Oath of the Damned
The Oath of the Damned is a bargain struck by a dead man, or one on the brink of death, to rise again but now in the servitude of another. These champions — sometimes known as the Damned, Hollows, Dreadknights, or the Returned Knights — swear fealty, becoming indebted to whatever fiend, fey, celestial, or otherwise that has given them new purpose with a second chance at life. However, a second life granted does not mean you get to truly live it, as you are now the pawn of someone else until you return to death, where your soul awaits for you. What a damned existence that must be.
Ilmater is a god who offers these deals freely to those willing to suffer for others. Revenants who fulfill their vengeance, but somehow stay upon the mortal plane also take this oath in place of their former vengeance.
Tenets of the Damned
The tenets of the Oath of the Damned vary by paladin, but all the tenets revolve around their lives — their second chance. Paladins who uphold these tenets have already lost their soul, but there is still much to be gained by living life again. The core principles are simple.
Live. I have been given a second chance. Even if I must do another's bidding, I can still do good with these hands.
Serve. If my lord beckons, I must answer the call. I will do as they ask and no more.
Cherish. While I'm here, I will not let my time go to waste.
Reclaim. I will reclaim what I have lost, even if it leads me back to death's warm embrace.
Oath of the Damned Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of the Damned Spells table. Once gained, oath spells are always prepared and do not count against the number of spells a paladin can prepare for each day.
Oath of the Damned Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | bane, hex | ||
| 5th | calm emotions, ray of enfeeblement | ||
| 9th | feign death, life transference | ||
| 13th | aura of life, shadow of moil | ||
| 17th | destructive wave, enervation |
Credits
Oath of the Damned (v1) by /u/Eiti3
Special thanks to /u/BladeBotEU, /u/AliceTheAlhoon, and /u/liusediana!
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Doom Another. You can use your Channel Divinity to mark another for a death you deserved. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, your Divine Smite damage turns to necrotic damage and reduces the target's maximum hit points by the amount of damage you dealt this way. If you reduce a creature's maximum hit points to 0, it is instantly killed and unable to be revived until you die. Otherwise, the target's maximum hit points are reduced until they finish a long rest. You also gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage you dealt this way.
Return from Death. When you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your Channel Divinity to defy death once again. Instead you drop to 1 hit point and gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your paladin level.
Aura of Burdens
By 7th level, you've entrusted others to help ease your burden, and you help ease theirs. When you or a friendly creature starts its turn within 10 feet of you, they gain an amount of temporary hit points equal to half your paladin level. Each hostile creature in this aura can't gain temporary hit points or regain hit points.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Hollow Life
Starting at 15th level, the effects on the minds and hearts of mortals no longer affects your empty soul. You can't be affected by any enchantment spells unless you choose to be.
Additionally, you no longer need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe as everything turns to ash in your mouth, whilst the rest is unfulfilling. However, you can choose to do either. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you can spend all 8 hours doing light activity, such as reading or keeping watch.
Living Travesty
At 20th level, you can become your own patronus as a living martyr. Using your action, you can magically become an avatar of suffering, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:
- When you would gain temporary hit points while also already having temporary hit points, you can instead regain 5 hit points.
- While you have temporary hit points, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
- Whenever a creature hits you with an attack while you have temporary hit points, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to half the damage you take from the attack.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.