D&D 5E Viability of my Paladin Build?

[LordStradhsBatman]

Morning All

So i've been playing a few sessions as my new character after my old one bit the dust but i'm unsure viability wise of how long shes going to survive or what I can do to improve how I play.

It's a level 5 Oath of Ancients Paladin, Dark Elf.
My base stats are
Str 17, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 6, Cha 16
Level 4 Feat : ASI +1 Str , +1 Con
Equipment : Half Plate & a +1 Longsword
Standard AC 18 , Max HP 54

From an RP pov I want to use Longsword alone, not greatsword or Sword + shield if i can help it, otherwise i'll have to take warcaster and we never roll for concentration so it seems a bit of a waste (last character had it and never came up in a full year)

However i'm beginning to wonder if this is actually viable in the long run or i'm going to be nerfing myself for sake of my head cannon for the character.

Main problems I have are:
1) Party Make Up - 3/6 are spell casters who almost soley focus on damage. 1/6 is a rogue who will leeroy jenkins at the biggest enemy furthest away from everyone else.
2) The only other Melee/front liner is a barbarian/monk multiclass who chose to role health increases and is very squishy
3) Heavy damage dealing - All encounters seem to deal heavy damage and an AC of 20 (buffed with shield of faith) usually never stops a hit landing.
4) No healers - My last character was our healer, DM straight up killed me. Since then we're reliant on potions and the odd spell the warlock casts in betweemn Eldritch Blast.
*I know as a Pally I have Lay on Hands & cure wounds. Generally i'm using it to prop myself up or the barbarian and it's usually spent two/three rounds into combat.

So is it viable and any tips on playing better if so?

 

[Quartz]

Which fighting style did you take?

Hmm... dark elf. Not so good above ground. I remember in one of Feist's Midkemia novels there's an elf who turns from being evil. "I have returned." You might like to work that in at some point, stopping being a dark elf and becoming some other sort of aboveground elf.

I'm not sure I understand your decision to take +1/+1 at level 4. Why not take one +2? Then you can take the other +2 at level 8? Or are you banking on getting stat bumps from other sources?

I wouldn't worry about spellcasting. Chances are that in combat you're using your few spells as smites. So sword (or spear) + shield + Duelling style will be preferred.

But really, that's all mechanics. Just answer this question: are you having fun? If you're having fun then don't worry about anything else.

 

[LordStradhsBatman]

I took Defensive fighting style for the +1ac

I took +1/+1 to bump both from 17 to 18. Going +2 to either would have ended at 19, so no net benefit for doing so and if i wanted to cap them down the line i'd need to put a +1 into it down the line one way or other. At least that was my logic at the time.

 

[Mort]

Paladins are one of the strongest class options (especially for martials) and are generally viable regardless of oath and secondary choices.

Defense (for the +1 AC) is fine, but you may want to consider:

Dueling - you're using a 1 handed weapon, the +2 to damage (per attack) from Dueling is a great way to add damage.

or

Has the sunlight sensitivity been an issue? Under the right (wrong) conditions consistent disadvantage on attacks is huge. Might want to take blind fighting (from Tasha's) to offset that. Getting rid of constant disadvantage is definitely worth a fighting style! Plus, big bonus if your DM likes invisible or otherwise hidden opponents.

 

[LordStradhsBatman]

Paladins are one of the strongest class options (especially for martials) and are generally viable regardless of oath and secondary choices.

Defense (for the +1 AC) is fine, but you may want to consider:

Dueling - you're using a 1 handed weapon, the +2 to damage (per attack) from Dueling is a great way to add damage.

or

Has the sunlight sensitivity been an issue? Under the right (wrong) conditions consistent disadvantage on attacks is huge. Might want to take blind fighting (from Tasha's) to offset that. Getting rid of constant disadvantage is definitely worth a fighting style! Plus, big bonus if your DM likes invisible or otherwise hidden opponents.

I did wonder about duelling, could pick up fighting initiate at level 8 and go from there. I'm currently using it verstile and mixing in two handed with one handed. Would you recommend capping strength up to 20 too?

Sunlight sensitivity isn't an issue, to fit in with his homebrew world the DM has all but removed it - No disadvantage on attack rolls, no superior dark vision though. Did convince him to leave disadvantage to perception though as it fits my low wisom and how I RP it.

For context why he's done this:
Drow in this world don't come from the underdark, it's the DM's own homebrew world based on Norse Mythos. Traditional pantheons such as the Seldarine don't exist and it's almost exclusivly his own homebrew norse patheon. Drow originally come from Svartálfheim but were displaced here along with Dwarves at somepoint in the distant past. Not sure why but it seems like Svartálfheim might be destroyed, he said we'll find out eventually and it's one of the nine realms no one in game has mentioned yet. The underdark exists in name, but while we haven't been there it seems to exclusivly serve as a gateway to Helheim based on out of character things he's said.

 

[Mort]

I did wonder about duelling, could pick up fighting initiate at level 8 and go from there. I'm currently using it verstile and mixing in two handed with one handed. Would you recommend capping strength up to 20 too?

Yeah, capping strength is a big benefit, 2 extra to hit and damage from where you are now.

Though extra CHA is also great, especially when you hit 6th.

When I did a paladin, concentration was a big issue, so I actually took Resilient Con. Auto success on DC 10 or lower concentration checks ( after 6th level) is pretty nice.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Defensive style makes sense instead of dueling if you don’t want to use a shield. Its not optimal but in 5e you don’t need optimal.

 

[Quartz]

I took +1/+1 to bump both from 17 to 18.

Ah right. I thought you took both from 16 to 17.

 

[LordStradhsBatman]

Yeah, capping strength is a big benefit, 2 extra to hit and damage from where you are now.

Though extra CHA is also great, especially when you hit 6th.

When I did a paladin, concentration was a big issue, so I actually took Resilient Con. Auto success on DC 10 or lower concentration checks ( after 6th level) is pretty nice.

Resilience Con is actually a fairly good idea!

My progression plan with that in mind could be

• level 8 : Resilience Con - Give me the proficiency on saving throws, be good for helping with concentration savings without having to take warcast and put my Con up to 19
• Level 12 : +1 Con / +1 Cha - Max Constitution, puts Charisma to 18
• Level 16 : +2 Str - Maxes that out at 20 too
• Level 19 : last ones tricky. I could +2 Cha which puts my spell save from 18 to 19. However as survivability is a key factor i could take tough pushing my hit points from 224 to 264. Or i could take dueling for the extra damage to one handed weapons. Thats gonna be a tough one.

 

[LordStradhsBatman]

Defensive style makes sense instead of dueling if you don’t want to use a shield. Its not optimal but in 5e you don’t need optimal.

Yea survivability seems like a key way to go. I'm leaning towards Tough as i've got defensive fighting style already, it'll boost my hp by 40 to 264 when i'm at level 20.