Evil meathead that hits things really hard /u/ExistingMouse5595 DnD: Roll for Initiative!

One of my players is planning on running a short adventure where we all get to be evil characters.

The premise is that the adventure will take place in a fantasy city inspired by Gotham, and that being evil will be the norm for the cities residents.

I love playing big meatheads whose answer to every problem is smashing things with a giant hammer.

I’m planning on doing a Zealot barbarian multi class with conquest Paladin. The premise is the character will worship Bane or the equivalent of him in this world, not sure if forgotten realms lore will be involved or if it’s all homebrew yet.

Right now we are planning on running this adventure at level 8, and I wanted to get some help with the multi class part of it based on the 2024 5th edition rules.

First off, what split should I be going for? Currently leaning toward 5 levels in zealot barb with 3 in conquest Paladin for extra attack and more spell slots for smites.

Is there merit in going 5 levels in Paladin 3 in barb?

What about 6 barb and 2 Paladin?

I think what makes this attractive mechanically is taking the zealots bonus damage and adding it on top of a smite for huge burst potential, but is there a better way to go about it?

I don’t need any spellcasting utility outside of the slots for smites.

Any suggestions on how to make a big evil guy hit things really hard would be appreciated!

One of my players is planning on running a short adventure where we all get to be evil characters.

The premise is that the adventure will take place in a fantasy city inspired by Gotham, and that being evil will be the norm for the cities residents.

I love playing big meatheads whose answer to every problem is smashing things with a giant hammer.

I’m planning on doing a Zealot barbarian multi class with conquest Paladin. The premise is the character will worship Bane or the equivalent of him in this world, not sure if forgotten realms lore will be involved or if it’s all homebrew yet.

Right now we are planning on running this adventure at level 8, and I wanted to get some help with the multi class part of it based on the 2024 5th edition rules.

First off, what split should I be going for? Currently leaning toward 5 levels in zealot barb with 3 in conquest Paladin for extra attack and more spell slots for smites.

Is there merit in going 5 levels in Paladin 3 in barb?

What about 6 barb and 2 Paladin?

I think what makes this attractive mechanically is taking the zealots bonus damage and adding it on top of a smite for huge burst potential, but is there a better way to go about it?

I don’t need any spellcasting utility outside of the slots for smites.

Any suggestions on how to make a big evil guy hit things really hard would be appreciated!