Subclass Homebrew - Oath of the Abjurant Champion

[Ikedashi]

Hello everyone, i would like to thank in advance to any readers and a shout to those who reply with feedbacks!. Today, i will be writing my thoughts about a cool concept not fully accomplished by the OC.

And thats an Arcane Paladin. This subclass resolves around a vow to protect their allies agains magical forces, and punish enemy casters with their own toxin.

Oath of the Abjurant Champion



Tenets of the Abjurant Champions

The Oath of the Abjurant Champion binds paladins to protect beloved ones against the powers of magic.

Clarity of Mind: A creature's mind is its most sacred possession.
Follow the Threads: Magic is subtle and often difficult to comprehend. Seek understanding of the magic in the world around you.
Bulwark of the People: You are the shield against those who would bend magic to darker purposes.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of the Abjurant Champion table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

Oath of the Abjurant Champion Spells
Paladin Level Spells
3rd Absorb Elements, Detect Magic (can cast as ritual)
5th See Invisibility, Silence
9th Counterspell, Nondetection
13th Freedom of Movement, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere
17th Greater Restoration, Wall of Force

Channel Divinity

You gain the following Channel Divinity options. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how Channel Divinity works.

Dispelling Strike: Dispelling Smite: As a bonus action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with disrupting energy for 1 minute, using your Channel Divinity. The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack, your weapon sparks with force, and the attack deals extra force damage to the target. The bonus damage is 1d8 times your proficiency bonus. Additionally, if this attack hits, any magical effects on the target immediately ends and its concentration is disrupted. Also the creature can't cast spells until the start of your next turn.

Mettle: You can use your Channel Divinity to invest your presence with the warding power of your faith. As an action, you can choose a number of creatures you can see within 30 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one creature). For 1 minute, you and the chosen creatures add your proficiency bonus on saving throws to resist spells and other magical effects.

Antimagic Aura

Beginning at 7th level, you have unfold some of the magic mysteries and learned how to block spells with you presence. As reaction, when a spell is cast and it targets any thing within 10ft of you. The caster of the spell should make an ability check using its spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + your charisma modifier. If it fails, the spell is consumed by your aura.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Steal Spell

At 15th level, you learned how to manipulate the weave to your favour. When your aura successfully consumes a spell, you can steal and store the spell, then release it as a bonus action. You can only store one spell at a time and if a new spell is consumed, you need to choose which spell will be stored, the other one is lost. Use the same statistics of the original caster, but you are the point of origin of the spell. If the spell needs you to concentrate, you should be able to concentrate to maintain it. Once a spell is released, you need to store a new spell to use this feature again. You can release a stolen spell a number of times equal to your charisma modifier, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Arcane Boost

At 20th level, you can focus yourself and expand your senses. As a bonus action, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

You gain truesight with a range of 120 ft.
You know of any spell being cast within 120 ft. of you.
You have advantage on saving throws to resist spells and other magical effects.
You gain immunity to charms and mind control effects.


Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again.




That's it!

If you feel like any feature should be tuned up or down, feel free to say how you would do it instead. I will take notes and update any cool ideas.
English isn't my first language, please, comment you find any typo.

- Dispelling Strike now work with a charisma atribute check to keep in track with dispell magic.
- Removed Aura of Mettle, added Antimagic Aura.
- Now Steal Spell needs Antimagic Aura to work.
- 1st level spells changed. (again) And Detect Magic might be casted as ritual.
- Changed Cleansing Words to Mettle.
- Arcane Boost also increase aura range and gives knowledge of spells being cast.
- Dispelling Strike removed, Dispelling Smite added.
- Tenets changed (Thx to Nidgit)
- Mettle now have more restrictions.

Have a nice day :smallwink:

[Gignere]

I think having both shield and absorb elements as oath spells are way too strong. This should really be call the oath of the sorcadin, without even the sorcerer dip.

Dispelling strike is basically unlimited dispel magic for a minute wow that is nuts.

[Amnestic]

Mage Slayer

You sharpened your senses and technique to hunt down your nemesis. Enemies can't cast spells while engaged in combat with you. Additionally, when you succeeds on a saving throw made against a spell or magical effect that allows a saving throw to take only half damage, instead you takes no damage if succeeds on the saving throw.


My bold - this needs clarifying/clearing up language wise. "Engaged in combat" is vague, potentially meaning literally anyone in a combat you're also involved in. I assume the intention is "adjacent"?

Either way I don't like it mechanically, any more than I would like a "Adjacent enemies cannot make weapon attacks" feature. Turning off a creature's abilities with no cost to you or save to them is generally unfun. Also there's no level noted on this or what I'm assuming is the capstone.

[Hairfish]

Very overpowered in an already potent class. other folks have talked about some of the other problems already.

The whole subclass is problematic (and I'm seeing the one that you've already toned down in response to comments), but I'm just going to talk about the problems with the currently-proposed version of Dispelling Strike. Other Channel Divinity-using abilities generally deal their effect once, not last for a whole minute. In addition to being multi-use, it's also far more powerful than Counterspell and Dispel Magic because you're making an Arcana check instead of an ability check with the casting stat; this adds proficiency (and possibly expertise) to a check with a maximum DC of 19. When used to end concentration, even if it fails the caster still has to make a concentration check, which you're making even tougher by adding free rarely-resisted damage to. For a minute on a class that already gets 2 attacks/turn and can smite.

If I was your DM, I'd forbid you from proposing homebrew to me again for a year.

[Kuulvheysoon]

For the Oath Spells, nondetection doesn't really seem to fit the theme of "anti-magic paladin", though the rest are pretty fitting (and from the comments, I 100% agree with removing shield from the Oath Spells - not only does that not really fit the theme either, nabbing two of the best 1st level spells is a little cheesy).

What type of action is it to activate Dispelling Strike? It calls out that to use it, it's a BA, but it never mentions what it needs to start 'er up.

Does Dispelling Strike make your weapon become magical? It implies that it does, but never outright states it one way or the other. I would also suggest adding the same condition that Devotion's Sacred Weapon has about the effect ending if you become unconscious or if you release the weapon.

Especially if you're adding bonus damage (in the form of dice, which is multiplied on a crit), I'd heavily suggest that you choose either the dispelling ability OR the spell disruption, not all three.

I disapprove heavily of Aura of Mettle being Ancient's Aura of Warding+. The latter is flat resistance to spell damage, while yours covers all spells and magical abilities.

Steal Spell absolutely needs some some kind of limiting measure. As it stands, it's counterspell+++, which is already one of the best spells in the game. It lets you instantly shut down any caster for effectively an entire fight (5 uses per LR means that the big bad wizard gets shut down for 5 rounds). It also needs an activation time, of which a Reaction seems appropriate. I dunno what to tell you, man. This ability is just hilariously busted. Like, hilariously. Maybe something more reasonable might be something like Mirror Spell, in which you can use an Action (I dunno, I'm literally coming up with this on the fly) to replicate a spell of 5th level or lower that you were affected by since the start of your last turn (so it's better than Shield Master, which only triggers off of spells that target you specifically). It's less busted in that it doesn't deny your opponent their action and resource, and you need to survive the attack.

As for the capstone... honestly, just make it so that you instantly know which spells are being cast within something like 60 feet of you (you need to add a range). It's 20th level, for goodness sake, and it's a limited ability. It'll only slow down the game, and non-(full)-casters deserve some goodies.

[Sparky McDibben]

Shouldn't this go in the homebrew forum?

[ProsecutorGodot]

Yes this probably should be in the homebrew section, but before it ends up there I want to give since feedback.

New 1st level spells are still off, in theme this time in my opinion.

For as Arcane themed subclass I don't think spells already on the Paladin spell list are the best fit. Bless works okay, it offers protection and is a common tactic against magic. I think Sanctuary should be replaced with Detect Magic.

I would also try reworking the 7th level aura entirely, as it stands it's just a more potent version of the Oath of Ancients aura. You could go with a more "modern" approach to aura, like redemption or crown have, and have it work off a reaction. Perhaps a reaction when an Ally fails a saving throw against a spell or magical effect to roll again. Then you can change the channel divinity that did that previously to granting a creature resistance to spells and magical effects for a minute.

[Nidgit]

Agree with everything else said here about how the various abilities are overpowered.

Additionally, I want to mention the Tenets. One mistake a lot of Paladin homebrew makes is offering forgettable tenets that don't challenge the character. Fight X Evil and Defend From X Evil don't count because most parties are already doing that. A good set of Oath Tenets need to describe what's most valuable to the Paladin (a god, joy, nature, vengeance, strength, etc.) as well as what kind of limitations they impose on themselves (always truthful, non-aggression, constant conquest) that created the possibility of falling. I'm not seeing that here.

Some ideas might be:
Clarity of Mind: A creature's mind is its most sacred possession. Never magically interfere with another's thoughts.

Sweat and Tears: Hard work reaps greater rewards. Avoid taking shortcuts when the long way will accomplish the same thing.

Follow the Threads: Magic is subtle and often difficult to comprehend. Seek understanding of the magic in the world around you.

Ward of the People: You are the shield against those who would bend magic to darker purposes.

[Ikedashi]

Shouldn't this go in the homebrew forum?

truth, my mistake. How can i change its section?

[Xervous]

truth, my mistake. How can i change its section?

Report the main post to request that the thread be moved.

[Ikedashi]

Agree with everything else said here about how the various abilities are overpowered.

Additionally, I want to mention the Tenets. One mistake a lot of Paladin homebrew makes is offering forgettable tenets that don't challenge the character. Fight X Evil and Defend From X Evil don't count because most parties are already doing that. A good set of Oath Tenets need to describe what's most valuable to the Paladin (a god, joy, nature, vengeance, strength, etc.) as well as what kind of limitations they impose on themselves (always truthful, non-aggression, constant conquest) that created the possibility of falling. I'm not seeing that here.

Some ideas might be:
Clarity of Mind: A creature's mind is its most sacred possession. Never magically interfere with another's thoughts.

Sweat and Tears: Hard work reaps greater rewards. Avoid taking shortcuts when the long way will accomplish the same thing.

Follow the Threads: Magic is subtle and often difficult to comprehend. Seek understanding of the magic in the world around you.

Ward of the People: You are the shield against those who would bend magic to darker purposes.

Really nice Tenets. I will confess that i did not put much effort in the tenets as many DMs and players use them as ideas and create new ones. I might put on the OP some of your ideas, Thanks!

[Ikedashi]

I think having both shield and absorb elements as oath spells are way too strong. This should really be call the oath of the sorcadin, without even the sorcerer dip.

Dispelling strike is basically unlimited dispel magic for a minute wow that is nuts.

Agreed. Even both being abjuration, and both being good against enemy casters both together are too powerful. Removed Shield because might get overpowered on a class with full plate.



My bold - this needs clarifying/clearing up language wise. "Engaged in combat" is vague, potentially meaning literally anyone in a combat you're also involved in. I assume the intention is "adjacent"?

Either way I don't like it mechanically, any more than I would like a "Adjacent enemies cannot make weapon attacks" feature. Turning off a creature's abilities with no cost to you or save to them is generally unfun. Also there's no level noted on this or what I'm assuming is the capstone.

Agreed. Intention was to be used against threatened enemies, but it was too powerful, i totally forgot about the feat Mage Slayer and if it was used with Sentinel Feat would get even crazier.

Comment a part, spells like hypnotic Pattern can shut down an entire group of non casters with just a 3rd level slot. Crazy ins't it?


Very overpowered in an already potent class. other folks have talked about some of the other problems already.

The whole subclass is problematic (and I'm seeing the one that you've already toned down in response to comments), but I'm just going to talk about the problems with the currently-proposed version of Dispelling Strike. Other Channel Divinity-using abilities generally deal their effect once, not last for a whole minute. In addition to being multi-use, it's also far more powerful than Counterspell and Dispel Magic because you're making an Arcana check instead of an ability check with the casting stat; this adds proficiency (and possibly expertise) to a check with a maximum DC of 19. When used to end concentration, even if it fails the caster still has to make a concentration check, which you're making even tougher by adding free rarely-resisted damage to. For a minute on a class that already gets 2 attacks/turn and can smite.

If I was your DM, I'd forbid you from proposing homebrew to me again for a year.

Agreed. I dunno why i thought arcana would be weaker then charisma. The actual version uses charisma and only dispel effects already placed. I,ve put the feature a par with Devotion's Sacred Weapon, and even though i don't think the bonus damage is a problem because mid/later game 4,5/9 DPS is meaningless, the dispelling part might be. I don't know how often and what are the odds to it be successful as paladin are really MAD and probable will have a lower charisma than a full caster. Sill thinking on how balance this.


For the Oath Spells, nondetection doesn't really seem to fit the theme of "anti-magic paladin", though the rest are pretty fitting (and from the comments, I 100% agree with removing shield from the Oath Spells - not only does that not really fit the theme either, nabbing two of the best 1st level spells is a little cheesy).

What type of action is it to activate Dispelling Strike? It calls out that to use it, it's a BA, but it never mentions what it needs to start 'er up.

Does Dispelling Strike make your weapon become magical? It implies that it does, but never outright states it one way or the other. I would also suggest adding the same condition that Devotion's Sacred Weapon has about the effect ending if you become unconscious or if you release the weapon.

Especially if you're adding bonus damage (in the form of dice, which is multiplied on a crit), I'd heavily suggest that you choose either the dispelling ability OR the spell disruption, not all three.

I disapprove heavily of Aura of Mettle being Ancient's Aura of Warding+. The latter is flat resistance to spell damage, while yours covers all spells and magical abilities.

Steal Spell absolutely needs some some kind of limiting measure. As it stands, it's counterspell+++, which is already one of the best spells in the game. It lets you instantly shut down any caster for effectively an entire fight (5 uses per LR means that the big bad wizard gets shut down for 5 rounds). It also needs an activation time, of which a Reaction seems appropriate. I dunno what to tell you, man. This ability is just hilariously busted. Like, hilariously. Maybe something more reasonable might be something like Mirror Spell, in which you can use an Action (I dunno, I'm literally coming up with this on the fly) to replicate a spell of 5th level or lower that you were affected by since the start of your last turn (so it's better than Shield Master, which only triggers off of spells that target you specifically). It's less busted in that it doesn't deny your opponent their action and resource, and you need to survive the attack.

As for the capstone... honestly, just make it so that you instantly know which spells are being cast within something like 60 feet of you (you need to add a range). It's 20th level, for goodness sake, and it's a limited ability. It'll only slow down the game, and non-(full)-casters deserve some goodies.

Non-detection is an abjuration spell to counter divination magic, its checks the box for me;


It was a typo, Dispelling Strike was intended to activate as a bonus action and work for a minute without anymore actions but only once per round. I've put it a par with Devotion's Sacred Weapon. But still working to make it balanced. I'm thinking to put this instead:
Dispelling Smite: As a bonus action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with disrupting energy for 1 minute, using your Channel Divinity. The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack, your weapon sparks with force, and the attack deals extra force damage to the target. The bonus damage is 1d8 times your proficiency bonus. Additionally, if this attack hits, any magical effects on the target immediately ends. Also the creature can't cast spells until the start of your next turn.

Steal spell now needs that the new Antimagic Aura feature to consumes a spell to work, which uses a reaction, and needs that the enemy caster aim a spell inside the aura, then the caster needs to fail its save. on top of other restrictions.

I've Added your idea to the capstone ability, F you're right that's a lvl20 ability.


New 1st level spells are still off, in theme this time in my opinion.

For as Arcane themed subclass I don't think spells already on the Paladin spell list are the best fit. Bless works okay, it offers protection and is a common tactic against magic. I think Sanctuary should be replaced with Detect Magic.

I would also try reworking the 7th level aura entirely, as it stands it's just a more potent version of the Oath of Ancients aura. You could go with a more "modern" approach to aura, like redemption or crown have, and have it work off a reaction. Perhaps a reaction when an Ally fails a saving throw against a spell or magical effect to roll again. Then you can change the channel divinity that did that previously to granting a creature resistance to spells and magical effects for a minute.

Agreed. Detect Magic should be in the list. Added a note that it can be cast as ritual so a paladin can keep tracking magic even if it is out of slots.
Aura reworked completely.

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: Moved to Homebrew.