Oath of the Farseer (5e Subclass)
Oath of the Farseer[edit]
The Oath of the Farseer swears its champions to a harsh truth. Accepting that no battle is won without sacrifice, paladins who walk this path promise not just their life to it but others’ as well. It is a road caked in blood and quiet acceptance, an acknowledgement that sometimes one must suffer for the ten; an acknowledgement that you cannot save every innocent life.
Thus the pragmatic Farseer does not attempt to. When faced with impossible odds, they will make impossible decisions. They will cull the sick to stop the spread of a plague, let villages starve to keep a city fed, and order soldiers to die holding the line. For this reason they are despised by those they deem ‘shortsighted’, maligned as heartless killers who readily offer up lives that aren’t theirs to give. Yet in the end, when the chips are down and all hope seems lost, none will refuse these arbitrators’ aid. It is a thankless task - and these paladins will rise to it every time.
Tenets of Farsight[edit]
A Farseer always seeks to uphold the greater good. They aim to secure the best outcome possible for the most people possible. These tenets guide them in achieving that.
Utility. You fight for results, not ideals. Always be aware of the consequences of your actions; if they would bring more harm into the world than good, they are as evil as any fiend.
Reason. Zeal and passion are double-edged swords. Make decisions based on what you know, not how you feel.
Impartiality. Never grow too attached to any one person, any one place, or any one people. You are sworn to the service of the many and all lives are equal in value.
Forethought. If you control today, you control tomorrow. You must always plan for the future and must never prioritize short-term consequences over the bigger picture.
Oath Spells[edit]
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | ensnaring strike, find familiar |
| 5th | augury, calm emotions |
| 9th | glyph of warding, lightning arrow |
| 13th | arcane eye, hallucinatory terrain |
| 17th | antilife shell, far step |
Channel Divinity[edit]
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
- Far Smite. As a bonus action, you wreathe yourself in a faint light. This cold glow follows each strike you make, extending deep into the hearts of your enemies. For the next minute you may use your Divine Smite and Improved Divine Smite features on ranged and thrown weapon attacks.
- Sacred Tactics. As an action, you point your holy symbol toward an enemy within 100 feet of you and direct your allies to single it out. Until the start of your next turn, anyone who attacks the creature can add your Charisma modifier to their damage rolls.
Knight of Sacrifice[edit]
Starting at 7th level, you begin to ration people’s very life force. As part of a short rest, you may transfer hit dice between any willing creatures that participate in the rest with you. Each of them may give or receive a total number of dice equal to your proficiency modifier or less. When a creature receives dice, they may choose to either expend them immediately to heal their hit points or hold onto them for the next two hours. If not used within that period of time, they are considered spent and vanish with no effect.
These dice are only leased temporarily and return to the owner once spent, unable to be used or transferred again until recovered through a long rest. The recipient uses their own Constitution modifier for the roll. Any creature summoned by magic, or granted to a character by a class feature, is unable to give or receive dice.
Desperate Measures[edit]
At 15th level, you learn to channel life even more effectively, acquiring the ability to burn your own vitality to empower your attacks. Instead of expending spell slots to activate your Divine Smite, you can choose to substitute them with hit dice. Each die counts as a spell level for these purposes.
You may use hit dice acquired from your Knight of Sacrifice feature with this ability.
Angel of the Altar[edit]
At 20th level, your resolve echoes out from you, radiating forth and steeling even the most cowardly and selfish of warriors. As an action, you project this iron will through your aura. You and any friendly creatures within range of the aura gain the following benefits for 1 minute:
- You acquire resistance to psychic damage.
- You may use the Divine Smite feature by spending hit dice, as per the Desperate Measures feature. If you did not already have Divine Smite as a class feature, you can only spend one die per turn.
- If the paladin activating this feature channels Far Smite, you can use Divine Smite on ranged or thrown weapon attacks for its duration.
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