Orc Paladin Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Start with a 15 in Strength and 14 in Charisma. At level 2, you must make a choice on your Fighting Style. Since your Orc traits don't provide a ranged attack, take Blessed Warrior to grab cleric cantrips, completely solving your ranged damage gap. At level 3, swear the Oath of Vengeance. Vow of Enmity gives you advantage against a single target, ensuring your weapon attacks land so you can pump those 1st-level spell slots into Divine Smite. At level 4, take your first Ability Score Improvement (ASI) to bump Strength to 16 and Constitution to 14, rounding out your odd starting stats.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 is a massive power spike. You gain Extra Attack and 2nd-level spells, unlocking Find Steed. Between your summoned warhorse and Adrenaline Rush, no enemy is safe from your reach. Level 6 brings Aura of Protection. With a 14 Charisma, giving yourself and nearby allies a permanent +2 to all saving throws is mandatory for surviving mid-tier spells like Fireball. At level 8, take the Polearm Master feat. Wielding a spear and a shield, you now have a consistent bonus action attack when you don't need to use Adrenaline Rush, maximizing your chances to crit and Smite.

Levels 11-16

Level 11 grants Improved Divine Smite, adding a free 1d8 radiant damage to every hit. Because you took Polearm Master at level 8, you are triggering this extra 1d8 three times a turn. At level 12, max out your Strength to 18 to keep your attack bonus competitive against rising enemy ACs. Level 15 grants Soul of Vengeance, allowing you to make an opportunity attack when your Vow of Enmity target makes an attack. Combined with your Orc stickiness, they cannot escape you. At level 16, bump Charisma to 16 to scale your Aura of Protection up to +3.

Levels 17-20

At level 17, you unlock 5th-level Paladin spells. Banishing Smite and Destructive Wave are your premier choices here. Destructive Wave allows you to run into the middle of a horde using Adrenaline Rush and blast them for 10d6 damage while knocking them prone, leaving your allies untouched. Level 19 is your final ASI; push Strength to 20. At level 20, the Vengeance capstone Avenging Angel gives you a flying speed and an aura of fear, cementing your role as an inescapable, terrifying Orcish crusader.

Cantrips

Take the Blessed Warrior fighting style at level 2. Choose Toll the Dead to give yourself a reliable 60-foot ranged damage option when enemies are out of your Adrenaline Rush range. Take Guidance to assist your party during exploration, as Paladins lack native skill-boosting utility.

Level 1-2 Spells

At level 1, prepare Bless and Shield of Faith. Bless mathematically boosts your entire party's DPR and saving throws. At level 2, Find Steed is mandatory to summon a warhorse, and Aid is a stellar proactive buff that increases max HP, stacking beautifully with the temporary HP from your Orcish Adrenaline Rush.

Level 3-5 Spells

For 3rd-level spells, Aura of Vitality provides incredible out-of-combat healing (20d6 total). At 4th-level, Find Greater Steed upgrades your mount to a Griffon or Pegasus, giving you a flying speed. Aura of Purity is a lifesaver against condition-heavy enemies.

High-Level Spells

Paladins cap at 5th-level spells. You want Destructive Wave for massive AoE damage that selectively ignores your allies, and Banishing Smite to deal an extra 5d10 force damage and potentially instantly remove a target with 50 HP or less from the fight.

Polearm Master

Take this at level 8. Equipping a spear and a shield allows you to attack twice with your action and once with your bonus action using the spear's butt. This means three chances per turn to trigger Improved Divine Smite at level 11, and three chances to roll a critical hit to dump a massive Divine Smite into the enemy.

Sentinel

Consider this at level 12 if your party desperately needs you to lock down enemies. When an enemy tries to move away from you to attack your squishy Wizard, Sentinel reduces their speed to 0. Since Orcs already excel at getting into the enemy's face, Sentinel ensures the enemy stays there.

Inspiring Leader

If you prefer a supportive role, take this at level 12 or 16. With a +2 or +3 Charisma modifier, you can hand out a massive pool of temporary hit points to your entire party after every short or long rest. Note that this won't stack with the self-only temp HP from your Adrenaline Rush, so use it to buff your allies primarily.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Start with Chain Mail, a Shield, and a Spear. This loadout gives you a base AC of 18, making you highly resilient early on. Carry a few javelins just in case, but rely on your Blessed Warrior cantrips for ranged encounters.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Upgrade to Splint Armor and then Plate Armor as soon as you can afford the 1,500 gp. Seek out a +1 Spear to bypass non-magical bludgeoning/piercing/slashing resistance. A Cloak of Protection is a fantastic attunement item here, stacking with your Aura of Protection to make your saving throws nearly unbeatable.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Aim for a Belt of Hill Giant Strength. Setting your Strength to 21 frees up your ASIs to focus purely on Charisma for better spell DCs and a stronger Aura of Protection. An Amulet of Health is also excellent to boost your Constitution to 19, increasing your max HP to make your Relentless Endurance trait even more impactful.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

The ultimate goal is a Holy Avenger (in spear or longsword form, depending on your feats). It provides a +3 bonus to attack and damage, an extra 2d10 radiant damage against fiends/undead, and an aura that grants advantage on saving throws against spells. Pair this with a Belt of Fire Giant Strength to hit a 25 Strength score.

This Orc Paladin build acts as the primary Defender and burst-damage striker. Because you are tying up the most dangerous enemy on the field using Adrenaline Rush and Vow of Enmity, you pair perfectly with a Rogue (like an Arcane Trickster or Swashbuckler) who needs a reliable frontline ally to enable their Sneak Attack.

You also heavily rely on a dedicated control caster, such as a Clockwork Soul Sorcerer or a Divination Wizard. While your single-target damage is astronomical via Divine Smite, you lack crowd control. A Wizard casting Hypnotic Pattern or Web keeps the minions at bay while you isolate and butcher the boss. Additionally, if the Sorcerer casts Haste on you, your movement speed doubles, making your Orc bonus action Dash completely overwhelming.

Divine Soul Sorcerer 1-4

Taking a dip into Divine Soul Sorcerer is incredibly potent. Just one level gives you access to the Shield and Absorb Elements spells, bumping your effective AC to 25 when attacked. You also gain Favored by the Gods, letting you add 2d4 to a failed saving throw. Taking it to level 4 gives you quickened metamagic and 2nd-level spell slots purely to fuel your Divine Smites.

Hexblade Warlock 1-2

The classic "Hexadin" dip works well here if you are willing to abandon Strength scaling. A 1-level dip lets you attack with Charisma, meaning you can leave Strength at 15 (just enough for Plate Armor) and max out Charisma immediately. This maximizes your Aura of Protection while keeping your melee attacks deadly. You also gain Hexblade's Curse, which expands your crit range to 19-20, making those critical Divine Smites happen twice as often.

• Wasting Adrenaline Rush: Don't use your Orc bonus action Dash if you are already within 30 feet of the enemy. Save your bonus action for a Polearm Master attack, Shield of Faith, or Vow of Enmity.
• Forgetting Relentless Endurance timing: Relentless Endurance triggers when you drop to 0 HP, but it does NOT prevent overkill damage that would instantly kill you (taking damage equal to your max HP). Play aggressively, but don't facetank a meteor swarm at 5 HP.
• Smiting on basic hits early: Paladins have very few spell slots. Don't blow your 2nd-level spell slots on basic attacks against goblins. Save your Divine Smites for critical hits (doubling the smite dice) or for the boss monster.
• Ignoring Charisma: It's tempting to only bump Strength, but your Aura of Protection at level 6 is the strongest defensive feature in the game. Leaving Charisma at 14 forever is a mistake; try to get it to 16 by Tier 3.