Gnome Paladin Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Start with a stat spread of STR 15, DEX 10, CON 13, INT 8, WIS 12, CHA 14. Since Heavy weapons are off the table, take the Dueling Fighting Style at level 2 to add a flat +2 damage to your Longsword attacks while wielding a shield. At level 3, select Oath of the Ancients; the channel divinity is situational, but we are rushing toward their level 7 aura. For your level 4 ASI, take the Squat Nimbleness feat. This bumps your Strength to 16, gives you proficiency in Acrobatics to escape grapples, and most importantly, increases your base walking speed from 25 to 30 feet, fixing the Gnome's biggest mobility flaw.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings Extra Attack and 2nd-level spells. Immediately prepare Find Steed and summon a Mastiff. Because you are Small, you can ride this Medium dog anywhere the party goes. Level 6 is your defining feature: Aura of Protection. With your 14 Charisma, you add +2 to all saves, which stacks beautifully with Gnomish Cunning. At level 7, the Oath of the Ancients grants Aura of Warding, giving you and nearby allies resistance to damage from spells. At level 8, use your ASI to bump Charisma to 16, improving your spell save DC and increasing your Aura of Protection bonus to +3.

Levels 11-16

Level 11 grants Improved Divine Smite, adding a free 1d8 radiant damage to every Longsword strike, partially making up for your lack of heavy weapons. At level 12, take the Mounted Combatant feat. Since you ride a Medium mount, you won't get the advantage against Medium creatures, but you can force attacks aimed at your mount to target your AC 20+ instead. Level 13 unlocks 4th-level spells, meaning Find Greater Steed. Summon a Griffon. At level 16, bump your Strength to 18 to keep your melee attack bonus competitive in Tier 3.

Levels 17-20

At level 17, you unlock 5th-level spell slots, perfect for dropping 5d8 Divine Smites on critical hits or casting Destructive Wave from the back of your flying Griffon. At level 19, take your final ASI to max your Strength to 20 or bump Charisma to 18 for stronger Auras. Level 20 unlocks Elder Champion. For one minute, you regenerate 10 hit points at the start of your turn and can cast Paladin spells as a bonus action, turning you into an unkillable, smiting juggernaut.

Cantrips

Paladins do not natively get cantrips unless you take the Blessed Warrior Fighting Style. For this Gnome build, we heavily recommend Dueling instead to keep your Longsword damage high. If you do multiclass or take a feat for them, Guidance and Toll the Dead are optimal.

Level 1-2 Spells

Wrathful Smite is your go-to control spell; it requires a Wisdom save, which you can easily force onto low-WIS brutes. Bless is mandatory at low levels to boost party accuracy. At 2nd level, Find Steed is non-negotiable for a Gnome, as riding a Medium Mastiff solves your 25-foot movement speed permanently. Aid is also fantastic for buffing your mount's fragile hit point pool.

Level 3-5 Spells

Aura of Vitality provides excellent out-of-combat healing (20d6 total). Find Greater Steed at level 13 is your massive power spike, allowing you to summon a Griffon or Peryton for permanent flight. Because you are Small, you can ride these mounts far more easily in restricted airspace than a Medium Paladin on a Pegasus.

High-Level Spells

Destructive Wave (5th level) is the ultimate crowd control, dealing 5d6 thunder and 5d6 radiant or necrotic damage, and knocking enemies prone in a 30-foot radius. Since you'll likely be airborne on your Griffon, you can drop this like a bomb without hitting your party. Banishing Smite adds 5d10 force damage and can instantly remove an enemy under 50 HP from the fight.

Squat Nimbleness

Take this at level 4. It provides a +1 to Strength, rounding your 15 up to a 16. More importantly, it adds 5 feet to your walking speed. A 25-foot speed on a melee Paladin is a death sentence for your action economy; this feat fixes your Gnome's short legs while maintaining your stat progression.

Mounted Combatant

Take this at level 12 once your mount survivability becomes an issue. While the advantage on attack rolls only applies to creatures smaller than your mount, the real draw is forcing attacks targeting your Find Steed or Find Greater Steed to target you instead. With Plate armor and a Shield, your AC is much better equipped to take the hit than your Mastiff or Griffon.

Sentinel

A phenomenal feat for a Defender. When you stand next to your allies, any enemy that attacks them provokes an opportunity attack from your Longsword. If you hit, their speed drops to 0, trapping them inside your Aura of Warding and forcing them to deal with your high AC and Divine Smites.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Start with Chain Mail, a Longsword, and a Shield. Your AC will be 18 out of the gate. Buy a lance if you plan to use a mundane Mastiff mount early, but for dungeon crawling, stick to the Longsword. Grab some Javelins for ranged options since your 25-foot speed will sometimes leave you out of melee.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Upgrade to Plate Armor as soon as you can afford the 1,500 gold, bumping your AC to 20. Seek out a Cloak of Protection; adding +1 to your AC and +1 to all saving throws makes your Gnomish Cunning and Aura of Protection combination even more mathematically absurd.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Look for a Belt of Hill Giant Strength. If you find one, you can leave your natural Strength at 16 and focus all your ASIs on Charisma to maximize your Aura of Protection. A +2 Shield or +2 Longsword is also critical here to keep your attack modifiers scaling properly against high-CR enemies.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

The crown jewel for any Paladin is the Holy Avenger (Longsword). Not only does it provide a +3 bonus to attack and damage and deal an extra 2d10 radiant damage to fiends and undead, but it also emits an aura that grants advantage on saving throws against spells. This perfectly caps off your anti-magic Defender build.

Your role in the party is the Defender and the Anti-Magic Anchor. Because of Gnomish Cunning, Aura of Protection, and Aura of Warding, your party members will want to stay within 10 feet of you (and later 30 feet) whenever facing spellcasters. You are the rock that breaks enemy control spells.

This build pairs perfectly with fragile arcane casters like an Evocation Wizard or a Draconic Sorcerer. They can safely stand inside your auras, concentrating on massive spells like Wall of Force or Hypnotic Pattern, knowing your Aura of Protection will buff their Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration.

You also synergize heavily with a Swashbuckler Rogue or a melee Ranger. Because you are Small and riding a Medium mount, you don't take up much space on the frontline, leaving plenty of room for skirmishers to dart in, benefit from your auras, and dart out without getting stuck in a bottleneck.

Hexblade Warlock 1-2 Dip

The classic Paladin multiclass works just as well for Gnomes. A single level of Hexblade lets you attack with Charisma instead of Strength using your Longsword. This makes your build entirely Single Ability Dependent (SAD). You can leave your Strength at 15 for Plate armor and pump Charisma to 20, maximizing your Aura of Protection and spell save DC simultaneously. Two levels gets you Agonizing Blast for a reliable ranged option.

Divine Soul Sorcerer X

Taking levels in Divine Soul Sorcerer after Paladin 6 provides the Shield and Absorb Elements spells. When an enemy manages to beat your AC 20, casting Shield as a reaction bumps it to 25. You also gain faster spell slot progression for fueling your Divine Smites, and access to Silvery Barbs to protect your allies.

• Equipping a Heavy Weapon: Because Gnomes are Small, using a Greatsword, Halberd, or Greataxe imposes disadvantage on all attack rolls. Stick to a Longsword or Warhammer with a Shield.
• Dumping Strength entirely: Even if you plan to take Hexblade Warlock, you need 13 Strength to multiclass out of Paladin, and 15 Strength to wear Plate Armor without a 10-foot movement speed penalty. Do not dump it.
• Forgetting Gnomish Cunning limits: Gnomish Cunning only grants advantage on INT, WIS, and CHA saves against magic. It does not help against non-magical monster abilities like a Dragon's Frightful Presence or a Mind Flayer's Mind Blast (if ruled as psionic/non-magical in your setting).
• Ignoring your mount's fragility: Your Find Steed Mastiff has very low hit points. If you don't cast Aid or use your Lay on Hands to keep it alive, it will die to a single Fireball, leaving you prone on the ground.