Oath of Judgement, Variant (5e Subclass)
Oath of Judgement Paladin Subclass[edit]
The Oath of Judgement has slowly branched off other Oath paths, building upon the ideals that upholding righteousness or seeking vengeance is simply not enough. With so many questionable practices it is hard to decide what is good or evil, so these Paladins have taken it upon themselves to hand out their own brand of judgement. Many of these paladins had once served to uphold the ideals of other oaths, only to find that their own moral compass pointed towards their previous oaths being too strict or too lenient. It should be noted that a judgement paladin could either judge things from a lawful viewpoint or all the way to a chaotic viewpoint.
Tenets of Judgement[edit]
The tenets of the Oath of Judgement can be viewed quite differently from paladin to paladin, but the universal theme is that judgement needs to be passed by the best judgement of a paladin’s morals. This however revolves around just how moral the paladin passing judgement might be. Though sometimes misguided, these paladin typically view their actions as good; even if they may have evil implications. Due to this, they can range from lawful good all the way through lawful evil. Their tenets are typically easy to follow.
Justice for All. There is no one that may put themselves above justice, even the paladin. Justice does not discriminate nor distinguish between rich and poor, healthy or sick, it only takes into consideration ones actions.
Civility and Empathy. It is important to not judge too quickly, giving others a chance to open discord. Perhaps a different view can enlighten ones own views and that should be taken into consideration before judgement is passed.
Without Mercy. Judgement must always be upheld and must never falter. Regardless of who, judgement must be carried out with exact precision once passed.
Reflection. A paladin must reflect upon their judgements and views, meditating at least twice a week to be sure they are always objective.
Oath of Judgement Features[edit]
Paladin Level Feature
3rd Oath Spells, Channel Divinity
7th Aura of Righteousness (10 ft.)
15th Empowered Judgement
18th Aura of Righteousness (30 ft.)
20th The Aspect of Judgement
Oath of Judgement Spells[edit]
Paladin Level Spells
3rd absorb Elements, shield
5th hold person, misty step
9th dispel magic, protection from energy
13th Sickening Radiance, stoneskin
17th hold monster, wall of light
Judge of Character[edit]
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you become able to judge the intentions of those you interact with more acutely. You gain advantage on Wisdom (insight) ability checks to determine if a creature is attempting to deceive you.
Channel Divinity[edit]
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Divine Judgement. When you or an ally within 30 feet of you is attacked or targeted by a spell, you can use your reaction to negate all incoming damage until the end of your next turn and cleanse all negative effects from the target.
Burn the wicked. As an action you can use your Channel Divinity to emit an igniting shockwave of divine wrath. Every creature hostile to you and within 30 feet must make an constitution saving throw or burn in the holy fires purity for one minute taking 1d10 radiant damage at the start of each of their turns.
Aura of Righteousness[edit]
Starting at the 7th level, you exude an aura of righteousness upon all those who stand against you. You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you and that have the lawful alignment have your blessing of righteousness upon them. When they hit an attack, they may roll 1d6 and add that roll to the damage dealt the damage type is Radiant for lawful good, necrotic for lawful evil and force for lawful neutral characters.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet and the damage die increases to 1d8.
Empowered Judgement[edit]
Starting at the 15th level, you have built up faith in your views and confidence in your ability to pass judgment. When an enemy makes an attack against you or an ally within 10 feet of you, you may use your reaction to Empower Judgement upon their attack. They make a charisma save against your DC. If they fail, their attack will become unworthy and if the attack hits, the damage will be halved. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Aspect of Judgement[edit]
At 20th level, you may take the form of the Aspect of judgement. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:
- Radiant wings sprout from your back and grant you a flying speed of 60 feet, you can also hover for the duration.
- You have resistance to all damage dealt by other creatures (their attacks, spells, and other effects) as you judge them unworthy.
- Enemy creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against your paladin spells and Channel Divinity options.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
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