Tiefling Paladin Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Start with a standard sword-and-board loadout. At level 2, take the Blind Fighting fighting style. This is a crucial, specific choice for Tieflings because at level 5, you will unlock the racial Darkness spell, allowing you to create heavily obscured zones where you have advantage and your enemies have disadvantage. At level 3, swear the Oath of Conquest to gain Armor of Agathys. At level 4, take the Heavy Armor Master feat. Your starting Strength is an awkward 15; this half-feat bumps you to a 16 Strength while shaving 3 damage off every non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attack. Stacked with your fire resistance, you become a physical and elemental sponge.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings Extra Attack and 2nd-level Paladin spell slots for 3d8 Divine Smites. More importantly, your Tiefling legacy grants you Darkness once per day. Cast it on your shield, walk into the enemy backline, and hack away using your Blind Fighting style. At level 6, Aura of Protection comes online, granting you and nearby allies +2 to all saves based on your 14 Charisma. At level 7, the Conquest Paladin's Aura of Conquest reduces the speed of frightened enemies to 0. At level 8, take an Ability Score Improvement to bump your Charisma to 16. This increases your Aura of Protection to +3, raises your spell save DC for Wrathful Smite, and improves the damage of your racial Hellish Rebuke.

Levels 11-16

At level 11, Improved Divine Smite adds an unconditional 1d8 radiant damage to every melee hit, raising your baseline DPR. At level 12, take the Sentinel feat. Because your Aura of Conquest locks frightened enemies in place, Sentinel ensures that enemies who are immune to the frightened condition still can't escape your melee reach. At level 15, Scornful Rebuke deals your Charisma modifier in psychic damage to anyone who hits you. If a goblin hits you, they take 3 psychic damage from Scornful Rebuke, and you can burn your reaction to cast your racial Hellish Rebuke for another 4d10 fire damage. At level 16, use your ASI to push your Strength to 18 for better attack rolls.

Levels 17-20

At level 17, you unlock 5th-level Paladin spells. Destructive Wave is your go-to here, knocking enemies prone and dealing massive thunder and radiant burst damage. Because their speed is 0 from your fear aura, they physically cannot stand up from prone. At level 18, your Aura of Protection and Aura of Conquest expand to 30 feet, dominating the entire battlefield. At level 19, take the Resilient (Constitution) feat. Your starting Constitution is an odd 13; this bumps it to 14, granting you more HP and guaranteeing you will almost never drop concentration on Fear or Bless when combined with your Aura of Protection.

Cantrips

Paladins do not normally receive cantrips, but your Tiefling heritage grants you Thaumaturgy. Use it to slam doors open or project your voice at three times normal volume to intimidate enemies before combat, leaning into your Oath of Conquest theme.

Level 1-2 Spells

Your Tiefling legacy provides Hellish Rebuke at 2nd level. Use this exclusively against ranged attackers who hit you, as your melee enemies will trigger your other Paladin punishments. From your Paladin list, prepare Wrathful Smite and Bless. Wrathful Smite is your bread-and-butter for triggering your Aura of Conquest. Find Steed at 2nd level provides a warhorse that can trample frightened enemies.

Level 3-5 Spells

Your Tiefling legacy grants Darkness at 3rd level. Pair this with Blind Fighting to completely shut down enemy spellcasters who require line of sight. Take Aura of Vitality for massive out-of-combat healing (20d6 over one minute). Find Greater Steed at 4th level gives you a Griffon or Pegasus, bringing your fear aura to the skies.

High-Level Spells

At 5th level, prepare Banishing Smite and Destructive Wave. Destructive Wave is incredible because it allows you to choose your targets, meaning you can drop 10d6 damage on a crowded room without hitting the Rogue standing next to you.

Heavy Armor Master

Take this at level 4. Your starting Strength is 15, and you need 16 to keep your attack bonus competitive. The flat 3 damage reduction against non-magical attacks scales incredibly well when you are surrounded by low-CR minions, preserving your 39 HP at level 5.

Sentinel

Take this at level 12. As a Defender, your job is to keep enemies off your squishy allies. If an enemy makes their Wisdom save against your Wrathful Smite and tries to run past you, Sentinel drops their speed to 0, locking them in your Aura of Protection range.

Resilient (Constitution)

Take this at level 19. Your baseline Constitution is 13. Bumping it to 14 grants you retroactive hit points. More importantly, adding your proficiency bonus to Constitution saves, plus your +3 from Aura of Protection, makes your concentration on critical spells like Fear completely unbreakable by standard damage.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Start with Chain Mail, a Longsword, and a Shield for a baseline 18 AC. Carry a few javelins for flying enemies, though your Hellish Rebuke can handle one ranged threat per day. Save your gold for Splint armor as quickly as possible.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Upgrade to Plate Armor (18 AC base). Look for a +1 Longsword to bypass non-magical bludgeoning/piercing/slashing resistance. A Cloak of Protection is exceptional here, as the +1 to AC and saves stacks with your Aura of Protection, making your saving throws incredibly reliable.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Seek out an Amulet of Health to fix your low 13 Constitution, instantly boosting your maximum hit points. A Belt of Fire Giant Strength is your holy grail, allowing you to bypass your 16 Strength and jump straight to 25, maximizing your Improved Divine Smite accuracy.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

The Holy Avenger is the ultimate Paladin weapon. Combining its advantage on saving throws against spells with your Aura of Protection and your Tiefling fire resistance means an Ancient Red Dragon or a Lich will barely be able to scratch you.

As a Tiefling Paladin, your role is the central Defender. You thrive when you are the anchor point of the frontline, drawing aggro with your Oath of Conquest fear effects and punishing attackers with Hellish Rebuke and Scornful Rebuke.

This build pairs flawlessly with an Evocation Wizard or a Fiend Warlock. Because of your innate Fiendish Legacy fire resistance and your Aura of Protection, your allied spellcasters can safely drop Fireball directly on top of you. You will easily pass the save and take quarter damage, while the enemies surrounding you burn.

You also heavily benefit from a ranged Rogue (like a Scout or Assassin) or a Ranger. Since your Aura of Conquest reduces frightened enemy speeds to 0, you create a static frontline. Ranged attackers can sit safely 60 feet back, utilizing the lack of enemy movement to pick targets off without ever taking a hit.

Hexblade Warlock 1-2 Dip

Taking a single level of Hexblade Warlock lets you attack using your Charisma modifier instead of Strength. Since Tieflings naturally boost Charisma, you can leave your Strength at 15 (just enough for Plate Armor) and pump Charisma to 20, maxing out your weapon attacks, your Aura of Protection, and your Hellish Rebuke DC all at once.

Divine Soul Sorcerer Dip

A one-level dip into Divine Soul Sorcerer gives you the Shield spell and Absorb Elements. While you already have fire resistance from Fiendish Legacy, Absorb Elements covers cold, lightning, and acid. Shield pushes your Plate+Shield AC to an untouchable 25 on demand.

• Ignoring your racial spells: Forgetting to cast your free Darkness or holding onto Hellish Rebuke waiting for the 'perfect' moment wastes free daily resources that don't cost Paladin spell slots.
• Casting Darkness without Blind Fighting: If you drop your Tiefling Darkness on your sword without taking the Blind Fighting style at level 2, you blind yourself and your party, completely neutralizing your frontline presence.
• Dumping Charisma for Strength: With a starting CHA of 14, neglecting it means your Aura of Protection will be weak, and enemies will easily pass the saving throw against your Hellish Rebuke and Wrathful Smite.
• Blowing all slots on Divine Smite early: As a Conquest Paladin, your spell slots are often better spent on Fear or Armor of Agathys. Siting exclusively for 2d8 damage is mathematically worse than locking down three enemies with a fear effect.