D&D 5E Death Domain and Oathbreaker preview

[jimmyjimjam]

So regular paladins of the various oaths in the PH can be any alignment the DM allows, but oathbreaks may only be evil?

 

[Paraxis]

So regular paladins of the various oaths in the PH can be any alignment the DM allows, but oathbreaks may only be evil?

Yeah seems odd. Especially when to break some of the oaths consistently doesn't require doing anything "evil", key example showing mercy to a sworn enemy for a oath of vengeance paladin, but mercy is the opposite of doing evil.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

I'm...honestly more than a trifle surprised that the oathbreaker pally gets the command undead ability, rather than the death domain cleric. Doesn't really fit the fantasy archetypes all that well.

 

[Wolfskin]

I'm...honestly more than a trifle surprised that the oathbreaker pally gets the command undead ability, rather than the death domain cleric. Doesn't really fit the fantasy archetypes all that well.

Yeah, I really hope the real thing (AFAIK, this is still in progress) replaces the Death Cleric's ability from Turn to Command Undead. It would be an odd choice not to do it.

 

[Shroomy]

The DMG is done; Mike Mearls tweeted a picture of it the other day.

 

[BigVanVader]

Not gonna lie, I'd always wanted to make an adventuring Necromancer. And that's coming from a guy who 9 times out of 10 just can't stand the magic classes.

 

[Wolfskin]

The DMG is done; Mike Mearls tweeted a picture of it the other day.

Yes, but Jeremy Crawford mentioned by Tweeter that the Index previewed was not final. Who knows what else is not final?

 

[Chocolategravy]

I have an oathbreaker paladin NPC in my game, and sooner or later she's going to go up against the party's paladin. It'll be fun to see how his immunity to fear neuters one of her most potent weapons.

Immunity to fear is pretty common by mid level for PCs, it's not really just a paladin thing. The Oathbreaker's fear is more useful against monsters and NPCs than a party.

 

[Dausuul]

It makes sense that neither have much utility and focus solely on combat capabilities since they're supposed to be for NPCs. But I must say I am a little unimpressed with the death domain. The features to me feel quite generic, with the only thing relating them to their respective themes being flavor text and damage types. It doesn't even have any interactions with undead apart from domain spells that are for the most part already on the cleric spell list.

Agreed. The Oathbreaker is awesome, the Death domain is meh. (And what's with Oathbreakers getting Command Undead but Death clerics not? I might have to house-rule that one next time I DM.)