Aasimar Oath of the Ancients Paladin Build Guide
The Aasimar Oath of the Ancients Paladin combines Aura of Warding with Celestial Resistance to create an unkillable defender against both magical and necrotic threats.
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Why Oath of the Ancients?
If you want to play a Paladin that completely trivializes enemy spellcasters while locking down the battlefield, the Aasimar Oath of the Ancients is your apex predator. While standard Paladins rely solely on Aura of Protection to survive saving throws, the Ancients Paladin takes it a massive step further at level 7 with Aura of Warding, granting you and your frontline allies flat resistance to all spell damage. When you stack this with the Aasimar's innate Celestial Resistance to radiant and necrotic damage, you become a walking anti-magic fortress.
Mechanically, this subclass patches the Paladin's biggest weakness: crowd control. The provided Oath spells transform you from a simple melee smite-bot into a primal battlefield controller. Having access to Entangle and Spike Growth means you can completely dictate enemy positioning, forcing them to shred themselves on thorns or stay locked in place while you beat them down. Furthermore, the updated Nature's Wrath gives you a devastating reaction to boost attack rolls or save DCs by your Charisma modifier, perfectly utilizing your 14 Charisma.
The Aasimar chassis ties this whole package together. Healing Hands gives you a burst of non-spell healing to supplement Lay on Hands, and Celestial Revelation allows you to add extra radiant damage to your attacks. You are not just a defender; you are a primal celestial warden that punishes anything foolish enough to cast a spell in your vicinity.
Oath of the Ancients Features
Nature's Wrath
Level 3When a creature within 10 feet of you that you can see hits a target with an attack roll, you can use your Reaction to add your Charisma modifier to the attack roll or saving throw DC. In addition, when you cast a spell that deals damage, you can spend 1 spell slot to increase the damage by 1d6 per spell slot spent.
Oath of the Ancients Spells
Level 3You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of the Ancients Spells table. [Oath of the Ancients Spells: 1st - Entangle, Goodberry; 2nd - Barkskin, Spike Growth; 3rd - Call Lightning, Plant Growth; 4th - Grasping Vine, Guardian of Nature; 5th - Maelstrom, Wrath of Nature]
Aura of Warding
Level 7Ancient magic still lingers in your aura, shielding you and your allies from fey and undead creatures. You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have Resistance to damage from spells. In addition, creatures within 10 feet of you have Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed or Frightened.
Undying Sentinel
Level 15You gain the ability to sense the presence of undead within 1 mile of you. If you sense undead this way, you know their general direction. When you sense undead this way, you can use your Reaction to gain Advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the end of your next turn.
Elder Champion
Level 20When you reach 20th level, you can use your action to gain temporary hit points equal to your Paladin level + your Charisma modifier. Additionally, for 1 minute, whenever a friendly creature within 30 feet of you takes damage, you can use your Reaction to reduce that damage by half.
Recommended Ability Scores
Aasimar Traits That Benefit Oath of the Ancients Paladin
Celestial Resistance
Built-in damage resistance reduces incoming damage, keeping your Paladin alive longer in combat.
Healing Hands
Additional healing ability supplements the Paladin's support capabilities.
Celestial Revelation
Aasimar celestial heritage thematically and mechanically synergizes with the Paladin's divine power.
Darkvision
Aasimar Darkvision helps Paladins scout ahead and fight in darkness without needing a torch.
Combat Effectiveness
| Level | HP | Melee DPR | Spell DPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 0 |
| Level 11 | 81 | 7.15 | 0 |
| Level 17 | 123 | 7.15 | 0 |
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Build Path (Levels 1-20)
Levels 1-4
Start with a stat array prioritizing 15 Strength and 14 Charisma. Take the Defense Fighting Style at level 2; you want to be an untouchable bulwark. At level 3, you swear the Oath of the Ancients, unlocking Nature's Wrath. This reaction is incredible—adding your Charisma modifier to a nearby ally's attack roll or spell DC turns near-misses into massive hits. You also get Entangle and Goodberry. Use Entangle to lock down groups of enemies, generating advantage for your heavy melee swings. At level 4, take the Polearm Master feat to weaponize your bonus action and secure your reaction for opportunity attacks when enemies enter your reach.
Levels 5-10
Level 5 brings Extra Attack and 2nd-level spells, specifically Spike Growth. Dropping Spike Growth in a chokepoint while wielding a halberd turns you into a meatgrinder. Level 6 grants Aura of Protection, and Level 7 is your holy grail: Aura of Warding. You and allies within 10 feet now take half damage from spells. Enemy wizards will weep. At level 8, take your first Ability Score Improvement to bump your Strength to 18 (assuming a racial +1 brought your 15 to a 16 initially) to ensure your strikes land consistently. Level 9 brings 3rd-level spells, giving you Plant Growth for massive, concentration-free area control.
Levels 11-16
Level 11 grants Improved Divine Smite, adding a passive 1d8 radiant damage to every hit—which stacks beautifully with your Aasimar Celestial Revelation damage. At level 12, max your Strength to 20. Level 13 provides 4th-level spells, including the phenomenal Guardian of Nature, giving you advantage on Strength-based attacks to fish for critical Divine Smites. Level 15 grants Undying Sentinel. This gives you a 1-mile undead radar and a potent reaction to gain advantage against undead targets, solidifying your role as a hunter of unnatural blights. At level 16, increase your Charisma to 16 to buff your Aura of Protection and Nature's Wrath reaction.
Levels 17-20
Level 17 unlocks 5th-level Paladin spells; grab Destructive Wave to knock enemies prone inside your auras. At level 19, take the Resilient (Constitution) feat or Sentinel to further lock enemies into your Spike Growth. Finally, level 20 transforms you into the Elder Champion. You gain massive temporary hit points (Paladin level + Charisma modifier) and a 1-minute buff that lets you use your reaction to drastically reduce incoming damage to nearby allies. You are now the ultimate anchor for your party, virtually impossible to kill and violently protective of your team.
Recommended Spells
Cantrips
Paladins do not inherently get cantrips, but as an Aasimar, you gain the Light cantrip. Cast it on your halberd so your human party members can see in the dark, though your innate Darkvision means you don't strictly need it yourself.
Level 1-2 Spells
Entangle: A fantastic 1st-level Oath spell. Restraining enemies gives you advantage on your attacks, drastically increasing your chance to land a critical Divine Smite.
Spike Growth: This 2nd-level Oath spell completely warps the battlefield. Cast it and stand at the edge with your polearm; enemies have to shred their own hit points just to reach you.
Find Steed: Essential mobility. A warhorse gets you into position so your Aura of Warding covers your vulnerable allies immediately.
Level 3-5 Spells
Plant Growth: A 3rd-level Oath spell that quarters enemy movement and doesn't require concentration. Combine this with Spike Growth and enemies will simply never reach you.
Guardian of Nature: A 4th-level Oath spell that gives you advantage on Strength attacks and 15 temporary hit points. This is your premier boss-fighting buff.
Find Greater Steed: Upgrade to a Griffon or Pegasus. Flying mounts let you project your Aura of Warding into the sky to protect flying spellcasters.
High-Level Spells
Destructive Wave: At 17th level, this is your ultimate crowd control. 10d6 damage and knocking enemies prone without hurting your allies is phenomenal for peeling enemies off your backline.
Holy Weapon: If you don't need Guardian of Nature, adding 2d8 radiant damage to every polearm strike maximizes your sustained DPR.
Recommended Feats
Polearm Master
Take this at level 4. The Oath of the Ancients thrives on zone control. By wielding a halberd or glaive, you can hit enemies from 10 feet away. When they enter your reach, you get a reaction attack, which pairs perfectly with holding the line in front of your squishy wizards.
Sentinel
The bread-and-butter combo with Polearm Master. If an enemy tries to walk through your Spike Growth or past your Aura of Warding to hit your wizard, you hit them with an opportunity attack and drop their speed to 0. They are now stuck in the thorns and away from your allies.
Resilient (Constitution)
Because your Oath spells like Spike Growth, Entangle, and Guardian of Nature require concentration, you need to protect it. Proficiency in Constitution saves, stacked with your Aura of Protection, means you will almost never drop a spell from taking damage.
Fey Touched
Paladins severely lack mobility. Taking Fey Touched gives you a +1 to Charisma (buffing your Nature's Wrath and Auras) and grants you Misty Step. This allows you to teleport directly into the fray, instantly providing Aura of Warding to allies who are caught out of position.
Gear Progression
Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)
Start with Chain Mail and a Halberd or Glaive. Your primary goal is to get your AC as high as possible while maintaining reach. Keep a few javelins on hand for flying enemies, though your Entangle spell can help ground faster targets if you catch them low enough.
Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)
Upgrade to Splint, and eventually Plate Armor as soon as you can afford it. Seek out a +1 Halberd to bypass non-magical bludgeoning/piercing/slashing resistance. A Cloak of Protection is highly desired here; stacking +1 AC and +1 to all saves on top of your Aura of Protection makes you a statistical nightmare for the DM.
Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)
Look for a Belt of Hill Giant Strength to free up your ASIs, or a +2/+3 Halberd. A Necklace of Prayer Beads can be incredible, allowing you to cast Bless or Cure Wounds as a bonus action. Since you have Aura of Warding for spell damage resistance, finding Adamantine Plate Armor to negate critical hits shores up your vulnerability to martial burst damage.
Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)
The Holy Avenger is the ultimate Paladin weapon, granting advantage on saving throws against spells for you and your aura. When combined with Aura of Warding's spell damage resistance, you and your team take quarter-damage from spells on a failed save, and zero damage on a success. Pair this with +3 Plate Armor to become mathematically invincible.
Party Composition
The Aasimar Oath of the Ancients Paladin is the ultimate anti-mage Defender. Your job is to stand in the frontline, project your Aura of Protection and Aura of Warding, and use Spike Growth to dictate where the enemy is allowed to walk. Because your auras have a 10-foot radius (expanding to 30 feet at level 18), you want allies who naturally play in the mid-range or frontline.
An Evocation Wizard is your best friend. Because of Sculpt Spells, they can drop Fireball directly on your head. If an enemy caster tries the same trick, your Aura of Warding cuts the damage in half. You also pair exceptionally well with a Warlock or Ranger with forced movement abilities like Repelling Blast or Swarmkeeper pushes; they can repeatedly shove enemies through the Spike Growth you set up, triggering the piercing damage over and over again.
Avoid pairing this build with purely hit-and-run skirmishers like ranged Rogues or Monks who operate 60 feet away from you. If they aren't standing in your auras, they are wasting half of your subclass features.
Multiclass Options
Hexblade Warlock 1 or 2
Taking a one-level dip in Hexblade allows you to attack with your Charisma modifier. This makes the build incredibly Single Ability Dependent (SAD), allowing you to max Charisma early to perfectly optimize your Aura of Protection, Aura of Warding, and Nature's Wrath reaction. A second level gives you Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast, letting you push enemies into your own Spike Growth.
Divine Soul Sorcerer 3 or 4
A 3-level dip gives you access to the Shield spell and Absorb Elements, pushing your survivability into the stratosphere. More importantly, it gives you Metamagic. Using Quickened Spell to cast Entangle or Spike Growth as a bonus action leaves your main action free to attack twice and drop Divine Smites on the same turn.
Common Pitfalls
- Misunderstanding Aura of Warding: This aura grants resistance to damage from spells. It does not grant resistance to magical effects like a Dragon's Breath weapon or a Mind Flayer's Mind Blast. Don't charge a Red Dragon assuming you resist its fire.
- Wasting Actions on Healing Hands in Combat: As an Aasimar, your Healing Hands takes an action. Unless an ally is at 0 HP and making death saves, do not waste your turn healing 10 HP when you could be attacking twice and utilizing Divine Smite.
- Ignoring your Oath Spells: Many Paladins just prepare Bless and use their slots for smiting. Ancients Paladins get Spike Growth and Plant Growth. Failing to use these to control chokepoints is wasting the best part of your subclass.
- Popping Celestial Revelation too late: Activating your Aasimar transformation takes a bonus action. If you wait until round 3 to activate it, you've missed out on the bonus radiant damage for half the fight. Pop it on round 1, ideally before you close the gap into melee.
More Questions
Does Nature's Wrath work on my own attacks?
Can I stack Plant Growth and Spike Growth?
How exactly does Undying Sentinel's reaction work?
Does Elder Champion's damage reduction apply to me?
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ Oath of the Ancients grants Nature's Wrath at level 3
- ♦ High hit points for frontline durability
- ♦ Strong species-class synergy enhances core abilities
- ♦ Darkvision for dungeon exploration
- ♦ Strong melee damage output
Weaknesses
- ♦ May require careful feat selection to optimize
Pro Tips
Cast Spike Growth in narrow corridors so enemies have no choice but to walk through it to reach you.
Use your Nature's Wrath reaction to boost your Wizard's crucial spell save DCs by your Charisma modifier.
Activate Celestial Revelation on round one to stack its flat radiant damage with your Improved Divine Smite.
Position yourself within 10 feet of squishy allies so your Aura of Warding halves incoming fireball damage.
Combine Polearm Master with Sentinel to stop enemies dead in their tracks before they can bypass your auras.
Other Paladin Subclasses for Aasimar
Other Races for Oath of the Ancients Paladin
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oath of the Ancients a good subclass for Aasimar Paladin?
What makes Oath of the Ancients different from other Paladin subclasses?
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