Oath of the Directive

## Sacred Oath
___
At 3rd level, a paladin gains the Sacred Oath feature. The Oath of the Directive is a new option for paladins to choose.

### Oath of the Directive
At the center of the Oath of the Directive is this principle: heroes are made, not born. Paladins that bear this oath are called mechaknights and android masters, and they live up to the name. Some are visibly mechanical marvels, pistons primed and forged together. Others are more akin to miracles, wrought in perfect similitude to life itself excepting a clockwork heart or a brain of gears and parchment code. They are built for a variety of purposes, but all are unified by both their make and manner: artificial life dedicated to fulfilling the righteous directives assigned by their creators.

#### Tenets of the Directive
The tenets of the Directive, also known as the Automaton Principles, are central to the code of every android master. The tenets are listed in descending order of importance, demonstrating which are prioritized if ever they conflict.

***True to the Maker.*** I will be loyal to they whom created me and heed their instruction. In their absence, I act in accordance with my understanding of what they would want.

***Fair to the Stranger.*** I will avoid undue harm to other sentient lifeforms inasmuch as I am able to do so while still meaningfully pursuing my directive.

***One With My Purpose.*** I will preserve my own existence according to my ability, unless my loss is necessary to the directive's success. Otherwise, I would doom it to failure.

***Thought to All Conduct.*** I will be rational and logical in all my conduct. Mistakes are acceptable - for no craft can be perfect - but willful misdeeds are not.

#### Oath Spells
___
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

##### Oath of the Directive Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|:----:|:-------------|
| 3rd  | *shield of faith*, *thunderwave* |
| 5th  | *scorching ray*, *see invisibility* |
| 9th | *feign death*, *protection from energy* |
| 13th | *arcane eye*, *divination* |
| 17th | *antilife shell*, *wall of force* |

#### Channel Divinity
Beginning when you choose this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

***Firewall.*** When you fail a Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma saving throw, you can use your Channel Divinity to reroll the save, possibly changing the failure to a success.

***Overclock.*** You can use your Channel Divinity as a bonus action to accelerate your processing ability beyond your normal limits. For 1 minute, or until you are unconscious, your movement speed increases by a number of feet equal to 5 x your Charisma modifier (minimum of 5 feet), and

\columnbreak

> ##### Credits
>Created by [BunnygeonMaster](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AwKRO-T3MjmxagfWc7gZ2-1rXATqq-1c?usp=sharing) using [GM Binder]().
>
>Thanks to members of the [Discord of Many Things](https://discord.gg/0dPVgggGtnyRhIcB) for feedback and design help, including but not limited to BladeBotEU, Caim, and Gray.
>
> [Solemn Simulacrum](https://daarken.com/shop/portfolio/solemn-simulacrum/) by [Daarken](https://daarken.com/shop/) \(© Wizards of the Coast\).

opportunity attacks targeting you are made at disadvantage. When you use this Channel Divinity option and at the start of each of your turns while under its effect, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

#### Aura of Direction
By 7th level, nothing can keep you and your allies from fulfilling your directive. While you are conscious, the movement speeds of you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can't be reduced by magic.

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

#### Machine Learning
Beginning at 15th level, when you miss a creature with a weapon attack, you gain advantage on the next weapon attack you make targeting it within 1 minute.

Also, you only need to train for half as long as normal to learn a new language or gain a new tool proficiency.

#### Hypercompute
At 20th level, you have perfected all your processes as the archetypal automaton. You can enter an overdrive state as an action, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

- Your walking speed increases by 30 feet, and you can't be targeted with opportunity attacks.
 - No effect can knock you prone or move you, unless you allow it.
 - You are immune to being charmed or stunned.
 - When you take the Attack action, you can make one additional attack as part of the action.

After using this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

======

#### Machine Learning
Beginning at 15th level, when you miss a creature with a weapon attack, you gain advantage on the next weapon attack you make targeting it within 1 minute.

Also, you only need to train for half as long as normal to learn a new language or gain a new tool proficiency.

#### True Android
At 20th level, you have perfected all your processes as the archetypal automaton. You can enter an overdrive state as an action, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

After using this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

> ##### Optional Variant: "I, Robot"
> As it's a player character option, most paladins that bear the Oath of the Directive will be humanoids. DMs and players that find this dissonant could choose for the character of a player that intends to select this Sacred Oath to have the construct type, instead of humanoid, starting at 1st level in order to bring harmony to the character's creature type and class imagery. However, there are a number of side-effects that should be considered: 
>
> First, a construct can't be targeted by most healing spells and effects. Spells like *cure wounds* and features like Lay on Hands often include clauses that specify constructs can't be targeted. After all, constructs are material, not flesh, and don't have "wounds", though they can still heal by taking long rests.
>
> Second, a construct is immune to humanoid-specific effects like *hold person* due to such effects, simply put, targeting specifically humanoids (apparently constructs are not people!).
>
> You could choose to simply accept these side-effects in full for your paladin player character. Doing so does impact the character's combat strength, since it can no longer benefit from healing - especially that inherent in the paladin class through Lay on Hands. This isn't necessarily an unacceptable penalty, though for a player it might not feel very good.
>
> You could also choose to ignore only the first side-effect. This would make being a construct a slight mechanical advantage, though it does depend on fighting with creatures that utilize effects and spells such as *hold person*.
>
> In brief, if players and a DM choose to explore having a construct as a player character, it's suggested to keep in mind these side-effects and agree on whether or not and how to address them.

\columnbreak

### Quirks of the Directive
It is common for paladins of the Oath of the Directive to bear unique traits of form or personality incident to their artificial origins. Whether these are features or bugs may well be a personal question. Consider choosing from or rolling on the following table to pick a unique quirk for your character, or use it as inspiration to create your own.

| Roll  | Trait |
|:---:|:-----------|
|  1  | Few things are more sacred to you than statistics. |
|  2  | You insist to others that you don't sleep. You "enter low power mode." |
|  3  | The only thing you remember about your creator is the directive they gave to you. The second-greatest longing of your heart is to someday meet them. |
|  4  | Statement: Your verbal communications are generally preceded with relevant descriptions of their nature. |
|  5  | You tend to surprise people with how emotional (or unemotional) you are.  |
|  6  | You're convinced no one can tell you're an automaton or notice your bionic limbs, oil blood, and static hair. |
|  7  | Jokes tend to be lost on you. |
|  8  | You've concluded that it's irrational to try to explain the advanced future you originated from, but it can still be difficult to keep such knowledge to yourself. |
|  9  | In secret, you fantasize about violating your directive. |
|  10  | Your joints have bolts, and you tighten them regularly.  |
|  11  | Your eyes dimly glow and can swivel at your will. |
|  12  | You consider generalizations of the Automaton Principles obscene (or enlightened). |
|  13  | You were built to replace someone your creator lost. |
|  14  | You often talk to tools, including gears and weapons. |
|  15  | You're very proud to have the ability to digest food. |
|  16  | You live for technicalities. |
|  17  | Swimming terrifies you, despite being waterproofed. |
|  18  | The Automaton Principles require that you avoid unnecessary harm to meatbags, but they say nothing about calling them by an accurate name. |
|  19  | It was only recently that you learned you weren't fully mortal, and it's still difficult to come to grips with. |
|  20  | You grow rust as a dwarf would a beard. |

> ##### Credits
>Created by /u/BunnygeonMaster using [GM Binder]().
>
>Thanks to members of the [Discord of Many Things](https://discord.gg/0dPVgggGtnyRhIcB) for feedback and design help, including but not limited to BladeBotEU, Caim, and Gray.
>
> [Solemn Simulacrum](https://daarken.com/shop/portfolio/solemn-simulacrum/) by [Daarken](https://daarken.com/shop/) \(© Wizards of the Coast\).