Oath of Affliction
The Oath of Affliction is taken by those who have contracted some kind of fatal condition. A Paladin sworn to this oath uses their affliction as a weapon, hoping to curry favor with greater powers in their last days. Some hope to be miraculously cured; others merely fight for a better reward after death inevitably claims them.
Paladins sworn to the Oath of Affliction are often physically disfigured, and so bandages and face masks have come to be associated with the oath. Those sworn to the Oath of Affliction also often incorporate macabre imagery into their iconography, adorning their shields or armor with skull designs or depictions of rotting corpses.
Tenets of Affliction
While the exact details of the Oath vary from afflicted to afflicted, most oaths incorporate the following themes:
Last Days. Your remaining time on the mortal plane is limited. Use your last days wisely, and do not waste them on frivolous pursuits.
Quarantine. Your affliction can serve as a potent weapon, but can also cause extensive suffering if allowed to spread unchecked. Take the necessary steps to ensure that your condition is only spread to those you intend to strike down.
Until Death or Cure. Your oath is intrinsically tied up with the affliction that motivated it. So long as you are afflicted, you must continue your quest, but when the burden of your affliction has been lifted from your shoulders, so too will the burden of your duty.
An Incurable Affliction
Mundane diseases in Dungeons and Dragons are relatively easy to cure using magic. Work with your GM to determine the nature of your affliction, and why it can't be cured right away.
Oath of Affliction Features
| Paladin Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3 | Oath Spells, Channel Divnity |
| 7 | Miasma of Weakness (10 ft.) |
| 15 | Purge |
| 18 | Miasma of Weakness (30 ft.) |
| 20 | Unburdened Warrior |
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.
Oath of Affliction Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | False Life, Ray of Sickness |
| 5th | Blindness / Deafness, Ray of Enfeeblement |
| 9th | Feign Death, Stinking Cloud |
| 13th | Blight, Sickening Radiance |
| 17th | Cloudkill, Contagion |
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how Channel Divinity works.
Blade of Sickness. Choose one weapon you are holding. As an action, you extend your affliction into the weapon, infecting it. For the next minute, any creature you hit with that weapon must make a Constitution saving throw or else be poisoned until the end of your next turn.
You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.
Horrifying Visage. As a bonus action, you weave an illusion over yourself which makes the physical symptoms of your affliction appear much worse. Your flesh might appear to rot, maggots might appear to crawl out from under your skin, or blood might appear to drip from your mouth every time you speak. While you appear this way, you gain a +5 bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) checks. After 10 minutes, your appearance returns to normal.
Miasma of Weakness
At 7th level, your affliction has intensified to the point that it hangs in the air around you, weakening those that breathe it in. Creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws to resist or end effects caused by you.
At 18th level, the range of this miasma increases to 30 feet.
Purge
At 15th level, you gain the ability to purge your body of minor afflictions. You can cast lesser restoration on yourself without expending a spell slot, though you cannot choose to end the affliction tied to this oath. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Unburdened Warrior
At 20th level, you gain the ability to temporarily suspend the symptoms of your affliction on yourself as an action, allowing you to fight at your full potential. For one minute, you gain the following benefits:
- Your speed is doubled.
- When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.
- You can apply your ability score modifier twice to the attack and damage rolls of your weapon attacks.
- You have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Spell: Poisoning Smite
1st-level evocation
- Casting Time: 1 bonus action
- Range: Self
- Components: V
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Classes: Paladin
The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during this spell's duration, your attack deals an extra 1d6 poison damage to the target. Additionally, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the spell ends.
A creature poisoned by this spell makes another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer poisoned.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the initial extra damage dealt by the attack increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.
Oath of Affliction Symptoms
The following table offers some potential symptoms you might suffer on account of your affliction. You may pick one or several.
| d10 | Symptom |
|---|---|
| 1 | You get fatigued easily and need to take frequent rests. |
| 2 | You have a splitting headache that never goes away. |
| 3 | You're perpetually running a full-body fever and are warm to the touch. |
| d10 | Symptom |
|---|---|
| 4 | Your skin is covered by angry rashes and boils. |
| 5 | You struggle to hold down solid food; your meals are often thrown back up. |
| 6 | You frequently cough up blood. |
| 7 | You perpetually trickle blood from one or several orifices. |
| 8 | You have several tumor-like growths. |
| 9 | Your blood does not clot properly, and your wounds do not close. |
| 10 | Your extremities grow blackened and necrotic, and occasionally drop off. |
Credits
- Oath of Affliction by /u/Enraric
- Art by Red Hook Studios