Jell
2020-01-01, 09:14 AM
Hello!
I am fairly new to D&D as a whole and especially to attempting to make homebrews, but here goes. This is mostly a result of my wanting a Paladin Oath that fit my current Paladin - not as ruthless as Vengeance or Conquest, not as exemplar as Devotion, and not as cheerful as Ancients. This Paladin resides somewhere in between, spending time investigating people's concerns with misunderstood or unseen threats like outsiders and necromancers, rounding up a posse to deal with those threats, and leading by being responsible and prepared. Due to the anti-outsider theme and the idea that this Paladin would likely be at home traveling the road/dealing with threats on the fringes of civilization, I ended up emulating a touch of a Ranger theme.
Here it is!
Oath of the Vigilant
Paladins who swear the Oath of the Vigilant dedicate themselves to a near-fanatical watchfulness, remaining ever-alert to beings that are threats to civilization should they be allowed to gain a foothold, such as fiends and the undead. While these paladins oftentimes must march to the fringes of society to hunt down the outsiders and necromancers that summon these dangers, they best perform their roles by establishing relationships with the people, who themselves watch for threats to their livelihoods. Often, these paladins can be found leading small groups of followers across continents in search of their foes, rather than leading armies or serving authorities.
Tenets of the Vigilant
The tenets of the Oath of the Vigilant urge the Paladin to find balance between protecting the realm and seeking outsider and undead threats wherever they may hide.
Listen to Every Plea. Even the most vigilant cannot see all, but the people who guard their homes and their nations are ever-watchful, wary of the unnatural, and seek champions. Heed their cries.
Destroy the Source. If the dead rise, necromancy has raised them. If fiends torture civilians, some force has given them entry. Find the origin of the threat and eliminate it.
Value Your Allies. Those who fight outsiders and undead are often solitary travelers, but do not fall into the trap of self-reliant pride. Entreat and protect those who fight with you.
Take Responsibility. Prepare religiously for the foes you will face. Be wary of all tricks and traps. Your life and the lives of those who hunt with you depend on your caution.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the levels listed.
Paladin Level Spells
3rd Protection from Evil and Good, Zephyr Strike
5th Branding Smite, Moonbeam
9th Elemental Weapon, Magic Circle
13th Aura of Life, Banishment
17th Hold Monster, Steel Wind Strike
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Scourge Ward. As a Bonus Action, you select one allied creature that you can see within 30 feet of you to fall under your watchful eye for 1 minute. The next time this creature is forced to make a saving throw, you can give it advantage on that saving throw.
If the saving throw was forced by a hostile creature, you can force that creature to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature is stunned until it takes damage or until the end of its next turn, whichever comes first.
Eradicator's Boon. Whenever you use your Divine Smite feature or any allied creature deals damage with a weapon or spell attack to a creature within 10 feet of you, you can use your Channel Divinity to add force or radiant damage (your choice) equal to 1d8 + your Charisma modifier to the damage dealt. This damage increases by 1d8 at 8th, 14th, and 18th level. If the target is elemental, fiend, fey, or undead, you add an additional 1d8 to the damage dealt.
Additionally, you or the allied creature that dealt the original damage gains resistance to one damage type of your choice for 1 minute.
Aura of Vigilance
Starting at 7th level, your senses have been sharpened to help you track down and protect others from threats most would find foreign. You and allies within 10 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, or frightened as long as you are conscious. This aura extends to 30 feet at 18th level.
Additionally, the applications of your Divine Sense feature are expanded. When you examine the remains of elementals, fey, fiends, and undead and use your Divine Sense, you can learn various information such as how the creature(s) within range came to exist on the material plane, the name and nature of the creature that summoned or created it if applicable, and its general point of origin.
Interloper's Bane
Starting at 15th level, you are prepared for the wiles of any outsider or undead foe. When you finish a Short or Long rest, you can give yourself resistance to two types of damage. Damage from magical weapons ignores this resistance.
Planeskeeper
At 20th level, you transform into a being that relentlessly pursues those that would infringe upon the lands you protect. Your form seems to pulse with magical energy, and your eyes glow a whitish-green. You gain the following benefits for 1 minute.
You cannot be blinded, charmed, frightened, made prone, possessed, or stunned, and your movement speed cannot be reduced by any means.
Allied creatures within your Aura of Vigilance, including yourself, have advantage on Wisdom saving throws.
Hostile creatures within your Aura of Vigilance are revealed to you and your allies if they are invisible.
Once on your turn when you hit with a weapon attack, you pulse with energy. You can force any creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you to make your choice of a Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom saving throw. Creatures that fail the saving throw are knocked prone and take 10 force damage.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long rest.
As stated in the title, I am looking for any help with balancing and sort of "nailing" the theme more specifically. I want this Paladin to be equipped to find a threat and its source (this may be what I am lacking the most), be adaptable to that threat, and ensure the safety of allies. My initial concerns are...
- My Channel Divinity options feel kind of busy when I read them, but this may be because I have rewritten them a gazillion times.
- I have never played above 8th level, so I'm not sure my 15th and 20th level features (or even my 7th) are balanced at all.
- Should I focus more on nixing enemy invisibility? It seems fitting for several outsiders, and I have nothing that addresses it until 20th level aside from Branding Smite.
Plus if I am totally missing something important, please let me know!
Thank you for any help! I would certainly appreciate it.
I am fairly new to D&D as a whole and especially to attempting to make homebrews, but here goes. This is mostly a result of my wanting a Paladin Oath that fit my current Paladin - not as ruthless as Vengeance or Conquest, not as exemplar as Devotion, and not as cheerful as Ancients. This Paladin resides somewhere in between, spending time investigating people's concerns with misunderstood or unseen threats like outsiders and necromancers, rounding up a posse to deal with those threats, and leading by being responsible and prepared. Due to the anti-outsider theme and the idea that this Paladin would likely be at home traveling the road/dealing with threats on the fringes of civilization, I ended up emulating a touch of a Ranger theme.
Here it is!
Oath of the Vigilant
Paladins who swear the Oath of the Vigilant dedicate themselves to a near-fanatical watchfulness, remaining ever-alert to beings that are threats to civilization should they be allowed to gain a foothold, such as fiends and the undead. While these paladins oftentimes must march to the fringes of society to hunt down the outsiders and necromancers that summon these dangers, they best perform their roles by establishing relationships with the people, who themselves watch for threats to their livelihoods. Often, these paladins can be found leading small groups of followers across continents in search of their foes, rather than leading armies or serving authorities.
Tenets of the Vigilant
The tenets of the Oath of the Vigilant urge the Paladin to find balance between protecting the realm and seeking outsider and undead threats wherever they may hide.
Listen to Every Plea. Even the most vigilant cannot see all, but the people who guard their homes and their nations are ever-watchful, wary of the unnatural, and seek champions. Heed their cries.
Destroy the Source. If the dead rise, necromancy has raised them. If fiends torture civilians, some force has given them entry. Find the origin of the threat and eliminate it.
Value Your Allies. Those who fight outsiders and undead are often solitary travelers, but do not fall into the trap of self-reliant pride. Entreat and protect those who fight with you.
Take Responsibility. Prepare religiously for the foes you will face. Be wary of all tricks and traps. Your life and the lives of those who hunt with you depend on your caution.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the levels listed.
Paladin Level Spells
3rd Protection from Evil and Good, Zephyr Strike
5th Branding Smite, Moonbeam
9th Elemental Weapon, Magic Circle
13th Aura of Life, Banishment
17th Hold Monster, Steel Wind Strike
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Scourge Ward. As a Bonus Action, you select one allied creature that you can see within 30 feet of you to fall under your watchful eye for 1 minute. The next time this creature is forced to make a saving throw, you can give it advantage on that saving throw.
If the saving throw was forced by a hostile creature, you can force that creature to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature is stunned until it takes damage or until the end of its next turn, whichever comes first.
Eradicator's Boon. Whenever you use your Divine Smite feature or any allied creature deals damage with a weapon or spell attack to a creature within 10 feet of you, you can use your Channel Divinity to add force or radiant damage (your choice) equal to 1d8 + your Charisma modifier to the damage dealt. This damage increases by 1d8 at 8th, 14th, and 18th level. If the target is elemental, fiend, fey, or undead, you add an additional 1d8 to the damage dealt.
Additionally, you or the allied creature that dealt the original damage gains resistance to one damage type of your choice for 1 minute.
Aura of Vigilance
Starting at 7th level, your senses have been sharpened to help you track down and protect others from threats most would find foreign. You and allies within 10 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, or frightened as long as you are conscious. This aura extends to 30 feet at 18th level.
Additionally, the applications of your Divine Sense feature are expanded. When you examine the remains of elementals, fey, fiends, and undead and use your Divine Sense, you can learn various information such as how the creature(s) within range came to exist on the material plane, the name and nature of the creature that summoned or created it if applicable, and its general point of origin.
Interloper's Bane
Starting at 15th level, you are prepared for the wiles of any outsider or undead foe. When you finish a Short or Long rest, you can give yourself resistance to two types of damage. Damage from magical weapons ignores this resistance.
Planeskeeper
At 20th level, you transform into a being that relentlessly pursues those that would infringe upon the lands you protect. Your form seems to pulse with magical energy, and your eyes glow a whitish-green. You gain the following benefits for 1 minute.
You cannot be blinded, charmed, frightened, made prone, possessed, or stunned, and your movement speed cannot be reduced by any means.
Allied creatures within your Aura of Vigilance, including yourself, have advantage on Wisdom saving throws.
Hostile creatures within your Aura of Vigilance are revealed to you and your allies if they are invisible.
Once on your turn when you hit with a weapon attack, you pulse with energy. You can force any creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you to make your choice of a Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom saving throw. Creatures that fail the saving throw are knocked prone and take 10 force damage.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long rest.
As stated in the title, I am looking for any help with balancing and sort of "nailing" the theme more specifically. I want this Paladin to be equipped to find a threat and its source (this may be what I am lacking the most), be adaptable to that threat, and ensure the safety of allies. My initial concerns are...
- My Channel Divinity options feel kind of busy when I read them, but this may be because I have rewritten them a gazillion times.
- I have never played above 8th level, so I'm not sure my 15th and 20th level features (or even my 7th) are balanced at all.
- Should I focus more on nixing enemy invisibility? It seems fitting for several outsiders, and I have nothing that addresses it until 20th level aside from Branding Smite.
Plus if I am totally missing something important, please let me know!
Thank you for any help! I would certainly appreciate it.