Sacred Oath: Oath of the Scourge
There are those knights of virtue that everyone respects. There are tyrants who impose their will with an iron fist. You are neither of these. There is no greater purpose to your actions, no one deserves to be spared.
Paladins who take the Oath of the Scourge rarely do so willingly, as there is only one way to learn their ways. Through experience. Recruitment, if one can call it that, is done typically by taking a man of virtue and breaking them, over, and over, until what comes out the other side scarcely resembles the person they were.
Now, these paladins spread their divine purpose across the land, swelling their ranks and leaving broken bodies and minds in their wake.
Tenets of the Scourge
The tenets of the Oath of the Scourge are a loose set of instructions. A reminder that existence should be pain.
Invoke Fear. All know the terror of death, make it known there are fates far worse.
Spark the Fire of Hope. Let those you punish know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Douse the Fire of Hope. Let those with hope in their heart know, that the light is a lie.
Prolong Suffering. There is no purpose to killing those that oppose you. Death teaches nothing, only through suffering can they learn.
Oath of the Scourge Features
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Oath Spells, Channel Divinity |
| 7th | Aura of Terror (10 ft.) |
| 15th | Smell Fear |
| 18th | Aura of Terror (30 ft.) |
| 20th | Avatar of Pain |
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of the Scourge Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.
Oath of the Scourge Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Barbed Chains*, Cause Fear |
| 5th | Bone Shaker*, Hold Person |
| 9th | Enemies Abound, Fear |
| 13th | Anticoagulate*, Phantasmal Killer* |
| 17th | Danse Macabre, Mass Inflict Wounds* |
*denotes spells added in this document.
**denotes spells added in More Touch Spells for 5e
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how Channel Divinity works.
Dreadful Presence. You can use your Channel Divinity to exude a terrifying presence. As an action, you force each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Sanguine Strike. You can use your Channel Divinity to make a weapon cause horrific bleeding. As a bonus action, you touch one weapon or piece of ammunition and transform it into a wicked barbed version of itself. This transformation lasts for 1 minute. The next time you hit a target with an attack using that weapon or ammunition, the target takes necrotic damage immediately after the attack. The necrotic damage equals 2d10 + your paladin level, or 20 + your paladin level if you had advantage on the attack roll.
Aura of Terror
Starting at 7th level, you constantly emanate a menacing aura while you’re not incapacitated. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.
While in this aura, creatures of your choice have disadvantage on all saving throws against being frightened. Creatures immune to fear lose their immunity but instead make saves against being frightened with advantage.
Additionally, you have advantage on attack rolls against frightened creatures in your aura.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Smell Fear
Beginning at 15th level, you have a preternatural awareness of the fear around you.
You automatically know the location of any frightened creature within 60 feet of you, even through cover.
Additionally, as a bonus action, you can teleport adjacent to a creature that you sense with this ability.
You can use this second ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Avatar of Pain
At 20th level, you can turn into an avatar of pain. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:
- All attacks against you, by creatures that are not immune to fear, are made at disadvantage.
- If you have advantage on an attack roll, you gain a bonus to its damage roll equal to your paladin level.
- Your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
New Spells
Barbed Chains
1st-level conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S, M (a chain doused with fresh blood)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Classes: Cleric, Paladin, Summoner, Warlock, Wizard
You summon a chain from another realm, causing it to burst out from the ground and strike a target within the spell’s range.
Make a melee spell attack, if the attack hits the creature, the creature takes 1d8 points of magical slashing damage. The creature must then make a strength saving throw or be grappled for the duration of the spell. The creature can make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check on each of its turns to escape. If a creature starts its turn grappled by the chains it takes an additional 1d8 points of magical slashing damage.
As a bonus action, You can command the chains to release a creature or, if they are not grappling a creature, attack a new target.
At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell with a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can summon 1 additional chain per caster level. These additional chains can target another creature within 30 feet of another target or the same target. If two or more chains successfully hit a creature it makes its saving throw and checks to escape at disadvantage.
Bone Shaker
2nd-level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 120 feet
- Components: V, S, M (human shaped fetish made of bones)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
By using a bone fetish like a marionette, you take control of a target creature’s skeleton. This has a variety of effects depending on whether the target is living or undead.
A living creature has its skeleton rattle within its flesh, causing it grievous harm. The target must pass a Strength saving throw take 3d6 points of bludgeoning damage
In addition, you can move the target 5 feet. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. A successful saving throw halves the damage and negates the movement.
An undead creature takes no damage.
Instead, you manipulate the undead, forcing it to either move up to its speed (provoking attacks of opportunity as normal) or make a single weapon attack against a creature of your choice in its reach.
A successful saving throw negates this effect. Undead creatures CR 1/4 or lower don’t receive a save against this effect.
At Higher Levels. This spell deals an addition 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage to a living creature or targets an additional undead creature for every spell level above 2nd. You cannot mix these abilities.
Mass Inflict Wounds
5th-level evocation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: S, V
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Cleric
A series of sickly looking rays shoot out from a point of your choice within range. Choose up to six creatures in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on that point. Each ray must target a different creature. Make a ranged spell attack for each ray. On a hit, the target takes 3d10 necrotic damage.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you may target an additional creature for every spell slot above 5th.
Credits
Designed by d'Artagnan on DMs Guild, /u/dArtagnanDnD on reddit, or dArtagnanDnD on patreon and dArtagnanDnD on Twitter.
- Made with "GM Binder".
- Made with reference and for use with Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, created by Wizards of the Coast.
Image Credits
Death Knight - Jesús Campos Jiménez "Nerkin"