Paladin's Handbook to Oathkeeping

## Paladin Oaths

### Oath of Rebellion
The Oath of Rebellion reveers the ideology of breaking the chains of bondage and service. To truly live is to live by your own volition, never truly bound by the whims or will of another. In many ways, the Oath of Rebellion idolizes the same types of freedoms that many Fey tend to follow, but they do not wish for mischief. They instead point their weapons to the heads of dictators, exacting judgement upon them. While independence is clearly part and parcel of the Oath of Rebellion, following the good judgement of their friends or the final wishes of a just ruler would not break the oath they have sworn. To those they find unjust, depriving others of the freedoms they were born to have - that is where their tenets must be upheld.

#### Tenets of Rebellion
The tenets of the Oath of Rebellion exemplify the rigid, absolutist nature of its teachings, while simultaneously giving themselves a guideline on what sort of person should be subject to their destructive power.

**Independence.** Be bound only by your own will, never another's.

**Break the Chains.** Rally the hearts of those who are broken. Free them so that they may truly live.

**Freedom or Death.** Death is a favorable alternative to forced servitude.

**Usurp the Tyrant.** Drive into the mud those who would seek to keep the common man pinned beneath their boot heel.

##### Oath of Rebellion Features
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Oath Spells, Channel Divinity |
| 7th | Aura of Defiance (10 ft.) |
| 15th | Unstoppable Force |
| 18th | Aura of Defiance (30 ft.)|
| 20th | In the Court of the Lightning King |

#### Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Rebellion Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

##### Oath of Rebellion Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Thunderwave, Longstrider |
| 7th | Misty Step, Spider Climb |
| 9th | Lightning Bolt, Thunderstep |
| 13th | Freedom of Movement, Dimension Door|
| 17th | Awaken, Far Step |

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

**Incorrigibility.** As an action, you can concentrate your movements to an electric point, rendering yourself difficult to pin down. For one minute, when you willingly move, creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against you, and you may take the dash action as a bonus action. In addition, you have a hover speed equal to your walking speed for the duration. If you are higher than 5 feet from the ground during this movement, you fall as normal, but cannot take fall damage or be knocked prone.

You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you fall unconscious, this effect ends.

**Unbound Movement.** You may render the environment incapable of impeding you. As an action, you can touch a piece of non-magical terrain and instantly travel to the opposite end of the terrain. Provided that the terrain is no more than 30 feet deep, you teleport to the other end of the terrain. If you would be incapable of passing through the terrain for any reason, nothing happens.

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#### Aura of Defiance
Starting at 7th level, you naturally radiate chain-breaking energy that your allies may tap into. Whenever you or a creature of your choice starts their turn within 10 feet of you, they can attempt to make a saving throw to end a spell or another effect on them if they are able to make one. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

#### Unstoppable Force
Starting at 15th level, you can no longer be paralyzed, grappled, or restrained. If any effect would reduce your movement, it does not do so as long as you are not incapacitated or unconscious.

#### In the Court of the Lightning King
At 20th level, as an action on your turn, you can invoke the power of a king from ages past to become the embodiment of a primal representation of rebellion. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits.

- At the start of your turn and when you activate this ability, you can cast the spell *Lightning Bolt* as a 3rd level spell without using a spell slot. When cast this way, you can teleport to any point within the range of the spell.
- You have a fly speed of 60 feet.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

___

### Oath of Ruination
The somber inevitability that the Oath of Ruination employs as their weapon is an oppressive force not to be trifled with. Many who walk this path toil with negative emotion when they undergo it’s teachings, only to fall by the wayside and abandon the oath due to its difficulty. But those who stay the course, follow its tenets, and learn what the Oath of Ruination truly means... They are the prophets of time, proselytizing it’s inevitable arrival to claim us all.

#### Tenets of Ruination
The tenets of the Oath of Ruination both empower and burden those who are beholden to them with knowledge and understanding. Seldom do you find one who follows these tenets who has not in some way changed, be it through cynicism, nihilism, or even depression.

**Leave Them With Nothing.** Ruin comes to any and all with time. Those who stand against you and your mission are to become but ash and dust, cast aside and snuffed from the annals of history.

**Tarry the Tools.** Your allies and armaments are a means to an end. Attachment to them is unbecoming of one with as pure a purpose as a paladin following the Oath of Ruination. As useful as they may be, for them to linger too long is to produce unnecessary emotional baggage.

**Forsake the Worldly.** Desires of the flesh, monetary gain, and the bottom of a bottle are meant for lesser folk. You have no need for such things; they will become as all will in the end. Nothing.

**In the Shadow of Time.** At the apex of all Ruination paladins is the concept that nothing is permanent while time ticks forward. There is a reverence and respect for time that others often fail to understand. They do not have to; they will be subject to it inevitably.

##### Oath of Ruination Features
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Oath Spells, Channel Divinity |
| 7th | Aura of Entropy (10 ft.) |
| 15th | Deconstruct Defenses (10 ft.)|
| 18th | Aura of Entropy (30 ft.), Deconstruct Defenses (30 ft.)|
| 20th | Expedited Dissolution |

#### Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Rebellion Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

##### Oath of Ruination Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Bane, Hex |
| 7th | Blindness/Deafness, Ray of Enfeeblement |
| 9th | Bestow Curse, Slow |
| 13th | Blight, Sickening Radiance |
| 17th | Enervation, Negative Energy Flood |

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

**Fulminate.** As an action, you will the erasure of your enemies. A creature of your choice within 30 feet must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or be afflicted by a mote of accelerant time that causes their body to quickly decay. At the start of the creature’s turn, they take 1d4 necrotic damage, then they make another wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the damage they take on their next turn increases to 1d6. This continues to increase to 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and eventually 1d20. The effect ends on a successful saving throw, or when the creature falls unconscious.

**Condemn to Infinity.** As an action on your turn, you invoke the will of time to debilitate your foes. Choose a number of creatures up to your proficiency bonus within 30 feet of you. Those creatures must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn as they suddenly relive their lives within the blink of an eye.

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#### Aura of Entropy
Starting at 7th level, creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you that would be healed have the amount they are healed reduced by half (rounded down). This range increases to 30 feet at 18th level.

#### Deconstruct Defenses
Beginning at 15th level, creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against your Channel Divinity options and spell effects. This range increases to 30 feet at 18th level.

#### Expedited Dissolution
At 20th level, as an action on your turn, you invoke the turbulent tides of time to act at your will temporarily. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits.

- Every round, you can choose when to act on the initiative tracker, regardless of your actual initiative. This does not allow you to take extra turns.
- Creatures of your choice affected by your *Aura of Entropy* feature instead are not healed, and take necrotic damage equal to half the amount they would have been healed. This replaces the *Aura of Entropy*'s effect while active.
- You can use your reaction to force a creature to reroll an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. You can do this after you know if the roll would succeed.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

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### Oath of Ordnance
The Oath of Ordnance believes that the best answer to a problem is the biggest and loudest answer. To hear the blare of gunpowder trumpets and feel the singe of holy sulfur in your nostrils is to know that help is on the way in the form of the Oath of Ordnance. Carrying enough firepower to lay waste to entire armies, the Oath of Ordnance is an excitable lot, either doing good for goodness sake, or doing good for the sake of the sweet and savory sound of their divine firearms sizzling with heat after dispatching a line of heretical cultists. Ah, victory.

#### Tenets of Ordnance
The tenets of the Oath of Ordnance are as loud and proud as most who follow them. Practical though some of them may be, many subtler spell casters find those who follow this oath to be a mockery of the profession.

**Bigger is Better.** What is good can be granted greatness by virtue of its volume and capacity. What is better than 10 slain foes? 20 slain foes.

**Be as Loud as Possible.** Let your allies know help is on the way. Let your enemies know their doom is closing in. Let the gods know you are alive.

**Respect your Equipment.** Never allow disrepair to fall upon your material possessions. They are what keep you alive. They are what allow you to enact your sacred duty.

**Never Doubt.** To doubt is to feel weakness. What need have you of weakness? When your hail of divine lead runs dry, and the rapturous thrum of crackling gunpowder leaves nothing but an echo in the wind, you will know that your time has come.

##### Oath of Ordnance Features
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Oath Spells, Channel Divinity, The Long Arm |
| 7th | Aura of Unerring Accuracy (10 ft.) |
| 15th | Inevitable Thunder |
| 18th | Aura of Unerring Accuracy (30 ft.)|
| 20th | Trickshot |

#### Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Rebellion Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

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##### Oath of Ordnance Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Hunter's Mark, Thunderwave |
| 7th | See Invisibility, Shatter |
| 9th | Lightning Arrow, Thunder Step |
| 13th | Elemental Bane, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere |
| 17th | Conjure Volley, Swift Quiver |

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

**Ire of the Ordained.** With a roar representing the power of your will, you manifest a ball of explosive radiant energy and heave it into the fray of your foes. Each creature in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you choose within 60 feet must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes Xd6 + your Charisma modifier thunder damage, where X is half of your paladin level (rounded down), or half as much damage on a successful save. The blast of light spreads around corners. It emits a rapturous explosive sound that can be heard for 1 mile in every direction.

**Deadeye.** The world stands still as you mark your chosen target for death, your breathing and heartbeat the only sounds you can hear. As a bonus action, the next ranged weapon attack you make with a firearm this turn has double the effective short and long range, and is made with advantage.

#### The Long Arm
Beginning at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with firearms. You may perform an hour long ritual to bless a single firearm with divine fury, granting it the following features while you wield it.

- You may apply your Charisma modifider to the attack and damage rolls of the weapon instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier.
- Change all damage the weapon would deal to thunder damage.
- You may use your *Divine Smite* feature on ranged weapon attacks with the firearm. Doing so reduces the damage of your smite from a d8 to a d6, and it's damage becomes thunder.
- It loses any *Loading* properties it had, if any.

You may only bless one firearm at a time. If you would bless another firearm, the previously blessed firearm loses these properties.

#### Aura of Unerring Accuracy
Starting at 7th level, your presence dictates the scope of your allies strikes. You and creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you do not have disadvantage on attacks with ranged weapons at their long range. This range increases to 30 feet at 18th level.

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#### Inevitable Thunder
Starting at 15th level, your weapon’s shots become more difficult to avoid. You are immune to the blinded condition, resistant to thunder damage, and you ignore half and three-quarters cover for the purpose of ranged weapon attacks with firearms. In addition, after you make a ranged weapon attack with a firearm, you can choose to be afflicted with the deafened condition until the start of your next turn.

#### Trickshot
At level 20 your added flair has allowed you to augment your firearms deadly rain of thunderous energy. As a bonus action on your turn, you can draw upon divine energy to make your shots more potent. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits.
- Creatures within 5 feet of a creature that has been struck by a ranged weapon attack from your blessed firearm must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take half of the damage from the that attack (*including any Divine Smite damage*).
- You can use your reaction to make a single ranged weapon attack with your blessed firearm against any target within your weapon range that you can see that moves at least 5 feet.
- After you successfully strike a creature with a ranged weapon attack from your blessed firearm, you can forgo dealing damage to knock something in their hand up to 30 feet from them in a direction you choose.
- You do not have disadvantage on ranged weapon attacks with your firearm against targets within 5 feet of you.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
___

### Oath of Purification
The Oath of Purification deals in absolutes. The impurities that permeate the world are subject to individual discretion. Generally speaking, all of those beholden to this oath seek to purge it of archetypal wrongdoings, such as greed, lust, and pride. Many do this with genuine intent, hoping to make the world a better place by enacting this holy and gruesome task. Others do so for less noble reasons, caring for the strength that the oath brings in its rain of holy flames and divine righteousness. Undoubtedly, the Oath of Purification brings fear to all who hear its name, for it does not discriminate on who should feel their fire.

#### Tenets of Purification
The tenets of the Oath of Purification idealize uncompromising dedication to the act of systematically anhialating "impurities." While some might see morality as a scale of gray, the Oath of Purification sees it only in black and white.

**Do Not Be Deceived.** Remain as vigilant in your quest as possible. The archon’s of sin will seek to weasel their way from your righteous wrath. Do not permit them the luxury of escape.

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**Look Inward.** You are mortal, and as such you are vulnerable. Do not think it to be the end if you should find yourself impure. Correct what must be corrected within yourself.

**Care for Naught.** The emotions of lesser beings cloud their judgement from what must be done. You must be capable of more. Your friends, lovers, and family could all fall to corrupted impurity in due time.

**Cleanse All.** Eventually, after an insurmountable amount of time, your holy work will come to a close. But not until you have seen to the most heinous evils of the world. Not until those festering boils of the mortal realm have seen their reckoning come to bear. You must see to it that their time comes before yours does.

##### Oath of Purification Features
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Oath Spells, Channel Divinity |
| 7th | Aura of Holy Cleansing (10 ft.) |
| 15th | Without Impurities |
| 18th | Aura of Holy Cleansing (30 ft.)|
| 20th | Archon of Holy Fire |

#### Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Rebellion Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

##### Oath of Purification Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|:---:|:---:|
| 3rd | Burning Hands, Faerie Fire |
| 7th | Aganazzar's Scorcher, Heat Metal |
| 9th | Melf's Minute Meteors, Spirit Guardians |
| 13th | Elemental Bane, Wall of Fire |
| 17th | Dawn, Immolation |

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

**Innoculate.** As an action, you can transition a harmful effect from one creature to another. Choose a creature under the affliction of a status condition, curse, or disease. Then, choose a second creature within 30 feet of the first. Both targets must make a Constitution saving throw to resist the effects. Either target can choose to fail their saving throws. Provided that both targets fail their saving throw, the harmful effect is transferred from the first target to the second. The target may make saving throws against the effect as normal if the effect allows them to, but they use your spell save DC instead of the original.

If the effect originally required concentration, such as paralysis wrought by a *Hold Person* spell, you are now considered concentrating on that spell. If not, the effect continues under its original duration.

**Purgation.** You bolster your body with flames of purity and steel yourself against the tide of worldly filth. As an action on your turn, you wreath yourself in radiant flames for 1 minute. Until this effect ends, you can use your reaction to deal 1d10 + half of your paladin level in radiant damage to a creature that deals damage to you.

#### Aura of Holy Cleansing
Starting at 7th level, you and creatures of your choice within 10 feet can change the damage type of any spell or ability they activate or cast that deals radiant damage to fire damage. Any time a spell or ability of your choice would deal fire damage to a creature within the range of this aura, it deals an amount of additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier. This range increases to 30 feet at 18th level.

#### Without Impurities
Starting at 15th level, whenever a spell or ability would force you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to heal yourself for 1d4 + your Charisma modifier.

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#### Archon of Holy Fire
At level 20, as an action on your turn, you can call upon the divine and elemental essence of your oath and transform your physical form into the archetypal energies of your divine strength: radiant light and searing flames. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits.

- You shed bright light for 120 feet and dim light for an additional 120 feet.
- Any creature of your choice that finishes their movement or starts their turn within 10 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 6d6 radiant damage on a failure or half as much on a success.

Once you have used this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

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## Credits

### Art

*Ragh Nar Roog* by [Anna Podeworna](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/oBb5z)

*Chronostutter* by [Seb McKinnon](https://www.deviantart.com/sebmckinnon/art/Chronostutter-Magic-the-Gathering-M15-465084098)

*Musket* by [Beaver-Skin](https://www.deviantart.com/beaver-skin/art/Musket-460515859)

*Fire Archon* by [Feig-Art](https://www.deviantart.com/feig-art/art/Fire-Archon-754340789)

### Author

This document was made by Mozziconi, a homebrewer for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and a budding Twitch streamer. He can be found at the following links.

[Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLDmg1scvkSmVjGe1E_zN0g?view_as=subscriber)

[Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/mozziconi)

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/Yjrd1)

[Discord](https://discord.com/invite/tg6Vs46)

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## Change Log

#### 07/10/2020

- Added clarity to the Oath of Ordnance's *The Long Arm* feature. It now specifies that magical ammunition may still be used despite the weapon lacking a need for ammunition.
- Changed the Oath of Purifications *Without Impurities* feature. Before, it healed for 1d4 + proficiency bonus. It now heals for 1d4 + Charisma modifier.

#### 08/14/2020

- Word usage updated throughout to match better with standard 5e wording.
- *Expedited Dissolution* now specifies that it replaces the *Aura of Entropy*'s effect while active.
- The Oath of Ordnance's *Ire of the Ordained* feature now deals Xd6 + Charisma modifier thunder damage, where X is half of your Paladin level.
- The Oath of Ordnance's *The Long Arm* feature now reads that your divine firearm "...loses any *Loading* properties it had, if any." Before, it removed all misfire properties and did not require ammunition.

#### 03/31/2021

- Minor edits to punctuation and grammar.