Paladin: Oath of Castigation
Sacred Oath
Evil and wickedness are widespread and long-lived, but not infinite. Paladins who swear the Oath of Castigation root evil out to burn it away utterly, giving light to all that is innocent and good. Whether bound by the laws of mortals, their deity, or their own personal code, they relentlessly hunt down evil where it thrives. Paladins of this oath know evil cannot hide in any festering place once it burns.
Level 3
The wicked nemeses table offers examples of malefactors, villains, and other evil beings that you have rooted out and purged in the past, or perhaps one you're still huntin. Facing these nemeses may have put you on the path of purging wickedness, wherever it lurks.
| 1d10 | Nemesis |
|---|---|
| 1 | A rotrting vampire noble, who spreads a deadly plague through the command of countless vermin. |
| 2 | A brutal contract killer, who sells their services to various cults and shadowy organizations. |
| 3 | A charismatic cult leader, who lords over a remote island, making seasonal sacrifices of mortals to ensure a bountiful harvest each year. |
| 4 | An immensely intelligent flesh golem, that killed its creature to pursue its own sinister work with strange science and gruesome experiments. |
| 5 | An envious hag of the woods, who corrupts the youths of small villages into committing horrific atrocities. |
| 6 | A proud and vain heretic, who gathers zealous followers after a blood schism, to initiate a bloody crusade in the name of their twisted beliefs. |
| 7 | A once-renowned hunter, now cursed with lycanthropy, who has gone on bloody rampages. |
| 8 | A relentless necromancer, who scours ancient ruins for forbidden magic to free their otherworldly master from an eldritch prison. |
| 9 | A strange, amphibious creature that emerges from the depths to kidnap innocents, and drag them below the water's surface for unknown purposes. |
| 10 | A bloodthirsty revenant, who was once a dark knight, and now musters other undead riders to bring about death and decay. |
You gain access to the following spells at the specified levels. You always have them prepared, and they do not count against the number of spells you can prepare:
| Paladin level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | divine favor, inflict wounds |
| 5th | chain of conviction, hold person |
| 9th | counterspell, speak with dead |
| 13th | consuming pyre, @locate creature |
| 17th | @flame strike, hold monster |
The tenets of the Oath of Castigation drive a paladin to act with conviction and without mercy in the destruction of wickedness. Though the exact words and strictures of the Oath of Castigation vary, paladins of this oath share these tenets:
Certainty. Burn away all doubt in pursuit of duty.
Burn Wickedness. The wicked and corrupt must burn to spare the innocent.
Purge Sin. Sin is forgiven through suffering equal to the pain it inflicted.
You gain the following 2 Channel Divinity options:
Castigate. As an action, you may clap those you would bring to justice in fiery shackles. Choose a number of creature up to your CHA (minimum of 1) you can see within 30ft. of you. Each creature must succeed on a STR saving throw, or be wrapped in fiery shackles and have its speed reduced to 0 for 1 minute. As a bonus action, you may cause the shackles to flare; each shackled creature takes 2d6 fire damage. A shackled creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Incite. As an action, you may better seek out wickness and corruption. For 10 minutes, you gain advantage on Investigation (INT) and Insight (WIS) checks. As a bonus action during this time, you may choose a creature you can see within 10ft. of you. The target must succeed on a CHA saving throw, or be frightened for 1 minute. While the target is frightened in this way, it cannot speak a deliberate lie. The creature stops being frightened if the target takes damage, or if you use this bonus action again.
Level 7
You and any number of creatures of your choice within your aura of protection feature may ignore creatures' resistance to fire and radiant damage. Whenever an affected creature hits with a weapon attack, it may deal fire damage instead of the damage it would normally do. Additionally, you and affected creatures in the aura may add your CHA (minimum of 1) to Investigation (INT) and Insight (WIS) checks.
Level 15
As a reaction whenever a creature damages you or a creature not hostile to you within 30ft. of you that you can see, you may gain advantage on your next attack roll against the attacker. Additionally, whenever you deal fire or radiant damage to a creature with half its hitpoints or less remaining, you become aware of any lies the creature has willingly and knowingly spoken to you in the past 24 hours.
Level 20
As a bonus action, you embody cleansing flame, and gain the following benefits for 1 minutes, or until you end them as a free action. You may use this feature once per long rest. You may use a spell slot of 5th level or higher to use this feature without expending a use.
You gain immunity to fire damage.
Lashes of divine flame increase your reach by 10ft. Your melee attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover.
Whenever you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, or whenever a creature hostile to you ends its turn within your reach, it must succeed on a CHA saving throw, or be knocked prone, and have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.
Source: The Crooked Moon