Oath of Ancestry[]
The Oath of Ancestry binds a paladin to uphold the tenets of his or her family. It often begins at birth by all members of a certain lineage, the importance of the family’s name and history being taught as the paladin goes through adolescence. Those that swear its final vows become vessels for the spirits of their families; these souls guide, protect, and assist their living heirs and descendants at all times. A paladin of the Oath of Ancestry never steps into battle alone.
Tenets of Ancestry[]
The tenets of the Oath of Ancestry vary from house to house; some emphasize specific goals or household values while others are more general in how a paladin should act. They typically emphasize the principles of good, although the good of the family always comes first. All of them share the following core philosophies.
Honor the Name. Never sully the family name with dubious deeds, and never allow another to speak ill of it.
Honor the Past. Remember those in the family that have served the name before you.
Honor the Future. Ensure the family name lives on.
Honor the Others. Show respect to others of great names, as they show respect to you in kind.
Oath of Ancestry Features[]
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Channel Divinity |
| 7th | Ancestral Aura |
| 15th | Ancestral Guardian |
| 20th | Spectral Scion |
Oath of Ancestry Spells[]
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Guiding Bolt, Heroism |
| 5th | Enhance Ability, Warding Bond |
| 9th | Phantom Steed, Spirit Guardians |
| 13th | Arcane Eye, Guardian of Faith |
| 17th | Commune, Raise Dead |
Channel Divinity[]
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Call Spirits. You can use your Channel Divinity to call the spirits of your ancestors to manifest around you. As a bonus action, you cause these spirits to appear, grabbing and clinging to your enemies. For 1 minute or until your concentration is broken (as if you were concentrating on a spell) hostile creatures treat the area within 10 feet of you as difficult terrain. This effect includes flying creatures and creatures moving through the Ethereal Plane. For the duration, creatures moving out of your threatened area provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.
Spirit Guide. As a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to invoke a specific spirit to aid you. The spirit may belong to someone you were once close to, such as a deceased sibling or parent, or a prominent figure of your household, such as a great, great-grandparent that forged a family heirloom or accomplished a notable feat. The spirit remains by your side for 1 minute and can’t be harmed. The spirit cannot speak, but can communicate empathically with you. At any time during the duration, you can use the spirit’s assistance, giving you advantage on a single attack roll, check, or saving throw. Once you gain this benefit, the spirit is dismissed.
Ancestral Aura[]
Starting at 7th level, the spirits of your ancestors lash out at those that threaten you. When a hostile creature starts its turn within 5 feet of you, it takes force damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 10 feet.
Ancestral Guardian[]
Starting at 15th level, you can call a warrior spirit of your ancestors to watch over you for an extended period of time. The spirit arrives in a space you can see within 30 feet of you, where it remains for up to 8 hours, until you dismiss it as an action, or until you move more than 100 feet away from it. The spirit is invisible to all creatures except you and can’t be harmed. The spirit does not speak, but make a wailing sound audible to all creatures. When a hostile creature comes within 30 feet of it, the spirit begins to wail loudly. The spirit sees invisible creatures and can see into the Ethereal Plane. It ignores illusions. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Spectral Scion[]
At 20th level, you can allow an ancestral spirit to possess your body, giving you some of its spectral power. When you do so, your corporeal form and equipment changes to that of a spirit, taking on features of the family member possessing you. For example, you may have the signature scar of your deceased great-uncle, the long hair of a deceased cousin, or the rough accent of your deceased grandfather.
Using your action, you undergo the transformation and become incorporeal. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:
- You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons, and you are immune to necrotic and poison damage.
- You cannot become grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, or restrained.
- You gain a fly speed of 30 feet, and you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Oath of Betrothal[]
Though many paladins swear to gods and fellowships, not every oath is so cosmic in nature. Some paladins receive their power from more humble vows: promises made between one mortal and another. Paladins who have sworn the Oath of Betrothal draw their magics from the divine force inherent in their love for another. Whether this oath is made as part of a formal matrimony or engagement or instead is the private declaration of commitment between youth is less important for the oath than the purity of the oathmaker's love.
Called Rose Knights, Devotees, or even Lovebirds by the more disparaging, these paladins find comfort and motivation in the powerful love they feel, whether they be passionately smitten at first sight or formally sworn to the love of their life.
Tenants of Betrothal[]
As the private vows between partners, the tenets of Betrothal lack consistent phrasings. Nevertheless, the pure love common to every Oath of Betrothal includes these themes:
Affection. Your promise is not simple infatuation, nor is it carnal lust. It is love - pure, deep, and abiding.
Fidelity. Remember your oath, no matter how near or far your beloved may be; be true in deed, word, and thought.
Commitment. Yours is no passing fancy, but an everlasting bond that can only grow ever deeper and forever stronger.
Partnership. Love is unselfish. A true relationship is between two partners equal in value and united in heart.
Oath of Betrothal Features[]
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Channel Divinity |
| 7th | Aura of Care |
| 15th | Constancy of Heart |
| 20th | Hopeful Romantic |
Oath of Betrothal Spells[]
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Ceremony, Heroism |
| 5th | Enhance Ability, Warding Bond |
| 9th | Haste, Sending |
| 13th | Aura of Purity, Fire Shield |
| 17th | Creation, Dream |
Channel Divinity[]
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Confess Love. Your loving declaration thunders with power from the depths of your heart. You can use your Channel Divinity as an action to invoke the name of your beloved, which is audible out to 100 feet. You gain temporary hit points equal to your paladin level, and one creature within 30 feet of you that can hear you of your choice must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it is knocked prone and takes thunder damage equal to 1d6 + your paladin level. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone.
To Be True. When you or a creature within 30 feet of you fails a saving throw against an enchantment spell or against being charmed, you can use your reaction to speak a prayer of virtue, using your Channel Divinity. The affected creature rerolls the saving throw with advantage, possibly changing the failure to a success.
Aura of Care[]
At 7th level, your heartfelt spirit manifests as an aura of succor and sacrifice. At the start of each of your turns while you aren't incapacitated, you can choose to lose hit points up to your paladin level, converting your vitality into healing energy that can restore a number of hit points equal to those you lost. Choose any conscious creatures within 10 feet of you, and divide those hit points among them. You can't use this feature on undead or constructs.
At 18th level, the range of this feature increases to 30 feet.
Constancy of Heart[]
Starting at 15th level, the integrity of your love is unmarred. You can't be affected by any enchantment spell unless you choose to be.
Hopeful Romantic[]
At 20th level, you can use your action to draw upon your love to aid you in battle, placing you in danger before others. Your heart itself visibly glows with burning light, as though searing your flesh, and for 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:
- Bright light shines from you in a 15-foot radius, and dim light shines 15 feet beyond that.
- Hostile creatures within 30 feet of you have disadvantage on all attack rolls made against any creature besides you.
- When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die, you may reroll the die and must use the new roll.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Oath of Death[]
A grim and silent order of knights, death knights are conduits of the negative energy plane. Having sworn their lives to the service of the Lich Queen, they wander the lands looking for chances to increase the power of death and the dead. Death knights are a rare sight, as not many have the devotion to become one.
Tenants of Death[]
The First Allegiance is to Death, not Life. The first allegiance demands that the death knight show no mercy in combat. She strikes to kill, always. The first allegiance also demands that the death knight take no special care to stave off the death of others. A fallen comrade is considered weak, thus useless to the group and party. Incidentally, these, together, make it very hard to take prisoners. Death knights often will make a point of murdering those who they've "only" incapacitated, though this is not always a rule.
The Second Allegiance is to Undeath, and its Glory. The second allegiance demands that a death knight further the cause of undeath. If the undead are rampaging, she takes command. Death knights do not oppose the undead without due reason (i.e. the undead being itself is opposing death and undeath, or harming the cause of death and undeath).
The Third Allegiance is to the Lich Queen, as it lasts for all of Eternity. The third allegiance demands that a death knight be loyal. In this, Maeve's whim is the death knight's law. She can do nothing that would displease her mistress, whether through action or inaction, unless by doing so she can affect greater loyalty (such as failing to kill a prince, only to use him to gain access to the king, and then killing them both).
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Runeblade, Channel Divinity: Summon Minion |
| 5th | Terrorize |
| 9th | Skeletal Steed |
| 13th | Channel Divinity: Abyssal Blast |
| 17th | Deathlord |
Runeblade[]
Whenever a new death knight is annoited, she gains the ability to imbue a weapon with the power of the Lich Queen. The death knight may choose any masterwork or magical weapon that she can wield in two hands and that deals slashing damage to become her runeblade. Common choices include greatswords, greataxes, halberds, and scythes, but any weapon that meets the criteria will do. Imbuing the weapon requires a ritual in which the death knight must find a quiet, safe place in which to meditate for 8 hours. If she is interrupted, she must begin the ritual again. Once the ritual is completed, the weapon becomes her new runeblade. A death knight can only have one runeblade at a time, and imbuing a new weapon causes the old runeblade to crumble to dust.
A death knight's runeblade is a +1 magical weapon that deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage when it hits. At 9th level it becomes a +2 magical weapon and gains the ability to deal an additional 2d6 necrotic damage instead of 1d6 damage when it critically hits. At 17th level it becomes a +3 magical weapon, and all necrotic damage it deals is returned to you as temporary hit points that last up to 1 minute.
Channel Divinity: Summon Minion[]
At 3rd level you gain this channel divinity option. As an action you summon an undead minion in an unoccupied space you designate within 10 feet of you. If there is no such space, this ability fails and is wasted. This can be any corporeal creature with the undead type that has a challenge score not greater than 1/3rd of your level, rounded down. The minion is friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for it. It obeys any verbal commands that you give, no action required. If you don't issue any commands, it just defends itself from hostile creatures. The minion remains until slain, or until you finish a short or long rest, whichever comes first.
Terrorize[]
At 5th level, as an action you can cause the air inside a 10 foot aura around you becomes darker; floating red eyes appear throughout it, and screaming ghosts wisp around. Opponents within the aura must make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier or become frightened until the end of your next turn. Opponents immune to fear effects are immune to this aura. Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Skeletal Steed[]
At 9th level, as an action you can summon forth a skeletal warhorse as per the Monster Manual. Your steed has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your steed uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, the steed also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls. Your steed gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws. For each level you gain after 9th, your steed gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your steed's abilities also improve. Your steed can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your steed can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.
Channel Divinity: Abyssal Blast[]
At 13th level you gain this channel divinity option. As an action you can unleash a blast of unholy fire. This functions as the fireball spell, except that it deals necrotic damage instead of fire. You can increase the effective spell level the abyssal blast is cast at by sacrificing a spell slot. The abyssal blast's level is considered 3 + the level of the sacrificed spell. The save DC against this ability is the same as your spell save DC.
Deathlord[]
At 17th level you gaint he ability to cast the create undead spell without requiring spell components twice. When you cast it you may sacrifice a spell slot to empower the spell so that it is cast at a higher level. The spell level is equal to 6 + the level of the spell you sacrificed. Once you have done so you must complete a long rest in order to regain your spent uses of this ability.
Oath of the Saintguard[]
The saintguard is one who protects the weak from the depredations of the strong, one who fights off the forces of evil when they assault the good, and who defends the ideals of goodness and truth from evil deception and lies. While other paladinal orders take the fight against evil onto evil's home ground, the saintguard remain at home, guarding against evil's counterassault.
Tenants of the Saintguard[]
A saintguard supports and defends Good and opposes Evil.
A saintguard is a Leader in righteous combat. When it is necessary to fight, the saintguard will seek to guide and inspire his comrades, taking a forward position in the battle and facing the foe boldly. A saintguard does not hide from his foe or sneak about.
A saintguard is a Protector. He will seek to prevent harm to the innocent and will place himself at risk in order to accomplish this if need be.
A saintguard is Just and works to promote and enforce Justice and the Law. If a saintguard does not agree with a law, he must still respect it and should work to change it rather than disregarding it. The only exception to this is if the saintguard believes the law to be truly evil. In this instance, the saintguard must follow the dictates of his conscience.
A saintguard is Honest. He will not lie or otherwise seek to deceive a person. A saintguard does not cheat or seek to take unfair advantage in his dealings with others.
A saintguard is Loyal. He does not betray his god, his liege-lord, his guild, his family, or his friends.
A saintguard is Holy. He seeks to do that which pleases his god in all manners of the Code, and knows that the purity of his soul has a profound impact on the abilities the gods bless him with.
A saintguard is Devout. He worships the Heavenly Father Meyne above all other gods, and the Saint Thera Dawnwing is His holy vessel and is to be afforded the respect and devotion she deserves.
| Paladin Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Channel Divinity: Defender, Protection Fighting Style |
| 5th | Shining Beacon |
| 9th | Sudden Action |
| 13th | Channel Divinity: Blanket Protection |
| 17th | Unbreakable Defense |
Channel Divinity: Defender[]
At 3rd level you gain this channel divinity option. You are able to enter a defensive stance on your turn, no action needed. In defensive stance your speed is reduced to 10 feet or by half, whichever is less. You gain advantage on saving throws, 2 temporary hit points per level, and any AC bonus from a shield you are wielding doubles. The defensive stance lasts for 1 minute. You can end it early as a bonus action.
Protection Fighting Style[]
You gain the Protection fighting style if you did not already have it. If you have this fighting style already, you may choose any other fighting style to gain.
Shining Beacon[]
At 5th level, all allies within 10 feet of you while you are in defensive stance gain immunity to the frightened condition.
Sudden Action[]
At 9th level, if you end your defensive stance early, you can adjust your initiative as you see fit. This change goes into effect the next turn and stays the same unless something else changes it.
Channel Divinity: Blanket Protection[]
At 13th level you gain this channel divinity option. As an action you grant all allies within 15 feet of you a bonus to AC equal to your Charisma modifier until the end of your next turn.
Unbreakable Defense[]
At 17th level, you no longer need to use your reaction to make opportunity attacks. You also gain the Sentinel feat if you didn't already have it. If you already have this feat, your choice of Strenth or Constitution increases by +1, up to a maximum of 20.