Human Paladin Build Guide

Levels 1-4

At level 1, use your Versatile trait to take the Magic Initiate (Wizard) Origin feat. Grab the Booming Blade and Minor Illusion cantrips, plus the Shield spell. This shores up your defenses immediately. For your fighting style at level 2, take Defense for a permanent +1 AC. At level 4, take the Heavy Armor Master feat. This bumps your 15 Strength to 16 and shaves 3 damage off every non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attack, making your 39 HP stretch significantly further.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings Extra Attack and 2nd-level spells like Find Steed. At level 6, you unlock Aura of Protection. This is the single strongest feature you have, so at level 8, do not take a Strength ASI; instead, boost your Charisma from 14 to 16. This adds a +3 to all saving throws for you and allies within 10 feet. Use your Human Resourceful Heroic Inspiration specifically to reroll failed saves against debilitating conditions like paralyzation or stunning, which would drop your Aura.

Levels 11-16

At level 11, Improved Divine Smite adds a permanent 1d8 radiant damage to your melee swings, finally giving a slight bump to your stagnant 7.15 DPR. At level 12, take the Sentinel feat to hard-lock enemies into your melee range, forcing them to deal with your heavy armor. At level 16, increase your Strength to 18 to ensure your weapon attacks actually connect against late-game monster ACs.

Levels 17-20

Level 17 unlocks 5th-level spell slots. Destructive Wave is your go-to here, offering massive area-of-effect damage and knocking enemies prone without harming allies. At level 19, take your final ASI to bump Charisma to 18, maximizing your Aura of Protection out to 30 feet. At level 20, activate your subclass capstone to become a battlefield avatar, using your hoarded spell slots strictly for defensive buffs rather than low-yield Divine Smites.

Cantrips

As a Paladin, you don't natively get cantrips. Thanks to the Magic Initiate feat from your Human Versatile trait, take Booming Blade for early-game stickiness, punishing enemies who try to walk away from you. Take Minor Illusion for out-of-combat utility.

Level 1-2 Spells

From Magic Initiate, you get one free cast of Shield per day—save this for when a boss tries to crit you. For your actual Paladin slots, prepare Bless to buff your party's attack rolls and saving throws. At 2nd level, Find Steed gives you a warhorse for unmatched mobility, and Wrathful Smite is your best crowd control, frightening enemies and forcing them to waste actions breaking it.

Level 3-5 Spells

At 3rd level, prepare Aura of Vitality for massive out-of-combat healing (20d6 over a minute). Find Greater Steed at 4th level upgrades you to a flying Griffon. For 5th level, Banishment is a solid Charisma-based save-or-suck, though with your 16 Charisma, it's riskier than casting Destructive Wave.

High-Level Spells

Paladins cap out at 5th level spells. Holy Weapon is an excellent sustained damage buff if you have a Fighter in the party making three or four attacks per round; cast it on their weapon rather than your own to maximize the 2d8 radiant damage procs.

Magic Initiate (Wizard)

Take this at level 1 using the Human Versatile trait. Getting the Shield spell once per day without burning a Paladin slot is a massive tactical advantage for a Defender, and Booming Blade helps offset your mediocre early-game damage.

Heavy Armor Master

Take this at level 4. It neatly rounds your 15 Strength to 16, increasing your attack bonus, while providing flat damage reduction. In Tier 1 and Tier 2, shaving 3 damage off every goblin arrow or wolf bite keeps your d10 Hit Dice topped off.

Sentinel

Take this at level 12. As a Defender, your job is to keep enemies away from the squishy casters. Sentinel reduces a creature's speed to 0 when you hit them with an opportunity attack, perfectly synergizing with your heavy armor and shield setup.

Inspiring Leader

If you prefer party support over raw Strength, take this instead of your level 16 ASI. With a 16 Charisma, you can grant 19 temporary hit points to six allies after every short rest. Over a standard adventuring day, this mitigates hundreds of points of damage.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Start with Chain Mail, a Longsword, and a Shield to hit 18 AC (19 with the Defense Fighting Style). Buy a Bullseye Lantern immediately; your Human species lacks Darkvision, and you cannot fight what you cannot see in a dungeon.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Upgrade to Plate Armor as soon as you amass 1,500 gp to hit 21 AC. Seek out a Cloak of Protection to stack with your Aura of Protection, making your saving throws incredibly resilient against enemy spellcasters.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

You desperately need a Belt of Hill Giant Strength. Your Strength will likely be stuck at 16 for most of the campaign, and this item artificially bumps it to 21, fixing your accuracy issues. Pair this with a Sun Blade, which also conveniently acts as a light source for your blind Human eyes.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

The ultimate goal is a Holy Avenger longsword to grant advantage on saving throws against spells for your entire party. If possible, upgrade to a Belt of Storm Giant Strength (Strength 29) to max out your to-hit modifier against CR 20+ endgame bosses.

As a Human Paladin Defender, you are a slow, heavily armored wall that cannot see in the dark. You desperately need a party composition that covers your weaknesses. A Twilight Domain Cleric is your best friend; they can grant you 300 feet of Darkvision via Eyes of Night, completely negating the biggest flaw of the Human species.

Because your own DPR is a lackluster 7.15 in Tier 2 and Tier 3, you need high-damage Strikers behind you. A Sharpshooter Battle Master Fighter or a Gloom Stalker Ranger will benefit immensely from your frontline presence and your Aura of Protection, safely firing arrows from the backline while you eat the melee attacks.

Finally, a Sorcerer or Wizard casting Haste or Enlarge/Reduce on you can artificially inflate your threat level. Since you are using a shield and have Heavy Armor Master, you are the ideal target for concentration buffs that require a durable host.

Hexblade Warlock 1 Dip

Taking one level of Hexblade Warlock completely solves the Paladin's MADness. You can use your Charisma modifier for your Longsword attacks, allowing you to leave Strength at 15 for Plate Armor and pump Charisma to 20. This maximizes both your attack rolls and your Aura of Protection simultaneously.

Divine Soul Sorcerer 3 Dip

After Paladin 6, dipping three levels into Divine Soul Sorcerer gives you access to the Shield and Absorb Elements spells natively, plus Silvery Barbs. You also gain metamagic like Quickened Spell, allowing you to cast Bless or Booming Blade as a bonus action while still taking the Attack action.

• Wasting Heroic Inspiration: Using your Resourceful reroll on a meaningless Athletics check instead of saving it for a critical Wisdom saving throw against Dominate Person.
• Ignoring Illumination: Forgetting you lack Darkvision and rushing into unlit caverns, effectively giving all enemies advantage to hit you and giving yourself disadvantage.
• Hoarding Spell Slots for Smites: Refusing to cast Bless or Wrathful Smite because you are waiting for a critical hit to drop a high-level Divine Smite, resulting in wasted tactical potential.
• Prioritizing Strength over Charisma: Pumping Strength to 20 before touching Charisma. Aura of Protection at level 6 is the strongest feature in the game; a +3 or +4 Charisma modifier saves party wipes.