Tenets of Silence

The tenets of silence are as often unspoken rules and guidelines as they are strict, explicit orders. Nevertheless, the below tenets are ubiquitous among them.

Secrecy. Preserving the sanctity of the secrets you guard is paramount. You cannot suffer the unworthy to know.

Survival. You're no good to the world dead. It is better to live and continue to do good than to die on principle.

Defense. You must protect the downtrodden and keep their secrets for them.

Solemnity. Engaging in behavior that could lead to the accidental telling of your charged secret, such as excessive drinking, is to be avoided

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following Channel Divinity options.

Invoke Subterfuge . As a bonus action, you and objects you are wearing or holding become partially invisible, and sounds you produce are muffled; both effects last for ten minutes or until you end them with another bonus action. Perception checks to detect you relying on sight or sound have disadvantage, and in dim light or darkness you are considered invisible. During this time, when you hit a creature you have advantage on attacking, you deal an additional 1d8 radiant damage.

Evade Inquisition . As a reaction to being subject to an effect that requires a charisma, intelligence, or wisdom saving throw to avoid being charmed, forced to speak truthfully, or otherwise subject to magical scrutiny, you can call upon the strength of your oath to defend against it, gaining advantage on the saving throw. If you pass, you can choose to seem to have failed the saving throw to that creature.

Aura of Silence

When you reach 7th level, the silence you embody becomes magically oppressive. While you are conscious, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have advantage on dexterity (stealth) checks that rely on sound, resistance to thunder damage, and can speak at normal volume without being heard by creatures outside of that range.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet, though you can restrict it to 10 at will.

Dead Air

Starting at 15th level, you learn to enforce oppressive silence on an enemy, even preventing spellcasting. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you speaks or casts a spell with a verbal component, you can use your reaction to subject them to a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, they cannot speak; a spell fails and has no effect, but the spell slot is still consumed.

Once you have used this feature to prevent a spell being cast, you cannot use it in that way again until you have completed a short or long rest.

Playing a Silent Character

In some cases you may wish to play a character that has taken a literal vow of silence. In such cases you may speak with your DM and determine how your character will communicate. Some options include telepathy (in the case of some psionic characters), sign language (which would function the same as common or any other language proficiency), or simply writing out notes.

In any case, you may replace the verbal components of a spell with only somatic components if you have sign language proficiency, at the cost of requiring both hands to be free normally, or one free hand if you have taken the War Caster feat.

Silent Guardian

At 20th level, as an action, you can channel the power of your your oath to embody supernatural stillness. For one minute, you take the form of a silhouette of pure shadow, and gain the following benefits:

• Hostile creatures entering or starting their turn in a 60 foot radius around you cannot speak or cast spells unless they pass a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC.

Tenets of Acumen

The tenets of Acumen may vary slightly depending on the order one takes the oath with (or if one creates the oath themselves, as happens occasionally); nevertheless, the core defining traits of a Speaker.

Knowledge. The pursuit of truth is sacred; you should seek to teach and learn to improve the world.

Duty. Life and soul are sacred, and the purpose of knowledge is their safekeeping. Their destruction in its pursuit are anathema.

Question. Dogma and blind acceptance breed complacency and ignorance. To accept word as impartial truth is to allow another to dictate life and death.

Judgment. The wicked seek to exploit the power of knowledge for personal gain at the cost of others. The misuse of this power is grounds for heavy punishment.

Improved Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed; due to the particularly magical nature of this subclass, you gain one more oath spell at each level compared to normal paladin Oaths.

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Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at third level, you gain the following Channel Divinity options.

Divine Reservoir . As an action, you can draw upon the power of your oath. You regain spell slots of a combined level equal to 1/4th of your paladin level (minimum of 1).

Invoke Knowledge . As an action, you focus your divine energy on the recall of relevant information. For the next ten minutes, you have advantage on intelligence ability checks.

Aura of Acumen

Starting at 7th level, you and friendly creatures within 10ft have advantage on Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws. Additionally, when a creature affected by this aura deals damage with a spell or divine smite, they can add their spellcasting ability modifier to the damage roll.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Resistance of the Wise

When you reach 15th level, you gain the ability to prepare for challenges you will face. When you finish a long rest, choose one of the following damage types - until the end of your next long rest, you are resistant to your chosen damage type: Fire, Cold, Acid, Lightning, Thunder, or both Radiant and Necrotic.

Divine Inheritance

At 20th level, you gain the ability to call upon the powers of divinity you have absorbed. You can now prepare and cast one 6th and one 7th level spell from the cleric spell list (the spell is always cast as if with a 7th level spell slot). You can cast this spell once as normal, and then cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.