Extraplanar Lunatic Character Breakdown

Key Features of the Build

Sword & Board
Divine Smite
Abjure the Extraplanar Channel Divinity (Oath of the Watchers)
Extra Attack
Aura of Protection
Quickened & Twinned Metamagics
SPELLS – Shield, Absorb Elements, Silvery Barbs, Booming Blade, Shadow Blade, Counterspell, Spirit Guardians
Feats – Resilient (CON), War Caster, Sentinel

Defining Characteristics

Level 1-12 character concept, high melee damage, creature-type control specialist, combat adaptability, balanced action economy, spellslot efficiency, decent frontline utility & support, exciting RP potential (Lunar Sorcerer + realm-protector Paladin)

RACE

Variant Human (PHB)

- STR +1, CHA +1: both are necessary for attacking, spellcasting, class features etc.
- Skills: Perception, even though you dumped WIS score, you still need to see and hear properly
- Feat: Resilient Feat (CON +1)
- Languages: Common + any language you want/need, something that fits the campaign and world preferably

Custom Lineage (TCoE)

- STR +2: in combat, you’re a martial first and foremost, so that’s why I prefer Strength over
- Variable Trait: I prefer 60 feet of darkvision instead of a skill proficiency, but you won’t really go wrong if you stick closer to Variant Human and improve your Perception.
- Feat: Resilient Feat (CON +1)
- Languages: Common + any language you want/need, something that fits the campaign and world preferably

Point Buy (27/27 points spent, racial bonuses and traits included)

Variant Human

STR: 16
DEX: 8
CON: 16
INT: 8
WIS: 8
CHA: 16

Custom Lineage

STR: 16
DEX: 8
CON: 16
INT: 8
WIS: 12
CHA: 14

BACKGROUND

Orzhov Representative (GGR)

If your DM allows Ravnica backgrounds, consider taking this particular one. To cut the long story short, you get to learn Spirit Guardians as a Sorcerer.

- Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Religion
- Tool Proficiencies: gaming set, any musical instrument that can produce a creepy, edgy tune
- Languages: any 2 languages, I’m not that knowledgeable about Ravnica lore to have any preferences here…
- Starting Equipment: fine clothes, Orzhov trinkets, 1pp in a belt pouch
- Feature: Leverage – this could come in handy from time to time, if you need to let out some “tactical” rumors out, or apply some… “pressure” to some individual.
- Background spells: the main reason to take this background. Guidance is great if there’s no Cleric or Druid in a party. Another no-brainer is Spirit Guardians at character level 11 or 12.

Knight of the Order Background (SCAG)

- Skill Proficiencies: Persuasion, Arcana
- Tool Proficiencies: gaming set, any musical instrument that can produce a creepy, edgy tune
- Languages: any language you want/need, something that fits the campaign and world preferably
- Starting Equipment: clothes, knight order trinkets, 10gp in a pouch
- Feature: Knightly Regard – this feature’s utility depends on the campaign and your DM’s style. You might find use for it if your character is particularly intertwined with the story, but don’t count on it to get free healing and lodging all the time.

Feats

- Resilient (Constitution): Level 1 feat for more HP and better odds when rolling the Concentration CON saves.
- Sentinel: an overall martial and action economy improvement. I don’t think it is absolutely necessary, however, with it, you get to roll a lot more reaction attacks. If the enemies ignore you because of your defensive bonuses and divert attention to a friendly frontliner helping you out, you get to smack them one more time. If they decide to Disengage and flee, you get the Attack of Opportunity anyway, so they’re kinda screwed. I’ve taken Sentinel because Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus caps the max character level to 12 apparently (we’re level 10 as I’m writing this…)
- War Caster:further improves your odds of passing Concentration CON saves, makes it easier to cast spells and enables you to cast them at creatures provoking opportunity attacks. The tried and tested Booming Blade on the fleeing enemy with an Attack of Opportunity for more damage is just one example. Should they choose to escape via magical means (Misty Step, Dimension Door…), you still have Counterspell from a 5th level Sorcerer.

Oath of Watchers Paladin 6 (TCoE)

I still think starting in Paladin is better, because you get proficiencies in WIS saves, heavy armor and all weapons. Starting in Sorcerer would allow you to ditch Resilient (CON) feat as you get Constitution proficiency from the class, but then you’d lose heavy armor proficiency, as multiclassing into Paladin only gives you medium armor. And if you think Dexadin (Dexterity Paladin), don’t forget you still need 13 STR to multiclass into/out of Paladin, so that would make the whole character even more MAD (multiple ability score dependent)

- 1d10 HP dice
- Core class proficiencies: all armor & weapons, WIS & CHAsaves, 2 skills (Athletics, Insight/Intimidation)
- Starting Equipment: longsword, shield, 5 javelins, explorer’s pack (you can pick priest’s pack for the theme, but it doesn’t have bedroll, torches and rations), chain mail, holy symbol
- Divine Sense: detect evil and/or good aligned creatures/objects around yourself. The utility of this feature varies from campaign to campaign, but if you’re constantly dealing with fiends & undead, this might come up very often.
- Lay on Hands: a pool of 30 HP you can use to bring your allies up from 0 HP or cure diseases
- Divine Smite: unleash the all the radiant d8s!
- Fighting Style: Defensive is the best option in my opinion, as it permanently makes you 5% harder to hit, but if you are in it for the damage, Dueling is OK too, especially on lower levels where monsters’ HPs aren’t as inflated as in higher tiers of play
- Spellcasting: half-caster, CHA, prepares spells, holy symbol focus. The few Paladin spells you’ll have at your disposal do make you more flexible and adaptable to varying circumstances.
- Divine Health: immunity to disease is often underrated and underutilized because the DM’s forget to infect their players with all sorts of nasty illnesses. I’m kind of guilty of it too, I rarely even think of diseases when I DM. In reality, epidemics would probably be rampant in a medieval setting filled with all sorts of harmful magic.
-  Oath Spells: Alarm and Detect Magic aren’t spells you’ll cast often because Paladins can’t cast spells ritually. Moonbeam is a better-than-nothing option for guaranteed damage. See Invisibility is a situational spell by design, but it gets a bit better with this character – you can cast it as a bonus action spell via Sorcerer’s Quickened Metamagic.
- Channel Divinity: This short rest feature really sets each Paladin subclass apart. Abjure the Extraplanar is the primary crowd-control tool in your arsenal, as it affects a ton of creature types and, if they fail a WIS save against it, effectively removes them from battle. Watcher’s Will is a very solid party buff for situations where Abjure the Extraplanar does not meet its own requirements.
- 1 ASI: Sentinel if you’re like me and like smiting enemies as often as possible, War Caster feat for a much easier time keeping Concentration,
- Extra Attack: significantly improves any Paladin’s damage output, this one is no exception
- Aura of Protection: the more I play, the more I’m convinced this should’ve been a lvl10 feature, it’s that powerful. What use is all the power if you and your buddies keep failing your saving thows and constantly get stunned, paralyzed, petrified or flat out controlled by the DM (Dominate Person spell)?

Lunar Sorcerer 6 (DSotDQ)

Found in the Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen book, this Sorcerer subclass has been a plaything of mine for a while now. You’re finally welcome to enjoy it with me!

- Spellcasting: full caster, CHA, learned spells, arcane focus. While spells won’t be your primary focus, you can still go up to 6th level Sorcerer spells, which gives you many additional options.
- Lunar Embodiment: Full Moon all the way if you ask me – that one extra casting of the Shield spell comes in handy even at character level 10. Of the rest of the extra spells you learn from this feature, Blindness/Deafness and Phantom Steadstand out in my opinion. The former is a decent control option, while the latter provides a significant speed-boost if you need it in a pinch.
- Moon Fire: situational double-cast of Sacred Flame is a cool option that I keep forgetting about all the time.
- Font of Magic: Most of your 6 Sorcery points will be used for Metamagics, but you can always exchange slots for points and vice versa.
- Metamagic: Quickened for casting Booming Blade/Green Flame Blade as a bonus action when you need to smite a high HP enemy. Twinned is a cheap way to attack 2 adjacent targets with 1 casting of Booming Blade simultaneously.
- 1 ASI: whichever feat you didn’t take with a Paladin ASI, you take with your Sorcerer ASI
- Sorcerous Versatility: I used this recently to rearrange my cantrips a bit – it definitely helps tune your selections by the end of your character progression.
- Magical Guidance: This is probably best used during social encounters full of Persuasion, Deception and Insight checks, though it definitely can have some utility during exploration as well.
- Lunar Boons: as a Full Moon phase abuser, this has a niche utility
- Waxing and Waning: leaving Full Moon for another lunar phase is rarely something you’d wanna do, but the option is there, so be mindful if an opportunity presents itself.

Spells

This is by no means the best and only list of spells for this character, it’s just what I’d personally consider the balanced toolkit at level 12. If you’re playing in a caster-heavy party, chances are other players will have some of these spells, so pick something else to avoid overlap.

Cantrips

- Booming Blade: this paired with Quicken/Twinned Metamagic = boatloads of extra d8 damage!
- Guidance: +1d4 to any ability check is a buff which, when not known by anybody else in a party, you will constantly cast.
- Mold Earth/Shape Water: these 2 cantrips have so much utility when used right. The former is probably slightly better because most campaigns take place on land, but if all you’re doing is sailing the seas, the latter will be of more use.
-Chill Touch: ranged option for when you can’t get into melee, fits the theme and I always prefer it over Fire Bolt because of better damage type and the fact it prevents the target from healing

- Prestidigitation/Message: causing loads of pain and harm to your enemies is a dirty business, so clean yourself up from time to time with the former cantrip. However, a little bit of quiet, private conversation is something most of my own spellcasters find themselves doing from time to time, in one way or another. The latter cantrip is a solid option just for that.

1st Level

~Paladin
- Shield of Faith: bonus action, level 1 spellslot, +2 AC for 1 minute. Simple. Works.
- Bless: best used on lower levels to increase accuracy. Mid-way through your character progressions, you’re better off just using the bog-standard Attack action, but later on, casting it as a bonus action via Sorcerer’s Quickened Metamagic does have merit. As a rule of thumb, always cast it on yourself because it will increase the odds of succeeding on CON saves to maintain Concentration – yes, it’s a self-buffing spell.
- Wrathful Smite: One of the few smite spells I’d consider taking. The damage is negligible, but the frightened effect requires an action to remove and it buffs itself as it imposes disadvantage on the WIS ability check to remove it.
- Divine Favor: I always like to have this one at disposal for combat encounters which could take a ton of rounds to finish and where 1 spellslot spent on this spell could translate into many d4-s of extra damage.
- Ceremony: For those moments when everybody decides to marry each other for a “honeymoon” +2 bonus to AC during the next 7 days.

~Sorcerer
- Absorb Elements: not as good at lower levels, the spell gets progressively better and better as you’re dealing with more elemental damage types at higher levels. You might be able to convince the DM to let you drink a bit of acid for extra acid damage on your first hit as well.
- Silvery Barbs: this spell has been discussed by the whole 5e community ever since it came out. It’s good. I use it. You should too.
- Expeditious Retreat: superb mobility buff that also works on your mount

2nd Level

~Paladin
- Find Steed: double your movement speed with basically a free Warhorse. It’s not as effective in tight corridors where the horse has to squeeze through and it can die easily at higher levels. However, all your Self-targeting Paladin and Sorcerer spells (Shield of Faith, Shield, Absorb Elements, Expeditious Retreat…) also apply to the horsey, so it will have a bit more staying power. At the very least, it will be a reliable transport utility for the rest of your adventuring days.
- Aid: a must have if there’s no Cleric around to cast it on you and the rest of the party members. Cast it with the highest available spellslots during a 2-hour segment of a Long Rest you can spend awake.
- Zone of Truth: sometimes you wanna skip the whole “Insight ability check roll to find out if XYZ is lying or not” part of conversation.

~Sorcerer
- Shadow Blade: basically the main reason to go into Sorcerer. A single casting of this spell can either maximize your damage significantly when you stack it with Divine Smite, or can help you maintain high damage output without burning a bunch of valuable spellslots on Divine Smite. Using it effectively requires some experience and proper resource management, but it’s a massive damage multiplier in any case. If you’re in dim light/darkness, it’s even more powerful with a built-in advantage on attack rolls with it.
- Misty Step: getting out of grapples, escaping Wall of Force, catching up with the enemy, “hopping” over a wide chasm… - there are a million uses for this spell.

3rd Level

- Counterspell: you will want to be in melee as often as possible, so you are more likely to be within range to prevent enemy spellcasters from casting powerful spells.
- Fireball/Lightning Bolt: sometimes it’s best to just burn or electrocute a bunch of enemies to death.
- Spirit Guardians: a milestone Cleric level 3 spell that you get access to through the Orzhov Representative background.
- Haste: casting this as a bonus action via Quickened Metamagic is still one of the better Round 1 buffs that turns your mount into a speed-machine. Just don’t fail those inevitable Concentration saves and you’re good.

ITEMS

Below is just a short list of, in my opinion, reasonable suggestions for campaigns both rich and poor with magic items. As always, you depend on DM’s generosity to get what you want, which is a variable I cannot and will not attempt to predict.

- Ruby of the War Mage: The name fits your battlefield role almost perfectly. The mechanical effect also allows for much easier material spell components management.
- Crystal Double-Bladed Scimitar: mechanically, this item is a very interesting alternative to both Shadow Blade spell and Quickened Metamagic + Booming Blade combo. I’ve never had it personally, but I’m using the rapier variant of the weapon for this character and it serves me well in every combat encounter.
- Amulet of the Devout +1/+2/+3: this item of any rarity is so, so good on this character. 1 extra use of your powerful Abjure the Extraplanar Channel Divinity on top of a bonus to both your Paladin and Sorcerer spellcasting is a hard-to-pass boon.
- Bloodwell Vial +1/+2/+3:while it only buffs your Sorcerer’s spellcasting, it does it massively. It effectively doubles your pool of Sorcery Points, which is a premium resource requiring careful management without this item.
- Adamantine Armor: Crits are a bane of every character, so if you can get your hands on an armor that cancels the extra damage, that will help tremendously.
- Armor +1/+2/+3: if you can pair the AC bonus and adamantine together, you’ll be negating a ton of damage
- Shield +1/+2/+3: you can never have too much AC
- Mantle of Spell Resistance: passing saves against magical effects is a big part of the game, so as a frontliner, having advantage on them is a big buff

PROGRESSION

6 levels in Paladins to grab Aura of Protection ASAP, then 6 levels in Sorcerer for all the magic toys.

1) Paladin 1: Resilient Constitution feat, heavy armor prof., CHA & WIS saves, Divine Sense, Lay on Hands, SPELLS – Shield of Faith, Bless, Wrathful Smite/Divine Favor
2) Paladin 2: Divine Smite, Defense Fighting Style, Spellcasting
3) Paladin 3: Divine Health, Oath spells, Channel Divinity (Abjure the Extraplanar)
4) Paladin 4: Sentinel/War Caster feat
5) Paladin 5: Extra Attack (2 attacks), SPELLS – Find Steed, Aid
6) Paladin 6: Aura of Protection
7) Sorcerer 1: Lunar Embodiment, Moon Fire, SPELLS – Booming Blade, Guidance, Chill Touch, Mold Earth/Shape Water, Absorb Elements, Silvery Barbs
8) Sorcerer 2: Font of Magic, Expeditious Retreat spell
9) Sorcerer 3: Quickened & Twinned Metamagic, Shadow Blade spell
10) Sorcerer 4: Sentinel/War Caster feat, SPELLS – Prestidigitation/Message, Misty Step
11) Sorcerer 5: Magical Guidance, Counterspell
12) Sorcerer 6: Lunar Boons, Waxing and Waning, SPELLS – Fireball/Lightning Bolt, Expeditious Retreat -> Spirit Guardians/Haste