To create a Paladin, consult the following lists, which provide your Primary Ability, Hit Points, and proficiencies. If you’re making a level 1 character, also consult the “Starting Equipment” section, and if you’re using the multiclassing rules, see “Multiclassing and the Paladin” above.

Then look at the Paladin table to see the class features you get at each level in this class. The descriptions of those features appear in the “Paladin Class Features” section.

Primary Ability

Your primary abilities are Dexterity and Charisma or Strength and Charisma. When you choose this class at 1st level, you can either increase your Dexterity, Charisma, or Strength by 2.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per paladin level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per paladin level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) six javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a priest's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• Chain mail and a holy symbol

Alternatively, you can forgo this starting equipment and spend 150 GP on equipment of your choice.

Paladin Class Features

As a Paladin, you gain the following class features when you reach the specified levels in this class. These features are listed on the Paladin table.

Level 1: Lay on Hands

Your blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a Long Rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of Hit Points equal to five times your Paladin level.

As a Bonus Action, you can touch a creature (which could be yourself) and draw power from the pool of healing to restore a number of Hit Points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in the pool.

In addition, you can expend 5 Hit Points from the pool of healing to remove the Poisoned condition from the creature, rather than using those points to restore Hit Points.

Level 1: Spellcasting

You have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does.

Spell Slots

The Paladin table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a Long Rest.

Prepared Spells of Level 1+

You prepare the list of spells of 1st level and higher that are available for you to cast with this feature. To start, choose two 1st-level spells from the Paladin spell list. Rather than choosing, you may start with Heroism and Searing Smite.

The number of spells on your list increases as you gain Paladin levels, as shown in the Prepared Spells column of the Paladin table. Whenever that number increases, choose additional spells from the Paladin spell list until the number of spells on your list matches the number on the table. The chosen spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you’re a 5th-level Paladin, your list of prepared spells can include six Paladin spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination.

If another Paladin feature gives spells that you always have prepared, those spells don’t count against the number of spells on the list you prepare with this Spellcasting feature, but those spells otherwise follow the rules in this feature.

Changing Your Prepared Spells

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can replace one spell on your list with another Divine spell for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a Holy Symbol as a Spellcasting Focus for the spells you prepare for this class.

Level 1: Weapon Mastery (One D&D)

Your training with weapons allows you to use the Mastery property of two kinds of Weapons of your choice with which you have proficiency, such as Longswords and Javelins.

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can practice weapon drills and change one or both of those weapon choices.

Using Weapon Mastery

If you’re wielding a Weapon and have learned its Mastery Property, you are able to use that mastery property every time you make an attack with the weapon, no action required.

Different mastery properties have different triggers. For example, Cleave requires you to hit a creature with a melee attack roll while Graze triggers when you miss a creature with an attack roll.

Level 2: Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• Blessed Warrior. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. They count as paladin spells for you, and Charisma is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the cleric spell list.

• Blind Fighting. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
  
• Defense. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

• Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

• Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

• Interception. When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

• Protection. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

• Close Quarters Shooter (UA: Ask GM before taking). When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks.

• Mariner (UA: Ask GM before taking). As long as you are not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, you have a swimming speed and a climbing speed equal to your normal speed, and you gain a +1 bonus to armor class.

Level 2: Paladin's Smite

You have mastered smiting your targets with divine energy; You always have the Divine Smite spell prepared.

Level 3: Channel Divinity

You can channel divine energy directly from the Outer Planes, using that energy to fuel magical effects. You start with one such effect: Divine Sense, which is described below. Other Paladin features give additional Channel Divinity effect options. Each time you use this Channel Divinity, you choose which effect to create from among those you have from this class.

You can use Channel Divinity twice. You regain one expended use when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. You gain additional uses when you reach certain Paladin levels, as shown in the Channel Divinity column of the Paladin table.

If a Channel Divinity effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals the Spell Save DC from this class’s Spellcasting feature.

Divine Sense. As a Bonus Action, you can open your awareness to detect Celestials, Fiends, and Undead. For the next 10 minutes or until you have the Incapacitated condition, you know the location of any creature of those types within 60 feet of yourself, and you know its creature type. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the Hallow spell.

Level 3: Paladin Subclass

You gain a Paladin subclass of your choice, choosing from the Paladin Subclasses table below.

A subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at certain Paladin levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Paladin level and lower.