[Alt. Paladin] The Oathsworn Paladin

Apologies if this has been done before.

This is an experiment in separating out the paladin's abilities into thematically related components and tying each one to a virtue which the paladin swears to abide by. If a paladin fails to abide by a particular virtue, he loses the thematically linked abilities until he makes appropriate atonement, but still retains the others.

For now, only four virtues are identified, and a paladin who swears an oath to abide by all four virtues duplicates the standard PHB paladin. However, by developing oaths for other virtues which can be sworn instead of the four listed below, it would be possible to create a variety of paladins. Feel free to come up with and post your own!

Oath of Righteousness

Conduct: The paladin must act with honor. He loses the benefits of this oath if he causes harm or loss to any creature (even an evil creature) by lying or cheating, or if he allows a wrongdoer to escape justice through carelessness or negligence. He will not knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will he continue an association with someone who consistently offends his moral code, unless they are repentant and trying to mend their ways. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.

Benefits: At 1st level, the paladin gains the ability to detect evil and smite evil (and gains the ability to make additional smites per day as normal). Starting from 3rd level, he generates an aura of courage.

Oath of Mercy

Conduct: The paladin must treat all creatures with kindness and compassion. He loses the benefits of this oath if he causes or allows unnecessary physical, emotional or spiritual harm or pain to come to any creature (even an evil creature). He may punish or even kill a creature if it is necessary to prevent it from committing an evil act or causing harm or loss to another creature, but it should be in proportion to the creature’s actions.

Benefits: At 2nd level, the paladin gains the ability to lay on hands. At 3rd level, he gains divine health. At 6th level, he gains the ability to remove disease (and gains the ability to do so an additional number of times per week as normal).

Oath of Service

Conduct: The paladin must help those in need, provided they do not use that help for chaotic or evil ends. He serves all creatures, although he may have varying degrees of allegiance. He respects and obeys legitimate authority as it is assumed to represent the interests of the greater number of people. However, he may choose to provide help to an individual instead if he is in greater need of assistance. As a servant, he is humble, courteous and respectful. He loses the benefits of this oath if he does not provide help when he is able to (e.g. providing help would not violate any of his oaths and he is not on a more important mission), or if he acts in an arrogant or disrespectful manner.

Benefits: At 2nd level, the paladin gains divine grace. At 5th level, he may call for a special mount.

Atonement: A paladin who has acted in an arrogant or disrespectful manner may atone by simply offering a sincere apology.

Oath of Faith

Conduct: The paladin faces the same behavioral restrictions as a cleric of his deity, faith or philosophy and loses the benefits of this oath if he acts in a way that would cause a cleric to lose his abilities. If he serves the forces of good in general (as opposed to a specific god, pantheon or philosophy), he loses the benefits of this oath if he performs an evil act.

Benefit: At 4th level, the paladin gains the ability to turn undead and cast paladin spells. These abilities improve as normal.

I like this idea - it has more flavor than the current rule of a paladin losing all powers when he strays from the LG alignment.

I agree. While somewhat more book-keeping, this is far more comprehensible, though I think I might turn Faith into an over-riding thing. Lose Faith and all special abilities go away. Just seems funny that a cleric would lose everything but combat abilities while the paladin retains detect evil, cure disease, war horse, etc.

Here's another oath for a more offensively inclined paladin that is more focused on fighting against evil.

Oath of Wrath

Conduct: The paladin may not retreat from a fight with evil. He may avoid conflicts, even by stealth, especially if he needs to conserve resources in order to defeat a greater evil. However, once the paladin attacks a creature that he knows to be evil, he may not stop fighting until it surrenders, flees or is otherwise defeated. If he does, he loses the benefit of this oath. He does not lose the benefit of this oath if he leaves a battle because he is no longer able to fight, e.g. he is unconscious, dying, or otherwise helpless. He may break off from a fight in order to accomplish a more important task, e.g. healing a wounded ally, but must continue fighting as soon as it is practical.

Benefit: At 2nd level, the paladin may enter a state of wrath for a number of rounds per day equal to his paladin level. These rounds need not be consecutive. This is a supernatural ability that the paladin may activate and end as a free action. He may only enter a state of wrath on his action, and not in response to another’s action. While in a state of wrath, he gains the benefit of a protection from evil spell and gains a bonus to melee damage rolls against evil opponents equal to his Charisma bonus. This bonus damage does not stack with the bonus damage from smite evil.

Here's another oath for paladins dedicated to eliminating a particular type of creature:

Oath of Nemesis

Conduct: The paladin dedicates himself to be the special foe of a particular type of creature. In combat, he attacks such creatures in preference to all other foes unless they present an obviously greater threat. He may not retreat from a fight with such creatures if he knows them to be evil. He may not stop fighting until they surrender, flee or are otherwise defeated. If he does, he loses the benefit of this oath. He does not lose the benefit of this oath if he leaves a battle because he is no longer able to fight, e.g. he is unconscious, dying, or otherwise helpless. He may break off from fighting such creatures in order to accomplish a more important task, e.g. healing a wounded ally, but must continue fighting them as soon as it is practical. In addition, he must provide help to those who are threatened by such creatures or seek his assistance to oppose them. He loses the benefits of this oath if he does not provide help when he is able to (e.g. providing help would not violate any of his oaths and he is not on a more important mission).

Benefit: At 1st level, the paladin gains the ability to detect evil creatures of his nemesis type at will (as the spell detect undead, but only with respect to such creatures).
He also gains the ability to smite evil creatures of his nemesis type once per day (as smite evil, but only with respect to such creatures), and gains an additional smite per day at 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th level. If he also has the ability to smite evil (e.g. from the Oath of Righteousness), he does not gain additional smites per day, but he gains an additional +1 to hit and +2 to damage when he smites an evil creature of his nemesis type.
At 2nd level, he gains divine grace, but only against spells, attacks and other effects created by evil creatures of his nemesis type. If he also has the divine grace ability (e.g. from the Oath of Service), the bonus to saving throws does not stack. Instead, he gains an additional +2 bonus to his saving throws against evil creatures of his nemesis type.
At 3rd level, he gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to his Charisma bonus against evil creatures of his nemesis type. This is a supernatural ability.
A paladin who has sworn an Oath of Nemesis may freely multiclass as a ranger, but he must select his nemesis type as a favored enemy, and must use the bonus to favored enemies that he gets at every 5th ranger level to increase his bonus against his nemesis type or one of his nemesis types, if he has sworn more than one Oath of Nemesis.

Oath?
Why not virtues?
By virtue of something
the cardinal virtue
the theological virtues

Oaths or virtues, to me it's just a matter of terminology. I've always seen the paladin as the guy who gets special advantages for acting in a particular way. Formalize that, and you get an oath.

It's always possible to leave out the formal swearing of an oath, but the net effect would be the same in my opinion.

I like this concept... I am not too crazy about the Oath of Wrath and Nemesis but the others are cool.

Anymore ideas for Oaths?

Oath of Purity?

Oath of Silence?

Oath of Duty?

Oath of Justice?

Oath of Peace?

Nice idea in general, and easy to add to an existing game, always a good combination.

Very good Ideas for the Paladin. Perhaps give the character choices in what oaths/virtues to take. Like group up a few abilities and say this is part of this virtue this a aprt of that one.

This has pretty much been done but without the point buy virtue system.
The oaths from the first post give you the normal abilities for the Paladin correct? Then have the Paladin allowed to swap out say Oath of Mercy for Oath of Wrath. This would create quite a custimizable paladin. Perhaps this concept could be set to other classes as well, namely ranger, rogue, barbarian, bard. Not so much the spell casters though.

At any rate, wheather this is apropriate for other classes or not This works very good for the paladin. Good Job!

-Sravoff