How to build D&D's new Oath of Noble Genies Paladin

The Oath of Noble Genies is by far the standout subclass of D&D's recent sourcebook, Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn. It's a versatile Dex build with a fantastic spell list and potent abilities that mean you'll excel in all the expected areas of a Paladin 5e (plus a few you wouldn't expect of these heavily armored half-casters).

Excellent offense, defense, and area control make this a new option from the DnD classes you shouldn't skip out on. I was itching to get building as soon as I read through its rules, so I've put together a 2024 optimization guide for our new Noble Genie Paladin. I'll cover each key decision point in the build, as well as tips for making the most out of your specific subclass features.

Starting stats

Level: One

Thanks to the level-three Genie's Splendor feature, we know that this Paladin relies on Charisma for spellcasting and Dexterity for martial attacks. We still need a decent Constitution score to defend on the frontlines, though, meaning we're still MAD (Multiple Ability Score Dependent). That being said, a high Dex buffs our armor class, so we can afford to be a bit less attentive to our Con than usual.

Using the Points Scoring method of calculating stats, here's my recommended starting spread:

• Strength - 10
• Dexterity - 15
• Constitution - 13
• Intelligence - 8
• Wisdom - 10
• Charisma - 15

Intelligence is our clear dump stat, while keeping Strength and Wisdom at a +0 at least prevents us from totally terrible rolls on key utility checks.

Starting proficiencies

Persuasion/Intimidation and Insight are my top picks here. Our focus on Dex makes us less likely to use Athletics, and the remaining skills are handier for utility-focused builds. Let's focus on being a great party Face.

Species and background

Level: One

While there are plenty of great DnD backgrounds in Heroes of Faerûn, none really fit the flavor or play style of our Paladin. I've instead gone for a safe bet: the Soldier. +2 Dex and +1 Con brings us to a nice even number for Con, and it sets us up to take an alternative feat at level four rather than a basic ability score improvement, meaning we'll have reached 18 Dex right on schedule. The Soldier's Savage Attacker feat allows us to reroll our weapon damage die once per turn and use the best result, which is perfect for a frontliner.

That covers the offensive side of our Genie Paladin, but it doesn't do much to set us up for defense. That's where DnD races come in.

While there are many excellent options for martials (Goliaths and Orcs often being the go-to), I don't think either really fit the situation. Our bonus action is essential for smiting, so the Orc and Goliath's extra maneuverability options are much less appealing. Plus, the added damage and defense your Goliath can offer are kind of baked into our chosen subclass already.

Instead, I've opted for a Human. There are many origin feats that pair well with our Paladin, and this gives us a chance to choose an extra option. I've opted for Tough to keep our hit point maximum high. However, another strong alternative could be the new origin feat, Spellfire Spark. This gives you a pretty decent Cleric cantrip that could solve the Paladin's usual problem of limited ranged attacks.

Humans also offer an additional skill proficiency, so this gives us a chance to capitalize on our unusually high Dex score. Personally, I think Stealth is the best option here. Genie Paladins typically won't wear heavy armor, so, for once, they're actually capable of sneaking about with the rest of the party.

Starting equipment

Level: One

The Paladin's standard starting equipment is useless to us here. Take the 150 gold pieces and run. Or, rather, make sure you buy yourself a shield and a rapier. Most would argue that the sickle is a better finesse weapon thanks to the Nick weapon mastery, but it's important that we save one hand for our shield, so we can't make the most of Nick without really cheesing those equip/unequip actions.

As long as your shield has your holy symbol carved into it, you can use it as a spellcasting focus, but pick up a spare holy symbol just to be safe.

It's also worth investing in a hand crossbow and a small pile of daggers. You can't do much smiting with ranged weapon options, but they're handy to have in case you're completely unable to land a melee attack.

That leaves us with a handful of our starting gold left, but not to worry. The Genie's Splendor feature means we shouldn't really wear armor, so there's no need to invest in plate or hide.

Spellcasting

Nothing here is particularly unique to the Oath of Noble Genies subclass. I've focused heavily on enhancing your offense and defense, but you might want to swap a few options out if, say, your party doesn't have a dedicated healer. Somebody should have Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration, and Aura of Vitality - and if it has to be you, so be it.

Level: One

This doesn't account for the extra spells your subclass will add. We'll cover what tactics these add to your repertoire shortly.

Weapon Mastery

Level: One

Choose Rapier and Dagger as your weapon masteries to cover both Vex and the more situational Nick.

Fighting Style

Level: Two

Defense is usually a Paladin go-to, but since we're not wearing armor, opt for Dueling. This ups your Rapier damage while you're also wielding your shield as a spellcasting focus.

Elemental Smite

Level: Three

That's all the basic class stuff sorted; now it's time to check out the Noble Genies subclass. Elemental Smite modifies your regular Divine Smite with one of four tactical options:

• Grapple and restrain the target you just hit
• Teleport and become temporarily resistant to physical damage and certain conditions
• Deal 2d4 fire damage to your target and another nearby creature
• Potentially knock all enemies within 10 feet prone

The prone option (Marid's Surge) feels weakest because it relies on a saving throw to take effect. Save or suck means situational. Meanwhile, the rest of these offer tactical benefits without any extra steps. You're safe to mix and match depending on what suits your situation best.

Genie Spells

Level: Three

Chromatic Orb is a delightful ranged option, but with such limited spell slots, you're not going to have many chances to watch it bounce around the battlefield. Elementalism, similarly, is a utility option that's only occasionally useful - but at least it doesn't burn a spell slot. Also at level three comes Thunderous Smite, which adds a neat extra tactical option to your smite catalog without taking up space in your prepared spells list.

Phantasmal Force doesn't slot too neatly into our frontliner strategy, but Mirror Image is a fantastic defense option. Level nine, similarly, is good, but not overwhelmingly powerful. Fly and Gaseous Form are most likely to be out-of-combat utility moves for your Paladin.

Things get really fun from level 13 onward, when we get Conjure Minor Elementals and can turn into a magical Beyblade, just like our Cleric cousins. Summon Elemental and Banishing Smite are also perfect for further offensives. Contact Other Plane is mainly there for the roleplay - I'd focus on smiting, personally.

Genie's Splendor

Level: Three

We've mentioned this feature several times already, as it's the best indicator of the Genie Paladin's playstyle. As long as you're not wearing armor, your AC equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Charisma modifiers.

At level three, our Genie Paladin currently has an armor class of 15. A Strength-based Paladin wearing the standard starter armor (a Chain Shirt) needs a Dex score of at least 14 to match this - doable, but fiddly when you're already MAD.

The Genie Paladin will start to fall behind once your Strength Paladin finds some plate armor, but as long as they keep buffing these key stats, an AC of 18+ is more than possible at later levels.

This feature also gives us an extra skill proficiency, and I'd recommend Acrobatics, given that we focused on our key Face skills from first level.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: Four

Your first ASI is a tricky one, because your Paladin has so many stats to juggle. The first instinct will be to increase your Dexterity to 19 in order to buff your AC and attack rolls.

There is also a case for taking War Caster, which provides a +1 to your Charisma. It gives us advantage on concentration saves and the ability to perform somatic components while wielding both sword and board. That's essential if you want to cast basically any spell mid-combat that isn't a Smite.

However, with only three spell slots to work with at level four, my instinct is to save these for smites and go for the +2 Dexterity boost. Pushing War Caster back to a later level hurts, but spellcasting isn't your primary role here.

Aura of Elemental Shielding

Level: Seven

Your Aura of Protection was already an excellent tool, but now it's even better, giving everyone inside resistance to an elemental damage type. I'd recommend starting each day with resistance to Fire damage (one of the most common types) and switching to one of your other options if they prove a clearer threat. You can change your choice every turn for free, so there's no pressure to make good guesses in advance.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: Eight

Let's take War Caster at this stage, now that we have a reasonable number of spell slots to play with. That brings us to a Dexterity score of 19 and a Charisma score of 16, bringing our AC up to 17.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: 12

At this stage, we want to bring Dexterity up to level 20. I first thought about achieving this with the Defensive Dueler feat, as this synergizes nicely with our Rapier/Shield setup. However, our subclass is about to give us an alternative reaction that triggers when we're hit, so it might not be all that useful.

Instead, I'd recommend a standard Ability Score Improvement feat, with +1 to both Dexterity and Charisma. With a max Dex of 20, our AC increases to 18, and we're as good at landing smites as we can be.

Elemental Rebuke

Level: 15

Here's that reaction I was talking about. When a Genie Paladin is hit by an attack roll, they can spend a reaction to have the incoming damage. This also forces the attacker to make a Dexterity save, as your reaction hurls either cold, lightning, thunder, acid, or fire damage (your choice) back at them.

This is excellent value, as the target still takes half damage if they pass the save. The damage equals 2d10 plus your Charisma modifier. Your Charisma modifier also determines how many times you can use this before you need a long rest.

With 17 points in Charisma, we've only got three uses of this for now. Luckily, the next level brings an ASI that can push us up to four uses.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: 16

If you're not expecting to make it to level 19, I'd take a handy feat that gives you a mere +1 to Charisma. Something like Fey Touched - which gives you some additional spells to cast - should do the trick.

However, if you're joining me for the ride all the way to level 20, I'd instead pump +2 into your Charisma with an ASI. Either way, we increase our AC and our uses of Elemental Rebuke.

Epic Boon

Level: 19

There are many useful Epic Boons, but given our focus on successful smites, the Boon of Combat Prowess seems like the most elegant option. It also brings our Charisma score to 20, rounding out both of our key stats. Apologies to Constitution, the third sibling in the MAD family that I've ignored for this entire build, but you're simply less relevant than the agile smiting stat that is Dexterity.

Noble Scion

Level: 20

Lastly, there is no decision point at level 20, but there is a satisfying capstone. Noble Scion is a bonus action that gives you 60 feet of flight for 10 minutes. Plus, during that time, when you or an ally in your Aura of Protection fails a D20 test, you can spend a reaction to turn it into a success instead. The Boon of Combat Prowess should guarantee that most of your attacks hit, but this will be crucial for making sure key spells or saving throws roll in your favor in the final boss fight.

Have you tested the Noble Genies Paladin yet? Let us know what you think of the new subclass in the Wargamer Discord.