Dungeons and Dragons released a new subclass playtest on January 15, and with it comes a new Paladin subclass. The Oath of the Spellguard honestly looks pretty interesting to play. Though its rules need some refining, there's some intriguing defense and control tools to play with. There is a bigger problem, though, and it's one that applies to the Paladin 5e class as a whole.
The main thing that distinguishes a Paladin from other DnD classes is their oath. Their divine magic is only available as long as they swear to uphold certain values and pursue a specific cause.
In the Player's Handbook, these oaths are quite broad. "Uphold the Ideals of Justice and Order" and "Strive for the Heights of Heroism" can be interpreted in different ways, meaning you could make many Paladins take the same oath, but their reasons for doing so and their execution of its tenets may look different.
As time has gone on, Wizards of the Coast has needed to find new ways to expand the class. That means new subclasses, but with such broad oaths in the core roster, there isn't a lot of ground left uncovered. As a result, Paladin oaths have been getting increasingly specific.
Instead of an oath like "punish evildoers at any cost", the Spellguard Paladin swears to "protect your allies from villainous magic". Their entire gimmick is that they protect good users of magic and punish those that use it for evil. It's…not the most inspiring oath I've ever seen. There's an awful lot of crossover between the two oaths listed here - one has just decided to only thwart evildoers who use magic.
There was also a thematic problem with the most recently published Paladin subclass, the Oath of Noble Genies. Their oath was to "Brandish the Elemental Splendor of Genies", which is both specific and bewilderingly vague. The rules for the subclass were fantastic, and it's arguably one of the most powerful Paladin builds in the current catalog. But the theme didn't make much sense, and it certainly didn't inspire great storytelling hooks.
Similarly, there's not too much wrong with the mechanics of the Spellguard Paladin. Guardian Bond is a neat way to help keep your party's squishy spellcasters alive by boosting their AC with a well-timed reaction. The subclass' spell list is full of excellent control and utility options, including Shield, Silence, Counterspell, and Dispel Magic.
Spellguard Strike is another reaction that lets you make an attack against a mage after you see them cast a spell, and after level 15, you can cast Counterspell as part of the same reaction. A Spellguard Paladin's aura of protection gives allies advantage on concentration saves, and at level 20, the aura offers even more benefits. Your Guardian Bond target gets resistance to all damage, allies have advantage on all saves against spells, and spell attack rolls against your group have disadvantage. That's excellent.
Naturally, these first draft rules need some work. It's not great that three out of its five subclass abilities require you to spend a reaction, and, granted, it'll suck a bit when your party fights enemies that don't cast spells, as several of your features will suddenly feel useless. But the Paladin is a strong enough class on its own to mitigate the situational nature of the subclass somewhat.
It's a subclass that I'd definitely play after a few tweaks. I just wish that the ideas behind the mechanics were more exciting.
Want to see the full rules for this Paladin? Here's Wizards of the Coast's full playtest document. Or, if you have your own opinions on the subclass, let us know in the Wargamer Discord.