Paladin: Oath of Mortality
The paladin that follows the Oath of Mortality is dedicated to preserving the collective sovereignty of all mortals, and standing against the divine and dark who would make playthings of them. The infinite can never be allowed to rule the fates of those who are finite, for how can immortals be trusted to care for mortals? Paladins who uphold this oath are committed to putting the fate of mortals above their own lives and wants, seeing themselves as the guardians of the mortals against the whimsical fantasies of celestials, fiends, and other godly creatures. The Oath of Mortality embraces divine power while denying divine right – questioning the legitimacy of the rule of gods, not their existence.
Whereas an Oathbreaker Paladin abandons their ideals as well as their God, a Paladin may turn from their current oath to take the Oath of Mortality as a rejection of their god, but not of the basic principles of their Oath. Such individuals may contemplate at great length their decision, carefully examining their own motives and understanding of morality, to ensure they do not fall to become an Oathbreaker Paladin, and work principles of their previous oath into their new one.
Paladins of Mortality gain their powers from a variety of sources: tapping into primordial magic of creation, from items or spells of incredible power, from the gestalt will of the mortal races, or the shattered fragment of a destroyed god. It may come from their own, unfathomably deep willpower, or from an artificial god created by the greatest of a worlds mages. Some may retain their core strength from a previous Oath.
As they are defined by their devotion to their principles, not to a god, variations in their motivations and intent mean they can have any alignment, though they tend towards Lawful and Good, and almost never Chaotic Evil.
Tenets of Mortality
The core principles of the tenets are simple, but the exact wording of the Oaths vary on how a Paladin came to follow this Oath. One who takes the oath as a rejection of their old one may contain stipulations compelling them to hold true to the spirit of that old oath, while a Paladin for who this is their first oath may swear enmity to specific deity who they believe has blighted the mortal races.
Master the divine - I use divine powers, but take great care to ensure I am the master of the powers, not the other way around.
Break the Chains – Wherever I go, I set plans in motion to free mortals from the influence and games of the dark and divine.
Against the Odds – Against the almighty powers of the divine and dark ones, I need all the help I can get. I seek allies and power, that I may be a better weapon against the enemies of mortals.
Fight for all, not every – Many remain faithful to the divine and the dark. My duties are to the future of all mortality, even if that comes at the cost of some who cannot be saved.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
OATH OF MORTALITY SPELLS
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | protection from evil and good, zephyr strike |
| 5th | warding bond, enlarge / reduce |
| 9th | tongues, nondetection |
| 13th | banishment, resilient sphere |
| 17th | mislead, hallow |
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Vow of Audacity. As a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to focus your powers into offense. Select an creature you can see. Against this creature, you deal an extra 1d6 Radiant damage with your melee attacks and ignore any of its resistances for 1 minute.
Turn the Manipulators You can use your Channel Divinity to proclaim the Canticle of Defiance, words that are painful for celestials, fey, and fiends to hear. As an action, you present your holy symbol, and each celestial, fey or fiend within 30 feet of you that can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature 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.
If the creature’s true form is concealed by an illusion, shapeshifting, or other effect, that form is revealed while it is turned.
Aura of Audacity
Starting at the 7th level, you inspire your allies to stand against the odds. When you, or an ally within 10 feet of you, starts their turn with less than half their maximum hit points, they gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) that last for 1 minute.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Defiance of the Divine
Beginning at 15th level, you are always under the effects of a protection from evil and good spell.
Bastion of Apostasy
At the 20th level, as an action you can focus your denial of divine right to manifest as follows for 1 minute: Your utter certainty of reality extends out beyond you. All creatures that can see you feel the pressure on their souls, while the most dramatic effects, listed below, extend to a 30 feet around you.
- If a hostile creature attempts to cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, they must make a wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the spell doesn't take effect until the creature's next turn, and the creature must use its action on that turn to complete the spell. If it can't, the spell is wasted. Celestial, fey, fiend or undead creatures make the save at disadvantage.
- You and all friendly creatures add your charisma modifier to their attack damage.
- When a celestial, fey, fiend or an undead hits you or a friendly creature with a melee attack, the full weight of your denial falls upon them. The attacker must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 2d8 psychic damage and be frightened until the aura ends. On a successful throw, the creature is not frightened and takes half damage. A frightened creature can make another Wisdom save at the end of each of their turns. On a successful save, they are no longer frightened.
- All hostile creatures cannot benefit from damage resistance in any way.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Credits
Created by /u/Elardi. Thanks to SgtBriar#2808 on discord for balance. Art: Zeus by Matty17Art on DeviantArt, Titan by Don Geon Son on ArtStation
