Feats vs ASI for a paladin

[DigitalCharlie]

I'm planning to make a single-classed redemption paladin as my next AL character because I'm looking to play something that, while focusing on support first, can unleash a lot of damage if need be.

Right now, I'm intending to build it as a half elf with 8 str, 16 dex, 15 con, 8 int, 10 wis, and 17 charisma at level 1 (that includes racial bonuses). My plan right now is to take elven accuracy, +2 cha, and resilient: con so that my aura is +5 and I'll make almost any concentration check.

That leaves me with a couple of questions:

1. What should I do with my last 2 ASIs? Should I max dexterity, or take a few feats? If feats, which 2?
2. Should I be strength-based instead? I feel like being single-classed makes it easier to go dexterity, and focusing on support makes going earlier more important.
3. Has anyone played a redemption paladin yet and have tips for keeping it interesting? One of the things that draws me to it is the ability to regularly use reactions for different abilities.

[LordNibbler]

Your plan leaves you with Dex 17 and Cha 19. One of those ASIs should be +1 Dex and +1 Cha to get all your scores even.
Or if you’re using Elven Accuracy to get to Cha 18 before you bump it to 20, you need to use another ASI to get Dex to 18.
For your last ASI, you could bump Con for hp, Dex to maximize hitting and damage, take Sentinel so nothing can ever get past you, or get Lucky because there’s always some roll you need to make.

[DigitalCharlie]

Those stats include racial bonuses, sorry for not making that clear initially — it's AL so it's all from point buy.

[CTurbo]

I'm planning to make a single-classed redemption paladin as my next AL character because I'm looking to play something that, while focusing on support first, can unleash a lot of damage if need be.

Right now, I'm intending to build it as a half elf with 8 str, 16 dex, 15 con, 8 int, 10 wis, and 17 charisma at level 1 (that includes racial bonuses). My plan right now is to take elven accuracy, +2 cha, and resilient: con so that my aura is +5 and I'll make almost any concentration check.

That leaves me with a couple of questions:

1. What should I do with my last 2 ASIs? Should I max dexterity, or take a few feats? If feats, which 2?
2. Should I be strength-based instead? I feel like being single-classed makes it easier to go dexterity, and focusing on support makes going earlier more important.
3. Has anyone played a redemption paladin yet and have tips for keeping it interesting? One of the things that draws me to it is the ability to regularly use reactions for different abilities.

So are you taking +1 to Cha with Elven Accuracy? That would make sense. I have never seen Redemption Paladin in play. Is that the Oath you were considering? If you're wanting Elven Accuracy, I'd go Oath of Vengeance. If you don't want to go Oath of Vengeance, don't bother with Elven Accuracy. The feat is not worth it unless you have a reliable source of advantage.

I would probably rather have 18 Dex and 18 Cha before having 16 Dex and 20 Cha with the only exception being Oath of Conquest. Res(Con) is always solid if not boring.

[guachi]

I find the idea of using Elven Accuracy to boost Charisma even it's not your attack stat ingenious. Since your Charisma is an odd number I'd be tempted to take that ASI for Elven Accuracy at level 4.

[Nidgit]

Redemption Paladin is something of an HP tank so it might be worth pumping Con or grabbing the Tough feat for more health. Medium Armor Master is useful and Paladins always love Magic Initiate. As long as your CHA is maxed you can't really go wrong.

[Citan]

So are you taking +1 to Cha with Elven Accuracy? That would make sense. I have never seen Redemption Paladin in play. Is that the Oath you were considering? If you're wanting Elven Accuracy, I'd go Oath of Vengeance. If you don't want to go Oath of Vengeance, don't bother with Elven Accuracy. The feat is not worth it unless you have a reliable source of advantage.

I would probably rather have 18 Dex and 18 Cha before having 16 Dex and 20 Cha with the only exception being Oath of Conquest. Res(Con) is always solid if not boring.

Impressive team spirit here.
You realize OP is gonna play in a party, right? It being basically the only reason to play that Oath?
And that mostly whatever party composition OP will get, high chance are that someone can help him get advantage?
You clearly didn't put the required mindset before answering. XD

You do make a point indirectly though: Elven Accuracy is great for people who want to focus on damage, and that creates some kind of build competition compared to the focus of Oath which is support.

I'm planning to make a single-classed redemption paladin as my next AL character because I'm looking to play something that, while focusing on support first, can unleash a lot of damage if need be.

Right now, I'm intending to build it as a half elf with 8 str, 16 dex, 15 con, 8 int, 10 wis, and 17 charisma at level 1 (that includes racial bonuses). My plan right now is to take elven accuracy, +2 cha, and resilient: con so that my aura is +5 and I'll make almost any concentration check.

That leaves me with a couple of questions:

1. What should I do with my last 2 ASIs? Should I max dexterity, or take a few feats? If feats, which 2?
2. Should I be strength-based instead? I feel like being single-classed makes it easier to go dexterity, and focusing on support makes going earlier more important.
3. Has anyone played a redemption paladin yet and have tips for keeping it interesting? One of the things that draws me to it is the ability to regularly use reactions for different abilities.

Hi! If you plan on using triple advantage, I'd say don't bother maxing DEX (in fact even staying it at 14 would be fine most of the time, provided you can get advantage reliably). You'd better take any combination of two among these feats.
- Tough: always nice, for you it would become especially good once you get the "auto-regen under half-hp" of level 15.
- Inspiring Leader: because party THP is always useful, especially at low levels.
- Alert: much better Initiative-wise than a plain +2 DEX.
- Medium Armor Master: not necessarily the most interesting but hey, since you start with 15 DEX, might as well want to use it fully.
- Shield Master: always great to have for defense and party offense even if your DM would follow that stupid change of RAI. For your build particularly though, the dumped STR would be truely a problem, so I wouldn't count on using the bonus action Shove unless someone in party can boost you. Or you take, paired with this...
- Prodigy: the reason why Half-Elf bests all XD, being able to grab Elven Accuracy AND Prodigy. ^^ If you get Prodigy with Shield Master, you'll end with a very reasonable +11 for your Shove checks.
- Magic Initiate: because getting a great ranged attack (Eldricht Blast) or enhanced single target damage (Booming Blade) is nice, and it opens interesting utility.
- Sentinel: so you can make one guy stick with you: note though that this actually doesn't synergize with Elven Accuracy that well, unless you have a spell-based advantage against target. But if you usually get advantage from prone, obviously, creature will stand up before trying to flee so... And it does compete with one of your most interesting features for reaction, so it's probably a lesser choice.
- Warcaster: also competes with feature for reaction, but possibly better than Sentinel because you can use spells: with max CHA, a Compelled Duel or Command will end as even better than Sentinel's effect, and it's usually more reliable too.
- Ritual Caster: if your party would have nobody with rituals, and nobody wanting to pick this feat, this is a must-have. Otherwise, you have enough feats to choose from already.^^

As for whether it'be better to go STR? Overall, no.
The only reason would be to go either Shield Master with an extreme reliability on Shove/Grapple checks and play a dedicated meat shield build (in which case Elven Accuracy is out) or go with "better defense is killing first" and going GWM (in which case Elven Accuracy is equally out unless dipping Warlock).

For you, I'd suggest...
1. If you have reliable advantage source from party (Wolf Barbarian, Bard/Druid with Faerie Fire), I'd go...
14 DEX, Elven Accuracy, Resilient: Constitution, Tough, and either Warcaster (extra good concentration, spells as reaction) or Alert (you wanted good Initiative right? :)).
Nice balance between offense and defense.

2. If you don't have it from you yet want Elven Accuracy, then Shield Master and Prodigy seem in order. Big problem is: you'll play like you wanted veeerry late, since you need three feats for it.
So I wouldn't actually recommend this unless you grow in levels very quick. The only good "self-way" of getting advantage without waiting that much would be to multiclass into a caster early (Bard: Faerie Fire especially).
Or use and abuse Blinding Smite. :)

3. Drop the idea of being "usually good" at dealing damage because you count on party helping you deliver Divine Smite when it really counts another way (Bardic Inspiration, prone + Bless, Hold/Stunning Strike, etc) and just stack support/utility feats: Inspiring Leader, Prodigy (Persusation), Alert, Tough etc...

There is overall no real bad choice, but always keep in mind you get one feat every four levels... ^^
So first define your prioriy while aiming at a level 11 character: using Oath features to support party? Being reliable at delivering Divine Smite? Blessing everyone first thing in any fight?