Sacred Oath -

Oath of Shadows

A pious clergyman guides the masses, and the holy knights protect the weak. Yet even the most noble of hearts can be swayed to the darkest of temptations. Few dare to speak out against these sacrosanct elite that stand atop the law, inches away from its grasp. And fewer still rise up to defend the meek from these cowardly parasites- those who threaten others out of selfish greed.

These valiant few swear an oath to defend the downtrodden; to forsake those who stand idly by as justice is left to the wayside. Swearing to the Oath of Shadows and becoming pariahs in their own land, these paladins- often called "Dark Knights" or "Black Knights"- bear no crests declaring their allegiance. Instead, their strength becomes a beacon; a defiant flame amongst the abyss, brazenly burning unto its inevitable conclusion. By your own hand, you will enact justice unto those who evade it. In the name of those who have been lost, for those you can yet save. And in their darkest hour, in the blackest of night, they will think of you... and you will be with them. For where else could you go? Who else could they love but you?

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed below in the Oath of Shadows Spells table.

Oath of Shadows Spells

Paladin Level	Spell
3rd	bane, shield
5th	darkness, living shadow
9th	fear, life transference
13th	blight, shadow of moil
17th	negative energy flood, steel wind strike

Channel Divinity

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

Blood Weapon. As a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to augment your weapon with pure shadow in exchange for your own life force. If you do, you gain advantage on melee attack rolls with that weapon for a number of rounds equal to twice your Charisma modifier. Each time you deal damage to a creature, you take 3 (1d4) necrotic damage. This damage ignores resistance and immunity to necrotic damage.

You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you end your Blood Weapon in this way, you immediately regain a number of hit points equal to your Paladin level. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.

The Blackest Night. As an action, you can use your Channel Divinity to surround yourself in a protective layer of shadows. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your twice your paladin level for 1 minute. If these temporary hit points are lost due to a creature dealing damage to you, you regain a spell slot of 1st level. This spell slot may only be used as part of your Divine Smite feature.
At 7th level, you instead regain a spell slot of 2nd level. At 11th level, you instead regain a spell slot of 3rd level. At 15th level, you instead regain a spell slot of 4th level.

Darkside

Starting at 3rd level, whenever you would deal radiant damage, you can choose to deal necrotic damage instead. Your Divine Smite and Improved Divine Smite deals additional damage to celestials, as well as fiends and undead, when used this way. In addition, whenever you deal necrotic damage to a creature, you treat immunity to necrotic damage as resistance.

Bloodspiller

Beginning at 7th level, whenever you successfully hit a creature while under the effects of Blood Weapon, you deal an additional 4 (1d6) necrotic damage to the target. At 13th level, this damage increases to 9 (2d6) necrotic damage.

Quietus

Also beginning at 7th level, you emanate an aura of protective, ebon shadow while you are not unconscious. Friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have advantage on death saving throws. In addition, whenever a friendly creature within your aura critically fails a death saving throw, it counts as one failure instead of two. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Living Dead

Beginning at 15th level, once per long rest when you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you are not knocked unconscious. Instead, your unyielding will to protect others pushes you to continue fighting, even while grievously wounded.

While you are at 0 hit points and under the effects of Living Dead, your movement speed is halved. On your turn, you can use either an action or a bonus action, not both. You have advantage on death saving throws while you are under the effects of Living Dead, and you still make death saving throws at the start of your turn if you are not stable.

When you critically fail a death saving throw, it counts as one failure instead of two if you are conscious. If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you immediately make a death saving throw instead of suffering a death saving throw failure. When you critically succeed on a death saving throw, you regain hit points equal to your paladin level. Whenever you regain hit points while under the effects of Living Dead, treat any dice rolled to determine the hit points you regain as having rolled their maximum value for you.

Warrior of Darkness

At 20th level, you become an eternal beacon of hope within the darkness. You can use your action to gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You gain immunity to radiant and necrotic damage.
• When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.
• Hostile creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on weapon attack rolls against you and saving throws against your paladin spells.
• Whenever you deal necrotic damage to a creature, you ignore resistance and immunity to necrotic damage.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again.

Credits:

• Square Enix for the concept and for the first art.
• djyuuji on Twitter for the beautiful Fray artwork.