Tenets of Penitence

The Oath of Penitence is a joyless one, epitomized in its tenets.

• Be the Bulwark. Stand between those who cannot defend themselves and those who would do them harm.
• Bear the Sin. Battle and bloodshed is a heavy burden. Carry it so others need not.
• Life is Precious. Take solace in the joys of those you protect, and know the worth of your sacrifice.
• Spend It Well. Your life belongs to a higher cause. Do not throw it away needlessly.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Channel Divinity

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

Vow of Protection. You can cast the warding bond spell as a bonus action without using a spell slot or requiring a material component. If cast in this way, the spell has a range of 60 feet and a duration of 1 minute. If you are under the effect of warding bond when you use this feature, the spell is suppressed for the duration.

Take the Pain. As a bonus action, you can touch a willing creature and transfer one disease or condition affecting it (as by the lesser restoration spell) onto yourself. If the effect was caused by a creature, then while affected by it, the damage of your Divine Smite and Improved Divine Smite features increases by 1d8 against that creature. When you reach 7th level in this class, you can instead use this feature as an action to transfer effects as if by the greater restoration spell.

Aura of Martyrdom

Starting at 7th level, you learn to use your own suffering to protect the innocents around you. Whenever you and another creature within 10 feet of you both take damage from the same effect (such as the explosion of a fireball, a dragon's breath, or an attack hitting the target of your warding bond), you can have that creature take only half as much damage. If you are damaged by an ongoing effect (such as moonbeam or spirit guardians), you provide this protection to creatures of your choice until the start of your next turn.

When you reach 18th level in this class, the range of the aura increases to 30 feet.

Respite of the Selfless

By 15th level, you become inured to pain and suffering - but its easing still invigorates you. Whenever you regain hit points, or restore hit points to another creature, you gain temporary hit points equal to the hit points restored, up to a maximum equal to your paladin level, which last until the end of your next turn.

Undying Determination

At 20th level, as an action, you can deny the call of mortality, even if incapacitated or otherwise prevented from taking actions. For 1 minute, you appear more real than your surroundings, and a mournful, ghostly dirge can be heard around you. You gain the following benefits:

• Other creatures of your choice within 30 feet are protected as if by the warding bond spell. If any are reduced to 0 hit points, they are automatically stabilized.
• You are immune to the charmed, exhausted, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned and unconscious conditions.
• You cannot die from any effect which does not utterly destroy your soul or body; any effect which would kill you outright instead reduces you to 0 hit points and gives you three death saving throw failures. While at 0 hit points, you cannot become stable, and receiving healing instead removes one death saving throw failure for every 5 hit points that would be restored. If you have six or more failures when this effect ends, you crumble into dust.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.