Art Credit: Hyeong-seop Lim
Oath of Arcana
While not as old as the Oath of the Ancients, paladins of Arcana have been operating for centuries. Sometimes called Wardens or Blue Knights, paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to seeking out and preserving arcane knowledge, and protecting those who practice magic from the suspicious masses, as well as protecting innocent people from being abused by practitioners of dangerous magic.
Tenets of the Oath of Arcana
Adherents to this Oath often dedicate themselves to seeking out evil spell casters who abuse their power, or are hunters of ancient magical spells and relics. These paladins respect the power of arcane magic and are aware that a certain balance must be maintained to preserve the existence of the world. Their core tenets reflect this dedication.
Knowledge. Seek out arcane knowledge and artifacts and preserve them. Use this power to serve the greater good.
Maintain the Balance. Not all who possess arcane power are worthy of it. Seek out those who willfully abuse or pervert the power of magic and punish them. Seek to undo any harm they may have caused.
Love magic for itself. Do not treat magic just as a weapon or tool to reshape the world to your will, use it as a way to better the lives of everyone around you.
Variant Options
Because paladins of this oath emphasize arcane power more than divine, the radiant damage of the paladin's Divine Smite feature, or the base paladin spell list might not seem entirely appropriate for the theme of this Oath. For interested players and DMs, the following optional features can be included as part of this sacred oath option when it's taken or as part of the paladin's progression: Arcane Smite
Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal extra Force damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell-level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an aberration, elemental or monstrosity.
Variant Spell List
Your link to the mystic arts allows you to learn spells normally associated with the sorcerer class. You prepare the list of spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the sorcerer spell-list. When you do so, choose a number of sorcerer spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your paladin level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). These spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin level listed.
Oath of Arcana Spells
| Paladin level | spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | chromatic orb, guiding bolt |
| 5th | misty step, shadow blade |
| 9th | glyph of warding, slow |
| 13th | elemental bane, fire shield |
| 17th | bigby's hand, hold monster |
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Turn the Occult. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring aberrations, elementals, and monstrosities, using your channel divinity. Each aberration, elemental, or monstrosity that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage.
A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can't willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can't take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there's nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.
Arcane Deflection. Immediately after an attacker within 30 feet of you deals damage with an spell against you, you can use your Channel Divinity as a reaction to force the attacker to make a Charisma or Intelligence saving throw (your choice), against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the attacker takes force damage equal to twice the spell level + your Charisma modifier. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage. You must be aware of a spell being cast against you in order to use this feature.
Aura of Dissonance
Starting at 7th level you constantly emanate a protective magical aura. Whenever you, or allies within 10 feet of you, are subjected to a spell or other effect, such as a Green Dragon's poisonous breath, or a Beholder's enervation ray, that allows you to make a Constitution or Wisdom saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
At 18th level the range of this aura expands to 30 feet.
Empowered Casting
Starting at 15th level, you can channel a limited amount of holy energy into your spells, empowering them beyond your normal abilities. When you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher, only to cast a spell, you can cast the spell as if you were using a higher level spell slot by expending a number of points from your Lay on Hands feature. You must spend 10 points from your Lay on Hands pool per level of increase. Regardless of effective level, the empowered spell only expends the original spell's normal slot level. Using this feature, you cannot empower a spell beyond the highest level spell you are capable of casting. You may only affect one spell you cast using this ability on each of your turns.
Magical Champion
At 20th level, you can become a living embodiment of arcane magic, feeding upon its power as it courses through the world. For example your eyes might glow with unearthly power, or a crackling aura of raw power might surround you. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute you gain the following benefits:
- You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed, and you immediately begin hovering 1 foot above the ground.
- You can cast your paladin spells without any verbal, somatic, or material components (provided they do not have a listed cost.). Additionally whenever you cast a paladin spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you can cast it using a bonus action instead.
- You have advantage on Constitution saving throws, as do your allies within 30 ft of you. This effect ends early if you are incapacitated or die.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Art Credit: Hyeong-seop Lim