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[GUIDE] My Word Is My Sword: The Paladin Guide
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<blockquote data-quote="Gladius Legis" data-source="post: 6779082" data-attributes="member: 68748"><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>III. Oaths</strong></span></p><p></p><p>Oaths are such a defining part of a Paladin that they get their own section. The choice of Oath you make at Lv. 3 will greatly affect the way your character not only plays, but their outlook and world view.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue"><strong>Oath of Devotion</strong></span>: This is the "Classical Lawful Good Paladin" Oath, with an overall balance between offense and defense mechanically. And something to be especially thankful for is the way the tenets are written; they essentially nip the "Lawful Stupid" trope right in the bud. For example, Courage includes the admonition "caution is wise," so, no, don't go charging ahead at that Ancient Red Dragon to your doom. Compassion, likewise, "Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom," because some enemies just might be too dangerous to leave alive (but give them a swift and clean death; do not torture). And Duty's, "obey those who have just authority over you," so, no, you have no obligation to obey a despot or usurper if they want you to do something evil.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Sacred Weapon</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. An action to add your CHA-modifier to attack rolls for a minute (10 rounds). Does not require Concentration to maintain (thus stacks with any other buffs) and does not count as a spell (which means you can cast a swift spell in the same round). Since it’s an action to activate, you’ll want to use this power a round or two before you anticipate the start of combat for best results. A very good ability for that climactic fight during that part of the day.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Turn the Unholy</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. The classical Paladin's Turn Undead ability, with the additional twist of turning fiends as well. Can't destroy them the way a Cleric does Undead, but making them run away is still pretty good. This one is definitely best used against a horde of such enemy types; obviously situational, but considering your class' overall weakness against hordes in general you take what you can get there.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Oath Spells (overall rating)</strong>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. This Oath has four spells already on the Paladin list, by far the most in that category, making it gain the lowest rating among the three original Oaths by default. It does have a couple of really nice additions, however, namely <em>Sanctuary </em>and <em>Freedom of Movement</em>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Aura of Devotion</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. Immunity to charm within Aura range, which means you and potentially the whole party are immune to spell lines like <em>Suggestion, Dominate</em> and <em>Geas</em>, as well as to equally nasty monster Charm abilities like those from vampires and succubi. These are some of the nastiest adventure-wrecking effects in the game, so even if they don’t come up very often, you’ll sure be glad you have this ability when and if they do.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Purity of Spirit</strong>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. Basically, this means aberrations, fiends, undead, fey, elementals and celestials will always attack you at disadvantage (and less importantly, they can't possess you). While not exactly an exhaustive list, many campaigns are bound to have at least one or two of these creature types. The benefits of this will definitely be felt against hordes of weaker enemies of these types. High-CR bosses of these types will probably still hit you fairly often (unless you have +X armor and shield of some sort), but even for them disadvantage means they're almost never going to get a crit on you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Holy Nimbus</strong>: <em>Lv. 20 (1/long rest)</em>. You’re only going to bust this capstone out in a fight involving multiple enemies, or better still a horde, in which case you can rack up the damage figures round-to-round with the auto damage out to 30 feet. Does not count as a spell, so feel free to cast a swift spell on the same turn.</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue"><strong>Oath of the Ancients</strong></span>: This nature-themed Oath is most closely mapped to the Neutral Good alignment and even works in character with a Chaotic Good alignment. In quite a few ways, it evokes the spirit of the AD&D Ranger (which, if you recall, also required any Good alignment, but at least allowed Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic Good). Mechanically, this Oath is defensively inclined, particularly against damaging magic. It's also fairly good, as far as Paladins go, at dealing with hordes, though no longer the best at that.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Nature's Wrath</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Restraining is pretty nice, with speed reduction to 0, advantage on attacks against the enemy and disadvantage to the enemy’s attacks. Works on all enemies no matter their size, good for when grappling can’t do the trick. It does have a pretty sizeable weakness though, in that in addition to the initial STR/DEX save, it also allows those saves after all the enemy’s turns.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Turn the Faithless</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Like Devotion's Turn the Unholy, except replace the undead with fey (still turns fiends, too). Again, best used against hordes of those creature types, and at least gives you a situational anti-horde tool.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue"><strong>Oath Spells (overall rating)</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. None of the spells on your list are stock Paladin spells, and there are definitely some quality additions from this Oath, such as <em>Ensnaring Strike, Misty Step, Moonbeam, Protection from Energy, Ice Storm, Stoneskin</em> and <em>Tree Stride</em>. <em>Moonbeam </em>and <em>Ice Storm</em>, in particular, are viable anti-horde tools.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Aura of Warding</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. Cuts all magic damage against you and allies in your aura in half! This is pretty much this Oath’s defining feature. Do note, however, that it only protects against spells, so this doesn’t have any effect on a dragon’s breath, for example.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Undying Sentinel</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. Almost like waking up every day with a free <em>Death Ward</em> cast on you. Well, except for the protection against instant death magic part, but this is still quite nice. And you’re immune to the effects of old age as an added bonus.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Elder Champion</strong>: <em>Lv. 20 (1/long rest)</em>. This capstone essentially works out as a way to get regeneration for the battle and start it off with a control spell that’s harder to resist thanks to the disadvantage on the saving throws. Takes the action to cast, and then use the bonus action you gain that first round to cast your spell.</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Oath of Vengeance</strong></span>: Mapped mostly to the Neutral and Lawful Neutral alignments, you take this Oath for two reasons — (1) you don't mind getting dirty doing your divine work, and (2) you want to be the most effective at killing and killing quickly. This Oath is easily the most offensive of them; in fact, against one big enemy per short rest, you're among the best round-to-round damage dealers in the game. And while you don't get any real defensive options from this Oath, the core of the Paladin class has enough of those that it doesn't really matter. If you can be said to have a weakness, it's that you're even less effective in horde battles than Paladins of the other two Oaths, since you don't get any special horde-clearing abilities.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>Abjure Enemy</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Has its uses, the big one being potentially keeping one melee-inclined enemy out of the fight while your party deals with its buddies, then saving that enemy for last. May also be useful when you need to capture someone alive and prevent them from escaping. However, if at all possible, you’ll typically want to save your Channel Divinity use for the Vengeance Paladin’s other option.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Vow of Enmity</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. When it's big and bad and positively needs to die, accept no substitute. This power, activated as a bonus action, gives you advantage, straight up and no strings attached, against the enemy you target. Obviously, you will ONLY use this against a boss enemy, but when you do, you have potential to be among the most damaging combatants round-to-round in the entire game.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Oath Spells (overall rating)</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. Yup, your list is loaded. <em>Hold Person, Misty Step, Haste, Dimension Door, Hold Monster</em> ... all spells the default Paladin list doesn't get, and all to make you the coldest killer on the block.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Relentless Avenger</strong>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. Free movement without OAs after an opportunity attack helps you stay near your preferred target ready to strike. Not as good as the other Oaths’ Lv. 7 features, but can be helpful sometimes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Soul of Vengeance</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. An upgrade to your Vow of Enmity that makes it even more devastating, letting you make a reaction melee attack against your Vow target if they make an attack, against anyone. Even if that boss enemy has reach (likely at this level), if you ended your movement next to it and the enemy has to start its turn with you bearing down, it faces the choice between trying to get away from you (eating an Opportunity Attack if it can't teleport), attacking (eating the attack from this feature), or Disengaging (most likely not making an attack that turn). Also note the timing if it tries to attack you — since it's triggered on <em>making an attack</em>, and <em>not</em> when it hits or misses, you still get a whack in even if that attack happened to come with forced movement or inflict a condition that would've denied your ability to make reactions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue"><strong>Avenging Angel</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 20 (1/long rest)</em>. You get flight that doesn’t require concentration and can’t be dispelled. And it lasts for a full hour, unlike the other Oaths' capstones, which puts it a cut above those. The frightening aura is a nice bonus, too.</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Oath of the Crown (SCAG)</strong>: This Oath cares about the rule of law and civilization above all else. It’s a natural fit for the Lawful Neutral alignment, and it’s not particularly biased toward Good; in fact, a Paladin of this Oath could just as easily be Lawful Evil as Lawful Good. Mechanically, this Oath isn’t the most spectacular, centered around defensive abilities that don’t really stand out. However, one selling point is that a Lv. 9 or higher Paladin of this Oath is easily the best at dealing with horde battles thanks to getting <em>Spirit Guardians </em>as a 3rd-level Oath Spell.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Champion Challenge</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>: Bonus action (post-errata) for a mass-defending effect that's moderate at best. 30 feet allows enemies affected by this a lot of leeway, though it can be good at least for letting back-row allies stay out of your radius in relative safety in a horde battle.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Turn the Tide</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>: A bonus action mass heal that slightly edges out a 3rd-level Mass Healing Word numbers-wise, but is also more situational. Fair to have on hand for emergencies, if nothing else.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: blue">Oath Spells (overall rating)</span></strong>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. Two words: <span style="color: goldenrod"><strong>Spirit Guardians</strong></span>. That spell alone makes this a worthy list, even despite most of the rest of it being spells already on the Paladin list. <em>Warding Bond</em> as a 2nd-level spell is also a welcome addition (and comes with an interesting exploit, more on that in the Spells section). And it should be noted that even the redundant Paladin spells on this Oath list are still at least good or even great spells (e.g. <em>Command, Aura of Vitality, Banishment</em>).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>Divine Allegiance</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. Take all the damage in place of any friendly creature within 5 feet of you. Unfortunately, it can only be done once per round since it uses your reaction, making it sharply less effective in a fight with multiple enemies or against multiattacking bosses.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Unyielding Spirit</strong>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. Advantage on your saves against two of the most devastating conditions in the game, paralyzed and stunned. At this level it’s probably not much more than a safeguard considering your Aura of Protection and proficiency bonuses, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have it, either.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><span style="color: blue">Exalted Champion</span></strong>: <em>Lv. 20 (1/long rest)</em>. Easily one of the better Paladin capstones, thanks first of all to it lasting a full hour. It comes with a host of strong effects, of which resistance to all nonmagical weapon damage is probably still the best overall (surprisingly good even at Lv. 20). Advantage on ally death saves and advantage on your and allies’ WIS saves are nice, too.</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Oath of Conquest</span> (XGTE)</strong>: This Oath takes Lawfulness to the extreme, arguably to the point of tyranny. Your objectives are to conquer, break the enemy’s will to fight, rule with an iron fist and get stronger to stay in power. You may not be full-on Lawful Evil, necessarily, but you’re most likely not going to be a nice guy/gal, in any case. Mechanics-wise, this Oath seeks to rule the battlefield through fear, and it does a great job of making the Paladin’s existing frightening spells and abilities even nastier, plus it comes with a few more such abilities on its own. Overall, this Oath is a lot more about control and lockdown than it is outright damage. Since making enemies frightened is such a huge part of this Oath’s battle strategy, Charisma is even more important for this subclass than for many other Paladins; in fact, it may be as high or even HIGHER a priority than Strength. There’s only one thing really holding this Oath back from being perhaps the strongest of them, but it’s a big one: <span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>enemies immune to the frightened condition</strong></span> exist and aren’t super-rare.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Conquering Presence</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Mass frightening ability, which obviously becomes even more important for you in a few levels. Good tool for controlling a horde of enemies. However, it unconditionally allows a save on each of the enemies’ turns, making this mass fear CD inferior to the Oathbreaker’s Dreadful Aspect.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Guided Strike</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Stolen from the War Cleric, +10 to a single attack roll. Mostly there for when you REALLY need to hit with an active <em>Wrathful Smite</em> on the first attack of combat, which can be a big deal in a few levels.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Oath Spells (overall rating)</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. Definitely some strong additions to the Paladin arsenal here, including <em>Armor of Agathys, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon </em>and <em>Fear</em>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Aura of Conquest</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. Easily this Oath’s signature ability, and one you really need to optimize around to get the most out of this Oath. The most important thing is to keep your arsenal loaded with frightening spells and abilities, and that means preparing the excellent <em>Wrathful Smite</em> (1st-level spell), keeping it prepared and using it against the most threatening single targets. When dealing with hordes, you have Conquering Presence and later <em>Fear</em> as an Oath spell. And then there's shoving a frightened enemy prone in this Aura, which means they're never getting back up. Or use a polearm and wail on an enemy 10 feet away, and if they have only a 5-foot reach, they're not hitting you back. Good times.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Scornful Rebuke</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. Literally every time an enemy hits you with an attack, including ranged attacks, it takes your CHA-modifier in damage. Every single time. Every single enemy. Automatically. No reaction needed on your part. This can add up very quickly.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Invincible Conqueror</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 20 (1/long rest)</em>. Lasts a minute and grants you a host of nice combat buffs including a third attack on your Attack action, expanded crit range and resistance to all damage. Solid capstone.</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>Oath of Redemption</strong></span> <strong>(XGTE)</strong>: You know what they say about being a War Cleric, right? Play a Paladin instead? Well, this Oath is pretty much the inverse of that; play a Cleric instead. The pacifist tenets of this Oath make this particular Paladin EXTREMELY annoying to play in nearly all adventuring parties. Basically unless you’re fighting an evil outsider or undead, you’ll be opting to deliver knockout blows to everything you fight and probably pleading with other party members to do the same. And you’ll be MUCH more reliant on your spellcasting than all other Paladins. That’s just not a good place for a half-caster to be in, even if your Oath spells are really good. (So, yeah, play a Cleric.) If you insist on taking this Oath, CHA is definitely a higher priority than your attack stat. This Oath may be a bit less annoying and somewhat more valuable in a <strong>combat-light, high-roleplay campaign</strong>, since it can absolutely ace Persuasion checks.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Emissary of Peace</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. 10-minute long +5 bonus to Persuasion checks. Obviously good in the <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>social pillar</strong></span>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>Rebuke the Violent</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Pretty much the absolute example of a situational ability. You will ONLY want to use it at all against an enemy with strong single attacks. It only works against attacks, too, so anything that requires a save instead (e.g. dragon’s breath) is a no-go. In all, you won’t be using this very often, although admittedly it’s nice when you do get a chance to use it and have it deal enough damage to be worth burning your Channel Divinity use.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Oath Spells (overall rating)</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. The list itself is fantastic, no complaints there, which is good, because unfortunately you’re going to be a lot more reliant on spellcasting than all other Paladins. You’ll get a couple of useful levels out of <em>Sleep</em>, and then there’s the likes of <em>Sanctuary, Hold Person, Counterspell, Hypnotic Pattern</em> and, at late levels, <em>Wall of Force</em>, all of them very good spells. And a few others on the list like <em>Calm Emotions</em> and <em>Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere</em> still have their uses.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>Aura of the Guardian</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. Remember Crown’s Divine Allegiance? Well, this one at least works in full Aura range. That means 10 feet most of your career and at 30 feet starting at Lv. 18. Unfortunately, other than the much better range, it shares all of Divine Allegiance’s other problems, such as using up your reaction, can only be done 1/round, and is sharply less effective vs. multiple enemies and multiattacking bosses.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Protective Spirit</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. Comparable, and in fact slightly superior numbers-wise, to the Champion Fighter’s Lv. 18 feature Survivor, with its free healing when under half your total hit points. And you get it three levels earlier than the Champion Fighter does. Yay for that?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>Emissary of Redemption</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 20</em>. Unique among Paladin capstones, this is a constant effect with two strong benefits — that run almost completely counter to the way you’ve been playing this Paladin for 19 levels. Resistance to all damage vs. all enemies, and auto-damage retaliation against enemies who hit you with attacks. These benefits end against any given enemy when you attack them, cast spells on them or damage them with anything but the auto-damage from this feature. Which means, to get the most out of this in a party setting, you will want to focus fire entirely on one enemy at a time — which is completely the opposite of what this Paladin has been doing for 19 levels. And there you see the problem with this capstone, and the way this Oath was designed in general.</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Oath of Glory (MOOT)</strong>: This is basically the “chosen hero” Oath, and the tenets revolve around you staying on your path to destiny and strengthening yourself any way you can to stay on that path. Mechanics-wise, you become more mobile than your average Paladin, and you have abilities to enhance the durability of both you and your allies. Overall, this Oath is quite unremarkable, though not really bad, either. It’s just ... there. However, if you want to attempt a Paladin who favors <span style="color: blue"><strong>grappling</strong></span>, this is perhaps the best Oath to do that with.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: darkviolet"><strong>Peerless Athlete</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Activated as a bonus action and gives advantage on Athletics and Acrobatics, along with enhanced carrying capacity and jumping distances. It’s situational for most, but it’ll be a mainstay if <span style="color: blue"><strong>you like to grapple</strong></span>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Inspiring Smite</strong>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. If you’re not a serious grappler, this is probably your main use of Channel Divinity. The amount of temp HPs you hand out with this pales in comparison to the Inspiring Leader feat, though, but it’s alright in a pinch.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue"><strong>Oath Spells (overall rating)</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. Glory’s Oath Spell list is easily the best thing about it. <em>Guiding Bolt, Enhance Ability, Haste</em>, and <em>Freedom of Movement</em> are all good or great additions to the Paladin spell arsenal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Aura of Alacrity</strong>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. Curiously, this aura is much smaller than other Paladin auras; it’s only 5 feet to start and 10 feet at Lv. 18. The 10 feet of extra speed is actually nice, but it’s most definitely not so good that the aura needed to be smaller than other Paladin auras. (Of note, if you are mounted, the mount does get the extra speed, so there’s that.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue"><strong>Glorious Defense</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. Potentially make an attack miss that would’ve hit, and with a counterattack if the attack did miss. This one is actually pretty good. CHA mod/uses per day.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Living Legend</strong>: <em>Lv. 20</em>. A fair capstone that makes you better in social situations and can cover for missed attacks and failed saves. This capstone can actually be used more than once per long rest if you have a 5th-level spell slot left over to use, which is probably a mechanic that ought to be retroactively applied to all previously existing Paladin capstones ...</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Oathbreaker </strong></span><strong>(DMG)</strong>: Not an actual “Oath,” but rather the path a DM may let you take if you break your Oath unrepentantly and turn entirely over to the “dark side.” Becoming a full-blown evil Oathbreaker (or what was classically referred to as an Antipaladin or Blackguard) definitely has its perks gameplay-wise, mostly geared toward offense. It even has a pretty strong anti-horde debuff as a Channel Divinity power.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Control Undead</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. This one can get really, really powerful as you level. Pretty much any undead creature without Legendary Resistance that’s at least 1 CR lower than your level is fair game to be controlled for an entire day. Imagine yourself at Lv. 18 in full command of a Death Knight. Good times.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Dreadful Aspect</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)</em>. Mass frightening on everyone you choose within 30 feet of you for a full minute. This one is superior to Conquest’s Conquering Presence, since this only allows enemies to roll saves to end this once they’re more than 30 feet away from you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Oathbreaker Spells (overall rating)</strong>: <em>Lv. 3</em>. Unlike the Oath lists of the more righteous, the Oathbreaker spell list is very much a mixed bag. There are some real <span style="color: red"><strong>duds</strong></span> on this list (<em>Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds, Crown of Madness</em>), but on the flip side, there are also some <span style="color: blue"><strong>pretty good</strong></span> additions (<em>Animate Dead, Confusion</em>).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Aura of Hate</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 7</em>. The chief offense-boosting feature of the Oathbreaker with CHA-mod damage bonus to all of your melee attacks, <em>plus </em>the melee attacks of any undead and fiends. This aura has some wonderful synergy involving any undead creature on which you used Control Undead, as well as some undead foot soldiers you gained with your <em>Animate Dead</em> Oathbreaker spell (or better still, if you have a necromancer ally providing you with an <em>Animate Dead</em> army). <strong>Note</strong>, however, that this aura boosts <em>enemy</em> undead and fiends as well, so in fights against those creature types this ability becomes a double-edged sword. Hey, being evil had to come at a price, somehow.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: deepskyblue"><strong>Supernatural Resistance</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 15</em>. Resistance to all the usual weapon damage types from nonmagical weapons. You’d be surprised at just how many monsters that protects you from, even some legendary monsters with really high CRs. That includes all dragons and even the Tarrasque.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue"><strong>Dread Lord</strong></span>: <em>Lv. 20 (1/long rest)</em>. One of the better Paladin capstones with a host of nice benefits, best cast in the next round after you used your Dreadful Aspect, in which case you can rack up some pretty serious auto-damage figures. The other really nice part includes forcing disadvantage on enemies’ attacks against you and any allies, and the bonus action melee spell attack is a neat side benefit if you weren’t already attacking consistently with a bonus action.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Gladius Legis, post: 6779082, member: 68748"] [SIZE=5][B]III. Oaths[/B][/SIZE] Oaths are such a defining part of a Paladin that they get their own section. The choice of Oath you make at Lv. 3 will greatly affect the way your character not only plays, but their outlook and world view. [COLOR=blue][B]Oath of Devotion[/B][/COLOR]: This is the "Classical Lawful Good Paladin" Oath, with an overall balance between offense and defense mechanically. And something to be especially thankful for is the way the tenets are written; they essentially nip the "Lawful Stupid" trope right in the bud. For example, Courage includes the admonition "caution is wise," so, no, don't go charging ahead at that Ancient Red Dragon to your doom. Compassion, likewise, "Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom," because some enemies just might be too dangerous to leave alive (but give them a swift and clean death; do not torture). And Duty's, "obey those who have just authority over you," so, no, you have no obligation to obey a despot or usurper if they want you to do something evil. [LIST] [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Sacred Weapon[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. An action to add your CHA-modifier to attack rolls for a minute (10 rounds). Does not require Concentration to maintain (thus stacks with any other buffs) and does not count as a spell (which means you can cast a swift spell in the same round). Since it’s an action to activate, you’ll want to use this power a round or two before you anticipate the start of combat for best results. A very good ability for that climactic fight during that part of the day. [*][B]Turn the Unholy[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. The classical Paladin's Turn Undead ability, with the additional twist of turning fiends as well. Can't destroy them the way a Cleric does Undead, but making them run away is still pretty good. This one is definitely best used against a horde of such enemy types; obviously situational, but considering your class' overall weakness against hordes in general you take what you can get there. [*][B]Oath Spells (overall rating)[/B]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. This Oath has four spells already on the Paladin list, by far the most in that category, making it gain the lowest rating among the three original Oaths by default. It does have a couple of really nice additions, however, namely [I]Sanctuary [/I]and [I]Freedom of Movement[/I]. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Aura of Devotion[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. Immunity to charm within Aura range, which means you and potentially the whole party are immune to spell lines like [I]Suggestion, Dominate[/I] and [I]Geas[/I], as well as to equally nasty monster Charm abilities like those from vampires and succubi. These are some of the nastiest adventure-wrecking effects in the game, so even if they don’t come up very often, you’ll sure be glad you have this ability when and if they do. [*][B]Purity of Spirit[/B]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. Basically, this means aberrations, fiends, undead, fey, elementals and celestials will always attack you at disadvantage (and less importantly, they can't possess you). While not exactly an exhaustive list, many campaigns are bound to have at least one or two of these creature types. The benefits of this will definitely be felt against hordes of weaker enemies of these types. High-CR bosses of these types will probably still hit you fairly often (unless you have +X armor and shield of some sort), but even for them disadvantage means they're almost never going to get a crit on you. [*][B]Holy Nimbus[/B]: [I]Lv. 20 (1/long rest)[/I]. You’re only going to bust this capstone out in a fight involving multiple enemies, or better still a horde, in which case you can rack up the damage figures round-to-round with the auto damage out to 30 feet. Does not count as a spell, so feel free to cast a swift spell on the same turn. [/LIST] [COLOR=blue][B]Oath of the Ancients[/B][/COLOR]: This nature-themed Oath is most closely mapped to the Neutral Good alignment and even works in character with a Chaotic Good alignment. In quite a few ways, it evokes the spirit of the AD&D Ranger (which, if you recall, also required any Good alignment, but at least allowed Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic Good). Mechanically, this Oath is defensively inclined, particularly against damaging magic. It's also fairly good, as far as Paladins go, at dealing with hordes, though no longer the best at that. [LIST] [*][B]Nature's Wrath[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Restraining is pretty nice, with speed reduction to 0, advantage on attacks against the enemy and disadvantage to the enemy’s attacks. Works on all enemies no matter their size, good for when grappling can’t do the trick. It does have a pretty sizeable weakness though, in that in addition to the initial STR/DEX save, it also allows those saves after all the enemy’s turns. [*][B]Turn the Faithless[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Like Devotion's Turn the Unholy, except replace the undead with fey (still turns fiends, too). Again, best used against hordes of those creature types, and at least gives you a situational anti-horde tool. [*][COLOR=blue][B]Oath Spells (overall rating)[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. None of the spells on your list are stock Paladin spells, and there are definitely some quality additions from this Oath, such as [I]Ensnaring Strike, Misty Step, Moonbeam, Protection from Energy, Ice Storm, Stoneskin[/I] and [I]Tree Stride[/I]. [I]Moonbeam [/I]and [I]Ice Storm[/I], in particular, are viable anti-horde tools. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Aura of Warding[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. Cuts all magic damage against you and allies in your aura in half! This is pretty much this Oath’s defining feature. Do note, however, that it only protects against spells, so this doesn’t have any effect on a dragon’s breath, for example. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Undying Sentinel[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. Almost like waking up every day with a free [I]Death Ward[/I] cast on you. Well, except for the protection against instant death magic part, but this is still quite nice. And you’re immune to the effects of old age as an added bonus. [*][B]Elder Champion[/B]: [I]Lv. 20 (1/long rest)[/I]. This capstone essentially works out as a way to get regeneration for the battle and start it off with a control spell that’s harder to resist thanks to the disadvantage on the saving throws. Takes the action to cast, and then use the bonus action you gain that first round to cast your spell. [/LIST] [COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Oath of Vengeance[/B][/COLOR]: Mapped mostly to the Neutral and Lawful Neutral alignments, you take this Oath for two reasons — (1) you don't mind getting dirty doing your divine work, and (2) you want to be the most effective at killing and killing quickly. This Oath is easily the most offensive of them; in fact, against one big enemy per short rest, you're among the best round-to-round damage dealers in the game. And while you don't get any real defensive options from this Oath, the core of the Paladin class has enough of those that it doesn't really matter. If you can be said to have a weakness, it's that you're even less effective in horde battles than Paladins of the other two Oaths, since you don't get any special horde-clearing abilities. [LIST] [*][COLOR=darkviolet][B]Abjure Enemy[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Has its uses, the big one being potentially keeping one melee-inclined enemy out of the fight while your party deals with its buddies, then saving that enemy for last. May also be useful when you need to capture someone alive and prevent them from escaping. However, if at all possible, you’ll typically want to save your Channel Divinity use for the Vengeance Paladin’s other option. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Vow of Enmity[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. When it's big and bad and positively needs to die, accept no substitute. This power, activated as a bonus action, gives you advantage, straight up and no strings attached, against the enemy you target. Obviously, you will ONLY use this against a boss enemy, but when you do, you have potential to be among the most damaging combatants round-to-round in the entire game. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Oath Spells (overall rating)[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. Yup, your list is loaded. [I]Hold Person, Misty Step, Haste, Dimension Door, Hold Monster[/I] ... all spells the default Paladin list doesn't get, and all to make you the coldest killer on the block. [*][B]Relentless Avenger[/B]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. Free movement without OAs after an opportunity attack helps you stay near your preferred target ready to strike. Not as good as the other Oaths’ Lv. 7 features, but can be helpful sometimes. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Soul of Vengeance[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. An upgrade to your Vow of Enmity that makes it even more devastating, letting you make a reaction melee attack against your Vow target if they make an attack, against anyone. Even if that boss enemy has reach (likely at this level), if you ended your movement next to it and the enemy has to start its turn with you bearing down, it faces the choice between trying to get away from you (eating an Opportunity Attack if it can't teleport), attacking (eating the attack from this feature), or Disengaging (most likely not making an attack that turn). Also note the timing if it tries to attack you — since it's triggered on [I]making an attack[/I], and [I]not[/I] when it hits or misses, you still get a whack in even if that attack happened to come with forced movement or inflict a condition that would've denied your ability to make reactions. [*][COLOR=blue][B]Avenging Angel[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 20 (1/long rest)[/I]. You get flight that doesn’t require concentration and can’t be dispelled. And it lasts for a full hour, unlike the other Oaths' capstones, which puts it a cut above those. The frightening aura is a nice bonus, too. [/LIST] [B]Oath of the Crown (SCAG)[/B]: This Oath cares about the rule of law and civilization above all else. It’s a natural fit for the Lawful Neutral alignment, and it’s not particularly biased toward Good; in fact, a Paladin of this Oath could just as easily be Lawful Evil as Lawful Good. Mechanically, this Oath isn’t the most spectacular, centered around defensive abilities that don’t really stand out. However, one selling point is that a Lv. 9 or higher Paladin of this Oath is easily the best at dealing with horde battles thanks to getting [I]Spirit Guardians [/I]as a 3rd-level Oath Spell. [LIST] [*][B]Champion Challenge[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]: Bonus action (post-errata) for a mass-defending effect that's moderate at best. 30 feet allows enemies affected by this a lot of leeway, though it can be good at least for letting back-row allies stay out of your radius in relative safety in a horde battle. [*][B]Turn the Tide[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]: A bonus action mass heal that slightly edges out a 3rd-level Mass Healing Word numbers-wise, but is also more situational. Fair to have on hand for emergencies, if nothing else. [*][B][COLOR=blue]Oath Spells (overall rating)[/COLOR][/B]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. Two words: [COLOR=goldenrod][B]Spirit Guardians[/B][/COLOR]. That spell alone makes this a worthy list, even despite most of the rest of it being spells already on the Paladin list. [I]Warding Bond[/I] as a 2nd-level spell is also a welcome addition (and comes with an interesting exploit, more on that in the Spells section). And it should be noted that even the redundant Paladin spells on this Oath list are still at least good or even great spells (e.g. [I]Command, Aura of Vitality, Banishment[/I]). [*][COLOR=darkviolet][B]Divine Allegiance[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. Take all the damage in place of any friendly creature within 5 feet of you. Unfortunately, it can only be done once per round since it uses your reaction, making it sharply less effective in a fight with multiple enemies or against multiattacking bosses. [*][B]Unyielding Spirit[/B]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. Advantage on your saves against two of the most devastating conditions in the game, paralyzed and stunned. At this level it’s probably not much more than a safeguard considering your Aura of Protection and proficiency bonuses, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have it, either. [*][B][COLOR=blue]Exalted Champion[/COLOR][/B]: [I]Lv. 20 (1/long rest)[/I]. Easily one of the better Paladin capstones, thanks first of all to it lasting a full hour. It comes with a host of strong effects, of which resistance to all nonmagical weapon damage is probably still the best overall (surprisingly good even at Lv. 20). Advantage on ally death saves and advantage on your and allies’ WIS saves are nice, too. [/LIST] [B][COLOR=#0000ff]Oath of Conquest[/COLOR] (XGTE)[/B]: This Oath takes Lawfulness to the extreme, arguably to the point of tyranny. Your objectives are to conquer, break the enemy’s will to fight, rule with an iron fist and get stronger to stay in power. You may not be full-on Lawful Evil, necessarily, but you’re most likely not going to be a nice guy/gal, in any case. Mechanics-wise, this Oath seeks to rule the battlefield through fear, and it does a great job of making the Paladin’s existing frightening spells and abilities even nastier, plus it comes with a few more such abilities on its own. Overall, this Oath is a lot more about control and lockdown than it is outright damage. Since making enemies frightened is such a huge part of this Oath’s battle strategy, Charisma is even more important for this subclass than for many other Paladins; in fact, it may be as high or even HIGHER a priority than Strength. There’s only one thing really holding this Oath back from being perhaps the strongest of them, but it’s a big one: [COLOR=darkviolet][B]enemies immune to the frightened condition[/B][/COLOR] exist and aren’t super-rare. [LIST] [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Conquering Presence[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Mass frightening ability, which obviously becomes even more important for you in a few levels. Good tool for controlling a horde of enemies. However, it unconditionally allows a save on each of the enemies’ turns, making this mass fear CD inferior to the Oathbreaker’s Dreadful Aspect. [*][B]Guided Strike[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Stolen from the War Cleric, +10 to a single attack roll. Mostly there for when you REALLY need to hit with an active [I]Wrathful Smite[/I] on the first attack of combat, which can be a big deal in a few levels. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Oath Spells (overall rating)[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. Definitely some strong additions to the Paladin arsenal here, including [I]Armor of Agathys, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon [/I]and [I]Fear[/I]. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Aura of Conquest[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. Easily this Oath’s signature ability, and one you really need to optimize around to get the most out of this Oath. The most important thing is to keep your arsenal loaded with frightening spells and abilities, and that means preparing the excellent [I]Wrathful Smite[/I] (1st-level spell), keeping it prepared and using it against the most threatening single targets. When dealing with hordes, you have Conquering Presence and later [I]Fear[/I] as an Oath spell. And then there's shoving a frightened enemy prone in this Aura, which means they're never getting back up. Or use a polearm and wail on an enemy 10 feet away, and if they have only a 5-foot reach, they're not hitting you back. Good times. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Scornful Rebuke[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. Literally every time an enemy hits you with an attack, including ranged attacks, it takes your CHA-modifier in damage. Every single time. Every single enemy. Automatically. No reaction needed on your part. This can add up very quickly. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Invincible Conqueror[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 20 (1/long rest)[/I]. Lasts a minute and grants you a host of nice combat buffs including a third attack on your Attack action, expanded crit range and resistance to all damage. Solid capstone. [/LIST] [COLOR=darkviolet][B]Oath of Redemption[/B][/COLOR] [B](XGTE)[/B]: You know what they say about being a War Cleric, right? Play a Paladin instead? Well, this Oath is pretty much the inverse of that; play a Cleric instead. The pacifist tenets of this Oath make this particular Paladin EXTREMELY annoying to play in nearly all adventuring parties. Basically unless you’re fighting an evil outsider or undead, you’ll be opting to deliver knockout blows to everything you fight and probably pleading with other party members to do the same. And you’ll be MUCH more reliant on your spellcasting than all other Paladins. That’s just not a good place for a half-caster to be in, even if your Oath spells are really good. (So, yeah, play a Cleric.) If you insist on taking this Oath, CHA is definitely a higher priority than your attack stat. This Oath may be a bit less annoying and somewhat more valuable in a [B]combat-light, high-roleplay campaign[/B], since it can absolutely ace Persuasion checks. [LIST] [*][B]Emissary of Peace[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. 10-minute long +5 bonus to Persuasion checks. Obviously good in the [COLOR=#0000ff][B]social pillar[/B][/COLOR]. [*][COLOR=darkviolet][B]Rebuke the Violent[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Pretty much the absolute example of a situational ability. You will ONLY want to use it at all against an enemy with strong single attacks. It only works against attacks, too, so anything that requires a save instead (e.g. dragon’s breath) is a no-go. In all, you won’t be using this very often, although admittedly it’s nice when you do get a chance to use it and have it deal enough damage to be worth burning your Channel Divinity use. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Oath Spells (overall rating)[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. The list itself is fantastic, no complaints there, which is good, because unfortunately you’re going to be a lot more reliant on spellcasting than all other Paladins. You’ll get a couple of useful levels out of [I]Sleep[/I], and then there’s the likes of [I]Sanctuary, Hold Person, Counterspell, Hypnotic Pattern[/I] and, at late levels, [I]Wall of Force[/I], all of them very good spells. And a few others on the list like [I]Calm Emotions[/I] and [I]Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere[/I] still have their uses. [*][COLOR=darkviolet][B]Aura of the Guardian[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. Remember Crown’s Divine Allegiance? Well, this one at least works in full Aura range. That means 10 feet most of your career and at 30 feet starting at Lv. 18. Unfortunately, other than the much better range, it shares all of Divine Allegiance’s other problems, such as using up your reaction, can only be done 1/round, and is sharply less effective vs. multiple enemies and multiattacking bosses. [*][COLOR=#0000ff][B]Protective Spirit[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. Comparable, and in fact slightly superior numbers-wise, to the Champion Fighter’s Lv. 18 feature Survivor, with its free healing when under half your total hit points. And you get it three levels earlier than the Champion Fighter does. Yay for that? [*][COLOR=darkviolet][B]Emissary of Redemption[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 20[/I]. Unique among Paladin capstones, this is a constant effect with two strong benefits — that run almost completely counter to the way you’ve been playing this Paladin for 19 levels. Resistance to all damage vs. all enemies, and auto-damage retaliation against enemies who hit you with attacks. These benefits end against any given enemy when you attack them, cast spells on them or damage them with anything but the auto-damage from this feature. Which means, to get the most out of this in a party setting, you will want to focus fire entirely on one enemy at a time — which is completely the opposite of what this Paladin has been doing for 19 levels. And there you see the problem with this capstone, and the way this Oath was designed in general. [/LIST] [B]Oath of Glory (MOOT)[/B]: This is basically the “chosen hero” Oath, and the tenets revolve around you staying on your path to destiny and strengthening yourself any way you can to stay on that path. Mechanics-wise, you become more mobile than your average Paladin, and you have abilities to enhance the durability of both you and your allies. Overall, this Oath is quite unremarkable, though not really bad, either. It’s just ... there. However, if you want to attempt a Paladin who favors [COLOR=blue][B]grappling[/B][/COLOR], this is perhaps the best Oath to do that with. [LIST] [*][COLOR=darkviolet][B]Peerless Athlete[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Activated as a bonus action and gives advantage on Athletics and Acrobatics, along with enhanced carrying capacity and jumping distances. It’s situational for most, but it’ll be a mainstay if [COLOR=blue][B]you like to grapple[/B][/COLOR]. [*][B]Inspiring Smite[/B]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. If you’re not a serious grappler, this is probably your main use of Channel Divinity. The amount of temp HPs you hand out with this pales in comparison to the Inspiring Leader feat, though, but it’s alright in a pinch. [*][COLOR=blue][B]Oath Spells (overall rating)[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. Glory’s Oath Spell list is easily the best thing about it. [I]Guiding Bolt, Enhance Ability, Haste[/I], and [I]Freedom of Movement[/I] are all good or great additions to the Paladin spell arsenal. [*][B]Aura of Alacrity[/B]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. Curiously, this aura is much smaller than other Paladin auras; it’s only 5 feet to start and 10 feet at Lv. 18. The 10 feet of extra speed is actually nice, but it’s most definitely not so good that the aura needed to be smaller than other Paladin auras. (Of note, if you are mounted, the mount does get the extra speed, so there’s that.) [*][COLOR=blue][B]Glorious Defense[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. Potentially make an attack miss that would’ve hit, and with a counterattack if the attack did miss. This one is actually pretty good. CHA mod/uses per day. [*][B]Living Legend[/B]: [I]Lv. 20[/I]. A fair capstone that makes you better in social situations and can cover for missed attacks and failed saves. This capstone can actually be used more than once per long rest if you have a 5th-level spell slot left over to use, which is probably a mechanic that ought to be retroactively applied to all previously existing Paladin capstones ... [/LIST] [COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Oathbreaker [/B][/COLOR][B](DMG)[/B]: Not an actual “Oath,” but rather the path a DM may let you take if you break your Oath unrepentantly and turn entirely over to the “dark side.” Becoming a full-blown evil Oathbreaker (or what was classically referred to as an Antipaladin or Blackguard) definitely has its perks gameplay-wise, mostly geared toward offense. It even has a pretty strong anti-horde debuff as a Channel Divinity power. [LIST] [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Control Undead[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. This one can get really, really powerful as you level. Pretty much any undead creature without Legendary Resistance that’s at least 1 CR lower than your level is fair game to be controlled for an entire day. Imagine yourself at Lv. 18 in full command of a Death Knight. Good times. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Dreadful Aspect[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 3, Channel Divinity (1 total/short rest)[/I]. Mass frightening on everyone you choose within 30 feet of you for a full minute. This one is superior to Conquest’s Conquering Presence, since this only allows enemies to roll saves to end this once they’re more than 30 feet away from you. [*][B]Oathbreaker Spells (overall rating)[/B]: [I]Lv. 3[/I]. Unlike the Oath lists of the more righteous, the Oathbreaker spell list is very much a mixed bag. There are some real [COLOR=red][B]duds[/B][/COLOR] on this list ([I]Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds, Crown of Madness[/I]), but on the flip side, there are also some [COLOR=blue][B]pretty good[/B][/COLOR] additions ([I]Animate Dead, Confusion[/I]). [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Aura of Hate[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 7[/I]. The chief offense-boosting feature of the Oathbreaker with CHA-mod damage bonus to all of your melee attacks, [I]plus [/I]the melee attacks of any undead and fiends. This aura has some wonderful synergy involving any undead creature on which you used Control Undead, as well as some undead foot soldiers you gained with your [I]Animate Dead[/I] Oathbreaker spell (or better still, if you have a necromancer ally providing you with an [I]Animate Dead[/I] army). [B]Note[/B], however, that this aura boosts [I]enemy[/I] undead and fiends as well, so in fights against those creature types this ability becomes a double-edged sword. Hey, being evil had to come at a price, somehow. [*][COLOR=deepskyblue][B]Supernatural Resistance[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 15[/I]. Resistance to all the usual weapon damage types from nonmagical weapons. You’d be surprised at just how many monsters that protects you from, even some legendary monsters with really high CRs. That includes all dragons and even the Tarrasque. [*][COLOR=blue][B]Dread Lord[/B][/COLOR]: [I]Lv. 20 (1/long rest)[/I]. One of the better Paladin capstones with a host of nice benefits, best cast in the next round after you used your Dreadful Aspect, in which case you can rack up some pretty serious auto-damage figures. The other really nice part includes forcing disadvantage on enemies’ attacks against you and any allies, and the bonus action melee spell attack is a neat side benefit if you weren’t already attacking consistently with a bonus action. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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[GUIDE] My Word Is My Sword: The Paladin Guide
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