Shiliam
2019-12-24, 02:24 PM
A New Paladin Oath: The Oath of Subjugation
Description
There are times when a country, empire or other societies require a hero capable of facing the direst of situations, save the day and uphold law, truth and any other valuable virtue. Sometimes, there is no one to answer the call, and people despair. For these cases, there are those who will “create” their savior out of thin air… even if the chosen one isn’t willing to.
An Oath of Subjugation is not always a choice; some are zealous enough to accept the sacrifice that involves following this call, while others are forced by the initiation. Once inducted into the Oath, a mixture of mental and magical influence fuels your desire for defending your order’s tenets, and obtain strong physical and magical powers as a reward.
Tenets
Your Oath is your life. You were brought to this world to fulfill a task, and even it is understandable to take time to enjoy the world you are meant to protect, to neglect your duties is to deny your own existence.
Revere your Masters. You have a debt to your superiors, as it is thanks to them that you came to exist. Their words are law, and obedience is the expected response. To doubt their words means to have a crisis of faith, and must express it to them immediately for “correction”.
Protect your brethren and followers. You are brothers in arms, and your duty is to keep the peace among your people.
Moderate and preserve your gifts. You are blessed with the power to save and protect the world, and you are to use it only as necessary. Train your body and magic with the intention to help others, not for personal gain.
A Paladin that follows the Oath of Subjugation is considered to be affected by a permanent charm spell that can’t be dispelled by getting hurt. As the effect is fuelled by either a deity, magical artifact or any other source of power, it makes you immune to other charm spells.
You are taught to be part of a selected group that has the mission to uphold the Oath’s Tenets for the good of mankind (A chosen from a supernal realm, a magical creation or even a reincarnation are common explanations). Your memories and backgrounds are explained as formation acquired in preparation for your task, and no longer remember faces, locations or events from your past. Read at the end for options available if you break the Oath.
Oath Spells and Spell Slots
An Oath of Subjugation Paladin gains new spells according to the following table.
Paladin Level Spells Spell Slots
3rd Sacred Flame (Cantrip), Absorb Elements + 2 Level One Spell Slots
5th Scorching Ray + 1 Level Two Spell Slot
9th Beacon of Hope + 1 Spell Slot (lvl 2 & 3)
13th Death Ward + 1 Spell Slot (lvl 3 & 4)
17th Flame Strike + 1 Spell Slot (lvl 4 & 5)
Channel Divinity
Last Bastion. As an action, you steel your resolve to fight at all costs, infusing your armor with divine grace and protection. As long as you are fighting against more than one opponent, you can use your channel divinity to add your charisma modifier to your AC for 1 minute. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer fighting multiple opponents or fall unconscious, this effect ends. At level 11, this effect extends to 10 minutes if the player is concentrating on it. (This ability is incompatible with shields, spells with cost and/or material components, and requires a free hand).
Promise of Salvation. You came to this world to save its denizens, and you will demonstrate it with actions instead of words. As full-round action, you can use your channel divinity to learn a non-damage dealing cantrip from the Cleric’s spell list. This cantrip can be used a number of times equal to your charisma modifier, and then is forgotten from memory. At level 13, you can use this cantrip freely until your next short rest.
Fervorous Crusade
The tension of the battlefield enhances the urgency of the paladin’s plea, and his response is greater effort and sacrifice. Starting at 7th level, you constantly emanate an aura of zealous dedication that inspires your allies. As long as you make a full-attack action and hit with all your strikes, you can make a last weapon attack against the same opponent, or use your bonus action to cast a cantrip, and this aura extends the last weapon attack option to any ally at 10 feet of you that can see/hear you. If you succeed, any other opponent will have advantage to attack you or your allies (if they also succeed) until the end of the round. Both the last attack and the cantrip cannot score a critical hit. When you reach 13th level, the effect extends to 20 feet and can score a critical hit.
Promises Fulfilled
You have proven to be worthy of your position, and as such you attain greater blessings from your superiors. From level 15 onwards, you are granted the ability to cast Find Greater Steed at will, with the option to choose a mount option not available on the spell, up to DM ruling. This mount can only be used for travel capabilities; in order to be used in combat, the player will need to cast Find Greater Steed with a spell slot.
Alive to Serve
You become a living conduit of your faith, transcending your limitations in order to achieve your objectives, offering life force in order to fuel your miracles. At level 20, you can obtain the following benefits for 1 minute during combat (outside of combat, you can use this ability for 10 minutes):
• Resistance to damage from spells
• You can cast a spell and/or smites without the need of a spell slot by sacrificing 1d6 hit points for each level of the spell. You can upcast the spells you already known up to what your available hit points allow for.
• Outside of combat, you can use any spell of the cleric spell list that has curative qualities.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest and recover all your hit points.
Breaking the Oath of Subjugation.
The Oath of Subjugation represents those who lose freedom (willingly or not) in exchange for power. Depending on the Deity or any other explanation for the existence of the order, the player can be of any alignment according to the order’s objectives; every organization tends to believe themselves the good guys, anyways.
If the player confronts anything regarding his past life, he can make a saving throw to remember lost memories. It is difficult to recover the longer one stays indoctrinated, but If the character makes enough saves remembering (equal to his charisma modifier or up to the DM), he breaks the charm spell and remembers everything.
Once he remembers, the players can choose to keep following the tenets (people might still need saving), stay but remain at odds with the Order’s goals or break with the entire organization. In the last case, the character loses all extra spell slots, can’t use any of the Oath’s abilities, and must choose another Oath or change class.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm open to comments regarding balance and problems with other interactions like multiclassing. The Oath was made for an npc character, but players voiced interest in playing the class, so i'd like to polish it before giving them the option .
Description
There are times when a country, empire or other societies require a hero capable of facing the direst of situations, save the day and uphold law, truth and any other valuable virtue. Sometimes, there is no one to answer the call, and people despair. For these cases, there are those who will “create” their savior out of thin air… even if the chosen one isn’t willing to.
An Oath of Subjugation is not always a choice; some are zealous enough to accept the sacrifice that involves following this call, while others are forced by the initiation. Once inducted into the Oath, a mixture of mental and magical influence fuels your desire for defending your order’s tenets, and obtain strong physical and magical powers as a reward.
Tenets
Your Oath is your life. You were brought to this world to fulfill a task, and even it is understandable to take time to enjoy the world you are meant to protect, to neglect your duties is to deny your own existence.
Revere your Masters. You have a debt to your superiors, as it is thanks to them that you came to exist. Their words are law, and obedience is the expected response. To doubt their words means to have a crisis of faith, and must express it to them immediately for “correction”.
Protect your brethren and followers. You are brothers in arms, and your duty is to keep the peace among your people.
Moderate and preserve your gifts. You are blessed with the power to save and protect the world, and you are to use it only as necessary. Train your body and magic with the intention to help others, not for personal gain.
A Paladin that follows the Oath of Subjugation is considered to be affected by a permanent charm spell that can’t be dispelled by getting hurt. As the effect is fuelled by either a deity, magical artifact or any other source of power, it makes you immune to other charm spells.
You are taught to be part of a selected group that has the mission to uphold the Oath’s Tenets for the good of mankind (A chosen from a supernal realm, a magical creation or even a reincarnation are common explanations). Your memories and backgrounds are explained as formation acquired in preparation for your task, and no longer remember faces, locations or events from your past. Read at the end for options available if you break the Oath.
Oath Spells and Spell Slots
An Oath of Subjugation Paladin gains new spells according to the following table.
Paladin Level Spells Spell Slots
3rd Sacred Flame (Cantrip), Absorb Elements + 2 Level One Spell Slots
5th Scorching Ray + 1 Level Two Spell Slot
9th Beacon of Hope + 1 Spell Slot (lvl 2 & 3)
13th Death Ward + 1 Spell Slot (lvl 3 & 4)
17th Flame Strike + 1 Spell Slot (lvl 4 & 5)
Channel Divinity
Last Bastion. As an action, you steel your resolve to fight at all costs, infusing your armor with divine grace and protection. As long as you are fighting against more than one opponent, you can use your channel divinity to add your charisma modifier to your AC for 1 minute. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer fighting multiple opponents or fall unconscious, this effect ends. At level 11, this effect extends to 10 minutes if the player is concentrating on it. (This ability is incompatible with shields, spells with cost and/or material components, and requires a free hand).
Promise of Salvation. You came to this world to save its denizens, and you will demonstrate it with actions instead of words. As full-round action, you can use your channel divinity to learn a non-damage dealing cantrip from the Cleric’s spell list. This cantrip can be used a number of times equal to your charisma modifier, and then is forgotten from memory. At level 13, you can use this cantrip freely until your next short rest.
Fervorous Crusade
The tension of the battlefield enhances the urgency of the paladin’s plea, and his response is greater effort and sacrifice. Starting at 7th level, you constantly emanate an aura of zealous dedication that inspires your allies. As long as you make a full-attack action and hit with all your strikes, you can make a last weapon attack against the same opponent, or use your bonus action to cast a cantrip, and this aura extends the last weapon attack option to any ally at 10 feet of you that can see/hear you. If you succeed, any other opponent will have advantage to attack you or your allies (if they also succeed) until the end of the round. Both the last attack and the cantrip cannot score a critical hit. When you reach 13th level, the effect extends to 20 feet and can score a critical hit.
Promises Fulfilled
You have proven to be worthy of your position, and as such you attain greater blessings from your superiors. From level 15 onwards, you are granted the ability to cast Find Greater Steed at will, with the option to choose a mount option not available on the spell, up to DM ruling. This mount can only be used for travel capabilities; in order to be used in combat, the player will need to cast Find Greater Steed with a spell slot.
Alive to Serve
You become a living conduit of your faith, transcending your limitations in order to achieve your objectives, offering life force in order to fuel your miracles. At level 20, you can obtain the following benefits for 1 minute during combat (outside of combat, you can use this ability for 10 minutes):
• Resistance to damage from spells
• You can cast a spell and/or smites without the need of a spell slot by sacrificing 1d6 hit points for each level of the spell. You can upcast the spells you already known up to what your available hit points allow for.
• Outside of combat, you can use any spell of the cleric spell list that has curative qualities.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest and recover all your hit points.
Breaking the Oath of Subjugation.
The Oath of Subjugation represents those who lose freedom (willingly or not) in exchange for power. Depending on the Deity or any other explanation for the existence of the order, the player can be of any alignment according to the order’s objectives; every organization tends to believe themselves the good guys, anyways.
If the player confronts anything regarding his past life, he can make a saving throw to remember lost memories. It is difficult to recover the longer one stays indoctrinated, but If the character makes enough saves remembering (equal to his charisma modifier or up to the DM), he breaks the charm spell and remembers everything.
Once he remembers, the players can choose to keep following the tenets (people might still need saving), stay but remain at odds with the Order’s goals or break with the entire organization. In the last case, the character loses all extra spell slots, can’t use any of the Oath’s abilities, and must choose another Oath or change class.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm open to comments regarding balance and problems with other interactions like multiclassing. The Oath was made for an npc character, but players voiced interest in playing the class, so i'd like to polish it before giving them the option .