Oath of Destruction Version 2

### Oath of Destruction
There are two types of people who can swear the Oath of Destruction. One are those who see destruction as a force of nature, and their duty to balance it, or by nihilistic madmen seeking to exterminate everything. They are sometimes called reapers, slaughter knights, or crimson knights. A paladin who swears this oath either swears it to a god that seeks to annihilate the world, the concept of obliteration itself, or in rare cases, the cause of clearing away what is holding the world back. The powers are the same, regardless of the tenets of the oath, but the way they are used is very different. Those who have taken up the burden of making sure that the world can progress use their dangerous powers sparingly, while those bent on annihilation use their powers for acts of unspeakable evil.

#### Tenets of Destruction
The tenets of the Oath of Destruction vary by paladin, with two distinct types. The first is concerned with using, but not overusing destruction in accordance with nature. The second type are about slaughter and death.

##### Type 1
These are the type of tenets that those who wield destruction as part of the balance between creation and destruction follow.

***Uphold the balance.*** I must make sure the all that is created is eventually destroyed, but that all that is destroyed can be used again for creation

***Destroy sparingly.*** I won't destroy more than is needed, I will be methodical and efficient rather than wanton and careless.

***Understand what I destroy.*** I will learn about what I must destroy, so that even when it is gone, it is not lost forever.

***Destroy without malice or bias.*** I will not show favoritism in what I destroy or take pleasure in the destruction I create.

##### Type 2 
These are the tenets of those who want to destroy without regard for balance.

***Violence is the Answer.*** If a challenge can be overcome by violence, it must be.

***Total Destruction.*** I must be direct and indiscriminate with my devastation, and deliver it fast and completely.

***Make the Slaughter Personal.*** I must kill my enemies (everyone) as directly as I can. I can't just send armies to ravage the land, I must lead them. For those that defy my mission, I will kill them myself.

***Revel in Carnage.*** What's the point in endless slaughter if I don't enjoy it?

\columnbreak

##### Oath of Destruction Features

| Paladin level  | Feature |
|:---:|:-----------|
|  3rd  | Oath spells, Channel Divinity |
|  7th | Aura of Decay (10 ft.) |
|  15th | Reverberant wounds |
|  18th | Aura of Decay (30 ft.) |
|  20th | Avatar of Annihilation |

#### Oath spells

*3rd level Oath of Destruction feature*

You gain the following oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

##### Oath of Destruction Spells

|Paladin Level|Spells| 
|:--------:|:---------| 
|3rd | *burning hands, thunderwave*| 
|5th | *aganazzar's scorcher,** *shatter*|
|9th | *dispel magic*, *erupting earth**|
|13th| *blight,* *sickening radiance**|
|17th| *destructive wave, steel wind strike**|

*found in Xanathar's guide to everything

#### Channel Divinity

*3rd level Oath of Destruction feature*

When you take this oath, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

***Power from Death.*** You can use your Channel Divinity to gain the ability to benefit from your slaughter. As bonus action, you can invoke your oath. For the next minute, whenever you kill a creature, your next attack to hit deals additional necrotic damage equal to your paladin level. This effect can stack on the same attack up to a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. For example, if you kill two creatures with a spell that causes a saving throw, your next attack deals additional necrotic damage equal to twice your paladin level.

***Decay Reality.*** You can use your Channel Divinity to eat away at reality itself. As an action, you can present your holy symbol and emit a wave of sickening power. Each creature within a 15ft. radius of you must make a Constitution save. On a failed save, they are knocked prone and poisoned. The air and ground within the radius is disrupted and counts as difficult terrain for 1 minute. A creature can repeat its saving throw against being poisoned at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. Nonmagical objects not being worn or carried within the radius take damage equal to your paladin level. If an object is destroyed by this damage, it is disintegrated.

\pagebreakNum

#### Aura of Decay

*7th level Oath of Destruction feature*

The destructive power you channel has become so suffused in your being that it now radiates off you.

At the start of your turn, if you are not incapacitated, any number of creatures, objects not being worn or carried, and structures you choose within 10ft. of you must make a Constitution save or take 1d4 necrotic damage. If a creature fails its save by 5 or more, its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until that creature's next long rest. Additionally, if any area of ground remains inside the aura for 1 minute or more, you can make it difficult terrain for as long as it is within the aura.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30ft.

#### Reverberant Wounds

*15th level Oath of Destruction feature*

The injuries you receive can now hurt others. Whenever you take damage that is not force, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder, each other creature within 5ft of you takes 1d10 necrotic damage as long as you are not incapacitated.

#### Avatar of Annihilation

*20th level Oath of Destruction feature*

You can transform in to an empty hole in the universe. As an action, your body turns into a three-dimensional silhouette, but your equipment remains as it was. This transformation lasts for 1 minute, and you gain the following benefits:

* Damage you deal ignores resistance and necrotic damage ignores immunity
* You deal double damage to objects and structures
* You gain advantage on attack rolls against creatures with half or less their maximum hit points and those whose hit point maximum has been reduced
* Your Divine Smite feature and Improved Divine Smite feature deal necrotic damage instead of radiant damage
* You gain resistance to necrotic and poison damage as well as advantage on saves against being poisoned and your maximum hitpoints can't be reduced

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

> ##### Roleplaying the Oath   
> The Oath of Destruction has two distinct playstyles. The second is the original, and the first is is a variant I made so that it could fit in more than just an evil party. The first type is going for a more neutral approach that tries destroys what they think is needed for the world to continue unhindered. The second version is pure evil.

\columnbreak

#### Withering smite 
*4th-level necromancy*

\
**Casting time:** 1 bonus action
\
**Range:** Self
\
**Components:** V
\
**Duration:** Concentration, up to 1 minute

The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack
before this spell ends, the weapon is enveloped by glowing purple energy as you strike. The attack deals an extra 5d6 necrotic damage to the target, and must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, their hit points are reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken.

**At Higher Levels.** When you cast this spell using
a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the extra damage
increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 4th

<div>

**Classes:** Cleric, Paladin

>
> All art belongs to Wizards of the Coast.
 Found at: <https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Death_knight> and <https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Blackblade>