The divine heroes ofDungeons & Dragonsare here! Paladins have earned their way into the franchise and our hearts with their powerful smites, being what is considered one of the strongest classes in the game. They combine physical and magical powers masterfully which, combined with their class features, makes a unique experience for whoever is playing them
RELATED:Dungeons & Dragons: Best Feats For A Paladin
To make Paladins excel even more, we always wonder which species is right for our character, at least from a gameplay point of view. Here are some suggestions for your next character, to ensure they’ll destroy all fiends along the way.
10Dragonborn
Strength and Charisma, what more do you need? Dragonborns get a bonus on two ability scores needed for a Paladin, and that’s just the beginning. A damage resistance from a common damage type, such as fire or cold, can come in handy when creating a powerful tank option. And breath weapons are useful for crowd control.
Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons offers even more customization, letting you choose your ability score bonuses, and extra features such as damage immunity or temporary flight, and you’ll be able to use your breath weapons more often. The Dragon Fear feat is also an interesting choice for crowd control, as you may make your enemies frightened of you.
9Half-Elf
In case you want to master the magic side of the character a bit more, Half-Elves are an interesting pick. You’ll get Darkvision, resistance against being charmed - which might turn useless depending on your subclass because there are auras that make you immune - you can’t be put to sleep through magic, and you get two skill proficiencies.
Your Charisma gets the big bonus, hence the magical side benefited more compared to physical ability scores. Still, you get to choose where your +1 goes, allowing for more customization for your character.
8Tiefling
Another good species for a magic focus,Tieflings are a perfect optionfor those who enjoy some contradicting concepts. With your fiend heritage, you’re able to be a formidable divine force. You receive a Charisma bonus, fire resistance, and a few spells as you level up, and you can use them once per long rest without consuming your spell slots, so you can smite more later.
There are many variations to choose from, each changing the second ability score bonus and what spells you gain for free. A Zariel Tiefling would be a fun choice. Alternatively, if you want to pull a Dexterity-based build, you can ditch heavy armor and get the winged variant. You can still wear light or medium armor, and you get to fly, which can be a game-changer.
7Half-Orc
Maybe you don’t want to waste your precious smite slots with spells. In that case, Half-Orcs are an interesting option which allow you to be quite aggressive. You get Intimidation for free, bonuses in Strength and Constitution, and whenever your health reaches zero, you can choose to stay up with one hit point. Once per long rest, but still.
RELATED:D&D: Things You Didn’t Know About Orcs
You also get an additional die roll when you hit a critical hit, which may not make that much of a difference, because Smite is a far more effective tool when you hit a natural 20. Still, your attack will hurt a bit more, and damage is damage, after all. Oh, and did we mention Darkvision?
6Orc
Going full Orc is actually less aggressive, but it is more versatile. The only differences compared to the Half-Orc is that you choose where your ability scores, and you’ll lose the Intimidation and the extra die when you do a critical hit. Instead, you get to carry more weight, and you get Adrenaline Rush.
Adrenaline Rush lets you Dash as a bonus action, and you get temporary hit points whenever you do that. You have a limit to how many times you can do it before resting, but this feature will both increase your maneuverability in combat, and make you more resistant thanks to the extra hit points.
5Goliath
Another great tank option, making a fun character for the frontline is the Goliath. They also get to carry more, and you get to choose your ability score bonuses, and you get free Athletics.
But the cool stuff - pun intended - is that you have resistance to cold damage, which is a somewhat common damage type depending on the setting. you’re able to also use your reaction to reduce the damage you take by a d12 + your Constitution, and you get to do that a few times before needing a rest.
4Aasimar
Aasimar is a beautiful choice for a Paladin, and not just because they are a perfect aesthetic fit for the class. Along with choosing your ability score bonuses, they get quite a few tricks. You get extra healing - without being a spell - for emergencies, Darkvision, and both radiant and necrotic resistance.
Not only are two resistances are even better for tanks, but there’s a good chance you’ll fight creatures with necrotic damage, as they are common enemies for holy characters to fight against.
You also get to choose between three different features, where you can cause radiant damage, scare enemies, or even fly temporarily, despite wearing heavy armor. They also come with their unique descriptions, with wings or light coming out of your eyes,fitting any Paladin subclassyou wish; even Oathbreaker. Of course, you get to choose the way you’ll describe the skill when using it anyways, but it is still fun to get references.
3Lizardfolk
Now, let’s talk about some unorthodox approaches to the class. Though being a strong-armored beast is a common Paladin concept, Dexterity can replace Strength here, at least for the most part. A high Dexterity combined with Lizardfolk Natural armor, plus a shield, will give you a potent Armor Class, and it can even be increased with spells, such as Shield of Faith.
RELATED:Dungeons & Dragons: Best Weapons For A Paladin, Ranked
Though your bite won’t be as useful with a low Strength score, a high Dexterity also means you can be more versatile with weapons, using bows or crossbows as a Paladin, saving you from being unable to fight a creature due to range, like a flying enemy.
2Kobold
Another curious choice for a Paladin, but Kobolds can give a lot of utility for their friends, making a combination of Tank and Support rather than being the main source of damage. Still, nothing stops you from having heavy armor and a lot of strength to punish your foes.
You can give yourself and your friends an advantage thanks to Draconic Cry, and you get interesting choices for your Legacy, such as resistance against being frightened - great for tanks - or a sorcerer cantrip, like Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade, available to you right away.
1Human
You can’t go wrong with humans. Though basic Humans aren’t interesting, Variant Humans are the way to go with free skill proficiency and, more importantly, free feat right at level one. That opens up a lot of possibilities and builds, asthere are many featsuseful for a character such as a Paladin.
Custom Lineage from Tasha is also interesting, as it gives you a free feat as well, and you may swap the skill proficiency for Darkvision, which is also very useful. Either way, you can choose feats depending on your focus, such as Great Weapon Master, Heavy Armor Master, and Shield Master, among others.
