What oath should my character pick?

[dehro]

I am considering playing a warforged Paladin in the current campaign we are running.
In the setting, cataclysmic wars have ended with the rise to godhood of an evil woman. During this war formians have introduced the warforged to the setting., though it is said that there were a few that are built by older civilisations.
Said formians had control over the warforged, but lost it due to actions by the PCs.
Now warforged are independent and have self determination and freedom from the mind control that enslaved them.
My warforged is either one of the newly awoken or one of the more ancient ones. He has realised that all other races have gods they pray to who, occasionally, listen. Several races even have dedicated deities and pantheons.
Noticing that warforged have noone to pray to and noone to claim responsibility over them, he is determined to find a god for his people.
The strength of his conviction grants him Paladin status.
Now. . What oath, thematically, best fits his quest to find a god?

[Man_Over_Game]

I am considering playing a warforged Paladin in the current campaign we are running.
In the setting, cataclysmic wars have ended with the rise to godhood of an evil woman. During this war formians have introduced the warforged to the setting., though it is said that there were a few that are built by older civilisations.
Said formians had control over the warforged, but lost it due to actions by the PCs.
Now warforged are independent and have self determination and freedom from the mind control that enslaved them.
My warforged is either one of the newly awoken or one of the more ancient ones. He has realised that all other races have gods they pray to who, occasionally, listen. Several races even have dedicated deities and pantheons.
Noticing that warforged have noone to pray to and noone to claim responsibility over them, he is determined to find a god for his people.
The strength of his conviction grants him Paladin status.
Now. . What oath, thematically, best fits his quest to find a god?

Oooh, so many good options.

Order/Crown is the first that comes to mind. You are trying to find a god that supports the Warforged, a hardy race known made for war that are used to following orders, and the Crown/Order Paladin is designed around bossing people around using magic to bind you to certain rules. It also supports having melee allies to heal in combat, which supports the Warforged concept of hardy endurance.

Redemption is the other that comes to mind, as a means of adapting towards a new life with new allies. This is all about channeling the Warforge's concept of community and enhancing that to include non-Warforged beings, and excelling in that new role. You are, in a way, an ambassador for your race, using diplomacy to assert your rights in the cosmos. As a mechanical race without a god, they'll probably assume that what is needed for ascension is diplomacy, not faith. It's not a representation of your race, but YOU, their chosen-one.

The others could potentially fit, but they'd need some kind of personal piece of information to work, such as whether they're invoking something you may have similarities/aspirations towards (Oath of Ancients), or channeling something that you once were (Oath of Conquest).

[dehro]

Oath of the crown is what they were built for.. But also maybe what they are trying to leave behind... So this should work.. As a reminder of their nature.
Oath of redemption is interesting but might cause him to not mesh super well with the rest of the party.
But yes, thematically, they seem the two most appropriate choices

[Wizard_Lizard]

To step away from the original, I can imagine a war forged taking up an oath of ancients. It’s my favourite oath personally, and I feel like it could be interesting to rp.

[dehro]

This character would be focused on philosophical conundrums and searching for traces of Divinity.
I'm not sold on the ancient

[da newt]

Just a simple question - what is it that keeps your warforged from buying into the ideals of the existing gods?

If there is a god of justice or doing what is right - why doesn't that work for your warforged race?

What is unique about the warforged species' values/ethos that they cannot align with an existing god?

What do the warforged believe in that is not represented in your world's pantheon?

[KorvinStarmast]

He has realised that all other races have gods they pray to who, occasionally, listen. Several races even have dedicated deities and pantheons.
Noticing that warforged have noone to pray to and noone to claim responsibility over them, he is determined to find a god for his people.
The strength of his conviction grants him Paladin status. Oddly, I'll suggest Oath of Devotion for the following reason. He has a hunger to believe, and for a deity to hear him, so he goes out to show that he is worthy of being responded to in his meditations/prayers. More or less, his elevator pitch to any deity who pays attention to what's going on in Eberron is

"By my works will you recognize me as one of your own."

And one day, his dedication and devotion to the tenets of that oath are rewarded by {some sign/some message} that he then takes to his warforged peoples/allies/clan/family.
"My friends, my family, there is a deity and I am his/her/its messenger!"

I think that will work, maybe discuss with your DM.

But for a warforged paladin, I'll admit that my reflexive choice is Oath of Vengeance. Made for war and conflict, is the warforged, and made for conflict is the Oath of Vengeance paladin.

Suggestion? Go with devotion once you and the DM discuss it and it will fit the campaign. If it won't fit the campaign, Vengeance ought to work swimmingly.

[dehro]

What is unique about the warforged species' values/ethos that they cannot align with an existing god?

What do the warforged believe in that is not represented in your world's pantheon?
That is what he is trying to figure out. Warforged are built, not born, so he wonders whether he has a soul as such, and whether an afterlife exists for his kin. despite not knowing who built the first one, there is no creation myth or divine involvement to connect him to the divine realm. He acknowledges that he can just hitch his wagon to a generic god, but he doesn't know whether it is recognised and rewarded. Will his kin ever be more than tools, even to a benevolent god? Is there a greater purpose for his race? What is their place now that they have self determination?
He is exploring existential conundrums that most other races have either tackled centuries ago or that have been solved for them by direct divine intervention..
In a way he is the first philosopher and the first researcher into the divine of his newly liberated race. An existing god will do, but he must find a way to talk to them, to make sure that they will take care of his kin, and to bargain for the safety of their souls, should he find that they do have one.

[Man_Over_Game]

That is what he is trying to figure out. Warforged are built, not born, so he wonders whether he has a soul as such, and whether an afterlife exists for his kin. despite not knowing who built the first one, there is no creation myth or divine involvement to connect him to the divine realm. He acknowledges that he can just hitch his wagon to a generic god, but he doesn't know whether it is recognised and rewarded. Will his kin ever be more than tools, even to a benevolent god? Is there a greater purpose for his race? What is their place now that they have self determination?
He is exploring existential conundrums that most other races have either tackled centuries ago or that have been solved for them by direct divine intervention..
In a way he is the first philosopher and the first researcher into the divine of his newly liberated race. An existing god will do, but he must find a way to talk to them, to make sure that they will take care of his kin, and to bargain for the safety of their souls, should he find that they do have one.

So the question remains, are you a paragon of your race, or an individual with a distinct purpose?

The tricky part is whether or not your powers represent the deity you're searching for, or your individual duty? The latter appeals the most, as being a Paladin in 5e doesn't necessarily mean you have to be bonded to a deity, but a cause. You are searching for a solution, not championing your ideals. Perhaps the divine powers you receive are not manifestations of a supposed god that your people do not worship, but simply accidental divine intervention supporting your drive? That is, you're trying so damn hard to negotiate a divine purpose for your people that the universe itself supports your cause.

The benefit of this method is that you don't have to justify divine powers before getting a god, as they are inherent to your mission. Crown/Order Paladins come later, once you've found the right god for your people. For now, you "worship" the ideal of Redemption for your kind, and that's enough for you to become a Paladin. Perhaps that devotion is what gives the Warforged a place in the divine cosmos: proof that they are as driven enough as any meat-bag that decided their own fate.

Devotion (as in, the Oath) is a potential fit thematically, I just don't think it fits the cynicism and realism of the Warforged in a way that feels organic. Most of those powers suit religious zealots that seek to vanquish the dark, not philosophical realists that are searching for answers.

[dehro]

Interesting take.
I am leaning towards the crown (and it's what my dm would've suggested), as something of a middle ground between being a paragon of his kind's virtues and someone trying to find the laws of a world that has gone mad, in order to set his people on the path of law and order again, this time by choice and natural instinct, rather than obliged by their programming. The crown being a symbol of the old allegiance to their masters, to be replaced to allegiance to rulers and god's of their choosing.
But I've not made up my mind yet.

[Man_Over_Game]

Interesting take.
I am leaning towards the crown (and it's what my dm would've suggested), as something of a middle ground between being a paragon of his kind's virtues and someone trying to find the laws of a world that has gone mad, in order to set his people on the path of law and order again, this time by choice and natural instinct, rather than obliged by their programming. The crown being a symbol of the old allegiance to their masters, to be replaced to allegiance to rulers and god's of their choosing.
But I've not made up my mind yet.

Hated the concept of the "Crown", tbh. Feels very niche, potentially tyrannical (if kings are not kind in your world). I just subconsciously think of it as "Order", to the point where I have to remind myself that people won't know what I'm talking about when I start talking about the Oath of Order. It made a lot more sense when the Order Cleric wasn't around, but it's still hard to break the habit just because of how much easier it is.

The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the just laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threaten to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or a sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order's ranks.

Tenets of the Crown
The tenets of the Oath of the Crown are often set by the sovereign to which their oath is sworn, but generally emphasize the following tenets.

Law. The law is paramount. It is the mortar that holds the stones of civilization together, and it must be respected.

Loyalty. Your word is your bond. Without loyalty, oaths and laws are meaningless.

Courage. You must be willing to do what needs to be done for the sake of order, even in the face of overwhelming odds. If you don't act, then who will?

Responsibility. You must deal with the consequences of your actions, and you are responsible for fulfilling your duties and obligations.