I recommend that paladins using this oath be allowed to take the Archery fighting style at 2nd level.
Paladin: Oath of the Hunter
The Oath of the Hunter calls to paladins who seek to root out evil wherever it can be found using wits and strategy rather than pure strength. When fiendish cults gather in secret to conduct blood rituals and necromancers retreat to the catacombs to conjure foul undead, it is careful investigation followed by swift action that brings an end to the threat. Paladins of this oath forswear some of the usual tenets of virtue and honor to ensure that they can best deliver justice.
Tenets of the Hunter
- Vigilance. You must remain alert to spot all the subtle signs of evil.
- Forethought. To rush in recklessly is to put innocent lives at risk. Do not be cowardly in the face of danger, but carefully plan your actions to ensure success.
- Readiness. Always be prepared to act swiftly when the time is right, and never be caught unable to accept a request for help.
- Confidence. When the time comes to face your quarry, do not doubt yourself, but deliver a sure strike against the forces of evil.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | ensnaring strike, hunter's mark |
| 5th | invisibility, spiritual weapon |
| 9th | conjure barrage, haste |
| 13th | divination, freedom of movement |
| 17th | conjure volley, swift quiver |
Channel Divinity: Blessed Bowstring
As a bonus action, you can imbue one ranged weapon you are holding with divine energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 8 hours, the weapon gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls if it does not have such a bonus already. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration.
Additionally, when you hit a creature with a ranged attack using this weapon, you can use your Divine Smite feature as if it were a melee weapon attack.
You can end this effect as a bonus action on your turn. The bonus to attack and damage rolls increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 17th level.
Channel Divinity: Guided Inquiry
You can use your Channel Divinity to augment your investigative power. When you make an Intelligence (Investigation), Wisdom (Insight), or Wisdom (Perception) check, or a Wisdom (Survival) check to follow tracks, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the check succeeds or fails.
Directed Protection
Beginning at 7th level, as a bonus action, you can designate a friendly creature that you can see as the origin of your Aura of Protection. It emanates from them instead of you, such that whenever they or a friendly creature within 10 feet of them must make a saving throw, they gain a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). They must be conscious to grant this bonus.
Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again for one minute. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet, as with your own.
Vigilant Repositioning
Beginning at 15th level, after a creature within 5 feet of you misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to instantly teleport up to 10 feet away to a position that you can see.
Unerring Hunter
At 20th level, as an action, you become a master of battlefield tactics and maneuvering, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:
- At the start of each of your turns, you can teleport up to 30 feet to a position that you can see.
- Creatures that rely on sight have disadvantage on attack rolls against you, and you have advantage on attack rolls against them.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.