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  MIND BREAKER PALADIN
  Mind Breaker Paladin
  Adventurers League Build Guide
  A 1st-20th level build guide suitable for Adventurers League play
  
  2
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
  MIND BREAKER PALADIN
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  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe,  
  4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
  Writing: David Friant, Nathan Riggins, Doug Vehovec
  Editing: Doug Vehovec
  Layout and Design: Doug Vehovec
  Mind Breaker Paladin
  Adventurers League Build Guide
  A 1st-20th level build guide suitable for Adventurers League play
  
  3
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
  MIND BREAKER PALADIN
  Mind Breaker
  Break your foes’ mind, body and spirit with this 
  Adventurers League legal half-elf paladin for 5th 
  Edition Dungeons & Dragons. The Nerdarchy crew 
  received a request to create a multiclass College 
  of Whispers bard/paladin build. We discovered 
  interesting synergies with the Oath of Conquest 
  and built a warrior who dominates their enemies 
  through fear, intimidation and psychic assaults.
   
   
   
   
  — Nerdarchy
  PHB +1
  Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
  This is a great choice for your +1 when creating a 
  character for Adventurers League, opening up a 
  whole bunch of subclasses and spells.
  Step-by-step character build guide
  Each step of the way, this guide will show you the 
  choices made that are significant to this character 
  build. Options that are of particular importance to 
  this character’s effectiveness are in bold.
  Step 1 — Race
  Half-elf
  Race option from the Player’s Handbook.
  This build is a martial melee character who also 
  relies on Charisma to fuel their abilities. The flex-
  ibility with ability scores and the extra skills gained 
  from being a half-elf help optimize this character me-
  chanically. In addition to the +2 Charisma, we put 
  the other points into Strength and Constitution. 
  For roleplaying, being a half-elf lends itself to per-
  haps being ostracized in society, which this charac-
  ter rises above through conquest and domination 
  of its foes. The Perception and Survival skills help 
  round out this character’s capabilities.
  Proficiencies
  Armor: None
  Weapons: None
  Tools: None
  Skills: Survival, Perception
  Step 2 — Class
  1st level
  Start with paladin. We are looking to go Oath of 
  Conquest from  Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. 
  This will allow us to have a strong start and higher 
  survivability than starting with Bard instead. Also 
  there are benefits to taking Bard second, you will 
  gain any one skill while if you take paladin second 
  you have the third skill but lose access to heavy ar-
  mor. This particular build we will have a low dexteri-
  ty making it important to have access to heavy armor 
  proficiency.
  Proficiencies
  Armor: All armor, shields
  Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
  Tools: None
  Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
  Skills: Athletics, Intimidation
  Step 3 — Ability Scores
  Step 4 — Background
  Urchin
  Skills: Sleight of Hand, Stealth
  Languages: None
  Tools: Disguise kit, thieves’ tools
  The Vicious Underdog. We went with urchin to give 
  a bit more dimension to our otherwise violent and 
  straightforward build. It might be something they are 
  proud of. They started as nothing and then clawed 
  their way up from the bottom of society. It could be a 
  secret, something they want to forget that constantly 
  weighs on them and influences their current attitude 
  and actions. Either way this mutt came from nothing 
  but is aiming to be top dog.
  Step 5 — Class and Level Progression
  Level Class 
  Gains
  1  
  Paladin 
  Divine Sense, Lay on Hands
  2  
  Paladin 
  Fighting Style — Great Weapon 
    
   
  Fighting, Spellcasting, Divine 
    
   
  Smite
  3  
  Bard 
  Bardic Inspiration (d6),  
    
   
  Spellcasting, Skill — Insight
  4  
  Bard 
  Jack of All Trades, Song of Rest
  5  
  Bard 
  Bardic College — College of 
    
   
  Whispers, Psychic Blades (2d6, 
    
   
  Words of Terror, Expertise — 
    
   
  Athletics, Intimidation
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  15 (+2)
  8 (-1)
  13 (+1)
  10 (+0)
  12 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  
  4
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  MIND BREAKER PALADIN
  6  
  Paladin 
  Divine Health, Sacred Oath — 
    
   
  Oath of Conquest, Oath spells, 
    
   
  Channel Divinity
  7  
  Paladin 
  Feat — Great Weapon Master
  8  
  Paladin 
  Extra Attack
  9  
  Paladin 
  Aura of Protection
  10 
  Bard 
  Ability Score Increase —  
    
   
  Charisma +2
  11 
  Bard 
  Psychic Blades (3d6), Bardic  
    
   
  Inspiration (d8), Font of Inspiration
  12 
  Paladin 
  Sacred Oath Feature —  
    
   
  Aura of Conquest
  13 
  Paladin 
  Ability Score Increase —  
    
   
  Strength +2
  14 
  Paladin 
  15 
  Paladin 
  Aura of Courage
  16 
  Paladin 
  Improved Divine Smite
  17 
  Paladin 
  Feat — Inspiring Leader
  18 
  Paladin 
  19 
  Paladin 
  Cleansing Touch
  20 
  Paladin 
  Sacred Oath Feature —  
    
   
  Scornful Rebuke
  Conclusion
  Final Ability Scores
  Proficiencies
  Armor: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, 
  shields
  Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
  Tools: Disguise kit, drum, thieves’ tools
  Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
  Slills: Athletics (Expertise), Intimidation (Expertise), 
  Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival
  Further Resources
  Character creation, build, roleplaying tips and 
  backstory elements are discussed in a video on the 
  Nerdarchy YouTube channel here.
  In the video description, you can find a link to this 
  character build on D&D Beyond.
  You’ll see on the sheet we’ve created this character 
  with lawful evil alignment. We felt this was the-
  matic for the character, who uses fear and mental 
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  8 (-1)
  14 (+2)
  10 (+0)
  12 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  Mind Breaker
  Medium humanoid, lawful evil
  Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
  Hit Points 175 (27d8 +54)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  8 (-1)
  14 (+2)
  10 (+1)
  12 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  Saving Throws Wisdom +5, Charisma +6
  Skills Athletics +12, Intimidation +12, Sleight of Hand 
  +3, Stealth +3, Survival +5
  Senses passive Perception 11
  Languages Common, Infernal
  Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
  Whispering Weapon. The mind breaker’s weap-
  ons are considered magical. Whenever the Mind 
  Breaker hits with a melee weapon attack, it deals 
  an additional 7 (2d6) necrotic damage and 7 (2d6) 
  psychic damage.
  Terrifying Aura. The mind breaker emanates a men-
  acing aura extending 10 feet in every direction, but 
  not through total cover. Frightened creatures in 
  the aura have their speed reduced to 0, and take 5 
  psychic damage if they start their turn there.
  For Dungeon Masters
  We thought it would be fun and useful to take our 
  player character builds and create a version of them 
  as a creature stat block for Dungeon Masters.
  This character can be used as an ally, villain, or 
  colorful NPC to engage the adventurers in your own 
  home games.
  assaults against their foes. It also fit the concept 
  we imagined of an urchin who grew up in the gut-
  ter but carved their own path to the top but did 
  so within the bounds of the law. Sort of thumbing 
  their nose at society by mastering it.
  According to current Adventurers League charac-
  ter creation guidelines, a character with lawful evil 
  alignment would have to belong to either the Zhen-
  tarim or Lords’ Alliance factions.
  That being said, this character build can be of any 
  alignment, and part of the fun is imagining your 
  own ways to roleplay and account for these harsh 
  tactics.
  
  5
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  MIND BREAKER PALADIN
  Spellcasting. The mind breaker is a 12th-level spell-
  caster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell 
  save DC 17, +8  to hit will spell attacks). The mind 
  breaker has the following spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): blade ward, friends, vicious mockery
  1st level (4 slots): armor of Agathys, bane, command, 
  compelled duel, wrathful smite
  2nd level (3 slots): branding smite, hold person, phan-
  tasmal force
  3rd level (3 slots): blinding smite, fear, speak with 
  dead
  4th level (3 slots): death ward, staggering smite
  5th level (2 slots): banishing smite, dominate person
  6th level (1 slots): eyebite
  * The mind breaker casts armor of Agathys and 
  death ward on itself before combat 
  Actions
  Multiattack. The Mind Breaker uses its Frightful Gaze 
  ability. It also makes two weapon attacks.
  Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., 1 target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) slashing damage and 7 
  (2d6) necrotic damage and 7 (2d6) psychic damage.
  Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., 1 target. Hit: 7 (1d6 +4) 
  piercing damage and 7 (2d6) necrotic damage and 7 
  (2d6) psychic damage in melee, or 7 (1d6 +4) piercing 
  damage at range.
  Frightful Gaze. The Mind Breaker bends its will to 
  conquer toward one creature it can see within 30 feet 
  of it. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom 
  saving through or become frightened for 1 minute. 
  If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target is 
  paralyzed for 1 minute. The target may repeat the 
  saving throw at the end of its next turn, ending the 
  effect on a success.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Nerdarchy Team/Mind Breaker Paladin Character Build Guide.pdf