Anti-Paladin
A human in dull black armor pounces forward, bringing his greatsword down on a troll. The wound festers and the blood runs like water.
A tiefling whips a halberd around, slicing into a man’s leg. She quickly mutters an in incantation, and the man gasps and falls.
A half-elf raises his shield and shouts to the skies. Unholy light falls around his enemies, making them easy prey.
An anti-paladin steals divine magic to fulfill their goals, and makes vows against the gods to enhance their power further. Through dark rituals and incantations, anti-paladins gain the ability to fight the gods and undo their work. Anti-paladins come in many forms, yet their driving force remains the same: bringing justice to the divine.
Judge of the Divine
An anti-paladin of any sort stands against the gods. They exist to bring a god to some form of justice, and steal from their power to do so. However, anti-paladins don’t necessarily want the world to fall into chaos. Most anti-paladins make a vow against a single god or goddess, and do everything in their power to undo their work while leaving the work of other gods alone. While different anti-paladins may focus on different skills in order to best fulfill their goals, anti-paladins all make similar vows against the god or gods that they wish to bring justice to.
Anti-paladins train for a large part of their life in order to fulfill their goal, learning various fighting skills and training with a multitude of weapons and armors. However, the power they steal from the gods is much greater than any physical training. Causing sickness and disease, raising undead, and creating dangerous storms are the least of their abilities.
Life of an Anti-Paladin
Anti-paladins rarely settle in a single location for long, as the meddling of the gods happens in many places. They often take on the role of an adventurer, searching for evidence of the gods’ touch and erasing it. Exploring ancient ruins or eliminating a cult can help an anti-paladin discover the ways in which the gods have touched the world, and provide useful information for them in their quest against the divine.
The Anti-paladin
Level Proficiency Bonus Features 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st +2 Ungodly Sense, Vile Hands — — — — — 2nd +2 Fighting Style, Spellcasting, Unholy Smite 2 — — — — 3rd +2 Blight Bringer, Heinous Vow 3 — — — — 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 — — — — 5th +3 Extra Attack 4 2 — — — 6th +3 Unsettling Aura 4 2 — — — 7th +3 Heinous Vow Feature 4 3 — — — 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 3 — — — 9th +4 — 4 3 2 — — 10th +4 Aura of Intimidation 4 3 2 — — 11th +4 Improved Unholy Smite 4 3 3 — — 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 4 3 3 — — 13th +5 — 4 3 3 1 — 14th +5 Corrupting Touch 4 3 3 1 — 15th +5 Heinous Vow Feature 4 3 3 2 — 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 4 3 3 2 — 17th +6 — 4 3 3 3 1 18th +6 Aura Improvements 4 3 3 3 1 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 4 3 3 3 2 20th +6 Heinous Vow Feature 4 3 3 3 2
Creating an Anti-paladin
The most important aspect of an Anti-paladin is the Heinous Vow they make at third level. What drove them to hate a god or gods? Why do they seek vengeance? What kind of justice does your character wish to bring the god or gods to? Are you honorable, and wish for the gods to be judged in the eyes of mortals for their actions? Are you driven by revenge, desiring only the death of a god or gods to equalize the horrendous actions? Make sure to read the Heinous Vows section in preparation.
Appendix B of the Player’s Handbook lists many gods that your character may have taken a vow against. Work with your DM to select the proper god or gods that pertain to your campaign.
What caused you to take a vow against the gods? Did they destroy your village or clan, cause the death of your family, poison a river, or simply interfere where they didn’t belong? Perhaps you were raised in an environment where the hatred of the gods was encouraged?
Despite their quest against the gods, anti-paladins aren’t necessarily evil or chaotic in alignment. Their alignment may depend largely on what god they have vowed against, or on how they intend to bring the god to justice. However, anti-paladins are rarely seen as good creatures.
Quick Build
You can quickly make an anti-paladin by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the Outlander background.
Class Features
As an anti-paladin, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per anti-paladin level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per anti-paladin level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: All armor, shields
- Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: None
- Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
- Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, Religion \pagebreak
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
- (a) a priest’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
- Chain mail and an unholy symbol
Ungodly Sense
The dark presence of evil, and the bright existence of good, registers on your senses as though they were noises or smells. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, aberration, or undead within 60 ft. of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, aberration, undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Dr. Acula, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or defiled, as with the hallow spell. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Vile Hands
Using the stolen power of the gods, you can absorb the life energy of those around you. Dealing melee weapon damage or necrotic damage builds up a healing pool equal to the damage dealt. The maximum total hit points in the pool are equal to your anti-paladin level x 5.
As an action, you can heal yourself or an undead ally you touch for an amount equal to the hit points in the pool. When you use this ability, the entire pool is expended. The total amount of hit points you are able to expend in between long rests is limited to your anti-paladin level x 10. If the expended hit points in the pool surpass the maximum hit points of the creature being healed, those hit points are still expended from your pool and count against your total. If the amount of hit points in the pool exceeds your remaining usage, the entire pool is expended, but you can only heal an amount equal to your limit.
Alternatively, you can spend ten points from the pool to inflict a condition on a creature that you can touch. Make a melee spell attack against a single creature. If the attack succeeds, the target must succeed on a constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or become afflicted with a condition from the following table. Roll a d100 and apply the resulting condition. If the condition cannot be applied to the target, use the condition above it on the table (as if the die had rolled lower) until a condition is applicable. The condition lasts for one minute. The conditions are outlined in “Table A: Conditions.” in the player's handbook. The condition lasts for up to one minute, and you must maintain concentration (as if maintaining concentration on a spell) for the duration.
At the end of a long rest, any hit points remaining in the pool are lost.
Table A: Conditions
Roll Conditions 1-10 Invisible 11-20 Blinded 21-30 Poisoned 31-40 Paralyzed 41-50 Deafened 51-60 Stunned 61-70 Frightened 71-80 Incapacitated 81-90 Charmed 91-99 Unconscious 100 Petrified
Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a fighting style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling
While you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within five feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Spellcasting
By 2nd level, you have learned to steal divine magic from the gods. See chapter 10 for general rules of spellcasting, and see the anti-paladin spell list near the end of this article for what spells you can cast.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The anti-paladin table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your anti-paladin spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. \pagebreak
You prepare the list of anti-paladin spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the anti-paladin spell list. When you do so, choose a number of anti-paladin spells equal to your charisma modifier + half your anti-paladin level, rounded down (minimum one spell). The spells must be for a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a fifth level anti-paladin, you have four 1st level spell slots and two 2nd level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st level spell inflict wounds, you can cast it using a 1st level or 2nd level spell slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest.
Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your anti-paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an anti-paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spellcasting Focus
You can use your unholy symbol (similar to a holy symbol in Chapter 5, “Equipment”) as a spellcasting focus for your paladin spells.
Unholy Smite
Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is a celestial or an aberration.
Blight Bringer
By 3rd level, your unholy ability to call forth diseases and plagues make you immune to disease.
Heinous Vow
When you reach 3rd level, you make a vow that binds you as an anti-paladin forever. Up to this time, you have been in a preparatory stage, committed to the path but not yet sworn to it. Now you choose your Heinous Vow, three of which are detailed at the end of the class description (Vow of Balance, Vow of Death, Vow of Retribution).
Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level. Those features include Vow spells and the Twist Divinity feature.
Vow Spells
Each vow has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the oath description. Once you gain access to a Vow spell, you always have it prepared. Vow spells don’t count against the number of spells you prepare each day.
If you gain a Vow spell that doesn’t appear on the anti-paladin spell list, the spell is nonetheless an anti-paladin spell for you.
Twist Divinity
Your vow allows you to alter divine energy stolen from the gods to create magical effects. Each Twist Divinity option provided by your oath explains how to use it.
When you use your Twist Divinity, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Twist Divinity again.
Some Twist Divinity features require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your anti-paladin spell save DC.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn.
Unsettling Aura
Starting at 6th level, whenever an enemy creature within 10 feet of you makes a saving throw, the creature’s roll is reduced by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum bonus +1). You must be conscious for this effect to activate.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Aura of Intimidation
Starting at 10th level, when an enemy enters your aura range of 10 feet, you can choose to frighten that creature as a reaction. The target must succeed on Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, they become frightened of you until the end of your next turn or until you or your allies deal damage to the creature.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your charisma modifier. You regain all uses of this feature when you finish a long rest.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Improved Unholy Smite
By 11th level, you have corrupted the touch of the gods enough that your melee weapon strikes carry unholy power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 necrotic damage. If you also use your Unholy Smite with an attack, you add this damage to the extra damage of your Unholy Smite.
Corrupting Touch
Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to corrupt one spell on yourself or on one willing creature that you touch, ending that spell.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Heinous Vows
Becoming an anti-paladin involves making a vow that solidifies the anti-paladin’s form of justice he shall serve to the divine. The final vow, taken when he or she reaches 3rd level, is the apex of all the anti-paladin’s training. Some characters with this class don’t consider themselves true anti-paladins until they have reached 3rd level and made their vow. For others, they consider themselves on the path of an anti-paladin long before taking their vow, and make this vow to solidify their goals.
Vow of Balance
The Vow of Balance binds an anti-paladin to the task of removing the touch of the gods in the event that they interfere too much. An anti-paladin who has sworn a Vow of Balance may have no particular hate for the gods but feels strongly that their interference in the world may be unnecessary and is therefore causing imbalance. Many who take this vow are neutral in the overall balance of the universe, and may also lean on good. However an anti-paladin’s intentions or actions while following a Vow of Balance can range throughout the entire alignment spectrum.
Tenets of Balance
All anti-paladins who follow the vow of balance follow these basic aspects, although their exact vow changes with each anti-paladin.
View their Work. Locate the work of the gods
Judge their Work. Determine if their work is necessary
Balance their Work. Remove their creations if they do not belong
Vow Spells
You gain vow spells at the anti-paladin level specified.
Vow of Balance Spells
Anti-paladin Level Spells 3rd Bane, Detect Magic 5th Blur, Calm Emotions 9th Conjure Barrage, Counterspell 13th Staggering Smite, Stone Shape 17th Conjure Volley, Hallow
Twist Divinity
When you take this vow at 3rd level, you gain access to the following two Twist Divinity options.
Neutralize. As a reaction, you can alter the positive and negative energies of the world around you, expending your Twist Divinity. Within a 10 ft. radius of your position, if a roll was made with advantage or disadvantage, you can neutralize the roll. The neutralized roll will be rolled as if there was no advantage or disadvantage applied to it. This does not affect advantage or disadvantage granted by magical means or racial traits, such as a Halfling’s “Brave” trait, or the spell “True Strike.”
Unmake. As an action, you can expend your twist divinity and touch a non-magical inanimate object of small size or smaller that is not being worn or carried by another person, causing it to return to a prior form. Manacles may become an iron bar, a marble bust may become an uncut piece of marble, and a jeweled necklace may become a small gold bar and an unfitted gem. If the targeted object is part of a larger structure (such as a lock on a door) this feature will have no effect.
Antimagic Aura
By 7th level, your control of positive and negative energies allows you to alter the powers of magic around you. You and allies within 10 feet of you have resistance to damage from spells.
At 18th level, the range of this aura is extended to 30 feet.
Neutralizing Aura
By 15th level, your control of the positive and negative energies is reaching the point of mastery. Within 10 feet of you, if a roll is made with advantage or disadvantage, you may use your reaction to attempt to neutralize the roll. Roll a d20. If the roll is a 16 or higher, treat the advantageous or disadvantageous roll as if it had been neutralized by your Twist Divinity feature.
This aura has no effect on advantage or disadvantage granted by magic or racial traits.
At 18th level, the range of this aura is extended to 30 feet.
Balancing Act
By 20th level, you have gained true understanding of the balance of the universe, and how to change it to best suit you. Using your action, you can tip the balance of the world in your favor. For one minute, the following effects occur:
- Creatures have disadvantage on saving throws made to resist your spells
- Attack rolls and saving throws made by you have advantage
- Attacks made against you have disadvantage
- You are immune to magical charm effects
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Vow of Death
Often called a Black Knight or a Death Bringer, an anti-paladin who has taken the Vow of Death has sworn to slay a god and remove all of their touch from the world. Despite being associated with storms, necromancy, and diseases, an anti-paladin who has taken a Vow of Death does not necessarily exist to spread chaos and evil. However, it is unlikely for an anti-paladin to follow a lawful or a good lifestyle if they wish to weaken a god enough to kill. An anti-paladin who has taken the Vow of Death against a god or gods should speak to their DM to properly include role playing features and combat sessions into the campaign.
Tenets of Death
All those who take the Vow of Death pledge to follow these Tenets, even if the wording of their vow is different.
Locate. Find their work, and destroy it
Weaken. Reduce their power by any means
Kill. Remove them from the world
Vow Spells
You gain vow spells at the anti-paladin level specified.
Vow of Death Spells
Anti-paladin Level Spells 3rd False Life, Inflict Wounds 5th Darkness, Blindness/Deafness 9th Animate Dead, Elemental Weapon 13th Blight, Fire Shield 17th Cloudkill, Contagion
Twist Divinity
When you take this vow at 3rd level, you gain access to the following two Twist Divinity options.
Death Marked. As a bonus action, you can expend your twist divinity to mark a creature for death. For the next minute, you critically hit the target on a roll of 19 or 20, and you always know its location.
Diseased Blade. As an action, you can expend your Twist Divinity to coat your melee weapon with a poison that lasts for one minute. Damage dealt by this weapon (including damage dealt by your unholy smite) cannot be healed until the creature takes a short or long rest. The first creature stuck by your melee weapon after using this ability must succeed on a constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, or become poisoned for the duration of this ability.
Relentless Assault
At 7th level, upon killing an enemy with a melee weapon attack, you may use a bonus action to move up to half of your movement speed and you may make an additional melee weapon attack. This can only occur once per turn.
Additionally, you may select a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.
Undead Army
At 15th level, you have near mastery of the necrotic arts. Once per day, you may cast “Create Undead” as a sixth-level without expending a spell slot. You may choose to expend a 3rd, 4th, or 5th level spell slot when you cast this spell. If you do, treat this spell as if it was cast as a 7th, 8th, or 9th level spell respectively. Once this ability is used, it may not be used again until you have completed a long rest.
God of Death
At 20th level, you can assume the form of a fallen angel. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 hour you gain the following features:
- Black wings sprout from your back and grant you a flying speed of 60 feet.
- Your melee weapon strikes and spells deal an additional 3d8 necrotic damage. This damage is increased to 4d8 necrotic damage against a celestial or aberration.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Vow of Retribution
An anti-paladin who has taken the Vow of Retribution seeks only to bring a god to justice for some wrong they have committed. While those on a path of justice might not always follow the law, they generally refer to themselves as good-natured and cause-driven. To bring a god to justice is a great feat; therefore most anti-paladins who take this vow dedicate their life to the cause.
Tenets of Retribution
All those who take the Vow of Retribution pledge to follow these Tenets in order to bring Justice to a god who has acted against the people.
Enlighten. Make the god's wrongdoing known to any who will listen
Bind. Research a way to bind the god to the mortal world
Exact Justice. Punish the god for their wrongdoings
Vow Spells
You gain vow spells at the anti-paladin level specified.
Vow of Retribution Spells
Anti-paladin Level Spells 3rd Ensnaring Strike, Hex 5th Ray of Enfeeblement, Zone of Truth 9th Bestow Curse, Magic Circle 13th Confusion, Phantasmal Killer 17th Destructive Wave*, Planar Binding
*Must select the necrotic damage option
Twist Divinity
When you take this vow at 3rd level, you gain access to the following two Twist Divinity options.
Unholy Circle. As an action, expend your Twist Divinity to create a 10 ft. radius circle of unholy light centered on yourself for one minute. The circle gives off dim light within this range. Within this range, creatures of your choice have disadvantage on the first attack they make each turn. In addition, a celestial or aberration has disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws they make while in the circle.
Turn the Holy. As an action, you present your unholy symbol and speak a phrase cursing celestials and aberrations, expending your Twist Divinity. Each celestial or aberration within 30 ft. of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for one minute or until it takes damage. A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can only take the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there is nowhere to move, the creature can take the Dodge action.
Resist Divination
At 7th level, you gain resistance to radiant damage. In addition, you gain advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.
Dread Circle
By 15th level, your training in dark magic has reached a new level. As an action, you can produce the effects of a “Circle of Death” spell centered on yourself. This spell is cast as though it were of 8th level. You and your allies are not affected by this spell. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
At 18th level, the "Circle of Death" ability is cast as though it were of 9th level.
True Justicar
At 20th level, you can take on the aspects of a god in order to fight one. For example, you may give off a visible aura, float a very short distance off the ground, gain a booming voice, etc. The effect or effects chosen do not change a creature mechanically.
For one minute, you gain the following features:
- A fly speed equal to your movement speed
- At the start of each of your turns, you regain 10 hit points
- Whenever you cast an anti-paladin spell that has a casting time of one action, you can cast it using a bonus action instead
- Enemy creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against your anti-paladin spells and channel divinity options.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Anti-paladin Spell List
1st level
Command
Compelled Duel
Detect Evil and Good
Detect Magic
Ensnaring Strike
False Life
Hellish Rebuke
Hex
Identify
Ray of Sickness
Searing Smite
Shield
Thunderous Smite
Witch Bolt
Wrathful Smite
2nd level
Crown of Madness
Darkvision
Find Steed
Flame Blade
Hold Person
Locate Object
Magic Weapon
Ray of Enfeeblement
3rd level
Animate Dead
Bestow Curse
Dispel Magic
Elemental Weapon
Fear
Magic Circle
Phantom Steed
Protection from Energy
Remove Curse
Revivify
Speak with Dead
Stinking Cloud
Vampiric Touch
4th level
Banishment
Blight
Fire Shield
Ice Storm
Locate Creature
Phantasmal Killer
5th level
Destructive Wave
Dispel Evil and Good
Geas
Insect Plague
Hallow
Raise Dead
Multiclass Requirements
To multiclass into or out of anti-paladin, you must have a Strength and a Charisma score of 13.
When you multiclass into anti-paladin you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons.
Additional multiclassing rules can be found in Chapter 6 of the Player's Handbook. The "Twist Divinity" feature is considered "Channel Divinity" when determining how many uses of the channel divinity or twist divinity features you would have after multiclassing.