Most of the road wheels I've been building the last couple of years have been 24/20, and the CX wheels are 28/24. These are all with CF rims of various profiles, mostly with CX Ray spokes.
I've built several hundred of them, lots ridden by big strong riders, some of them in international competitions, and to date, not a single one has come back due to spoke issues.
Pick a sturdy rim, and build away. You will be fine.