Sacred Oath
At 3rd level, a paladin gains the Sacred Oath feature, which offers you the choice of a subclass. The Oath of Doom and the Oath of the Crimson Tide are options available to a paladin making that choice.
Oath of Doom
While paladins are typically understood to be acting in the name of a god or an ideal of some kind, not all have such lofty motivations behind their deeds. Those who take on the Oath of Doom have a mission they feel compelled to complete which they would ordinarily not live long enough to see finished. Usually, this oath is taken on by the sick or the elderly as a last-ditch effort to accomplish something important to them, drawing just enough strength from their oath to see their mission carried out. However, there are occasions where a healthy, youthful indiaivual will take on this oath if they know that their mission will take a very long time, longer than they are likely to live.
Due to the nature of this oath, it is remarkably rare to meet a member of a longer-lived race, such as an elf, who has taken this oath. Humans are by far the most likely to take on this oath, as their ambition extends far beyond their short lives, and those confronted with their own death often reflect upon unrealized desires.
What is it that you wish to achieve before your death, and what is preventing you from achieving it on your own? How does the knowledge of your own looming mortality inform your choices and behavior?
Tenets of Doom
The tenets of the Oath of Doom, unlike many other oath tenets, are largely self-motivated, and even by paladin standards, are rarely broken.
Dawdle Not. You do not have time to sit idly by. Whatever it is which motivated you to take on this oath, every action must move you closer to realizing that goal.
Whatever it Takes. No challenge is too great, nor price too high, for the realization of your goal.
Unwaivering. You must be resolute in your convictions. You have committed to realizing your goal, and it will not be questioned.
Bear Witness. You must ensure that you are there to bear witness to the realization of your goal. Do not needlessly place yourself at risk before then.
Art: 'Veteran Paladin' uploaded to pinterest.com by Anthony Argentin
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Oath of Doom Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Bane, Longstrider |
| 5th | Crown of Madness, Ray of Enfeeblement |
| 9th | Feign Death, Spirit Shroud |
| 13th | Death Ward, Freedom of Movement |
| 17th | Skill Empowerment, Passwall |
Source of Doom
Every creature which takes on this oath has a Source of Doom, something against which the creature is racing to achieve its goal. To determine your Source of Doom, choose from one of the options below or create one of your own design.
| Source of Doom |
|---|
| You risk dying of old age before your goal can be completed. |
| You are fighting an incurable illness. |
| Someone or something wants to kill you. |
| You must uphold a promise you made to someone else before they die. |
Channel Divinity
3rd-level Oath of Doom feature
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
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Evoke Dread. You can use your Channel Divinity to flood the mind of another creature with images of its own death. As an action, you can present your holy symbol to a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw or become paralyzed for the next minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns and each time it takes damage. A creature which is immune to the frightened condition is unaffected by this feature.
-
Invoke Resolve. You can use your Channel Divinity to call upon your resolve and grant yourself a bonus to a single ability check, attack roll, or saving throw equal to half your level. You can do so after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined.
Aura of Impetus
7th-level Oath of Doom feature
Starting at 7th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can't be grappled or restrained and can ignore the movement penalties caused by difficult terrain while you are conscious.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Through to the End
15th-level Oath of Doom feature
At 15th level, your oath sustains you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, you no longer need food or water.
Finally, at the end of a long rest, you gain the effect of a Death Ward spell that lasts until the start of your next long rest (the spell can end early as normal). This feature can not be used to protect you from your Source of Doom.
Doomsayer
20th-level Oath of Doom feature
At 20th level, you can cause the doom surrounding you to become perceptible to others. As a bonus action, you can manifest your doom as a cloak of darkness and shadows. For the next minute, or until you end the effect as a bonus action, you gain the following benefits:
- You become shrouded in magical darkness. This darkness cannot be dispelled by anything short of a Wish spell.
- Your weapon attacks deal additional psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
- Once during each of your turns, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can force that creature to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a fail, the creature has disadvantage on all ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws until the end of your next turn.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Oath of the Crimson Tide
There lies a great power in blood. Few dare to pursue this power, however, as the reckless pursuit of that power places the life of the user in great peril. But for those heedless individuals who push their luck in pursuit of this power and manage to survive the endeavor, their power will crystalize into something incredible. These individuals take on the Oath of the Crimson Tide, gaining distinct powers from the more conservative hemomancers who acknowledge their limitations.
This oath is fundamentally grounded in the alchemical principle of equivalent exchange, trading the blood of others in exchange for access to the power held within their own blood. As such, if an individual who has taken this oath makes regular use of their powers without paying the fee, they risk losing access to their powers, or, in rare cases, being consumed by those powers. This perceived incentive to go around slaughtering anything and everything has earned the oath a rather negative reputation, but those who take it on insist that the oath is neither good nor evil, and that it entirely depends upon the user's disposition.
Tenets of the Crimson Tide
The tenets of the Oath of the Crimson Tide are ominous and repulsive to many, and are typically carved somewhere on a paladin's arm or torso as a reminder.
Blood for the Blood Gods. The gods of blood must drink their fill; you shall permit no foe to escape your wrath without first spilling their blood.
Blood Runs Thicker than Water. Once earned, your loyalty is absolute; do not betray the trust you work to foster in others.
Let the Rivers Run Red. You do not fear the sight of your own blood; you must not flee conflict simply because you may sustain bodily harm.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Oath of the Crimson Tide Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Bane, False Life |
| 5th | Blindness/Deafness, Wither and Bloom |
| 9th | Life Transferrence, Vampiric Touch |
| 13th | Compulsion, Death Ward |
| 17th | Contagion, Enervation |
Channel Divinity
3rd-level Oath of the Crimson Tide feature
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
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Crimson Retort. As a reaction when you or a creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes damage from a melee attack, you can spend your Channel Divinity to cause the attacker to take necrotic damage equal to the damage dealt by the attack. The target of the attack then gains that many temporary hit points.
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Rend Wounds. As an action, you can present your holy symbol to agitate the wounds of another creature. Choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature makes this saving throw with advantage if it is not missing any hit points. On a fail, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to your level, and for the next minute, it has disadvantage on all ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws which use Strength, and it deals half damage on damage rolls made using Strength. On a success, the target takes half as much damage and does not suffer any additional effects. Constructs and undead are unaffected by this feature.
Aura of Bleeding
7th-level Oath of the Crimson Tide feature
At 7th level, you exude an aura to a distance of 10 feet which compels wounds to bleed. Whenever a hostile creature in this aura receives healing, that healing is halved. Furthermore, when a hostile creature which is missing any hit points starts its turn in this aura or enters it for the first time on a turn, it must make a Constitution saving throw. On a fail, it takes necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Crimson Disciple
15th-level Oath of the Crimson Tide feature
At 15th level, your dedication to blood grants you special protections. You gain resistance to necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum cannot be reduced unless you allow it.
Additionally, you gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.
Avatar of Blood
20th-level Oath of the Crimson Tide feature
At 20th level, you can harness the divine power of your own blood. As an action, you can become an avatar of blood, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:
- You gain 20 temporary hit points.
- You gain immunity to necrotic damage.
- Whenever dice are rolled to determine an amount of healing you receive, you may treat those dice as having rolled their maximum value.
- As a bonus action, you can extend a tendril of blood from your body to make a special attack. Make a melee spell attack against a creature within 30 feet of you. On a hit, the target takes 4d6 necrotic damage. If the target is not a construct or undead, you regain lost hit points equal to half the necrotic damage dealt by this attack.
Art: by Anastasia Bulgakova on sintorisky.tumblr.com