Order/Oath of the Broken Chain

[Oramac]

Hey Playground! I'm just looking for ideas here. A friend of mine asked me to write up a faction and a paladin oath called the Order (Oath) of the Broken Chain. It fits her setting and the storyline. Just in case her players are on GITP, I'm going to keep this vague, but hopefully this is enough to get the gist of it.

So there's this ancient evil god that was held captive by 8 magical chains, but his power to influence people still managed to get into the material plane. (Kinda like Yogg-Saron in Warcraft). Anyway, several cults are trying to set him loose to cause chaos.

There's also the Order of the Broken Chain, which figures he's going to get loose eventually no matter what. So they intend to set him loose on purpose in order to kill him. They want to break the chains in a very specific order and at specific times to prepare for the inevitably deadly fight.

So basically I'm looking for ideas on flavor for the Order, and Tenets/features for the paladin Oath.

Any thoughts?

[strangebloke]

So, the thing is, I'm not really sure what to do here.

Everything you described? Could be filled by a devotion, ancients or vengeance paladin. Ancients is the most thematically appropriate, but vengeance might fit better aesthetically since it has more of that 'hard people making hard decisions' vibe.

Paladin Oaths are usually not about specific goals. They're about motivation. Why do you paladin? For VENGEANCE.

So give us some tenets, maybe?

here's the breakdown in what an oath will give you:

Several new spells

3rd: two uses for your channel divinity ability
7th: a special, thematic ability that's usually quite strong
15th:a really strong, 'always on' effect
20th:a god-mode that you can activate for a few rounds/minutes.

[Unoriginal]

Sounds more like a Background or a Faction than a Paladin's Oath.

[Tiadoppler]

I love the idea, but I agree that it doesn't sound quite like a paladin's oath/subclass.

The oath that members of the order took was to protect the world from a type of enemy, or even one specific enemy. Perhaps not all of them are paladins for whom the oath has mechanical effects. An honorable barbarian, sincere cleric or even a reformed warlock who's appalled by the threat his patron poses to the world might all take the same oath. Single class organizations can be dull, especially if they're showing up in combat.



The mission or quest that this order has decided to attempt walks a very fine line between breaking their oath completely, and fulfilling their oath permanently. They want to free an evil force, then defeat it. If they fail to defeat it, it's released upon the world.

This means that the order is probably at odds with itself: the overall leader may prefer a more careful "we've kept the world safe for four hundred years, we can continue for four hundred more" while the young upstart proposes a risk: "we can solve this problem once and for all". Now, there are two 'sides' of good guys who want the same thing (the world kept safe), but they might come to blows anyway if they cannot come to an agreement.



Then there are external forces who want to BBEG released to wreak havoc on the world. They can try attacking the order's defenses, and infiltrating the order to encourage the riskier methods of BBEG restraint.

TL;DR: Paladin subclasses are vague for a reason. Not every individual group of paladins requires a custom subclass. Varied NPCs with different abilities are more interesting in combat. This plot is awesome and I'm stealing it.

[Vaz]

Paladin get abilities at 3rd (Oath Spells, Channel Divinity), 7th (Aura effect), 15th (Variable, Reasonably Powerful), 20th (Super Saiyan Mode)

Oath Spells; Being able to counter spell anyone using Planar Travel - so Counterspell seems appropriate, as is being able to break through someone's Chains - Freedom of Movement, but also, being able to track them - Hunter's Mark, and later Scrying as a 5th level option. Earthbind gives you a chance to trap a creature trying to fly away. Hold Monster is a 5th level save or Paralyze. Alarm lets you be warned if something is released, while Sending lets you warn others across Planar Boundaries. Shatter could let you break chains physically, but also deal damage. The other option I'd considered was Slow, which would mean the creature wouldn't be as effective as escaping and you could hunt them even easier.

1st - Alarm, Sending
2nd - Earthbind, Shatter
3rd - Counterspell, Slow
4th - Freedom of Movement
5th - Scrying, Hold Monster

Channel Divinity; 2 options, 1/short rest, one usually applicable to combat. One of the magic items is a pair of manacles called "Dimensional Shackles" - these prevent teleportation or other extra dimensional travel. Perhaps a use of your Channel Divinity could make a pair of non-magical Manacles you hold become Dimensional Shackles, losing their magic if they aren't attached to anyone for a period of 10 minutes or longer. The other use of your ability could be using it to cast Freedom of Movement, but with a duration of 1 minute? This allows you to free someone. Alternatively, being able to expend your Channel Divinity on a creature hit to "Mark" them, which allows you to track them through the Planes? Alternatively, you can expend a your Channel Divinity to add vulnerability to a particular damage type for a short duration (1 minute? 1 hour? Lose Resistance, no effect if Immune though)

7th Aura Effect - I'd suggest that being able to catch people using Teleport maneuvres might be useful? Aura Effect could be one of several. In 3.5, there was a spell called Anticipate Teleportation, and then a Greater version - the spell meant that a creature "anticipates and delays" the teleportation of a creature into the spells area - the creature becomes aware of the spell, and delays the arrival by 1 round - the Greater version gave 3 rounds. The delay might be a little overpowering - but making enemy creatures within 10/30ft provoke opportunity attacks when they arrive or leave that aura could be fitting.

15th level effect - This is a bit more varied; there is a wide variety of abilities; Permanent Protection from Evil and Good; 1/day Reduce to 1 HP instead of drop to 0, use reaction to make melee attack against Vow of Emnity'd creature, Cha Mod Psychic "Thorns" damage, and 1d6+7 hp regained when at 50% or less. Given that it's the Broken Chain, perhaps benefits on attacks against creatures who are grappled or restrained? Elven Accuracy-like effect with melee vs Grappled/Restrained creatures? Not too sure, could do with a little bit more information on what the Order's plans or goals are to make it more appropriate.

20th level Super Saiyan - Being able to break a seal to kill something properly - if it's relevant to have a 20th level person at all within the campaign, the ability options are incredibly open ended. The common connection between most (Redemption notwithstanding) is that it lasts for a minute. The most obvious ribbon effect I can think to give is that you have Siege Damage, dealing double to all objects. Combine with an Adamantine Weapon (medium ranking members are all given an Adamantine Weapon perhaps?), and you're dealing the best part of 4* damage to an object. With the ability to hit people with an attack of opportunity when they make a teleport attack, you could perhaps extend this to more physical means - borrowing the drop speed to 0 bit from Sentinel, so that a creature must either take damage from teleporting, or can't move past you. While this is going on, perhaps you can gain the Improved Abjuration effect from the the Abjurer also?

So, for my suggestion
OATH OF THE BROKEN CHAIN OATH SPELLS
3rd; Alarm, Sending
5th; Earthbind, Shatter
9th; Counterspell, Slow
13th; Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature
17th; Scrying, Hold Monster

CHANNEL DIVINITY; Shackle the Soul; You can use your bonus action to imbue a single pair of Manacles you are holding to be Dimensional Shackles (DMG, pg 165). If these Shackles are ever empty for a continuous period of 10 minutes or longer, they lose all magic. While these Manacles are imbue with your Divine Power, they clearly show the symbol of the Broken Chain, which may leave the observer aware of what the shackles effects are.
Break the Chain; You can use your action to cast Freedom of Movement. Unlike the spell, the duration of this effect has a duration of 1 minute, but also requires your Concentration, but is otherwise unchanged.

Aura of Anticipation; Beginning at 7th level, enemy creatures trigger an opportunity attack when using extradimensional movement, including teleportation or travel to or from another plane of existence, to move or appear within 10 feet of you. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Malleus; Starting at 15th level, whenever you have make a melee attack with advantage against a creature who is grappled or restrained, you can reroll one of the dice once.

Avatar of the Broken Chain; At 20th level, you can assume the form of a bulky humanoid, your skin turning the black of Adamantine metal. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits;
- You gain the "Siege Monster" trait - you deal double damage to objects and structures.
- When you hit a creature with a melee attack, until the start of it's next turn, that creature's speed is 0.
- Creature's provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.
- Whenever you cast a spell that requires you to make an ability check as part of the casting of that spell, (as in counterspell), you add your proficiency modifier to that ability check.
I don't know how you feel about that?

[Tiadoppler]

QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODIES

For millenia, the Knightly Order of Planar Security has kept B'Adguy imprisoned, protecting the world from external invasion. Now, the peaceful kingdom of Agrarian Ideal has detected signs that B'Adguy's adamantine shackles are being weakened... deliberately.

Requests for information from the KOPS have been ignored and the good king has begun to suspect that the KOPS have been corrupted into breaking their sacred oaths. He has gathered together a group of three to seven experienced adventurers and offered a mighty reward if they can either prove that the KOPS are still working for the good of the realm, or cleanse the demonic influence from them by any means necessary.

Unbeknownst to the PCs and the king of Agrarian Ideal, the KOPS have decided to rid the universe of B'Adguy once and for all, by releasing and then destroying it. They have not been influenced by B'Adguy at all...





Or have they?

[Oramac]

Sounds more like a Background or a Faction than a Paladin's Oath.

I wasn't very clear in my OP I guess. I was thinking of two totally separate entities. A faction, and an Oath. The friend who requested this was looking for a paladin Oath, but I also thought a faction might work better. The idea was to come up with both, and pick the more appropriate one.


So, for my suggestion
OATH OF THE BROKEN CHAIN OATH SPELLS
3rd; Alarm, Sending
5th; Earthbind, Shatter
9th; Counterspell, Slow
13th; Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature
17th; Scrying, Hold Monster

CHANNEL DIVINITY; Shackle the Soul; You can use your bonus action to imbue a single pair of Manacles you are holding to be Dimensional Shackles (DMG, pg 165). If these Shackles are ever empty for a continuous period of 10 minutes or longer, they lose all magic. While these Manacles are imbue with your Divine Power, they clearly show the symbol of the Broken Chain, which may leave the observer aware of what the shackles effects are.
Break the Chain; You can use your action to cast Freedom of Movement. Unlike the spell, the duration of this effect has a duration of 1 minute, but also requires your Concentration, but is otherwise unchanged.

Aura of Anticipation; Beginning at 7th level, enemy creatures trigger an opportunity attack when using extradimensional movement, including teleportation or travel to or from another plane of existence, to move or appear within 10 feet of you. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Malleus; Starting at 15th level, whenever you have make a melee attack with advantage against a creature who is grappled or restrained, you can reroll one of the dice once.

Avatar of the Broken Chain; At 20th level, you can assume the form of a bulky humanoid, your skin turning the black of Adamantine metal. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits;
- You gain the "Siege Monster" trait - you deal double damage to objects and structures.
- When you hit a creature with a melee attack, until the start of it's next turn, that creature's speed is 0.
- Creature's provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.
- Whenever you cast a spell that requires you to make an ability check as part of the casting of that spell, (as in counterspell), you add your proficiency modifier to that ability check.

That's cool!! I really like that Aura, especially.


QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODIES

For millenia, the Knightly Order of Planar Security has kept B'Adguy imprisoned, protecting the world from external invasion. Now, the peaceful kingdom of Agrarian Ideal has detected signs that B'Adguy's adamantine shackles are being weakened... deliberately.

Requests for information from the KOPS have been ignored and the good king has begun to suspect that the KOPS have been corrupted into breaking their sacred oaths. He has gathered together a group of three to seven experienced adventurers and offered a mighty reward if they can either prove that the KOPS are still working for the good of the realm, or cleanse the demonic influence from them by any means necessary.

Unbeknownst to the PCs and the king of Agrarian Ideal, the KOPS have decided to rid the universe of B'Adguy once and for all, by releasing and then destroying it. They have not been influenced by B'Adguy at all...

Or have they?

Also very cool! Definitely helpful.

======================

Thank you, everyone, for the ideas. If you feel the need, keep em coming!

[Nidgit]

Possible Tenets for you:

Clear Eyes, Clear Mind: Situations need to be viewed with the most rational perspective possible. Hiding from the truth only leads to greater ruin later. Be honest with others when you can, and always be honest with yourself.

The Greater Good: The needs of the many come before the needs of the few. You act to help as many people possible, but you understand that not everyone can be saved. Help as many as you can but do not shirk from making the sacrifices you must.

The Well-Placed Blade: A dagger at the right time can do more than a hundred swords at the wrong one. Plan ahead and consider the most efficacious course of action. Bide your time if you must and strike quickly when the time comes.

[Nidgit]

Regarding the suggested Aura, triggering an opportunity attack when you're 10-30 feet away from an enemy isn't likely to be very useful for melee-focused characters like paladins usually are. Maybe include a 10-foot movement added before it as part of the effect?

[Vaz]

Regarding the suggested Aura, triggering an opportunity attack when you're 10-30 feet away from an enemy isn't likely to be very useful for melee-focused characters like paladins usually are. Maybe include a 10-foot movement added before it as part of the effect?

The suggestion still allowed party members to Opportunity Attack. Allowing allied characters to move half move speed as a reaction feels a little OTT however.

[Nidgit]

Oh yeah if they allowed opportunity attacks from anyone that's probably fine. Would that include ranged attacks? Could be pretty useful for a xbx rogue.

[Vaz]

Oh yeah if they allowed opportunity attacks from anyone that's probably fine. Would that include ranged attacks? Could be pretty useful for a xbx rogue.

Opportunity Attacks have specific rules to what you can do with them. "To make the opportunity attack, you can use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature". The aura provides no dispensation to allow something that cannot make opportunity attacks to make an opportunity attacks, it simply changes it so that something that otherwise does not provoke now does.