As a Paladin sworn to the Oath of the Crown, your dedication to justice and loyalty sets you apart on the battlefield. This commitment means prioritizing the rule of law and standing by your allies, no matter the personal cost. In the realm of Baldur’s Gate 3, this devotion not only shapes your character but amplifies your capacity to protect comrades through divine intervention and righteous might.
Ready to embrace this sacred oath? Below, you’ll discover an optimal approach to crafting your Oath of the Crown Paladin, honing both your skills and abilities effectively.
Character Creation Settings for Oath of the Crown Paladin
Although you can choose to create your own character, utilizing origin characters such as Karlach or Minthara later in the game can also yield a powerful Paladin. Here are some recommended strategies for character establishment:
Best Race Selections
Several races excel for the Oath of the Crown Paladin. Here are some top picks:
| Race | Bonuses |
|---|---|
| Zariel Tiefling |
This race boasts Darkvision, fire resistance, and additional spells such as Thaumaturgy, Searing Smite, and Branding Smite. |
| Gold Dwarf |
They enjoy Darkvision and advantage on poison saving throws, alongside superior health per level, enhancing durability. |
| Half-Orc |
With Darkvision and abilities like Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks, they excel in survivability and damage output. |
Overall, I favor the Zariel Tiefling for its spell versatility. If spell slot management becomes a concern, the extra smite options can prove indispensable. If you prioritize health, consider the Gold Dwarf, or for brutal damage potential, the Half-Orc presents a compelling option.
Best Background and Skills Selections
For Optimal backgrounds, consider the:
- Acolyte: Insight and Religion skills enhance supportive roles.
- Soldier: Athletics and Intimidation provide combat-ready capabilities.
- Outlander: Great for those wanting to focus on survivability with skills like Athletics and Survival.
For skills, I advise selecting Intimidation and Persuasion to utilize your charismatic presence effectively in conversation. Alternatively, substituting Intimidation with Medicine can be advantageous for healing knowledge.
Optimal Ability Score Choices
Being a Paladin typically centers around two primary stats: Strength and Charisma, essential for tanking and spellcasting.
| Ability | Score |
|---|---|
| Strength | 17 |
| Dexterity | 8 |
| Constitution | 14 |
| Intelligence | 8 |
| Wisdom | 10 |
| Charisma | 16 |
I suggest a Strength score of 17 as it serves as your primary attack stat, paired with Charisma at 16 for spellcasting efficiency. A Constitution score of 14 is desirable to ensure you have enough hit points to sustain in battle.
Oath of the Crown Paladin Abilities and Feats
The Oath of the Crown Paladin uniquely excels as a tank, featuring abilities designed to divert enemy aggression and shield allies. Key abilities achieved through leveling include:
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Righteous Clarity | Grants an ally proficiency bonus added to their attack rolls. |
| Champion Challenge | Attracts surrounding foes’ attention while placing penalties on allies’ attackers. |
| Turn the Tide | Mobilizes healing for friends in need. |
| Oath Spells | Include Warding Bond, Spiritual Weapon, Spirit Guardians, and Crusader’s Mantle. |
| Divine Allegiance | Transfer health from yourself to an ally, absorbing radiant damage. |
These capabilities are essential for keeping your party alive during encounters. Upon reaching higher levels and obtaining Feats, consider the following selections for enhanced efficacy:
| Feat | Description |
|---|---|
| Sentinel | Execute reactions to counterattack enemies near your allies and gain bonuses on opportunity attacks. |
| War Caster | Benefits on maintaining concentration during spellcasting. |
| Alert | Improves initiative and offers protection against surprise attacks. |
| Durable | Regain full hit points during short rests while enhancing Constitution. |
| Great Weapon Master | Allows bonus melee attacks post critical hit or kill. |
| Tough | Increases hit point maximum by 2 per level gained. |
I often favor Sentinel, Great Weapon Master, and Tough for their attributes that aid fellow party members, bolster damage output, and enhance survivability. If concentration is a common issue for you, War Caster could be a strategic option. The Durable Feat serves as a solid alternative if you wish to enhance healing post-rests.
Level 2 brings you the opportunity to select a fighting style. The top choices are Protection if you wield a shield, or Defense for increased armor class (AC).
Spell Choices for Oath of the Crown Paladin
As Paladins are limited to third-level spells, there are ample spell choices available as you advance. Recommended spells include:
| Spell | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Heal | 1 | Restores health to a touched creature. |
| Cause Fear | 1 | May instill fear in an enemy. |
| Bless | 1 | Grants up to 3 targets +1d4 on attack rolls and saving throws. |
| Divine Favor | 1 | Your weapon strikes add +1-4 radiant damage. |
| Shield of Faith | 1 | Boosts the target’s AC by +2. |
| Pushing | 1 | Attempts to push the target away, potentially knocking them prone. |
| Health Boost | 2 | Heals allies while increasing their hit point maximum by 5. |
| Light | 2 | Marks the target with light upon impact. |
| Remove Conditions | 2 | Heals a target from conditions like paralysis or blindness. |
| Blinding Smite | 3 | Inflicts blindness on the target upon impact. |
| Elemental Weapon | 3 | Boosts attack rolls and adds elemental damage. |
| Remove Curse | 3 | Eliminate curses affecting a creature. |
| Revive | 3 | Brings a companion back to life with 1 hit point. |
Your smites will serve as powerful tools during battles, capable of devastating foes while keeping risks low if they miss. Furthermore, you gain notable spells from your Oath, including compelling duels and summoning aid like Spiritual Weapon.
For an even broader range of spells, consider dipping into Sorcerer levels. This expands your potential as a ranged combatant, enhancing your effectiveness in various scenarios.
Best Equipment for Oath of the Crown Paladin
| Equipment | Slot | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | — | Heals 1-6 hit points upon successfully hitting. |
| Weapon | — | Double your strength damage modifier on hits and grants advantage on attacks against larger creatures. |
| Weapon | — | Reduces the weapon’s enchantment temporarily to boost armor class and saving throws. |
| Off-Hand | — | Collides into melee attackers, dealing 2-8 force damage while knocking them prone, along with additional protective spells. |
| Off-Hand | — | Returns thrown shield. |
| Helldusk Armor | Chest | Grants resistance to fire and success on a saving throw burns foes; reduces all damage by 3. |
| Armor of Persistence | Chest | Provides the Resistance and Blade Ward spells, with a damage reduction of 2. |
| Adamantine Splint Armor | Chest | Ignores critical hits and reduces damage by 2. |
| Helm of Balduran | Head | Grants health regeneration, AC and saving throws bonuses, and immunity to stuns and critical hits. |
| Head | — | Protects against blindness while enhancing vision in darkness. |
| Helldusk Boots | Feet | Immunity to forced movement and function across difficult terrain; enhances saving throw success. |
| Feet | — | Boosts AC by 1; minor acrobatic enhancement. |
| Cloak of Protection | Back | Increases AC and provides saving throw bonuses. |
| Cloak of the Weave | Back | Enhances spell effectiveness and provides elemental damage absorption. |
| Nymph Cloak | Back | Allows the use of the Dominate Person spell. |
| Vivacious Cloak | Back | Grants temporary hit points when casting spells in melee. |
| Craterflesh Gloves | Hands | Enhances force damage on critical hits. |
| Hands | — | Enhances Strength attribute to 23. |
| Hands | — | Provides a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls. |
| Hands | — | Grants additional protection when healing allies. |
| Gloves of Heroism | Hands | Grants Heroism when channeling oath spells. |
In combat, my preference leans towards two-handed weapons over shields, believing that a Paladin has adequate defense, and I prioritize damage output. For this reason, the Sword of Chaos is a preferred choice due to its healing properties upon hitting enemies.
Whenever available, seek out the Balduran’s Giantslayer; its damage output and unique ability to enter giant form offer immense advantages. Early on, the Hamarhraft is also fun, as jumping with it deals damage to enemies and allies alike.
If you opt for a shield, I recommend Viconia’s Walking Fortress for superior defense, while Shield of Returning proves valuable for ranged utility.
Among armor choices, Helldusk Armor stands out as a top-tier armor offering numerous advantages. The Adamantine Splint Armor is another excellent choice, negating critical hits if you don’t wear the Balduran Helm.
For cloaks, I advocate for the Nymph Cloak to leverage the potent Dominate Person spell access, or the Cloak of Protection for increased defenses, essential for a tank like the Paladin.
The Helldusk Boots are ideal as they allow swift movement towards comrades while maintaining ground stability against forces trying to move you.
When it comes to gauntlets, you have choices like the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength for dealing higher damage, Reviving Hands for boosting healing, or Gloves of Heroism for enhanced oath channeling. Between options, I find Legacy of the Masters and Reviving Hands to be particularly effective for bolstering your party’s survival.
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