Gnome Oath of Glory Paladin Build Guide
A Gnome Oath of Glory Paladin proves that legendary heroes come in small packages, blending magical resilience with athletic, high-speed combat power.
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Why Oath of Glory?
Welcome to the ultimate underdog story! Playing a Gnome Oath of Glory Paladin lets you defy expectations. While Paladins are often envisioned as towering, heavy-armored knights, your Gnome uses their compact size to surprise foes on the battlefield. As a Striker, your main job is to charge into the fray, strike hard, and inspire your allies to victory.
Your Gnome heritage provides superb defensive safety nets that perfectly complement your offensive capabilities. With Gnomish Cunning, you gain advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic. This innate magical resilience protects you from debilitating spells, ensuring you stay in control of your character and active on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, your subclass features transform you into an powerhouse. Even with a smaller stature, Peerless Athlete grants you temporary physical supremacy, boosting your jump distance and ability checks. Combined with your high Strength (15) and Charisma (14), you can leap across battlefields, strike down enemies, and immediately bolster your allies' temporary hit points using Inspiring Smite.
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
Gnome Traits That Benefit Oath of Glory Paladin
Gnomish Cunning
Extra saving throw advantages protect against debilitating spells and effects.
Darkvision
Gnome 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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Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ Oath of Glory grants Inspiring Smite at level 3
- ♦ High hit points for frontline durability
- ♦ Darkvision for dungeon exploration
- ♦ Strong melee damage output
- ♦ Divine Smite provides burst damage
Weaknesses
- ♦ Small size limits heavy weapon usage
- ♦ May require careful feat selection to optimize
Pro Tips
Use Peerless Athlete to compensate for your small Gnome size, letting you jump over hazards and grapple larger foes with ease.
Activate Inspiring Smite immediately after landing a heavy blow to distribute temporary hit points and keep your front-line allies healthy.
Take advantage of your Darkvision to lead the charge into dark dungeons without giving away your position with a bright torch.
Position yourself carefully starting at level 7 so your allies can benefit from the extra movement speed provided by your Aura of Alacrity.
Other Paladin Subclasses for Gnome
Other Races for Oath of Glory Paladin
Frequently Asked Questions
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