Glory Paladin Build Guide – Leave Your Mark on History – 2024 Update

Learn the best build for the Glory Paladin with full leveling guides, full spell lists, and easy to navigate sections to only read what you need!

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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.



Why Oath of Glory Paladin?

While the old Oath of Glory Paladin put a lot of emphasis into grappling, I’m saddened to see the new one has been a bit stripped of its identity. Without any specific direction to work towards, you’re just a Paladin with decent abilities and a decent spell list, far from anything special.

The one thing I do really like about Glory Paladins is the roleplaying opportunities. Having to be an attention hog as part of your class? That can be fun if you don’t overwhelm your party members during roleplaying.


Glory Paladin Abilities Ranked

Inspiring Smite (Level 3)C- Tier – Spending a Channel Divinity for a slightly better Aid is not something I would want to do, but considering how bad Peerless Athlete is, this looks more acceptable.

Peerless Athlete (Level 3)D- Tier – There may be scenarios where this is helpful, like exploration, but that is going to be incredibly rare.

1st Level Spells (Level 3)D+ Tier – Two extremely unexciting spells. Guiding Bolt is ok, but it will only be ok for a level or two until it is outclassed both by your allies and by you just attacking normally.

2nd Level Spells (Level 5) D+ TierEnhance Ability can be alright, but it’s pretty niche.

Aura of Alacrity (Level 7)B- Tier – Movement speed buffs are solid, even if this is really only going to impact your fellow martials.

3rd Level Spells (Level 9)B TierProtection from Energy can be ok in the right context, but Haste on yourself is always going to be an appealing play.

4th Level Spells (Level 13)D- Tier – Yuck. These spells aren’t complete garbage, but they are close.

Glorious Defense (Level 15)C+ Tier – Adding AC to yourself or an ally for one attack is not ideal, but being able to strike back if this ability prevents that attack from connecting is quite nice.

5th Level Spells (Level 17)D+ Tier – Regal Presence is solid, but pretty unexciting for the level. Legend Lore is very specific and will not be relevant most of the time.

Living Legend (Level 20)A Tier – Being able to reroll saving throws and converting a missed attack into a hit is really strong.


Quick Level Up Guide

LevelClass Features/FeatNotes
1Lay on Hands, Spellcasting, Weapon Mastery+ Bless
+ Thunderous Smite
2Fighting Style (Protection), Paladin’s SmiteProtection Fighting Style
+ Divine Smite
+ Wrathful Smite
3Oath of Glory
Inspiring Smite
Channel Divinity: Peerless Athlete
+ Guiding Bolt (Glory)
+ Heroism (Glory)
+ Shield of Faith
4Feat: Shield Master (Strength)+ Compelled Duel
5Extra Attack, Faithful Steed+ Aid
+ Enhance Ability (Glory)
+ Find Steed
+ Magic Weapon (Glory)
6Aura of ProtectionNone
7Aura of Alacrity+ Lesser Restoration
8Feat: War Caster (CHA)None
9Abjure Foes+ Dispel Magic
+ Haste (Glory)
+ Protection from Energy (Glory)
+ Revivify
10Aura of CourageNone
11Radiant Strikes+ Aura of Vitality
12Feat: Charisma to 18None
13None+ Banishment
+ Compulsion (Glory)
+ Freedom of Movement (Glory)
14Restoring TouchNone
15Glorious Defense+ Death Ward
16Feat: Charisma to 20None
17None+ Holy Weapon
+ Legend Lore (Glory)
+ Regal Presence (Glory)
18Aura ExpansionNone
19Epic Boon: Boon of Combat Prowess+ Circle of Power
20Living LegendNone

Level One Build


Species: Goliath (Hill Giant)

Attributes:

POINT BUY
STRENGTH15 (+2 background) = 17
DEXTERITY8
CONSTITUTION15 (+1 background) = 16
INTELLIGENCE8
WISDOM8
CHARISMA15

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

Starting Spells:

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellThunderous 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
STRENGTH15 (+2 background) = 17
DEXTERITY8
CONSTITUTION15 (+1 background) = 16
INTELLIGENCE8
WISDOM8
CHARISMA15

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

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellThunderous 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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful 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 Glory

Class Features: Inspiring Smite, Channel Divinity: Peerless Athlete

Spell Change Log: + Guiding Bolt (Glory) + Heroism (Glory) + Shield of Faith

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite

Level 3 brings your subclass, and of course, you’re picking Oath of Glory!

Your first ability is Inspiring Smite which, after you Smite, you can spend one of your Channel Divinity charges to dish out 2d8 + Paladin level in temporary health. This isn’t a bad ability as, on average, this is close to an Aid, but it’s definitely unexciting.

Like all other Paladin subclasses, Glory comes with a Channel Divinity feature – Peerless Athlete.

In the 2014 rules, Peerless Athlete used to make grappling way better and you could build your whole strategy around it. Now that grappling has been changed, this ability has become substantially worse as what do you need advantage on your Athletics or Acrobatics rolls for?

Your get Oath spells this level and you can pick up Guiding Bolt and Heroism.

Your first Oath spell is Guiding Bolt which is an extremely solid first level blast spell. While this would be better if you got it at level one, this does a solid amount of damage and getting advantage on the next attack is a good amount of value.

Your second Oath spell is Heroism which is a means to get a constant stream of temporary hit points while also making the target immune to being frightened. While the temporary health is pretty paltry, the immune to frightened can be pretty relevant in later levels against enemies who may use it. This isn’t a spell you’ll be casting often, but it can help in a pinch.

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful 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 + Enhance Ability (Glory) + Find Steed + Magic Weapon (Glory)

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)

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 Enhance Ability and Magic Weapon.

Enhance Ability is an interesting utility spell that lets you get advantage on any attribute check that you’d like, and sometimes, with an additional ability to boot. You may not use this too often as second level spell slots may not be easy to come by, but this can be really good in the right situation.

Your second Oath spell is Magic Weapon, which as the spell implies, makes a weapon a Magic Weapon. Not a great buff spell realistically, and weaker than it used to be as non-magical weapon resistance doesn’t exist anymore.

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)

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 Alacrity

Spell Change Log: + Lesser Restoration

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)

Level 7 brings a new Aura to work with in Aura of Alacrity.

Anyone within your Aura gets an additional 10 feet of movement speed. Simple and very effective, especially for martials.

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)

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: + Dispel Magic + Haste (Glory) + Protection from Energy (Glory) + Revivify

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify

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.

You get two more Oath spells this level in Haste and Protection from Energy.

Haste is one of the marquee martial buff spells by doubling the target’s speed, gives them more AC, and grants an additional action to boot. While losing Concentration on this is extremely risky, this is very powerful as long as you can maintain concentration on it.

Protection from Energy, on the other hand, is a good way to get resistance to a certain element if you know you’re going into an area where it may be really common.

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify

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 + Compulsion (Glory) + Freedom of Movement (Glory)

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)

Level 13 means access to fourth level spells!

Furthermore, you get two more Oath spells to work with in Compulsion and Freedom of Movement.

Compulsion is a weird CC spell that can force targets to walk horizontal to you which may not be the most helpful, especially since they aren’t forced to move into hazardous terrain. Using this to move an enemy away from a squishy ally can be nice, but I doubt you’d want to cast it even then.

Freedom of Movement, ironically, does sort of the opposite of Compulsion as it makes your movement completely uninhibited. While this may be a niche option, this can come in handy in a real pinch.

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)

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: Glorious Defense

Spell Change Log: + Death Ward

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellDeath Ward
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)

You get your penultimate subclass ability at level 15 which is Glorious Defense. If you see an ally get hit, you can use your reaction to give them an AC boost and counterattack if this ability caused the enemy to then miss. While giving an AC boost to one attack is far from great when enemies are likely hitting multiple times a turn, getting an additional attack in a turn cycle can be really impactful, especially if it helps a friend save some health while they’re at it.

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellDeath Ward
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)

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: + Holy Weapon + Legend Lore (Glory) + Regal Presence (Glory)

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellDeath Ward
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)
5th Level SpellHoly Weapon
5th Level SpellLegend Lore (Glory)
5th Level SpellRegal Presence (Glory)

This level brings fifth level spells and your final Oath spells with Legend Lore and Regal Presence.

Legend Lore is unfortunately pretty niche unless your adventure/campaign revolves around uncovering mysteries on legendary places or people. Even then, the information the DM gives may not even be particularly helpful. This is thematic at least, considering Glory Paladins are trying to leave their mark on history.

Regal Presence is a decent emanation spell that can force enemies around you to potentially take some damage, get knocked prone, and even get pushed away. Pretty appropriate for a Paladin who is going to be right up in the action.

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellDeath Ward
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)
5th Level SpellHoly Weapon
5th Level SpellLegend Lore (Glory)
5th Level SpellRegal Presence (Glory)

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 LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellDeath Ward
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)
5th Level SpellCircle of Power
5th Level SpellHoly Weapon
5th Level SpellLegend Lore (Glory)
5th Level SpellRegal Presence (Glory)

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: Living Legend

Spell Change Log: None

SPELL LEVELSPELL NAME
1st Level SpellBless
1st Level SpellCompelled Duel
1st Level SpellDivine Smite
1st Level SpellGuiding Bolt (Glory)
1st Level SpellHeroism (Glory)
1st Level SpellShield of Faith
1st Level SpellThunderous Smite
1st Level SpellWrathful Smite
2nd Level SpellAid
2nd Level SpellEnhance Ability (Glory)
2nd Level SpellFind Steed
2nd Level SpellLesser Restoration
2nd Level SpellMagic Weapon (Glory)
3rd Level SpellAura of Vitality
3rd Level SpellDispel Magic
3rd Level SpellHaste (Glory)
3rd Level SpellProtection from Energy (Glory)
3rd Level SpellRevivify
4th Level SpellBanishment
4th Level SpellCompulsion (Glory)
4th Level SpellDeath Ward
4th Level SpellFreedom of Movement (Glory)
5th Level SpellCircle of Power
5th Level SpellHoly Weapon
5th Level SpellLegend Lore (Glory)
5th Level SpellRegal Presence (Glory)

Level 20 brings your capstone ability for your subclass!

Level 20 brings your capstone ability with Living Legend! As a bonus action, you can turn into a Legend for ten minutes minute that has advantage on all Charisma checks (really only relevant to saving throws as sparse as those are), you can turn missed attacks into hits, and you can reroll failed saving throws. These are very solid abilities, but crucially, having this be activated as a bonus action gives this ability a leg up on many of the other subclass capstone abilities that need a full action to be activated.


DoggertQBones
DoggertQBones

DoggertQBones is an avid player of games, predominately D&D! Previously a highly published author for another popular Wizards of the Coast game, Magic: the Gathering, he's been playing D&D since childhood as both player and DM!

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