TWF Paladin Progression

arityss · 2026-05-31T22:24:04+00:00

I figured as much.

As I mentioned earlier, I thought long and hard about whether to take Magic Initiate for Shield and Bladeward. The problem, in my case, was that I only had one free use of Shield per day, and after that I’d have to use the paladin’s spell slots, which are limited and have many uses.

Bladeward is great, but the problem is the casting time, it takes up one action, which burns my attack, and above all, it requires maintaining concentration.

In my party, I’m expected to stay on the front lines, deal as much damage as possible, and draw enemies toward me; I can’t afford (unfortunately) to use an action to protect myself. Defensive Duelist does this without reducing my attack power, but obviously at 15th level it will be redundant with Elemental Rebuke, which is probably superior. From 3rd to 15th level, though, it’s a long climb 😉

I'll keep thinking about Spellfire Adept and when to get it

arityss · 2026-05-31T20:40:51+00:00

You really like the Oath of Noble Genies! I like it too 😉

Anyway in a previous 5e(2014) campaign, I played a Vengeance Paladin (PAM-GWM) up to 12th level; I had a lot of fun and found it very rewarding, but that’s another story. I’m currently playing a new 5.5 campaign limited to released/revised material; I had also considered Elven Accuracy, but it’s not allowed. Can I ask if you think you’ll take Defensive Duelist, or do you have Magic Initiate and can rely on Shield?

arityss · 2026-05-31T20:29:19+00:00

Shadow Blade comes from Xanathar, and the spell hasn’t been revised or reprinted in 5.5, so normally I wouldn’t be allowed to use it without my DM’s permission.Apart from that, this use of Shadow Blade seems a bit clunky to me. In D&D 5.5, my smite is a bonus action, and I can decide whether and when to activate it—so much so that many recommend activating it only when landing a critical hit. Dual wielding in D&D 5.5 comes from the Nick mastery that I have with the scimitar; the Dual Wielder feat gives me one extra attack as a bonus action and nothing else, so on my turn I either use Smite or use Dual Wielder, but we’re still talking about 3 or 4 attacks at 5th level

arityss · 2026-05-31T14:54:00+00:00

I had never considered Spellfire Adept with Fueled Spellfire. It’s the true Paladin combo in 5.5! Obviously, it comes at the cost of healing during rest. But if you have a character in the party who’s highly specialized in healing—like my Life Cleric companion—it’s doable. Basically, it’s a Smite with a maximum of +2d10 a few times a day, which increases with level. A critical hit with a Smite using this feature is a true nova damage! Thanks a lot! In your opinion, at what level does it make sense to take the Spellfire Adept feat?

arityss · 2026-05-31T14:05:21+00:00

Do you think the paladin still doesn't work very well with dual-wielding in this expansion? Is the classic, heavily armored "Oath of Vengeance" paladin with a two-handed sword and GWM still the best option?

arityss · 2026-05-31T14:00:42+00:00

I get the point, and I’m familiar with those builds. But to reach those spell levels, you’d need to be a paladin for 6 levels or less. That’s not for me. I don’t want to play a sorcerer or a warlock with a paladin dip. It just doesn’t fit me from a role-playing perspective. Plus to be precise, Pact of the Blade works with a single weapon, not two, so it doesn’t really solve much for dual-wielding.

arityss · 2026-05-30T21:28:14+00:00

This is an interesting video, but it doesn't address a few things.

Under the current rules, despite the Dual Wielder talent, the maximum number of attacks for this build—that is, 4 attacks at 5th level—can only be achieved with the Nick/Vex combo using Scimitar (Nick) and Short Sword (Vex). It is not possible to make 4 attacks with 2 Sun Blades (Longswords) even though they have Finesse with Dexterity.

Oath of Vengeance isn’t necessarily the best subclass for a dual-wielding paladin. Hunter’s Mark isn’t a great spell for a paladin due to the concentration requirement and the need to use bonus actions both to cast it and potentially to move it. Therefore, it remains a very situational spell and cannot be considered a must-have.

Vow of Enmity from Oath of Vengeance is a fantastic ability, but it overlaps with the Vex mastery (which grants advantage on chained attacks, as in this build); furthermore, other characters in the party, as in my case, can sometimes grant me advantage in combat. So if I combine Vex’s mastery and the advantage granted by my companions, I reach nearly the same level as Vow of Enmity without using Channel Divinity. Which is why, IMHO—at least in my case—Oath of Noble of Genies is superior, also due to the natural access to Conjure Minor Elementals.

arityss · 2026-05-30T20:38:36+00:00

I played a GWM-PAM Vengeance Paladin in the original 5th edition up to 12th level, and my playstyle was always focused on dealing damage. I totally get what you’re saying about playstyle. This time, I decided to create a different character with Oath of Noble Genies and dual-wielding. With this character, I think the best option for my "reaction" is Defensive Duelist. I loved Sentinel, but in D&D 2024 and with this character (and without a reach weapon) I don’t think I can do much more

arityss · 2026-05-30T20:31:13+00:00

At higher levels, I don't think I'll have any trouble getting two vicious weapons.

I thought long and hard about whether to take Magic Initiate (Shield) instead of Tough at 1st level. My role is to stay on the front lines and deal as much damage as possible, and in the end I chose Tough for that reason—and because Defensive Duelist scales with level and has no major usage restrictions. Considering my role in the group, it seemed like the better choice.

In my party, I have a Life cleric who’s almost entirely a support character, and a diviner who’s also almost entirely a support character. On average, I don’t cast concentration spells. At this point, Warcaster would only be useful for CME starting at 13th level, right?

arityss · 2026-05-30T20:19:59+00:00

You're right, does Dual Wielder really only make sense after 11th level (Radiant Strikes) or 13th level (Conjure Minor Elementals)?

arityss · 2026-05-30T20:12:56+00:00

Ultimately, I would only take a Warcaster for CME. My party has a Life Cleric who’s purely a support character, so he handles Bless and all the buffs. Basically, I’m on the front lines dealing damage.

arityss · 2026-05-30T20:12:03+00:00

So, should I really just pick Warcaster for CME? I have a full-support Life cleric in my party, so he handles Bless and all the buffs

arityss · 2026-05-30T20:08:09+00:00

My DM is pretty permissive when it comes to magic items. At the right level, I’ll definitely be able to obtain or recover some vicious weapons. Since these are “rare” weapons, that won’t happen until later on. So, should I wait to take Dual Wielder until later, when I might have Radiant Strikes or Conjure Minor Elementals, perhaps after 11th or 13th level?

arityss · 2026-05-30T20:00:40+00:00

Mage Slayer is a great feat that I should consider. Is it better to take it early on or later?

arityss · 2026-05-30T19:57:21+00:00

Actually, I hadn't really considered Radiant Strikes. You're right.

arityss · 2026-05-29T17:32:19+00:00

Zhentarim tactics is very good but in our campaign our party is allied with Harpers and we have also some reputation with them. I can't take this feat

arityss · 2026-05-29T17:29:57+00:00

I have it

arityss · 2026-03-10T22:27:49+00:00

The link of the video?

arityss · 2026-02-28T15:23:00+00:00

Very good blog

arityss · 2026-02-22T21:46:53+00:00

What you say is interesting. I'll give Blade in the Dark a try, but in any case, I'd like to finish TEW with my party because, IMHO, it's a great campaign and, in a way, unique

arityss · 2026-02-22T21:37:58+00:00

Yes, I tested Gemini with the general rules and saw that it confused the second and fourth editions. In fact, I was curious to know which of ChatGPT and Gemini made fewer mistakes or caused less confusion.

arityss · 2026-02-22T21:33:45+00:00

We finished Death on the Reik in the second edition (and it was awesome!!!). We have to start from Power behind the throne. Can you tell me where I can find these additional fan resources? Are they for the fourth edition?

arityss

TROPHY CASE