ASI Level 4 Paladin

[Pothos]

Hey everyone! New to DND here and I'm playing a sword and board Paladin. Really trying to be a spellcaster/tank kind of build for my group of Rogue and Fighter. My stats are 16-11-14-9-14-15. I really want to get Cha to 16 to help my other party members with save rolls but I'm thinking if I do str I don't get any bonus and thinking just to add my extra to Dex for initiative and saving throws.

Aka I'm really thinking 1 Cha and 1 dex to push up bonus on both.

Obviously thought of plus 2 str or a feat but I'm really thinking ASI to boost my stats. Based on my statline would anyone see anything different that might make a whole lot of sense? Maybe one into str hoping to get a plus 1 str magic item? I'm a defender and plan on sword and board the whole time. Shield master cannot be used before or during in my campaign. Thanks everyone!

[GreyBlack]

Hey everyone! New to DND here and I'm playing a sword and board Paladin. Really trying to be a spellcaster/tank kind of build for my group of Rogue and Fighter. My stats are 16-11-14-9-14-15. I really want to get Cha to 16 to help my other party members with save rolls but I'm thinking if I do str I don't get any bonus and thinking just to add my extra to Dex for initiative and saving throws.

Aka I'm really thinking 1 Cha and 1 dex to push up bonus on both.

Obviously thought of plus 2 str or a feat but I'm really thinking ASI to boost my stats. Based on my statline would anyone see anything different that might make a whole lot of sense? Maybe one into str hoping to get a plus 1 str magic item? I'm a defender and plan on sword and board the whole time. Shield master cannot be used before or during in my campaign. Thanks everyone!

Other than +1 initiative, does a +1 dex give you anything really? I might consider a half feat to bump your charisma instead of the +1/+1. Alternatively, doing the +1 cha/+1 str would mean next ASI you could grab a half feat that bumps your strength.

[CheddarChampion]

Other than +1 initiative, does a +1 dex give you anything really? I might consider a half feat to bump your charisma instead of the +1/+1. Alternatively, doing the +1 cha/+1 str would mean next ASI you could grab a half feat that bumps your strength.

For reference since the OP is new, Heavy Armor Master would be your best +1 Strength feat from the Player's Handbook.

Racial feats from Xanathar's guide might be good depending on which race you are.
Dragon Fear (Cha), Elven Accuracy (Cha), Orcish Fury (Str) could all be good.

Other options include Athlete (Str), Resilient (Str), and Actor (Cha).

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On another note, Inspiring Leader would help you support your team quite nicely. Preemptively heal 6 HP for everyone once per short rest, increasing as you level up.

[FabulousFizban]

your str is high enough. boost cha. cha is the most important stat for a paladin

[Pothos]

Thanks for the response! I'm a vanilla Human. I am going to do 1 str - the extra save and initiative isn't worth it and I agree the heavy armor feat may be helpful since I'm the one typically taking damage. Thanks!

[jdolch]

In my Opinion and at the risk of getting yelled at by Paladin Purists:

Sword and Board [Paladin 6 / Divine Soul Sorcerer X] makes the best "Paladin" Build, period.

And you need Warcaster for that, so there's your P4 ASI.

Having said that, your 15 CHA is of course far from optimal and 11 Dex is "ugh" so definitely use a feat on boosting those to 12 and 16 respectively. Either now or at the next ASI.

[Pothos]

Thanks everyone! I have a lot of thinking to do. Honestly I'm definitely going to do 1 CHA either way no matter what - I've been thinking about how fun it may be to choose Actor!

My DM is extremely story heavy with clans and militias around the major city and the are a lot of different sergeants, generals, wealthy families etc. We are up to 12 major surnames as prominent families in the city so far (a lot to keep up with). Also I can make a goblin or yuan-ti noise around the corner to get a surprise attack for the party or something.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions!

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Hey everyone! New to DND here and I'm playing a sword and board Paladin. Really trying to be a spellcaster/tank kind of build for my group of Rogue and Fighter. My stats are 16-11-14-9-14-15. I really want to get Cha to 16 to help my other party members with save rolls but I'm thinking if I do str I don't get any bonus and thinking just to add my extra to Dex for initiative and saving throws.

Aka I'm really thinking 1 Cha and 1 dex to push up bonus on both.

Obviously thought of plus 2 str or a feat but I'm really thinking ASI to boost my stats. Based on my statline would anyone see anything different that might make a whole lot of sense? Maybe one into str hoping to get a plus 1 str magic item? I'm a defender and plan on sword and board the whole time. Shield master cannot be used before or during in my campaign. Thanks everyone!

Actually, I wouldn't worry about direct combat. Going after the rogue and fighter is good since you can heal.

You don't need to boost strength till about level 12 to stay in line with the game.

Cha is fine as you will mostly be using support spells or smites and you can boost cha after you get your aura abilities.

I would go with something like Actor, Ritual Caster, Inspiring Leader.

Let the Rogue and Fighter be the primary damage dealers as you have class features to support them while also being good at damage.

Specifically optimizing damage won't really add anything to your group. It's fun to kill things but you three will be killing quite a bit without specializing in killing.

[CTurbo]

Honestly if that was my character I would probably go the boring but effective route and do +1 Cha and Dex as there really aren't any Cha half feats that interest me unless one of the skill feats fit my character concept. You can look at the skill feats and check with your DM. Anyway, boosting Initiative and helping Dex saves is not a waste.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Honestly if that was my character I would probably go the boring but effective route and do +1 Cha and Dex as there really aren't any Cha half feats that interest me unless one of the skill feats fit my character concept. You can look at the skill feats and check with your DM. Anyway, boosting Initiative and helping Dex saves is not a waste.

Initiative is a waste on this character, especially due to the party make up.

The Paladin, when used as a support/tank, will want to react to their surroundings and not get swarmed to where they can't support their allies. Letting allies and enemies go first allows the paladin to decide to attack, heal, or support. The Rogue and Fighter can deal damage but don't have the same level of support as the Paladin.

Perhaps the Rogue and Fighter both wiffed on their attacks even after rolling decently well? The paladin can drop a bless, concentration spell, and then maneuver where they won't be swarmed by too many enemies. If the Paladin went first, they may be surrounded and their concentration could be broken, especially at level 4.

Or if the rogue or fighter gets hit by a crit, the paladin won't have to eat a few OA to get off a lay on hands.

On a support character with heavy armor, Dex should be about a 10 at most. You even can stand off to the side to allow those Dex save spells to hit just you since you're the "easiest" target.

The bump in Cha would be less of a waste, but at this level the +1 is meh compared to the host of utility options out there. Honestly a +2 Con is worth more to this character than any other ASI.