To honor those that have passed gracefully from the world of the living to the land of the dead is a holy thing. Paladins that take the Oath of the Spirits answer a calling to honor the departed, the dying, and those that should be at rest.
Often accompanied by a guiding spirit, perhaps an ancestor or a friendly ghost that came to their aid in a time of crisis or just the spirits native to the area without ties to the paladin, these spirits offer help in many ways, usually through knowledge from their accumulated experience.
Tenets of Spirits
While the wording may vary from person to person, all paladins who share this oath are bound by these tenets.
The Dead deserve honor. The Dead are a glimpse of our futures and deserve respect. Undead are not inherently evil, but their creators that twist fate, who deserve punishment.
Wisdom should not stay lost. The Dead know more than us living, as they have lived a lifetime. It is a blessing to be able to use and pass on their knowledge.
Everything has its time. If it is in your power to preserve life, you should, but once someone has passed beyond reasonable means, their time has come and they must eternally rest.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | armor of agathys, unseen servant |
| 5th | enhance ability, pass without trace |
| 9th | fly, speak with dead |
| 13th | death ward, divination |
| 17th | commune, dispel evil and good |
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Whispers from the Grave. As an action, you gain a pool of d6s equal 1 + half your paladin level for 1 hour. Whenever you make an ability check or saving throw, before or after the roll but prior to the DM stating the result, you may expend a d6 from your pool and roll that d6, adding it to your total.
Alternatively, you may expend a die from your pool as a bonus action and take either the dash or disengage action.
Not Yet. As a bonus action, any living creature with 0 hit points of your choice you can see within 30 feet of you heals an amount of hit points equal to your paladin level.
Buried Past
Additionally at 3rd level, you learn about the histories of those who have passed. You gain proficiency with either the Arcana, History, or Religion skills. You also have advantage on ability checks related to knowledge about burial rites and practices.
Spirit Form
At 7th level, spirits briefly envelop a willing creature, imparting some of the abilities of a spirit. A number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus, as a bonus action, you place an ally under the effect of the gaseous form spell if you can see them and they are within 10 feet of you. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.
At 18th level, the range of this ability increases to 30 feet.
Rest In Peace
Starting at 15th level, spirits aid you in bringing peace to unquiet souls. You may use your bonus action to make one melee attack. If you hit, the target must make a Charisma saving throw or else the target take an extra 1d8 radiant damage and an ally of your choice that you can see heals for an amount of hit points equal to the radiant damage dealt by this attack.
If this feature is used against an Undead creature, you attack with advantage and the Undead has disadvantage on the save. If this attack is used on a living creature that dies within a minute of being hit, they cannot become Undead for a year and a day.
You may use this feature a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.
Guardian of Death
At 20th level, spirits see you as a gatekeeper and guardian between this world and the next. If you pass beyond this mortal veil and die, you can immediately come back to life at 1 hit point; once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until 1d6+1 days has passed.
Additionally, as bonus action, you may transform into the Guardian of Death. This transformation lasts 1 hour, and grants the following benefits:
- You are immune to necrotic damage.
- You regain 1 use of your Channel Divinity.
- When an ally you can see within 60 feet of you drops to 0 hit points, you may use your reaction to heal them for 1 hit point.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest or by expending a 5th-level spell slot.
