Watchers Paladin Build Guide – Always Vigilant – 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 the Watchers Paladin?
There are three reasons why you may want to be an Oath of the Watchers Paladin. The first reason is the rarest, but if you’re going into a campaign knowing you’ll be facing a lot of extraplanar enemies, then this is what Watchers excel at.
Much more realistically, reasons two and three you’d consider this class is Counterspell and Aura of the Sentinel. Getting access to Counterspell as a Paladin is huge, and even better, having an aura that gives your whole team a bonus to initiative is extremely powerful. So even if the whole anti-extraplanar stuff isn’t relevant in your campaign, just getting these two options still makes this class worthwhile.
Watchers Paladin Abilities Ranked
Channel Divinity (Level 3) – D+ Tier – Both features are really niche, but they have their moments. Additionally, if you want to homebrew this so it more so follows how the updated Paladins work, I would keep Abjure the Extraplanar as that’s definitely more the vibe of the Watchers than Watcher’s Will.
1st Level Spells (Level 3) – C Tier – Two solid rituals you probably couldn’t justify preparing otherwise.
2nd Level Spells (Level 5) – D+ Tier – Neither option is great, but See Invisibility can have its moments.
Aura of Sentinel (Level 7) – S Tier – Giving yourself a bonus to initiative is great, but the whole party? Now that’s extremely good.
3rd Level Spells (Level 9) – A- Tier – Getting Counterspell is a big reason why many choose this class.
4th Level Spells (Level 13) – D+ Tier – Banishment is obviously great, but the opportunity cost for preparing it naturally was nearly nonexistent so this isn’t a good bonus.
Vigilant Rebuke (Level 15) – D Tier – The damage is pretty abysmal for the level, but if your reaction would go unused otherwise, why not use this?
5th Level Spells (Level 17) – C- Tier – Both Hold Monster and Scrying can be useful, but they won’t always be.
Mortal Bulwark (Level 20) – D+ Tier – This is very strong against extraplanar foes and nearly worthless otherwise.
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 the Watchers, Channel Divinity | + Alarm (Watchers) + Detect Magic (Watchers) + Shield of Faith |
| 4 | Feat: Shield Master (Strength) | + Compelled Duel |
| 5 | Extra Attack, Faithful Steed | + Aid + Find Steed + Moonbeam (Watchers) + See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 6 | Aura of Protection | None |
| 7 | Aura of the Sentinel | + Lesser Restoration |
| 8 | Feat: War Caster (CHA) | None |
| 9 | Abjure Foes | + Counterspell (Watchers) + Dispel Magic + Nondetection (Watchers) + Revivify |
| 10 | Aura of Courage | None |
| 11 | Radiant Strikes | + Aura of Vitality |
| 12 | Feat: Charisma to 18 | None |
| 13 | None | + Crusader’s Mantle + Aura of Purity (Watchers) + Banishment (Watchers) |
| 14 | Restoring Touch | None |
| 15 | Vigilant Rebuke | + Death Ward |
| 16 | Feat: Charisma to 20 | None |
| 17 | None | + Hold Monster (Watchers) + Holy Weapon + Scrying (Watchers) |
| 18 | Aura Expansion | None |
| 19 | Epic Boon: Boon of Combat Prowess | + Circle of Power |
| 20 | Mortal Bulwark | 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 the Watchers
Class Features: Channel Divinity
Spell Change Log: + Alarm (Watchers) + Detect Magic (Watchers)+ Shield of Faith
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 the Watchers!
Watcher’s Will is a rare defensive Channel Divinity that can give you or your allies advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throws which is nice. The downside to this is that it costs a full action so you have to be sure that what you’re facing will be forcing these saving throws, but between this and Aura of Protection, it’ll be really hard to fail these saving throws.
Your second ability is Abjure the Extraplanar which is similar to a Cleric’s Turn Undead, but for extraplanar beings instead. This is a common theme for Channel Divinities for Paladins, but out of all of them, this is definitely the best one as it simply hits the most targets. Even still I’m not the biggest fan of it, but it is at least decent.
If you/your DM want to limit your Channel Divinity to one feature like the updated 2024 Paladins, Abjure the Extraplanar is more thematic so that’s what I would choose.
On top of your Channel Divinity options, you get to pick up Oath Spells as well, and this level you get Alarm and Detect Magic.
While these weren’t particularly good in 2014, now that Paladins can ritual cast, both are substantially better! There may be overlap with other casters, but now they don’t have to worry about picking these up as they’re both very solid ritual spells.
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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 + Moonbeam (Watchers) + See Invisibility (Watchers)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
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 Moonbeam and See Invisibility.
Moonbeam is an alright damage spell that can continue to sear enemies if you can keep them inside of it. While the damage is definitely not that high, especially for this level, this can be good in prolonged fights where the enemy doesn’t have much opportunity to move.
See Invisibility is a very appropriately named spell, letting you see invisible enemies! While that may not come up often (if ever), this is a nice spell to always have prepared as it’s really hard to justify ever preparing it otherwise.
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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
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 Warding
Spell Change Log: + Lesser Restoration
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
Level 7 brings a new Aura to work with and the main reason you likely did (or would) choose this class – Aura of the Sentinel.
Bonuses to initiative are as rare as they are powerful, and giving your entire team a bonus to initiative is obscenely good, especially at higher levels.
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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
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: + Counterspell (Watchers) + Dispel Magic + Nondetection (Watchers) + Revivify
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 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.
You get two more Oath spells this level in Counterspell and Nondetection.
Counterspell, like Revivify, is an absolutely busted spell to have and one of the best Oath spells a Paladin could hope to get. While the rest of the Oath spell list leaves a lot to be desired, it’s nearly worth it just because of Counterspell.
Your second Oath spell is substantially more niche with Nondetection. This prevents one target from being perceived by Divination magic, but in most campaigns, that is not coming up often. A nice little synergy you could go for is if you have an ally that frequently turns invisible, using this on them means they can’t be detected by something like See Invisibility.
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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 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: + Crusader’s Mantle + Aura of Purity (Watchers) + Banishment (Watchers)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
Level 13 means two more Oath spells and you get to pick up Aura of Purity and Banishment.
Aura of Purity is a really niche aura that stops diseases, status afflictions, and grants resistance to poison damage which is neat. Like similar Auras, it can be really hard to predict when this may be relevant as it would suck to use a fourth level spell slot just for this to not do anything, but if you know that one of these may come up in a fight, this could be helpful to prevent that.
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).
For your spell choice, you can pick up Crusader’s Mantle! This is an aura that allows your allies to stack up some damage over the course of a longer fight, which can be really powerful. While 1d4 damage per hit isn’t super exciting, over the course of many turns, this can add up extremely quickly, especially if you allies that get multiple attacks in per turn.
Level 14
Class Features: Restoring Touch
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
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: Vigilant Rebuke
Spell Change Log: + Death Ward
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
You get your penultimate subclass ability at level 15 which is Vigilant Rebuke! This is a bit strangely worded, but in essence, if an ally passes an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw, you can use your reaction to deal some damage to whoever forced that saving throw. Neat ability, but it’s too little damage to really be exciting.
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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
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: + Hold Monster (Watchers) + Holy Weapon + Scrying (Watchers)
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster (Watchers) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
| 5th Level Spell | Scrying (Watchers) |
You also get your final Oath spells, and unfortunately, these may be the weakest options yet with Hold Monster and Scrying.
Hold Monster is an extremely swingy “save or suck” spell that can functionally win a fight when it works or do absolutely nothing, waste your spell slot, and waste your turn when it doesn’t. Super high risk, high reward, especially when many enemies at this level may have Legendary Resistances.
Your final Oath spell, Scrying, is a pure utility spell that certainly isn’t the best information gathering spell available, but if you need to keep tabs on a particular person that’s extremely far away, this is the best way to do it.
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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster (Watchers) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
| 5th Level Spell | Scrying (Watchers) |
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 | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 5th Level Spell | Circle of Power |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster (Watchers) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
| 5th Level Spell | Scrying (Watchers) |
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: Mortal Bulwark
Spell Change Log: None
| SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| 1st Level Spell | Alarm (Watchers) (R) |
| 1st Level Spell | Bless |
| 1st Level Spell | Compelled Duel |
| 1st Level Spell | Detect Magic (Watchers) (R) |
| 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 | Lesser Restoration |
| 2nd Level Spell | Moonbeam (Watchers) |
| 2nd Level Spell | See Invisibility (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Aura of Vitality |
| 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Crusader’s Mantle |
| 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| 3rd Level Spell | Nondetection (Watchers) |
| 3rd Level Spell | Revivify |
| 4th Level Spell | Aura of Purity (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Banishment (Watchers) |
| 4th Level Spell | Death Ward |
| 5th Level Spell | Circle of Power |
| 5th Level Spell | Hold Monster (Watchers) |
| 5th Level Spell | Holy Weapon |
| 5th Level Spell | Scrying (Watchers) |
Level 20 brings your capstone ability for your subclass!
Your capstone ability is Mortal Bulwark, which for a Bonus Action, you get truesight, advantage on attacks against extraplanar beings, and each hit comes with a chance of banishing extraplanar creatures. So out of all the capstone abilities, this is definitely the most specific, and while this is good against extraplanar beings, it’s really only useful there. Good if you’re in a campaign with a lot of those, but obviously disappointing if you aren’t. Like mentioned with the Channel Divinity, if you want to align this with the updated Paladins, you can add a rider that you can reuse this if you spend a fifth level slot.
