Uphold your Sacred Oath Through Paladin Oath Spells

Over on Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted discussed the 5 best D&D Paladin Spells for Tier 2. Check out the video below and hear what they share. Paladins can access some nifty spells in between laying the smack down with Divine Smite. Since they cover the best all around paladin spells, it might be worthwhile to take a closer look at the different Sacred Oath options and the associated Oath Spells to see how they match up. Let’s get into it.

Paladin spells and Sacred Oaths

Here’s the list of paladin spells discussed in the video. Like all the other videos in this series the list comprises five categories plus an overlooked spell. Oath Spells are always prepared, and don’t count against the number of paladin spells you can prepare each day. Because of this, Oath Spells won’t replace any of the general selections. But we can see if any of them are best in show by comparison, and we’ll check if any other paladin spells might be best for any particular Sacred Oath.

• Attack Spell. Elemental weapon
• Buff Spell. Aid
• Defensive. Magic circle
• Iconic Spell. Find steed
• Utility Spell. Daylight
• Overlooked Spell. Crusader’s mantle

Oath of Conquest

5th level Oath Spells: hold person, spiritual weapon

9th level Oath Spells: bestow curse, fear

• Attack Spell. Fear
• Buff Spell. Bestow curse
• Defensive. Hold person

An Oath of Conquest paladin aims to crush their foes body, mind and spirit. Fear becomes a weapon with several features keyed to keeping opponents frightened and debuffing enemies is six of one, half a dozen of the other. And trapping a creature in place in a tenth of the time feels pretty defensive to me.

Oath of Devotion

5th level Oath Spells: lesser restoration, zone of truth

9th level Oath Spells: beacon of hope, dispel magic

• Buff Spell. Beacon of hope
• Defensive. Dispel magic
• Utility Spell. Zone of truth

An Oath of Devotion paladin are knights in shining armor who uphold justice and virtue. Keeping companions safe from nasty magical effects and compelling others to be honest feels on brand.

Oath of Heroism (Unearthed Arcana)

5th level Oath Spells: enhance ability, enthrall

9th level Oath Spells: haste, protection from energy

• Buff Spell. Haste
• Defensive. Protection from energy
• Utility Spell. Enhance ability

An Oath of Heroism paladin goes higher, further and faster than other heroes. Overcoming incredible challenges is their bread and butter. Supernatural speed, withstanding extreme conditions and bending their power towards specific tasks are all activities that serve this paladin well.

Oath of Redemption

5th level Oath Spells: calm emotions, hold person

9th level Oath Spells: counterspell, hypnotic pattern

• Attack Spell. Hold person
• Defensive. Hypnotic pattern
• Utility Spell. Calm emotions

An Oath of Redemption paladin seeks to avoid violence whenever possible. Stopping foes in their tracks and diffusing potentially hostile groups will go a long way towards achieving this paladin’s goal of resolving situations peacefully.

Oath of the Ancients

5th level Oath Spells: misty step, moonbeam

9th level Oath Spells: plant growth, protection from energy

• Attack Spell. Moonbeam
• Defensive. Protection from energy
• Utility Spell. Plant growth

An Oath of the Ancients paladin has strong ties to nature and stands as a vanguard against evil and corruption to the natural order of things. Bringing the power of nature to bear against foes and protection themselves and allies from elemental dangers fits right in with their tenets.

Oath of the Crown

5th level Oath Spells: warding bond, zone of truth

9th level Oath Spells: aura of vitality, spirit guardians

• Attack Spell. Spirit guardians
• Defensive. Warding bond
• Utility Spell. Zone of truth

An Oath of the Crown paladin embodies service to society and protection against lawlessness. Those under this paladins care can count on them for courage and to ensure safety in uncivilized places.

Oath of Vengeance

5th level Oath Spells: hold person, misty step

9th level Oath Spells: haste, protection from energy

• Buff Spell. Haste
• Defensive. Protection from energy

An Oath of Vengeance paladin seeks to destroy enemies in the harshest way possible. Raining blows down relentlessly or cushioning themselves against an enemy’s damage (so they can stand toe to toe longer and punish those evildoers) is thematic and effective.

Oathbreaker

5th level Oath Spells: crown of madness, darkness

9th level Oath Spells: animate dead, bestow curse

• Attack Spell. Bestow curse
• Defensive. Animate dead
• Utility Spell. Darkness

An Oathbreaker paladin, as the name implies, upholds no oath. Invoking terrible curses on foes just gets this paladin started. Undead minions make excellent cannon fodder and whereas other paladins bring the light to dark places, this paladin snuffs it out.

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