Celestial angelic beings, revered by society, welcomed by deities, a symbol of divine justice and revered champions, the embodiment of the hot popular kids in high school… And now chosen to become paladins. You couldn’t be more cliche, could you? 

The Aasimar race is found in Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Click here to pick up your own copy of Volo’s Guide to Monsters!

How to Make an Aasimar Paladin

Aasimars are children of humans whose blood is blessed by the power of mount Celestia and or descended from divine beings of purely good alignment such as Celestials. When you think about it they’re similar to Tieflings as they can even be born from a lineage where for years the Aasimar blood has been dormant. Although most are good there are a few who stray and become neutral or evil. 

They are described to have the appearance of humans but extraordinarily beautiful and still with traits that make them stand out -as if being an otherworldly level of beautiful wasn’t enough. Like elves, some features of an Aasimar depend on who they descended from. It should be noted that:

Common Features

Pupilless eyes (White/Gray/Gold)Silver hair (Yup, at birth your parents will know you’re an anime protagonist)Light feathers on the shoulder where the wings would sprout

* Aasimars do not have wings but CAN sprout some through their racial ability for ONE MINUTE. 

Extra or certain features that rely on their heritage:

*ADF= Aasimar descendant features

Planetar	Order of Angels in the Celestial Planes, defenders of truth and avengers, second to the Paragons ADF: Emerald skin
Avoral	Humanoid with wings instead of arms, golden eagle eyes, bird-like legs, and feathers on their heads in place of hair. Pretty much like Harpies that love to travel. ADF: Feathers in hair
Ghaeles	Knight-errands and advisers of the Eladrin. Appears similar to athletic high elves(thicc thighs) but has opalescent eyes and a radiant aura. They’re more understanding about mortal struggles. ADF: Pearly opalescent eyes
Solar	Similar to Planetars, also second to the Paragons. Transcendent humanoid beings with hair of bronze, eyes like radiant topaz, and skin of copper, gold, silver, or other metallic coloration. 10 feet tall and with wings of radiant white or coppery gold. Stewards in service to the Paragons. They don’t all look like this though. In Corellon’s court, they look like androgynous elves in shining white robes  ADF: Silvery/Golden skin, brilliant topaz eyes,
Couatl & Lillend	(Couatl) If you’re a fan of Aztec mythology you may be familiar with this creature. A Couatl is a large rainbowed winged serpentine creature with a height of 12 ft and a wingspan of 15 ft. Although solitary creatures, they are known to act as signs and guides to mortals.(Lillend) Think Echidna’s but more beautiful than terrifying, have wings and feathers in place of hair. They have beautiful scales and feathers and are known to wear jewelry but never clothing. It is said they are the musicians, artisans, and scholars of the celestials, guardians of the infinite staircase, and transformed from faithful devouts by the goddess Selune. Racists as heck to those with fiendish origin or blood. ADF: Small iridescent scales

Do you think that’s all? It’s time to PICK.YOUR.AASIMAR.:

Protector Aasimar	To summarize what they’re like, think Guardian Angels that stand against Evil. Wisdom increase +1Radiant Soul- Going super Saiyan Aasimar style. You unleash energy, every part of you glows, and you get wings that let you fly at the speed of 30 feet plus deal radiant damage after you attack something.
Fallen Aasimar	Think edgy goth who probably quotes things like “I see no light within me but shadows.”. Strength increase +1Necrotic Shroud– The opposite of Radiant Soul. You release energy, your eyes are filled with darkness, and you’ll look like something anti-smoking ads warn people about. Apart from that, you get two skeletal ghostly wings.  Once fully transformed, you grab the attention of every creature within 10 feet of you. You can throw a charisma saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or have them all fear you until your next turn.
Scourge Aasimar	Dangerous and mask-bearing Aasimars burn with divine energy and desire to all that is evil. When these Aasimars are consumed by their desire to destroy all that’s evil there’s no stopping them. Their mask’s purpose is to keep that in control. They may remove it during battle.  Constitution increase +1Radiant Consumption- A sudden transformation and burst of light and power that can burn you crispier than a teenage boy’s sock. You shed light and deal radiant damage equal to half your level to yourself and every creature within 10-feet that cannot be resisted. That’s why the transformation only lasts 1 minute.You can deal extra radiant damage the same as your level once on each turn.

Path of the Paladin: “It’s time to crusade against the horny ones!”

If we were to base on the handbook, Paladins are limited to the good alignment with moral choices unless the character is an oathbreaker. Frankly, no player/s should be limited to following the rules to enjoy the game. So long as you are a fighter that is/was in service to a deity with an oath, the basics are. You don’t have to necessarily break your oath either if you want to be on the edgier side of the spectrum.

Like contracts that enslave you into crippling debt in reality there is a variety of oaths you can choose from:

• Oath of Devotion- You decide to swear an oath to a deity because you want to take up their cause. This oath is the closest to being a crusader. All for justice and none for bull******.
  • Tenets of Devotion( Characteristics):
    • Honesty- Don’t lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise.
    • Courage- Never fear to act, though caution is wise.
    • Compassion- Aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom.
    • Honor- Treat others with fairness, and let your honorable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm.
    • Duty- Be responsible for your actions and their consequences, protect those entrusted to your care, and obey those who have just authority over you.
  • Aura of devotion
  • Purity of Spirit
  • Holy Nimbus
• Oaths of the Ancients- You love the environment(life) and the light so much you decided to make an oath to protect it. Paladins who make this oath are also known as fey knights, green knights, horned knights, and disciples of Mothman
  • Your garb is most likely to be adorned with images of growing things—leaves, antlers, or flowers. A reflection of your commitment to life and the light and that you wouldn’t think twice in murdering an illegal logger or someone littering.

• Tenets of Devotion(Characteristics):
  • Kindle the Light. Through your acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair.
  • Shelter the Light. Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren.
  • Preserve Your Light. Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you can’t preserve it in the world.
  • Be the Light. Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of your joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.
• Aura of Warding
• Undying Sentinel
• Elder Champion
• Oath of Vengeance-  Something terrible happened in life that made you swear an oath where you desire revenge. It might be your village getting pillaged, an oppressive guild ruling your people, someone killing your dog that your deceased wife gifted you, or you witness your parents getting mugged and killed outside of a movie theater. These types of paladins are called avengers or dark knights.
  • Tenets of Devotion(Characteristics):
    • Fight the Greater Evil. Faced with a choice of fighting my sworn foes or combating a lesser evil. I choose the greater evil.
    • No Mercy for the Wicked. Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not.
    • By Any Means Necessary. My qualms can’t get in the way of exterminating my foes.
    • Restitution. If my foes raise ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds.
  • Relentless Avenger
  • Soul of Vengeance
  • Avenging Angel

• Oathbreaker- This isn’t technically a kind of oath, but instead, after choosing an oath, you can intentionally choose to become an oath breaker. Sometimes the price of being a paladin is way too much, or perhaps your ambitions have changed. You have to ask your DM if they will allow you to continue as an Oathbreaker paladin or have you switch classes.
  • No, you can’t take your previous moves and attacks when you weren’t an oathbreaker.
  • Aura of Hate
  • Supernatural Resistance
  • Dread Lord

Paladins have three best builds depending on which you want to be proficient:

• Other than the bonuses you get from what type of Aasimar you are, your charisma gets a +2 due to your radiant looks. Apart from that, your other advantages are Dark vision & resistance to necrotic, radiant, acidic, extreme cold, and electro damages. So they could drink orange juice without blinking or cringing after brushing their teeth.

• The first build for a paladin would be prioritizing Strength. Paladins don’t have access to any ranged combat style, plus heavy armor can get in the way that’s why it’s best to choose Strength. What follows should be Charisma, Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence, then Dexterity. 

• The second best would be prioritizing Charisma as some of a paladin’s skills and abilities rely on Charisma. What should follow is Strength which should be good over 12 since you have heavy armor and close-range combat. This is what follows Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence, then Dexterity. 

• The Dexterity build, In this build you prioritize Dexterity, then Charisma, Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Strength. How this works with heavy metal armor is a mystery even if you’re able to sneak. 

How to Play an Aasimar Paladin

Hit Dice: 1d10 per paladin level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d 10 (or 6) + your

Constitution modifier per paladin level after 1st

• Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
  • Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
• Spellcasting Focus– You can use a holy symbol (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your paladin spells.
• Aasimars have their cantrips that are just part of their package apart from practically being ‘all-powerful and beautiful’. Healing hands & Light bearing, so not only do you get free health care (Divine Health) you get to give others the same. Unfortunately it takes up a lot of your energy so you’ll need a long rest before using it again. 

As Paladin, you get the advantages and (not limited to) the following features (see first chart above):

• 2 skills from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion
  • Divine Sense- You can sense, hear, and smell anything evil or magical around you. You know the location and type if it’s a celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
  • You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
• Lay on Hands- You have the power of healing anyone you touch- yes you can slap someone to health. You can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level x 5.
  • As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool of healing to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your power.
  • No this doesn’t work on the undead and those already on the fingertips of death. 
• Fighting Style- Unlocked at level 2, you can choose from the following.
  • Defense
  • Dueling
  • Greater Weapon Fighting
  • Protection
• Divine Smite- Call upon your radiant divine powa when you hit a creature with a melee attack.
• Divine Health- Congratulations! You have health care and vaccine shots (immunity to diseases) compared to 80% of the world’s population.
• Sacred Oaths- Unlocked at level 3,
  • Oath Spells & Channel Divinity- Whichever oath you take has its spells and you can channel divine energy to fuel magical effects.

Sacred Oath	Lvl-Oath Spells
Oath of Devotion	3rd lvl – protection from evil and good, sanctuary5th lvl –  lesser restoration, zone of truth9th lvl –  beacon of hope, dispel magic13th lvl –  freedom of movement, guardian of faith17th lvl – commune, flame strike
Channel Divinity	Sacred Weapon, Turn the Unholy
Oath of Ancients	3rd lvl – ensnaring strike, speak with animals5th lvl –  moonbeam, misty step9th lvl –  plant growth, protection from energy13th lvl – ice storm, stoneskin17th lvl – commune with nature, tree stride
Channel Divinity	Nature’s Wrath, Turn the Faithless
Oath of Vengeance	3rd lvl – bane, hunter’s mark5th lvl – hold person, misty step9th lvl – haste, protection from energy13th lvl – banishment, dimension door17th lvl – hold monster, scrying
Channel Divinity	Abjure Enemy, Vow of Enmity
Oath Breaker	3rd lvl – Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds5th lvl – Crown of Madness, Darkness9th lvl – Animate Dead, Bestow Curse13th lvl – Blight, Confusion17th lvl – Contagion, Dominate Person
Channel Divinity	Control Undead, Dreadful Aspect

How to Roleplay as an Aasimar Paladin

Around others, Aasimar are good-natured and cautious. This is inherited from their Celestial heritage, but just as Tieflings aren’t all evil, some Aasimars are neutral or even evil. Aasimars can be corrupted and lead astray pretty much like kids discovering the ‘wonders of the internet. Although, they do receive counsel and discipline from their Celestial ancestors, guardians, or any being at their service. 

There aren’t many accounts of how they act around others apart from the aforementioned and their prejudice against those with fiendish blood and those that do evil. They mostly get along with other half-bloods (half-orc, half-elf, etc.)- so long as it’s not fiendish. A problem with Aasimar’s attitude is that they tend to hold grudges for a very long time, so it’s best to teach your kids to not mess around with the weird glowing kid in school, or else they might find themselves while being sent to heaven sooner. 

Like the stereotype of all Asians being good at piano and math, Aasimars are misunderstood but not hated. They are strange, curious, and even fearful but that’s due to their Celestial blood regardless if they have good parents/guardians or not. As they get older they become insightful, wise, alluring, and are very perceptive of others- they could practically be therapists without a degree. They’re also able to read, write, and speak Common and Celestial. 

The case for Aasimars becoming Paladins is a little different from other races. Being a paladin isn’t always going on missionary and crusading trips. It’s similar to a warlock, but instead of a sugar daddy, you get the child-friendly version which is a sponsor. You don’t have to completely or even love the deity you are in service to as becoming a paladin comes for various reasons- unless the oath you take is the path of Devotion. You can be in on it for just liking the deities’ cause, goal, or you’d like them to do or give you something in exchange within their power. For Aasimars, though, they are practically next door or one call away from Celestial beings and members of a Pantheon. They’d likely choose to serve those their heritage caters to more.