific. This effect tends to come with Frightened immunity too, but base class Paladin gets that so you’re left with just half a feature.
3rd Level Spells (Level 9) – C- Tier – Dispel Magic is good, but you would’ve taken this anyway so it’s just freeing up a prepared spell slot.
4th Level Spells (Level 13) – D Tier – Both of these spells are yucky as they’re incredibly niche.
Smite of Protection (Level 15) – D+ Tier – You have to Divine Smite (so you have to hit with an attack) and you need allies near you just to gain +2 AC. Not terrible, but the payoff is not there.
5th Level Spells (Level 17) – C Tier – Commune is a solid pickup so I’m happy with that.
Holy Nimbus (Level 20) – C- Tier – This ability isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t do that much either, just a small amount of passive damage. What did Devotion Paladin do to D&D designers to take them from nearly unplayable to still not that unplayable?
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 Devotion, Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon | + Detect Magic + Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) + Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 4 | Feat: Shield Master (Strength) | + Compelled Duel |
| 5 | Extra Attack, Faithful Steed | + Aid (Devotion) + Find Steed + Warding Bond + Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 6 | Aura of Protection | None |
| 7 | Aura of Devotion | + Lesser Restoration |
| 8 | Feat: War Caster (CHA) | None |
| 9 | Abjure Foes | + Beacon of Hope (Devotion) + Crusader’s Mantle + Dispel Magic (Devotion) + Revivify |
| 10 | Aura of Courage | None |
| 11 | Radiant Strikes | + Aura of Vitality |
| 12 | Feat: Charisma to 18 | None |
| 13 | None | + Banishment + Freedom of Movement (Devotion) + Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
| 14 | Restoring Touch | None |
| 15 | Smite of Protection | + Death Ward |
| 16 | Feat: Charisma to 20 | None |
| 17 | None | + Commune (Devotion) + Flame Strike (Devotion) + Holy Weapon |
| 18 | Aura Expansion | None |
| 19 | Epic Boon: Boon of Combat Prowess | + Circle of Power |
| 20 | Holy Nimbus | None |
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 Devotion
Class Features: Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon
Spell Change Log: + Detect Magic + Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) + Shield of Faith (Devotion)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
Level 3 brings your subclass, and of course, you’re picking Oath of Devotion!
You get your Channel Divinity option which is Sacred Weapon. When you’re making an attack, you can use a Channel Divinity charge to give yourself a to hit bonus based on your CHA modifier for 10 minutes. This is obviously pretty great as, even a +2 to hit for a whole fight is quite helpful, and it’ll be +3 before long.
Furthermore, like other Paladin subclasses, you get Oath spells that are always prepared for you!
Protection from Evil and Good is a really niche buff spell, but extremely potent if you happen to be facing an extraplanar enemy.
Shield of Faith is solid as 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.
For your spell choice, you can pick up Detect Magic. At least one person in your party should have this, and while you probably have someone else in your party who also has this, multiples isn’t bad if, for whatever reason, you’re split up or you need to spend a spell slot to use it.
Level 4
Feat: Shield Master (Strength)
Class Features: None
Spell Change Log: + Compelled Duel
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 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 (Devotion) + Find Steed + Warding Bond + Zone of Truth (Devotion)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
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 Aid and Zone of Truth.
Aid gives 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!
Zone of Truth is an out of combat utility spell that unfortunately tends not to work as you’d like it to as smart targets can find ways to avoid telling the truth, more or less negating the whole point of the spell. Nicer DMs will play more ball, but the average DM will likely play a hostile character that needs to be under Zone of Truth as hostile.
For your spell choice, you can pick up Warding Bond. This is a unique spell that lets you functionally take some amount of hits for an ally, and while this isn’t something I would want to do often, this can be helpful to protect your squishy allies.
Level 6-10
Level 6
Class Features: Aura of Protection
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
Level 7 brings a new Aura to work with and what this guide is more or less built around – Aura of Devotion.
Aura of Devotion stops allies within 10 feet of you from being charmed or curing them of the charmed condition, which is unfortunately, pretty bad. There are very few monsters that will use the charmed condition against you making the usefulness of this pretty low.
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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
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: + Beacon of Hope (Devotion) + Crusader’s Mantle + Dispel Magic (Devotion) + Revivify
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 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 Beacon of Hope and Dispel Magic.
Beacon of Hope is a real weird spell that does a lot of different things, but none of them are particularly good. Using a third level spell slot and an action to give advantage on Wisdom saving throws is the only real application of this, because the other ones are far from good.
Dispel Magic, on the other hand, is an excellent spell to have that every Paladin should pick up. Having the ability to end an existing magical effect is just really strong – that’s the long and short of it.
For your chosen spells, you can pick up Crusader’s Mantle and Revivify.
Crusader’s Mantle is a Divine Favor for the whole squad which is great if you have enough martial allies to capitalize as this can really stack up over a longer fight.
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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 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: Strength to 20
Class Feature: None
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 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 + Freedom of Movement (Devotion) + Guardian of Faith (Devotion)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
Level 13 means access to fourth level spells!
You get more Oath spells this level with Freedom of Movement and Guardian of Faith.
Freedom of Movement is very niche, but does as advertised, it stops you from being restricted in most capacities! Paladins probably shouldn’t be getting locked up often, but if you happen to be, then you have just the spell for the occasion.
Guardian of Faith, on the other hand, is just a super weird spell. The only uses you can get out of it is to help defend your campsite when sleeping or to help fortify a narrow corridor, but this is so expensive and weird that I would be surprised that you ever use this.
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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
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: Smite of Protection
Spell Change Log: + Death Ward
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
You get your penultimate subclass ability at level 15 with Smite of Protection. Whenever you use your Divine Smite, any ally in your aura gets half cover. Not a bad ability, but pretty weak for a level 15 feature.
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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
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: + Commune (Devotion) + Flame Strike (Devotion) + Holy Weapon
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
| 5th Level Spell | Commune (Devotion) (R) |
| 5th Level Spell | Flame Strike (Devotion) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
You also get your final Oath spells, and unfortunately, this may be the weakest options yet with Commune and Flame Strike.
Commune is an excellent ritual spell that lets you ask three questions and get a straightforward response back. This easily makes it the best divination spell in the game and substantially more powerful than most will give it credit for.
Flame Strike is a relatively weak damage spell for normal full casters, and it obviously does not translate that well into this level of play as it just deals so little damage for such a large investment. Maybe decent at clearing out gaggles of goons, but not too great beyond that.
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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
| 5th Level Spell | Commune (Devotion) (R) |
| 5th Level Spell | Flame Strike (Devotion) |
| 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 | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
| 5th Level Spell | Circle of Power |
| 5th Level Spell | Commune (Devotion) (R) |
| 5th Level Spell | Flame Strike (Devotion) |
| 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: Holy Nimbus
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Divine Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Protection from Evil and Good (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Shield of Faith (Devotion) |
| 1st Level Spell | Thunderous Smite |
| 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| 2nd Level Spell | Aid (Devotion) |
| 2nd Level Spell | Find Steed |
| 2nd Level Spell | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Warding Bond |
| 2nd Level Spell | Zone of Truth (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Beacon of Hope (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic (Devotion) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 4th Level Spell | Freedom of Movement (Devotion) |
| 4th Level Spell | Guardian of Faith (Devotion) |
| 5th Level Spell | Circle of Power |
| 5th Level Spell | Commune (Devotion) (R) |
| 5th Level Spell | Flame Strike (Devotion) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
Level 20 brings your capstone ability for your subclass!
Your capstone ability is Holy Nimbus which, as a bonus action, you can turn into a miniature sun that deals a bit of damage to enemies that start their turn near you and gives you better saving throws against fiends and undead. This is better than it used to be, but not by a far margin.
