Oath of the Arcane (Paladin Archetype)

[miburo]

A couple of threads in the main 5e subforum have asked about creating Arcane Paladins. I had originally worked on the Swordmage Paladin Archetype (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?532265-Swordmage-as-a-Paladin-Archetype-(5e)) as a way of using the paladin chassis (which is already a great gish) to emulate the old 4e swordmage. However I had also mentioned that you could refluff it as an "Oath of the Arcane" style Paladin, like a follower of Mystra. I decided to take that a step forward and create an actual Oath of the Arcane archetype. This would give someone a more legitimate fluff reason to play a Paladin with more arcane and swordmage-like abilities beyond just mechanics.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Oath of the Arcane (Paladin Archetype) (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lp4Mwz9Il9Gry41hRlVnw47GVo0ILZEUetRw27XUWLw)

[snafuy]

Fireball, always with the Fireball. Why no love for Lightning Bolt? :smalltongue:

Are there any mechanical effects of "any equipped armor or shields are considered magical"?

Not sure Elemental Master makes sense, especially since most of the oath spells aren't elemental. Also, does it apply to non-arcane damage?

[miburo]

Fireball, always with the Fireball. Why no love for Lightning Bolt? :smalltongue:

Are there any mechanical effects of "any equipped armor or shields are considered magical"?

Not sure Elemental Master makes sense, especially since most of the oath spells aren't elemental. Also, does it apply to non-arcane damage?

Lol, true that Lightning Bolt gets no love =P. If I had to pick one iconic arcane AoE spell though, it would be Fireball.

The only mechanical effect of the armor/shield being magical would be dealing with things like Rust Monsters, which affect nonmagical materials only. So not a huge deal, but it is a small bonus.

The Elemental Master is a bit out of place, and a legacy holdover from the older Swordmage version of the class. One thought was to the 15th level ability something like a high level Counterspell or Dispel Magic casting (representing the ability to defend against magic), and then replace Counterspell as a domain spell, perhaps with something like Haste.

I'm definitely open to other suggestions.

Edit: Here's the idea for an Elemental Master replacement:
Arcane Disjunction: Experienced arcane paladins can unravel the fabric of magic as easily as they can weave it. You may use this ability to cast either Counterspell or Dispel Magic as a 9th level spell without expending a spell slot. Once you use this ability, you may not do so again until after a long rest.