D&D: The Oath of the Noble Genies Paladin Playtest – Strange Flavor, Powerful Abilities
A new Paladin playtest adds an elemental flavor to the divine warriors of D&D. With strange flavor and busted abilities, it’s a doozy.
The new Unearthed Arcana is all about the Forgotten Realms. Which means that all the new subclasses have some kind of tie to the land of Faerun. In the case of the new Paladin playtest subclass, the Oath of the Noble Genies, that tie is tenuous indeed. You can see what they’re going for, but I don’t know if it’s working.
It would almost be better to make this a Paladin of the Four Elements or something like that. Something that’s already extant in the game, in the form of the Way of the Elements Monk. But while the flavor might be all over the place, the Paladin playtest reveals powerful abilities.
Including one that is so good, I would be surprised if it makes it through playtesting unchanged. But you needn’t take my word for it. You can judge for yourself as we dive into the Oath of the Noble Genies Paladin subclass playtest. Grab your lightest armor and let’s roll.
Oath of the Noble Genies Paladin Playtest – Why Genies, You Ask? Good Question
Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice about the Oath of the Noble Genies is how strange the subclass seems compared to the others. There’s the Oath of Glory, the Oath of Devotion, Oath of Vengeance, and Oath of the Ancients. These are all sworn to sort of conceptual virtues, not actual entities. And I think that’s where a lot of the jarring nature of the flavor crashes in headlong.
It’s almost like WotC doesn’t understand their own rules/lore for Paladin Oaths. Because a Paladin derives their power from their Oath, not from an entity. But these Paladins are exceptions, and that’s not just an interpretation, that’s WotC’s own words:
“Paladins sworn to the Oath of the Noble Genies revere the forecs of the Elemental Planes. Through taking this oath, Paladins draw power from the four different types of genies – dao, masters of earth; djinn, masters of air; efreet, masters of fire; andma rids, masters of water – to create splendid and destructive displays of elemental might.
On Faerun, many Paladins who swear this oath hail from Calimshan, a land rife with genie-kind. Despite their strong local ties, these Calishite Paladins often undertake quests that take them all over the Realms and across the multiverse – including, naturally, the Elemental Planes.
So it’s strange, that, of all the Paladins, this is the one tied to both reverence of and devotion to a specific entity. The vibes are just off. Especially when you consider that none of the Oath Tenets mention genies.
- Beget creation with destruction
- Lead with splendor and grace
- Respect the elements, and fear their wrath
I just think it needs some reworking. But the abilities, on the other hand, hit hard.
Oath of the Noble Genies – Elemental Smites and Armor That’s Light
This playtest Paladin subclass has one of the strongest suites of 3rd level abilities you’ll find. Starting with Elemental Smite. This abilitiy allows you to expend a use of Channel Divinity whenever you cast Divine Smite. If you do, you can add an elemental effect on top of your smite. This is a potent option for Paladins, who are not hurting for ways to pile on the damage.
You’ve got Dao’s Crush which gives your target the Grappled and Restrained Conditions (note, that you, the Paladin aren’t grappled or restrained). With Djinni’s Escape you can teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet and assume a mist-like form that makes you immune to Grapple, Prone, and Restrained. Use Efreeti’s Fury to add 2d4 fire damage to your hit. Or call upoon Marid’s Surge to send your target, and creatures of your choice within 10 feet of your target, flying back 15 feet before being knocked prone.
You also get Genie Spells, giving you bonus spells, always prepared, at levels 3, 5, 9, 13, and 17:
- Chromatic Orb, Elementalism, Thunderous Smite
- Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force
- Fly, Gaseous Form
- Conjure Minor Elementals, Summon Elemental
- Banishing Smite, Contact Other Plane
Then we have the strongest ability: Genie’s Splendor. It’s very simple, very straightforward, but it’s a more powerful ability than most other class features that come close to doing what it does. Here’s how it works: when you’re not wearing Medium or Heavy armor, you gain your Charisma modifier as a bonus to your AC.
This is basically a Monk or Barbarian’s Unarmored defense but better in every way. Instead of starting with an AC of 10 + Dex + Con/Wis (depending on your class), you start with an AC of 12 + Dex + Charisma. And Charisma is a stat that most Paladins will want to boost up to +5 anyway. It might not seem like much, but this means, for instance, you can get a suit of magic light armor, pair it with a magic shield, and still enjoy an extra +10 to your AC on top of that.
Even at 3rd level, you’re going to out AC the Fighter in Heavy Armor trying to go for Plate (which they likely can’t afford to level 5). And by the time you hit higher levels and max out your Dex and Charisma, we’re talking an AC of 30 without doing anything. That’s on top of spells like Shield of Faithor any of the other defense buffing spells Paladins have access to. I’d be surprised if this one comes through playtesting unscathed.
Noble Genies Mean Elemental Auras
At higher levels, you get the Aura of Elemental Shielding. This ability letsy ou create a bonus level of protection for your 6th level Aura of Protection. You can pick Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder damage, and you and all allies gain resistance to that damage while in your aura. But it gets even better. At the start of each of your turns, you can change what damage your aura provides resistance to. So you need never be caught off guard for more than a round.
In addition to the adaptable aura, at level 15, these playtest Paladins gain Elemental Rebuke. This lets you take a Reaction to halve incoming damage ala Uncanny Dodge, but you can also add a damage rider, making a creature take 4d10 elemental damage of your choice if they fail a save. Not bad.
Finally, at 20th level, Noble Scion lets you assume an empowered form as a Bonus Action. While transformed, you have a fly speed of 60 feet and can hover, and you can use your Reaction to make any failed attack roll, saving throw, or ability check just a success instead. Powerful stuff, but that feels like what you’d want at a minimum for 20th level play.
Noble Genies Paladin Playtest Survey Live – Share Your Thoughts
All in all, this is a potent subclass. I think flavorwise, the Oath to the genies feels a little weird. And you read my whole screed about how Genie’s Splendor is probably a little busted. I don’t mind if something is strong, but when your subclass feature outshines one of the big benefits of a whole other class, you might need to revisit one of those things.
But, it’s not about what I think. WotC wants to know what YOU think. And you have a chance to do that with the official Playtest Survey for the Paladin and other subclasses, live now. Just follow the link below.
Now to see if these power can be combined… maybe a fifth element is what we need…
