Paladin - Oath of Restlessness

by somanyrobots

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Paladin Oath

Oath of Restlessness

The Oath of Restlessness is a dark path to walk. Its adherents are oathsworn warriors, no less driven than true paladins. But they believe the dead are a vital resource, that eternal rest is a farce, and that soulless bones are vital tools.

Warriors of this Oath are rare and shunned, often hunted outright. While most Restlessness Paladins are evil, some may be more conflicted; goodhearted souls driven by desperation, or unbelievers who deny doctrines about undeath and the soul.

Tenets of Restlessness

"Paladins" who swear the Oath of Restlessness feel necromancy is a necessary source of power.

  • The Needs of the Living: The dead have no claim on bodies the living might yet use.
  • Wake the Dead: A corpse ignored is a tool wasted.
  • Explore the Unhallowed: Cowards who eschew necromancy reveal only their weak wills.
  • Virtue is Vanity: Only fools forego power for petty pride.

Oath of Restlessness Features

Paladin Level Features
3rd Oath Spells, Channel Divinity
7th Aura of Undeath
15th Armor of Bones
20th Avatar of Undeath

Oath of Restlessness Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the table below. The spell counts as a paladin spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of paladin spells you can prepare.

Paladin Level Spells
3rd false life, minor drainSDS
5th ray of enfeeblement, unholy waveK
9th animate dead, summon grave spiritSDS
13th death ward, reanimating smite*
17th corpse puppetsSDS, necromantic stormSDS

Spells marked with a SDS are from Spells That Don't Suck and spells marked with a K are by KibblesTasty. Spells marked with * were written for this subclass. All are included at the end of this document.

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.

Gravecalled Grasp

You can use your Channel Divinity to summon up the spirits of the dead to aid you. As an action, you force every creature of your choice within 30 feet of you to make a Strength saving throw, as spectral hands reach up from the ground to seize them. On a failed save, the creature's speed is reduced to zero, and it can't regain hit points. This effect lasts for 1 minute. The target can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Unhallowed Ground

Over the course of 1 minute, you can use your Channel Divinity to desecrate a 30-foot-radius area with necromantic magic. Any undead who enter the area must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or they regard you and your allies as friendly. The effect immediately ends if you or your allies damage the creature in any way.

This effect lasts for 1 hour. Once a creature succeeds on a saving throw against it or takes damage from your party, they are immune for 24 hours. This feature counts as turning undead for purposes of resistance or immunity to such features.

Aura of Undeath

Starting at 7th level, you emit an unsettling aura of deathly power while you’re not incapacitated. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. Allied creatures in the aura receive resistance to necrotic damage. Hostile creatures starting their turn in the aura, or entering it for the first time on their turn, take necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

In addition, undead under your control have advantage on all saving throws while in your aura.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Armor of Bones

At 15th level, when you grant a creature temporary hit points with your Profane Touch, you can grant that creature a protective shell of bone. While it possesses these temporary hit points, its armor class can't be lower than 15, and any creature that strikes it with a melee attack takes necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

If you keep the base Lay on Hands feature, Armor of Bones can last for 1 minute instead. This will be much stronger in most situations, though.

Avatar of Undeath

At 20th level, you can transform yourself into a necromantic titan, laying waste to your foes. As an action, you can grant yourself the following benefits for 1 minute:

  • You gain resistance to all damage as long as any undead creature is within your Aura of Undeath.
  • Anytime you deal necrotic damage with an attack or spell, you may roll one extra die and add it to the result.
  • Creatures of your choice who die within your Aura of Undeath immediately rise again as zombies under your control. They take their turns in combat immediately after yours.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Oath of Restlessness quirks

The following are some optional quirks for a player of this Oath to choose from.

d6 Quirk
1 You have a bright and bubbly personality.
2 Your eyes turn a ghostly blue when you use your abilities.
3 You keep a knucklebone from every creature you kill.
4 You were caught measuring a comrade's skull once.
5 You are never without your trusty shovel.
6 Your allies have a standing order to reanimate your corpse, should you fall in battle.

Appendix 1: Optional Class Features

The following are some optional class features that are suggested for use with the Oath of Restlessness.

Profane Touch

1st-level paladin feature, which replaces the Lay on Hands feature

Your touch can infuse others with necromantic energy. You have a pool of necromantic power that replenishes when you take a long rest. The pool contains a number of points equal to your paladin level x 5.

As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to grant temporary hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool. A creature can't have more temporary hit points from this feature than your proficiency bonus * 5. If the creature is undead, you may choose to restore the same number of hit points instead. This feature has no effect on constructs.

Deathly Smite

2nd-level paladin feature, which replaces the Divine Smite feature

Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d6. The damage increases by 1d6 if the target is a celestial or a humanoid, to a maximum of 6d6.

Improved Deathly Smite

11th-level paladin feature, which replaces the Improved Divine Smite feature

By 11th level, you are so suffused with unholy power that all your melee weapon strikes carry that foulness with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 necrotic damage.

Appendix 2: Spells

Spells used are available in these collections, all of which are free to use and reference for any purpose.

  • Spells That Don't Suck is a set of spells by Omega Ankh and somanyrobots, creating replacements for problematic spells contained in first-party WotC materials.
  • So Many Spells is a set of wholly original spells written by somanyrobots.
  • Kibbles' Casting Compendium is the complete set of spells written by KibblesTasty.

Corpse Puppets

5th-level necromancy

  • Classes: Warlock, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
  • Replaces: Danse Macabre

Jagged, dark threads of magic jump from your fingertips, connecting to five Tiny, Small or Medium corpses of CR 1/4 or higher that you can see within range. Each corpse immediately transforms into an undead creature of the same size, which takes your choice of form (Skeleton or Zombie) using the Corpse Puppet stat block below.

The creatures are allies to you and your companions. In combat, the creatures share your initiative count, but they take their turns immediately after yours. As a bonus action, you can issue one command to any number of puppets within the spell's range. If you don't issue a command, they take the Dodge action and use their move to avoid danger.

The creatures are under your control until the spell ends, after which they become inanimate once more.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you animate up to two additional corpses for each slot level above 5th.

Minor Drain

1st-level necromancy

  • Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Replaces: Ray of Sickness (in part)

You send a pulse of necrotic energy towards a target, sucking its life essence away. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 necrotic damage, and you gain half the damage dealt as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points fade at the end of your next turn.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.

Corpse Puppet

Undead, Unaligned

  • Armor Class 8
  • Hit Points 15 (2d8+6)
  • Speed 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) 8 (-1) 5 (-3)
  • Damage Immunities poison
  • Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
  • Languages understands all languages it spoke in life but can't speak
  • Challenge 1/2

Skeletal Swiftness (Skeleton Only). The puppet's Dexterity becomes 16, its AC increases to 13, and its speed increases to 35 feet. It gains vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.

Festering Fortitude (Zombie Only). The puppet's Strength becomes 14 and Constitution becomes 16, and its hit points increase to 25 (4d8+7). If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the puppet drops to 1 hit point instead.

Seizing Swarm (Zombie Only). The puppet has advantage on its grapple check against a creature if at least one other allied Zombie Puppet is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Actions

Multiattack (Skeleton Only). The puppet makes two Skeletal Slash attacks.

Skeletal Slash (Skeleton Only). Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 1 slashing damage.

Body Bash (Zombie Only). Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d4 + 2 bludgeoning damage.

Necromantic Storm

5th-level necromancy

  • Classes: Warlock, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, M (a piece of tattered black silk)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You tear a rift to a plane of death, summoning forth a flood of negative energy. Choose a point within 60 feet to open the rift. All non-undead creatures within 10 feet must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 6d8 necrotic damage on a failure or half as much on a success. If a creature is killed by this spell, the blast spreads, affecting a 10-foot radius around that creature as well. A creature cannot be damaged twice by the spell, and the spell ends after damaging 10 creatures.

If a humanoid dies from this spell, they rise as a zombie at the start of your next turn and attack the closest living creature. You can assert control over the zombies by casting animate dead as if you were reasserting control over zombies created with that spell. Statistics for a zombie are in the Monster Manual. At the DM's discretion, other creature types may rise as different undead.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell with a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the maximum number of creatures affected increases by 2 for each slot level above 5th.

Reanimating Smite

4th-level necromancy

  • Classes: Paladin
  • Casting Time: 1 bonus action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You summon black flames, wreathing your weapon. The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during this spell’s duration, The attack deals an extra 4d8 necrotic damage, and the target must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, its soul begins to rot. If the target dies during this spell's duration, it immediately reanimates as a zombie under your control, taking its turns immediately after yours. After 1 hour, it becomes a lifeless corpse again.

Summon Grave Spirit

3rd-level necromancy

  • Classes: Warlock, Wizard
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S, M (a jeweled skull statuette worth at least 300gp)
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Replaces: Summon Undead

You summon an undead creature, which manifests in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. It uses the Grave Spirit stat block. When you cast the spell, you choose one option out of: Ethereal, Ghoulish, Bone. The creature uses the chosen form, which determines certain traits in its stat block. The creature disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.

The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, use the higher level wherever the spell’s level appears in the stat block.

Unholy Wave

2nd-level necromancy

  • Classes: Cleric, Paladin
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self (30-foot cone)
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A wave of necrotic energy crashes out from your outstretched hand in a 30-foot-cone. Creatures in the area must make a Constitution saving throw, or be burned by unholy fire. On a failed saving throw, they take 4d6 necrotic damage, and are wreathed in consuming unholy fire for the duration of the spell. Once per turn, if they are hit by an attack while wreathed the unholy fire their wounds are consumed by the flames, and they take an additional 1d6 necrotic damage. On a successful save, they take half as much damage and are not wreathed in fire.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 2nd.

Grave Spirit

Medium Undead

  • Armor Class 10 + the level of the spell (natural armor)
  • Hit Points 15 (Ethereal) or 25 (Ghoulish & Bone) + 10 for each spell level above 3rd
  • Speed (Ghoulish & Bone) 30 ft.
  • Speed (Ethereal) 20 ft. fly
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
  • Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
  • Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
  • Languages understands the languages you speak
  • Proficiency equals your bonus

Ghostly Movement (Ethereal Only). The spirit can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If it ends its turn inside an object, it appears in the nearest unoccupied space and takes 1d10 force damage for every 5 feet traveled.

Terrifying Grasp (Ethereal Only). Once on its turn when it hits an enemy with a melee attack, the spirit can force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened until the end of its next turn.

Revive From Bones (Bone Only). When reduced to 0 hp by anything other than a critical hit or bludgeoning, force, or radiant damage, the spirit leaves its bones behind instead of disappearing. As a bonus action, you can revive it at 1 hit point.

Actions

Multiattack. The spirit makes a number of attacks equal to half this spell's level (rounded down).

Deathly Chill (Ethereal Only). Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 + 2 + the spell's level necrotic damage.

Bone Arrow (Bone Only). Ranged Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, range 80/320, one target. Hit: 1d6 + 2 + the spell's level piercing damage.

Vile Claws (Ghoulish Only). Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 + the spell's level slashing damage. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or become poisoned until the end of its next turn. If the target is already poisoned, they are paralyzed instead.

Appendix 3: Steed Options

Consider allowing players of this oath to summon a Warhorse Skeleton with Find Steed, or any normal steed with a Skeleton or Zombie template applied.

Skeleton

  • Its creature type becomes Undead.
  • It gains darkvision to 60 feet.
  • It becomes vulnerable to bludgeoning damage and immune to poison damage.
  • It gains immunity to the poisoned and exhausted conditions.
  • Its Intelligence becomes 6, its Wisdom becomes 10, and its Charisma becomes 6.

Zombie

  • Its creature type becomes Undead.
  • Its speed is reduced by 10 feet, to a minimum of 10 feet.
  • It gains darkvision to 60 feet.
  • It becomes immune to poison damage.
  • It gains immunity to the poisoned and exhausted conditions.
  • It gains 2 hit dice and its hit points increase accordingly.
  • Its Dexterity is reduced by 4, and can't be higher than a 12. Its Constitution becomes 16, its Intelligence becomes 4, its Wisdom becomes 8, and its Charisma becomes 4.
  • It gains the Undead Fortitude trait: If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the zombie drops to 1 hit point instead.

Change Log

v0.3

  • Added 1-minute duration to Gravecalled Grasp
  • Nerfed damage boost on Avatar of Undeath

v0.2

  • Finished spell list
  • Added Spells Appendix
  • Wrote Reanimating Smite
  • Added Steed Options Appendix
  • Capped Profane Touch temps (dang barbarians)

v0.1

  • Rough Draft
Credits & References:

Oath of Restlessness created by somanyrobots
Discord | Patreon

Spells
  • Unholy Wave by KibblesTasty
  • Corpse Puppets, Minor Drain, Necromantic Storm, Summon Grave Spirit by Omega Ankh and somanyrobots
Art

Tergrid, God of Fright, by Yongjae Choi © Wizards of the Coast LLC

Background Image Stains

Jared Ondricek

Licensing

All rules text in this document is licensed as CC BY-NC 4.0, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC-BY). Broadly, it can be republished freely or incorporated into non-commercial works as long as credit is given to the original creator.

Includes spells from Spells That Don't Suck by Omega Ankh and somanyrobots, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.

Includes spells from Kibbles' Casting Compendium 2.0 by KibblesTasty Homebrew LLC, which is licensed CC-BY and available here.

The document in its entirety, including artwork, is licensed under WotC's Fan Content Policy, included below.

Fan Content Policy

This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.