D&D Paladin Level Up – a step by step guide (5e)

I always found the level-up process to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding nuances of any RPG, including Dungeons & Dragons.

It’s the feeling of seeing your character finally getting stronger after you spent so many hours slaying ferocious beasts, exploring dark dungeons, making new acquaintances, escaping from situations you couldn’t handle at your previous level, opening treasure chests filled with coins and jewels (and sometimes empty ones), and so on, that makes this part of the game so exciting.

When it comes to progress through levels in D&D there are quite a few things to remember and all the information you need are scattered on different pages of the Player’s Handbook (and sometimes on other manuals).

I’m pretty sure most of the players have already memorized all the pages they need to look at to level up their alter-ego, but for all the new players, for my friends that constantly ask me what to do when they have to level up and even for veterans who just want a tidy recap, I thought it would be handy to have a step by step guide to follow that will hopefully make the whole level-up process faster.

In this article, I’ll dive deep into the D&D Paladin level up process, and in particular what new abilities and feats you’d unlock, as well as any change of the character’s stats.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will get a commission at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

D&D Paladin Level Up Advancement Table

Here’s a quick overview of the Paladin level up advancement if you want to get a sneak peek or if you need a quick recap.

Keep scrolling for a deeper description of each level.

1st Level – Paladin Starting Features & Abilities

Hit Points

• Basic Hit Points: 10 + Constitution (CON) modifier.
• Hit Dice: 1d10.

Proficiencies

• Armour: All Armour, Shields.
• Weapons: Simple weapons, Martial Weapons.
• Tools: None.
• Proficiency bonus: +2.
• Saving Throws: Wisdom (WIS) and Charisma (CHA).
• Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion.

Class Features

• Divine Sense
  You can sense the presence of celestial, fiend or undead creatures within 60 feet of you and you can also feel the existence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated.
• Lay on Hands
  Thanks to your blessed touch, you can heal wounds. You can restore a total number of hit points equal to your Paladin level x5 and you can use any amount of points you wish.

2nd Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (1) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +2 (1st level).
• Fighting Style
  You can adopt a particular fighting style as your speciality such as duelling, defence, great weapon fighting, and so on based on how you want to play your character.
• Spellcasting
  You learnt how to cast spells by drawing divine magic through meditation and prayers.
• Divine Smite
  When you hit an enemy with a melee weapon attack, you can spend a spell slot to inflict extra damage. At the 2nd level, the extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot + 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st to a max of 5d8.

3rd Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (1) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +1 (1st level).
• Divine Health
  You are immune to disease.
• Sacred Oath
  You can choose your subclass between the Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Ancients, Oath of Vengeance, Oath of Conquest, Oath of Glory, Oath of Redemption, Oath of the Crown, Oath of the Watchers, and the Oathbreaker.

4th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (2) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Ability Score Improvement: you can increase one ability score by 2 or increase two ability scores by 1. If you use the optional feats rule you can instead choose a Feat of your choice.

5th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Proficiency Bonus: +1.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (2) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +1 (1st level), +2 (2nd level).
• Extra Attack
  You can attack twice, instead of once, every time you take the Attack action on your turn.

6th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (3) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Aura of Protection
  You can give a bonus to yourself or a friendly creature within 10 feet from you whenever any of you must do a saving throw.

7th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (3) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +1 (2nd level).
• New Sacred Oath subclass feature: this depends on which Sacred Oath you have chosen for your Paladin.

8th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (4) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Ability Score Improvement: you can increase one ability score by 2 or increase two ability scores by 1. If you use the optional feats rule you can instead choose a Feat of your choice.

9th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Proficiency Bonus: +1.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (4) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +2 (3rd level).

10th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (5) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Aura of Courage
  You and your allies within 10 feet from you can’t be frightened while you are conscious.

11th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (5) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +1 (3rd level).
• Improved Divine Smite
  Any time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can add an extra 1d8 to your damage roll.

12th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (6) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Ability Score Improvement: you can increase one ability score by 2 or increase two ability scores by 1. If you use the optional feats rule you can instead choose a Feat of your choice.

13th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Proficiency Bonus: +1.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (6) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +1 (4th level).

14th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (7) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Cleansing Touch
  You can use the action in your turn to end the effects of a spell on yourself or on a willing creature.

15th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (7) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +1 (4th level).
• New Sacred Oath subclass feature: this depends on which Sacred Oath you have chosen for your Paladin.

16th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (8) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Ability Score Improvement: you can increase one ability score by 2 or increase two ability scores by 1. If you use the optional feats rule you can instead choose a Feat of your choice.

17th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Proficiency Bonus: +1.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (8) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Spell slots: +1 (4th level), +1 (5th level).

18th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (9) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Aura Improvements
  The range of your Aura increases from 10 to 30 feet.

19th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (9) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• Ability Score Improvement: you can increase one ability score by 2 or increase two ability scores by 1. If you use the optional feats rule you can instead choose a Feat of your choice.
• Spell slots: +1 (5th level).

20th Level

• Hit Points: add 1d10 (roll or 6) + Constitution (CON) modifier to the current hit points.
• Hit Dice: one additional d10.
• Prepared spells: half your Paladin level rounded down (10) + your Charisma (CHA) modifier.
• New Sacred Oath subclass feature: this depends on which Sacred Oath you have chosen for your Paladin.