Oath Of The Ancients Paladin: D&D 2024 (5.5e) Subclass Optimisation Guide

Be a protector of life and nature with this primeval paladin subclass.

Paladins of the oath of the ancients belong to an order older than all others. Although not bereft of the qualities of courage and honour, these paladins are more devoted to the preservation of light and life.

These paladins have a love of beauty and the natural world and enforce its protection. Often, these paladins can be recognised by engraved leaves, plants and animals on their armor.

Like other paladins, those if the oath of the ancients adhere to a simple set of tenets that guide their actions. These are:

Kindle the light of hope
Shelter life
Delight in art and laughter

Although the 2024 ancients paladin operates in a largely similar way to the 2014 version, it’s power levels have been dialed up a decent bit. This guide will go through how you can optimise an ancients paladin as well as tactics you can use.

At a glance

Half caster, half martial class
Tank class capable of taking a beating
Highly resilient subclass, even for a paladin
Also great for some crowd control

What’s changed in D&D 2024?

Although there aren’t a lot of changes to the ancients paladin, the features do get improved considerably. These changes include:

Undying sentinel now let’s you recover 3 times your paladin level in hit points instead of just returning you to 1hp.
Nature’s wrath has an extra 5ft of range and affects all creatures you choose within the area.
Targets must also make a strength saving throw rather than a choice of strength or dexterity to escape from nature’s wrath.
Elder champion can now be used with a bonus action and can be re-used by expending a 5th level spell slot.

Related articles

Oath of the ancients features

Oath of the ancients spells – Lv3

How it works

Get the following as prepared spells at the relevant levels:

Paladin level	Spells
3	Ensnaring strike, speak with animals
5	Misty step, moonbeam
9	Plant growth, protection from energy
13	Ice storm, stone skin
17	Commune with nature, tree stride

Tactics

Ensnaring strike is a strong alternative to your smites (or even in addition to them). Restrained is powerful, and while there’s a chance it’ll do nothing, success is highly disarming.
Other spells provide some utility like misty step and speak with animals. The latter is about as useful as your DM allows it to be, but it can be easy to make it useful.
Moonbeam is hard to recommend unless you happen to be fighting a shapeshifter or can catch 3 or more enemies in its area. A single attack with a greatsword will average about as much damage as this, and that doesn’t include additions from feats and smites. Even 2 thrown attacks should average more damage than this. The best use for this is as a long range attack, when enemies gather really close together or to reveal a shapeshifter.
I also think that things like commune with nature and tree stride are too situational and challenging to make useful. Both rely on being in nature and tree stride is problematic in combat other than as an escape route due to its reliance on being cast as an action. Commune with nature relies on exploration elements of the game that shouldn’t be too hard to discover anyway. On the whole, I think the ancients paladin gets a few too many poor spells.

Nature’s wrath – Lv3

How it works

Use your channel divinity and a magic action to attempt to restrain all creatures of your choice within 15ft.

Tactics

Restrained is a powerful condition and a 15ft emanation is reasonably big. On top of this, creatures must use strength for the saving throws which can make this a hard one for certain creatures to escape.
As this isn’t a spell, there’s no use of concentration meaning you can concentrate on something else and not worry about getting hit and breaking your concentration.
I’d generally say that if you can get a few enemies in this effect, then it’s worth sacrificing your attacks to make it work. Unless those enemies are quite weak anyway.

Aura of warding – Lv7

How it works

Your aura of protection now provides resistance to necrotic, psychic and radiant damage to yourself and allies.

Tactics

3 resistances is quite strong, even if they’re not the most common damage types, though necrotic damage does come up a fair bit with certain types of creatures.
This is mainly just another reason to keep your friends close.

Undying sentinel – Lv15

How it works

If reduced to 0hp, once per long rest, you can instead drop to 1hp and regain 3 times your paladin level in hp. This can be done once per long rest.

Tactics

This is a restoration of at least 46hp which is pretty high.
This is another resilience feature to add to the many you already have. Just enjoy being tougher and diverting attacks away from allies.

Elder champion – Lv20

How it works

Use a bonus action to get the following benefits for 10 minutes:

Enemies in your aura have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells and channel divinity castings.
At the start of your turn, regain 10hp.
You can now cast spells with a casting time of an action as a bonus action instead.

Tactics

This turns you into the ultimate tanky caster. Nature’s wrath becomes even more powerful now. Though be aware that this still requires an action to cast.
You may want to carefully consider what spells you have at your disposal now you can cast them as a bonus action. Gaining access to cantrips through species traits, the blessed warrior fighting style or the magic initiate feat becomes quite appealing at this point, allowing you to cast something like toll the dead as a bonus action at 4d12 damage without expending a spell slot.
You can think bigger than cantrips too. Laying down something like destructive wave can be devastating with a simple bonus action. If you and your allies want to deliver a lot of attacks, I’d consider crusader’s mantle. Or for some crowd control, banishment is usually a strong option.

Building an ancients paladin

Path of glory paladin DnD 2024 — Paladin: Wizards of the Coast

The oath of ancients is an interesting subclass in the sense that it primarily makes you (and your allies) tougher, but it leans into elements of battlefield control, particularly with nature’s wrath. But at level 20, it then pushes you down a highly spell focused route with action spells requiring only a bonus action, for instance. It’s an unusual shift, it doesn’t change to much about how I’d look at building out your character, but will affect how you play at the highest levels.

Ability scores

Recommended options

Strength: Strength weapons will hit harder so tend to be your best option, especially when it’s so easy to whack some heavy armor on and ignore dexterity.
Constitution: You’ll want to wade right into the thick of combat to really make the most of nature’s wrath and your general hardiness so plenty of constitution is a good idea.
Charisma: Important for your spellcasting and your face skills.
Dexterity (optional): You can go for a dexterity build, but it’s likely less effective as you’ll do less damage and heavy armor can compensate for your lack of dexterity. You can do better with ranged weapons with dexterity but you rarely want to be using those and can use thrown weapons or even cantrips (with the right feats) if you want to instead.

Options to avoid

Intelligence: Almost pointless.
Wisdom: Also rarely needed by a paladin.

Ability score	Point Buy	Standard Array
Strength	15	15
Dexterity	8	12
Constitution	15	14
Intelligence	8	8
Wisdom	8	10
Charisma	15	13

Skills

Recommended options

Athletics: You’re better off with this than acrobatics as a strength-leaning class.
Insight: Strong face skill.
Intimidation: Decent face skill if you intend to role play in a more imposing manner.
Persuasion: Your best face skill and should be top of your list as a potential party face.

Options to avoid

Medicine: You’ve got things like lay on hands for quick healing, you’re far better off using that.
Religion: Not a bad skill as such, but as a probable party face, there’s just more important skills to take. I’d only take this if the party is already proficient in the other skill options.

Species/race

There are a few things to consider when choosing a species for an oath of the ancients paladin:

Resilience: Anything that can toughen you up as you throw yourself into the midst of your enemies will be beneficial.
Innate spellcasting: As a spellcaster, you can repeat cast spells and your charisma should be strong enough to do this well. You also have a limited repertoire of spells, especially in the cantrip department. You could consider grabbing a ranged cantrip for the occasional ranged attack.
Damage dealing: You’ll likely be making a lot of attacks so anything that can enhance this will be useful.

Recommended options

Aasimar (2024): Resistance to necrotic and radiant damage increases your durability. For celestial revelation, inner radiance is a little tricky as you’re such a big team player and it will hurt allies so necrotic shroud is probably your best bet, but probably only when you’re out of uses of nature’s wrath which is superior. Temporary flight can be useful, especially out of combat or for hard to reach enemies. You don’t really need the healing, but it’s a decent emergency option if you run out of lay on hands.
Dragonborn (2024): You don’t get much in the way of AoE damage as a paladin, but you will like getting close to your enemies. This makes a Dragonborn’s breath weapon a really useful tool. You can use it in place of just one of your attacks too. Temporary flight again lets you get to hard to reach enemies. Plus there’s a resistance for better durability.
Dwarf (2024): Be the tankiest tank around with extra hit points, poison resistance and advantage on saving throws against the poisoned condition.
Goliath (2024): Faster movement is handy for getting into battle quickly. Your giant ancestry grants some very useful options too. For a paladin, the durability of the stone giants, knocking enemies prone with hill giant and extra damage from fire giants are all great options.
Human (2024): A great option if you want to be the party face and need the extra skill proficiency. You’ll also get an extra origin feat and a regular supply of heroic inspiration is always useful
Orc (2024): Not only can you survive a bit longer as an Orc, you can also charge even further with a bonus action dash. Handy for a character that will want to charge into combat quickly.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are much more important now with D&D 2024 as the ability score increases previously tied to your race/species are now linked to your background. You also get an origin feat linked to your background too.

Primarily, you want to focus on increasing key ability scores (mainly strength, constitution and charisma) with the associated origin feat being your next priority. As such, I’d suggest the below are your best backgrounds for an ancients paladin:

Name	Ability scores	Origin feat	Skill proficiencies	Tool proficiency
Charlatan	Dexterity, constitution, charisma	Skilled	Deception, sleight of hand	Forgery kit
Entertainer	Strength, dexterity, charisma	Musician	Acrobatics, performance	One type of musical instrument
Farmer	Strength, constitution, wisdom	Tough	Animal handling, nature	Carpenter’s tools
Merchant	Constitution, intelligence, charisma	Lucky	Animal handling, persuasion	Navigator’s tools
Noble	Strength, intelligence, charisma	Skilled	History, persuasion	One type of gaming set
Soldier	Strength, dexterity, constitution	Savage attacker	Athletics, intimidation	One kind of gaming set

Farmer and soldier are probably your best options with strength and constitution increases. Tough will make you more durable while savage attacker will make you hit a little harder.

Feats

At 1st level, you can grab an origin feat through your background and from level 4, you can pick up a general feat (or another origin feat if you want) instead of an ability score increase.

General feats are all half feats now as they give an ability score increase and the traits of a feat. But you’ll need to give up the +2 from a standard ability score increase to get them.

Below are some feats I’d recommend for an oath of the ancients paladin:

Origin feats

Lucky – More ways to be reliable at important rolls is universally beneficial.
Magic initiate – Grab some more spells, including a couple of cantrips. Something like thunderclap and thunderwave are great for melee combat against multiple foes. Alternatively, grab a ranged cantrip for a decent ranged attack. Toll the dead is a strong option for this. You should have the charisma to make these spells work.
Musician – A universally great feat for dishing out heroic inspiration. Great for altruistic paladins (which is most of them). Plus you can ensure you have some heroic inspiration available too.
Savage attacker – Decent enough damage dealing feat to make your attacks a little more powerful.
Skilled – You aren’t able to be proficient in all face skills, but party faces typically need a bunch of these so skilled can help fill your skill gaps.
Tough – Lean into your strengths and become even more durable.

General feats

Defensive duelist – Good for some reactionary defence. You will likely sacrifice some damage output, but if you’re going for sword and shield anyway, you can just grab a rapier for damage equal to a longsword.
Dual wielder – Solid option if you intend to go for two weapon fighting, especially if wielding a weapon with the nick weapon mastery property.
Fey-touched – You already get misty step as a prepared spell, but a free casting of it and an extra spell is just about worth it anyway. I’d consider grabbing hex or hunter’s mark (I’d go with hex personally). You can also grab things like sleep, Tasha’s hideous laughter and silvery barbs. You can check out my full guide to the fey-touched feat for more ways to use this.
Grappler – Paladins can make great grapplers. This will let you attack and grapple as part of the same unarmed strike, which also means you can grapple and smite.
Great weapon master – More damage from your attacks is great if you intend to wield heavy weapons.
Heavy armor master – Basically reduce damage from all bludgeoning, piercing and slashing attacks is great for a tank if you’re going to be wearing heavy armor.
Inspiring leader – Great for granting temporary hit points to the party. Go for the charisma increase to make this work best.
Mage slayer – Best against mages, but having what is practically legendary resistance is also great.
Mounted combatant – You can easily summon your own mount from level 5 onwards and this can give you a serious edge in combat. Advantage against basically anything medium or smaller is pretty nice.
Sentinel – Basically a free attack as a reaction reasonably often plus a small amount of bonus action damage when you don’t have spells or smites to expend with your bonus action.
Shield master – Better protection from some nasty AoE damage spells and a free push or prone with your shield can free up your weapon mastery uses for something like cleave.
Skill expert – If you want to get really good at a face skill, then this works great.

Fighting style feats

Your options here are mainly going to depend on how you want to approach fighting. If you’re going to be dual wielding, then grab two weapon fighting, if you’re going to be making unarmed strikes, take unarmed fighting and so on. You can check out my full guide to fighting style feats for more advice.

Weapons

This largely depends on how you want to lean into combat. Below is some broad advice you can apply when choosing what kind of weapon approach you want:

Dual wielding: Go with dual wielding if you want more attacks. Grab a weapon with the nick property and make sure you take the dual wielder feat and two weapon fighting style to maximise your effectiveness here. The interactions between feats and abilities for dual wielding can get complicated so check out my dual wielding guide for some help here.
Two-handed weapons: Go with these for the highest damage with a single weapon.
Sword and shield: Go for a sword and shield if you want greater protection. As a general rule, this will keep you in the battle longer and is often worth it in the long run, even if it does diminish your damage output.
Unarmed fighting: You’ll need to grab some feats to make this work, namely, tavern brawler, grappler and unarmed fighting. With these though, you can be a really effective grappler and can even use smites with your unarmed attacks now.
Thrown weapons: Paladins tend to be a bit poor in the ranged department, but you will undoubtedly need to make ranged attacks at some point. Your dexterity will likely be low so thrown weapons are the way to go here (unless you can grab some cantrips from a feat or species trait).

When it comes to which weapon to choose, this will primarily come down to the amount of damage the weapon causes and the weapon mastery associated with it. Check out my weapon mastery guide for more advice on this.

Armor

Paladins have a lot of ability scores to focus on so building into dexterity is tricky. With that in mind, I’d generally go for heavy armor. Plate armor is best, but you can grab splint armor until you have the money for plate.

You could go for medium armor or light armor if you have the dexterity for it but this should be rarer with a paladin. Grab a shield if you want some extra durability at the expense of some damage output.