What is the Best Skill Proficiency for a Paladin?
When it comes to creating a powerful and effective Paladin, one of the most crucial decisions you’ll need to make is choosing the right skill proficiencies. As a Paladin, you’ll want to select skills that complement your abilities, enhance your combat performance, and allow you to contribute to the party in meaningful ways.
Proficiency Overview
Before we dive into the best skill proficiencies for a Paladin, let’s take a brief look at the overall proficiency system in D&D 5e. Paladins can choose two skills from a list of ten, including:
• Athletics: Allows for improved acrobatic feats and melee combat
• Intimidation: Grants you the ability to demoralize enemies
• Medicine: Enhances your healing and survival capabilities
• Persuasion: Gives you a chance to persuade NPCs to do your bidding
• Religion: Deepens your understanding of your deity and allows for greater insight into sacred texts
Strength-Based Paladin Proficiencies
As a strength-based Paladin, you’ll want to prioritize proficiencies that enhance your combat abilities and overall damage output. Here are a few recommendations:
• Athletics: This is a no-brainer for a strength-based Paladin. Athletics will allow you to excel at acrobatic feats and melee combat, making you a formidable opponent on the battlefield.
• Intimidation: Intimidation is a valuable skill for any Paladin, but particularly useful for a strength-based build. Intimidation can help demoralize enemies, making them more likely to flee or become less effective in combat.
Wisdom-Based Paladin Proficiencies
On the other hand, a wisdom-based Paladin may prioritize proficiencies that focus on healing, insight, and survival. Here are a few recommendations:
• Medicine: Medicine is an excellent choice for a wisdom-based Paladin. It allows you to heal more effectively, stabilize wounds, and even revive fallen allies.
• Persuasion: Persuasion can be useful for a wisdom-based Paladin, allowing you to convince NPCs to aid your cause or reveal valuable information.
Combining Proficiencies
So, how can you combine these proficiencies to create a well-rounded Paladin? Here are a few suggestions:
| Paladin Build | Proficiencies | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Strength-Based | Athletics, Intimidation | Enhanced combat abilities and intimidation tactics |
| Wisdom-Based | Medicine, Persuasion | Improved healing and survival capabilities, as well as persuasive abilities |
Conclusion
Choosing the right skill proficiencies for your Paladin can be a daunting task, but by understanding the different options and priorities, you can create a powerful and effective character. Remember to consider your Paladin’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the needs of your party, when making your decision. With the right proficiencies, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a formidable champion of good!