Dragonborn Oath of Glory Paladin Build Guide
Combine Draconic Flight with the Peerless Athlete feature to become a highly mobile, temporary-HP-generating juggernaut that dominates the frontline.
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Why Oath of Glory?
The Dragonborn Oath of Glory Paladin is a hyper-mobile striker built entirely on momentum. While generic Paladins trudge slowly into melee, you activate Peerless Athlete to boost your speed by 10 feet, take to the skies with Draconic Flight, and dive-bomb the enemy backline. The synergy between your racial traits and subclass features transforms you into a self-sufficient missile that hands out temporary hit points every time you land a massive blow.
You are bringing an aggressive stat spread to the table: 15 Strength and 14 Charisma. Strength dictates your Polearm Master attacks and Divine Smite accuracy, while Charisma directly fuels your Aura of Alacrity at level 7. That aura is your defining team-play mechanic, granting allies a flat initiative boost to ensure your party strikes first. Throw in your Draconic Ancestry's Breath Weapon, and you patch up the classic Paladin weakness of poor area-of-effect damage.
This combo works perfectly because Oath of Glory rewards you for doing exactly what you want to do: smiting the biggest threat on the board. When you trigger an Inspiring Smite, you immediately distribute 1d6 plus your Paladin level in temporary hit points to your party. You act as a brutal striker who accidentally keeps the entire party alive just by dealing damage.
Oath of Glory Features
Inspiring Smite
Level 3Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack using Divine Smite, you can spend 1 sorcery point to grant yourself or a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Paladin level. The temporary hit points increase to 1d8 when you reach 6th level, 1d10 at 14th level, and 1d12 at 18th level.
Oath of Glory Spells
Level 3You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Glory Spells table. [Oath of Glory Spells: 1st - Guiding Bolt, Heroism; 2nd - Enhance Ability, Magic Weapon; 3rd - Haste, Spirit Shroud; 4th - Dominate Beast, Stoneskin; 5th - Cone of Cold, Hold Monster]
Peerless Athlete
Level 3As a Bonus Action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to your Paladin level. Additionally, your Speed increases by 10 feet, and your Armor Class is increased by 1 until the start of your next turn.
Aura of Alacrity
Level 7You emanate an aura of quick action while you aren't Incapacitated. When an ally within 10 feet of you that you can see rolls initiative, that creature gains a bonus to its roll equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1).
Glorious Defense
Level 15When a creature within 10 feet of you takes damage while you're conscious, you can use your Reaction to grant that creature temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier.
Living Legend
Level 20As an action, you can take the Dodge action and gain temporary hit points equal to your Paladin level + your Charisma modifier. Until the end of your next turn, whenever a creature within 10 feet of you takes damage, you can use your Reaction to reduce that damage by half (round down) using your Lay on Hands. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Recommended Ability Scores
Dragonborn Traits That Benefit Oath of Glory Paladin
Draconic Ancestry
Breath Weapon provides AoE damage that martial Paladins otherwise lack.
Breath Weapon
Breath Weapon provides AoE damage that martial Paladins otherwise lack.
Damage Resistance
Built-in damage resistance reduces incoming damage, keeping your Paladin alive longer in combat.
Draconic Flight
Flight provides incredible mobility, letting the Paladin reach otherwise inaccessible positions.
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 Paladin and select the Defense fighting style; you will need the AC since you are wielding a two-handed halberd. At level 3, the Oath of Glory comes online. You gain Guiding Bolt to pull aggro from a distance, and the crucial Inspiring Smite Channel Divinity. Whenever you land a Divine Smite, immediately spend your bonus action to distribute 1d6 + 3 temporary HP to your frontline allies. At level 4, take the Polearm Master feat. Weaponizing your bonus action gives you a third chance to crit and trigger your smites.
Levels 5-10
Level 5 brings Extra Attack and access to 2nd-level subclass spells like Magic Weapon. Level 6 gives you Aura of Protection, but Level 7 is where you redefine your party's combat flow with Aura of Alacrity. Keep your party's Rogue or Wizard within 10 feet of you before kicking down a door so they gain your Charisma modifier to their initiative rolls. At level 8, take the Resilient (Constitution) feat to bump your 13 CON to 14 and protect your concentration. You will need that concentration at level 9 when you unlock Haste from your Oath spells. Cast Haste, activate Draconic Flight, and enjoy 120 feet of flying speed.
Levels 11-16
Level 11 grants Improved Divine Smite, adding a passive 1d8 radiant damage to every halberd strike. Level 13 brings 4th-level spells, giving you Stoneskin for brutal melee encounters. Level 15 introduces Glorious Defense. When an ally within 10 feet takes damage, you can use your reaction to grant them 1d6 + your Charisma modifier in temporary hit points, potentially absorbing the blow entirely. At level 16, use your Ability Score Improvement to bump your Strength to 18, ensuring your attacks keep pace with Tier 3 enemy Armor Classes.
Levels 17-20
Level 17 grants 5th-level spells, including Cone of Cold, which stacks beautifully with your Breath Weapon to clear out minions. At level 20, you unlock Living Legend. By spending an action to dodge, you gain a massive pool of temporary hit points equal to your Paladin level + your Charisma modifier, and you can use your reaction to reduce damage taken by nearby allies. It turns you into an unkillable anchor for the final boss fight.
Recommended Spells
Cantrips
Paladins do not get cantrips natively. If you desperately want them, you would need the Blessed Warrior fighting style, but you should take Defense to survive melee combat instead.
Level 1-2 Spells
Guiding Bolt: Your level 3 Oath spell gives you a rare 4d6 radiant ranged attack. Use this when Draconic Flight cannot quite close the gap on turn one.
Bless: The mathematically best 1st-level spell in the game. Cast this if you lose Haste or need to buff your Great Weapon Master allies.
Find Steed: While Peerless Athlete improves your own movement, summoning a warhorse gives you an incredibly fast mount for open-field combat.
Level 3-5 Spells
Haste: Your 9th-level Oath spell is the crown jewel of this build. An extra attack, +2 AC, and doubled movement speed. Combined with Draconic Flight, you are unstoppable.
Spirit Shroud: If you are fighting in tight dungeon corridors where Haste's mobility is wasted, cast Spirit Shroud to add 1d8 radiant damage to all three of your Polearm Master attacks.
Find Greater Steed: Summon a Griffon to serve as your aerial mount, saving your Draconic Flight for when you get knocked off.
High-Level Spells
Cone of Cold: Your 17th-level Oath spell. When combined with your Dragonborn Breath Weapon, you can output staggering area-of-effect damage that martial characters usually lack.
Recommended Feats
Polearm Master
Take this at level 4. Generating a bonus action attack with the butt of your halberd gives you three attacks per turn by level 5. More attacks mean more chances to land a critical hit, which means bigger Divine Smites to trigger your Inspiring Smite Channel Divinity.
Resilient (Constitution)
Take this at level 8. It rounds out your odd 13 Constitution to a 14, granting you more maximum hit points. More importantly, it gives you proficiency in Constitution saving throws, which is absolutely mandatory to maintain concentration on your Haste spell while taking hits on the frontline.
Great Weapon Master
Take this at level 12. You have Haste to generate extra attacks, and Aura of Alacrity ensuring you get into position quickly. The -5 penalty to hit is easily offset by the sheer volume of attacks you are making, and the +10 damage per hit will skyrocket your overall DPR.
Gear Progression
Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)
Acquire a Halberd and Splint Armor as soon as possible. Keep a few javelins on hand for when Guiding Bolt is overkill, but rely primarily on closing the gap with your 10-foot Peerless Athlete speed boost.
Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)
Upgrade to Plate Armor to hit 18 AC (19 with the Defense fighting style). Seek out a +1 Halberd to bypass non-magical slashing resistance. If your DM allows it, a Cloak of Protection stacks beautifully with your Aura of Protection.
Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)
Hunt for a Belt of Fire Giant Strength. This magic item hard-sets your Strength to 25, allowing you to completely ignore Strength ASIs and pump your Charisma to 20. A 20 Charisma maximizes your Aura of Alacrity initiative bonus and your Glorious Defense temporary HP.
Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)
The Holy Avenger Halberd is your ultimate weapon. It grants advantage on saving throws against spells for you and anyone in your aura, and deals an extra 2d10 radiant damage against fiends and undead.
Party Composition
You are a Striker and a Frontline Enabler. Your job is to dive the most dangerous enemy on the field using Draconic Flight, hit them with a Divine Smite, and use Inspiring Smite to feed temporary hit points to your allies. You thrive in parties that rely on high initiative and aggressive positioning.
Pair this build with an Assassin Rogue or a Gloom Stalker Ranger. Both of these subclasses rely heavily on going first in combat to trigger their massive turn-one damage features. By keeping them within 10 feet of you before combat begins, your Aura of Alacrity guarantees they get your Charisma modifier added to their initiative roll.
You also pair incredibly well with squishy spellcasters like Wizards or Sorcerers. Because Inspiring Smite allows you to distribute temporary HP to any creature within 30 feet, you can Smite an enemy on the frontline and instantly bolster your backline caster who just took an arrow.
Multiclass Options
Hexblade Warlock 1-2 dip
Taking a single level in Hexblade Warlock allows you to attack with your Charisma modifier instead of Strength. This is incredibly potent for an Oath of Glory Paladin, as it lets you leave your Strength at 15 (just enough for Plate Armor) and max out Charisma. Max Charisma means a higher Aura of Alacrity initiative boost and a stronger Glorious Defense reaction.
Divine Soul Sorcerer 1-4 dip
Taking a few levels of Sorcerer gives you access to the Shield and Absorb Elements spells, which drastically increase your survivability. It also grants you Favored by the Gods to save a failed saving throw, and low-level spell slots that you can burn exclusively on Divine Smites to trigger Inspiring Smite more often.
Common Pitfalls
- Overwriting your own Temporary HP: Inspiring Smite, Peerless Athlete, and the Heroism spell all grant temporary hit points. Temporary HP does not stack in D&D 5e. Do not activate Peerless Athlete if you just gave yourself 15 temporary HP from an Inspiring Smite.
- Losing Concentration on Haste: If you lose concentration on Haste while in the air via Draconic Flight, you lose your turn to lethargy and potentially fall out of the sky. Always position carefully and ensure your Aura of Protection covers you.
- Hoarding Channel Divinity: Peerless Athlete lasts for 10 minutes. Do not wait until initiative is rolled to use it. Pop it before kicking down a dungeon door so you enter combat with the +10 speed and advantage on Athletics checks already active.
- Ignoring Aura of Alacrity Positioning: Aura of Alacrity only extends 10 feet until you reach level 18. If you are not literally standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your Rogue or Ranger right before combat starts, they will not get the initiative boost.
More Questions
Does Draconic Flight stack with Peerless Athlete?
Can I use Inspiring Smite multiple times in one turn?
Does Aura of Alacrity apply to my own initiative?
Can Glorious Defense prevent an ally from going down?
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ Oath of Glory grants Inspiring Smite at level 3
- ♦ High hit points for frontline durability
- ♦ Strong species-class synergy enhances core abilities
- ♦ Strong melee damage output
- ♦ Divine Smite provides burst damage
Weaknesses
- ♦ No Darkvision — may need light sources in dungeons
- ♦ May require careful feat selection to optimize
Pro Tips
Activate Peerless Athlete before combat to gain the 10-foot speed boost without wasting a bonus action.
Use Guiding Bolt on turn one if enemies are out of your Draconic Flight range.
Always hug your Rogue or Ranger before combat to grant them your Aura of Alacrity bonus.
Distribute Inspiring Smite temporary HP to backline casters to protect their concentration.
Stack your Dragonborn Breath Weapon with Cone of Cold at level 17 for massive AoE damage.
Other Paladin Subclasses for Dragonborn
Other Races for Oath of Glory Paladin
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oath of Glory a good subclass for Dragonborn Paladin?
What makes Oath of Glory different from other Paladin subclasses?
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