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This guide uses the 2014 rules throughout. D&D Beyond’s edition guide distinguishes the 2014 rules as “5e” and the 2024 rules as “5.5e”; the 2024 Paladin handles smites differently. Use the rules version your table has adopted.
What makes a 2014 Paladin powerful?
The class combines weapon attacks, spellcasting, and support. Its strength is not just a large burst of damage: it can make repeated attacks, spend spell slots to increase damage when a hit matters, and improve nearby allies’ saving throws. The best Paladin build therefore depends on what your party needs and how long the campaign is expected to run.
The official 2014 Basic Rules — Classes describes the class features and their timing. The progression below prioritizes the broadly useful level 5 and 6 features before asking you to commit to a later specialization.
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Paladin level progression: reach level 6 first
Levels 1–4: establish your role
Choose a fighting style to match your priorities. A two-handed weapon style is a reasonable choice when you want to emphasize melee damage; a shield-oriented style is a better fit when protecting allies and staying durable matter more. Neither choice is best for every party or campaign.
At level 2, Paladins gain spellcasting and Divine Smite. Charisma is your spellcasting ability, so it supports both your spells and one of the class’s most valuable later features. Select spells that help your party’s actual needs rather than treating every slot as fuel for damage.
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At level 3, choose an oath. The 2014 class presents the Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Ancients, and Oath of Vengeance, with oath features at levels 3, 7, 15, and 20. Which oath is strongest depends on its features in the context of your campaign; the available rules details do not establish a definitive ranking among them.
Level 5: gain Extra Attack
Extra Attack lets you make two attacks when you take the Attack action. This increases the number of opportunities to land a weapon hit and gives you more flexibility in deciding when to spend a spell slot on Divine Smite.
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Level 6: gain Aura of Protection
While you are conscious, Aura of Protection adds your Charisma modifier to saving throws made by you and friendly creatures within 10 feet. This is a significant party benefit, not merely a personal defense feature, and makes Charisma especially valuable. Paladin 6 is a strong point to pause and consider whether your campaign rewards staying in the class or branching out.
How Divine Smite works under the 2014 rules
After you hit with a melee weapon attack, you can expend a spell slot to deal additional radiant damage. A 1st-level slot adds 2d8; each slot level above 1st adds another 1d8, to a maximum of 5d8. Against a fiend or undead, the damage gains another 1d8, to a maximum of 6d8. These are the 2014 class rules, not a claim that spending a slot on every hit is optimal.
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Slots are limited, so weigh an immediate burst against the spells and later encounters those slots could support. Since Divine Smite is chosen after a melee weapon attack hits, you can reserve it for a hit where extra damage is especially useful. Do not confuse this 2014 timing with the 2024 Paladin’s Bonus Action smite procedure; D&D Beyond outlines the edition change in 2024 Paladin vs. 2014 Paladin: What’s New.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.After Paladin 6: continue to level 11 or multiclass?
Stay Paladin for the level 11 damage feature
At Paladin level 11, Improved Divine Smite adds 1d8 radiant damage whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon. If your character will reach that level, this is an important benefit to compare against anything a multiclass could offer. Continuing Paladin also keeps your progression focused on the class’s own features.
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Consider multiclassing only against your campaign’s needs
A multiclass after Paladin 6 may suit a particular party, character concept, or campaign, but there is no objectively strongest option established here. Compare the benefit you would gain from another class with the Paladin levels and features you would delay. The decision is especially sensitive to the campaign’s level cap: a build that looks attractive in a long campaign may never reach its payoff in a shorter one.
Preparing spells and managing Charisma
A Paladin prepares a number of spells equal to their Charisma modifier plus half their Paladin level, rounded down, with a minimum of one. You can change your prepared list after a long rest. This lets you adjust between adventures as the party’s expected challenges change.
Charisma serves two jobs: it is the Paladin’s spellcasting ability, and its modifier strengthens Aura of Protection for you and nearby allies. Give it meaningful priority rather than treating it as a secondary roleplay statistic. Exact ability scores depend on ancestry, ability-score generation, and the options your table allows, so there is no single score array that fits every 2014 character.
How to choose your version of the build
- For a reliable class foundation: take Paladin to level 6, securing Extra Attack and Aura of Protection.
- For sustained melee damage: weigh continuing toward level 11, where Improved Divine Smite adds damage on each melee weapon hit.
- For party protection: favor a shield-oriented fighting style and value Charisma for Aura of Protection.
- For burst damage: use Divine Smite selectively, keeping in mind that spell slots also support your spellcasting.
- For a specialized multiclass: decide only after considering the campaign’s level cap, encounter mix, party composition, and the Paladin features you would delay.
The rules establish strong class milestones, but they do not prove one oath, weapon setup, feat path, or multiclass is best in every game. Treat “most powerful” as a goal to define at your own table—not a universal ranking.
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For this build, use the 2014 Player’s Handbook if you want the edition-matched printed rules. D&D Beyond also provides the official 2014 Basic Rules — Classes. Check that your table is using the 2014 rules before applying this progression; 2024 class features and smite timing are not interchangeable with it.
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