Paladin

Clad in plate armor that gleams in the sunlight despite the dust and grime of long travel, a human lays down her sword and shield and places her hands on a mortally wounded man. Divine radiance shines from her hands, the man’s wounds knit closed, and his eyes open wide with amazement.
A dwarf crouches behind an outcrop, his black cloak making him nearly invisible in the night, and watches an orc war band celebrating its recent victory. Silently, he stalks into their midst and whispers an oath, and two orcs are dead before they even realize he is there.
Silver hair shining in a shaft of light that seems to illuminate only him, an elf laughs with exultation. His spear flashes like his eyes as he jabs again and again at a twisted giant, until at last his light overcomes its hideous darkness.
Whatever their origin and their mission, paladins are united by their oaths to stand against the forces of evil. Whether sworn before a god’s altar and the witness of a priest, in a sacred glade before nature spirits and fey beings, or in a moment of desperation and grief with the dead as the only witness, a paladin’s oath is a powerful bond. It is a source of power that turns a devout warrior into a blessed champion.

The Cause of Righteousness

A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Different paladins focus on various aspects of the cause of righteousness, but all are bound by the oaths that grant them power to do their sacred work. Although many paladins are devoted to gods of good, a paladin’s power comes as much from a commitment to justice itself as it does from a god.
Paladins train for years to learn the skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. Even so, their martial skills are secondary to the magical power they wield: power to heal the sick and injured, to smite the wicked and the undead, and to protect the innocent and those who join them in the fight for justice.

Beyond the Mundane Life

Almost by definition, the life of a paladin is an adventuring life. Unless a lasting injury has taken him or her away from adventuring for a time, every paladin lives on the front lines of the cosmic struggle against evil. Fighters are rare enough among the ranks of the militias and armies of the world, but even fewer people can claim the true calling of a paladin. When they do receive the call, these warriors turn from their former occupations and take up arms to fight evil. Sometimes their oaths lead them into the service of the crown as leaders of elite groups of knights, but even then their loyalty is first to the cause of righteousness, not to crown and country.
Adventuring paladins take their work seriously. A delve into an ancient ruin or dusty crypt can be a quest driven by a higher purpose than the acquisition of treasure. Evil lurks in dungeons and primeval forests, and even the smallest victory against it can tilt the cosmic balance away from oblivion.

Creating a Paladin

The most important aspect of a paladin character is the nature of his or her holy quest. Although the class features related to your oath don’t appear until you reach 3rd level, plan ahead for that choice by reading the oath descriptions at the end of the class. Are you a devoted servant of good, loyal to the gods of justice and honor, a holy knight in shining armor venturing forth to smite evil? Are you a glorious champion of the light, cherishing everything beautiful that stands against the shadow, a knight whose oath descends from traditions older than many of the gods? Or are you an embittered loner sworn to take vengeance on those who have done great evil, sent as an angel of death by the gods or driven by your need for revenge? The Gods of the Multiverse section lists many deities worshiped by paladins throughout the multiverse, such as Torm, Tyr, Heironeous, Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, Dol Arrah, the Silver Flame, Bahamut, Athena, Re-Horakhty, and Heimdall.
How did you experience your call to serve as a paladin? Did you hear a whisper from an unseen god or angel while you were at prayer? Did another paladin sense the potential within you and decide to train you as a squire? Or did some terrible event—the destruction of your home, perhaps—drive you to your quests? Perhaps you stumbled into a sacred grove or a hidden elven enclave and found yourself called to protect all such refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your earliest memories that the paladin’s life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on your soul.
As guardians against the forces of wickedness, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct yourself before gods and mortals. Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behavior that you have not yet attained.

Quick Build

You can make a paladin quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the noble background.

Breaking Your Oath

A paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous paladin is fallible. Sometimes the right path proves too demanding, sometimes a situation calls for the lesser of two evils, and sometimes the heat of emotion causes a paladin to transgress his or her oath.
A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order. The paladin might spend an all-night vigil in prayer as a sign of penitence, or undertake a fast or similar act of self-denial. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.
If a paladin willfully violates his or her oath and shows no sign of repentance, the consequences can be more serious. At the DM’s discretion, an impenitent paladin might be forced to abandon this class and adopt another, or perhaps to take the Oathbreaker or Oathless paladin option.

Paladin Spells

Exclusive Oath List

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Multiclassing

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Paladins in Dicathia Lore

Notable Organizations

Almost every subclass should have a list of organizations where a notable amount of paladins with that oath can be found. Similar paladins could be found in scarce numbers in other organizations not listed. This list is only there to provide additional context as well as give your character an organization to turn to for further growth or hold as their goal. Unlike the exclusive subclasses, you are not required to be connected to those organizations.
Some of the articles of these organizations may be unfinished or empty. Should you wish to learn more simply ask your DM.

Paladin Table

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Level	Prof.	Features	Spell	Slots	per	Spell	Level
	Bonus		1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1st	+2	Divine Sense, Lay on Hands	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	+2	Fighting Style, Spellcasting, Divine Smite	2	-	-	-	-
3rd	+2	Divine Health, Sacred Oath, Harness Divine Power (Optional)	3	-	-	-	-
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)	3	-	-	-	-
5th	+3	Extra Attack	4	2	-	-	-
6th	+3	Aura of Protection	4	2	-	-	-
7th	+3	Sacred Oath feature	4	3	-	-	-
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)	4	3	-	-	-
9th	+4		4	3	2	-	-
10th	+4	Aura of Courage	4	3	2	-	-
11th	+4	Improved Divine Smite	4	3	3	-	-
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)	4	3	3	-	-
13th	+5		4	3	3	1	-
14th	+5	Cleansing Touch	4	3	3	1	-
15th	+5	Sacred Oath feature	4	3	3	2	-
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)	4	3	3	2	-
17th	+6		4	3	3	3	1
18th	+6	Aura improvements	4	3	3	3	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement, Martial Versatility (Optional)	4	3	3	3	2
20th	+6	Sacred Oath feature	4	3	3	3	2

Paladin

hit dice: 1d10 per paladin level

hit points at 1st level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

hit points at higher levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per paladin level after 1st

armor proficiencies: All armor, shields

weapon proficiencies: Simple weapons, martial weapons

tools: None

saving throws: Wisdom, Charisma

skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion

starting equipment:
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a priest’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• Chain mail and a holy symbol

spellcasting:
By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the paladin spell list.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Paladin table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your paladin spells. To cast one of your paladin spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of paladin spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the paladin spell list. When you do so, choose a number of paladin spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your paladin level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 5th-level paladin, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of paladin spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a holy symbol (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your paladin spells.

class features:

Divine Sense

The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.

Lay on Hands

Your blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level × 5.
As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool.
Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. You can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each one.
This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options here. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Divine Smite

Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend, to a maximum of 6d8.

Divine Health

By 3rd level, the divine magic flowing through you makes you immune to disease.

Sacred Oath

When you reach 3rd level, you swear the oath that binds you as a paladin forever. Up to this time you have been in a preparatory stage, committed to the path but not yet sworn to it. Now you choose the Oath of Devotion detailed at the end of the class description or one from another source.
Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level. Those features include oath spells and the Channel Divinity feature.

Oath Spells

Each oath has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the oath description. Once you gain access to an oath spell, you always have it prepared. Oath spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
If you gain an oath spell that doesn’t appear on the paladin spell list, the spell is nonetheless a paladin spell for you.

Channel Divinity

Your oath allows you to channel divine energy to fuel magical effects. Each Channel Divinity option provided by your oath explains how to use it.
When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.
Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your paladin spell save DC.

Harness Divine Power

Starting at 3rd level, you can expend a use of your Channel Divinity to fuel your spells. As a bonus action, you touch your holy symbol, utter a prayer, and regain one expended spell slot, the level of which can be no higher than half your proficiency bonus (rounded up). The number of times you can use this feature is based on the level you’ve reached in this class: 3rd level, once; 7th level, twice; and 15th level, thrice. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Martial Versatility

At 4th level, whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace a fighting style you know with another fighting style available to paladins. This replacement represents a shift of focus in your martial practice.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Aura of Protection

Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Aura of Courage

Starting at 10th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can’t be frightened while you are conscious.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Improved Divine Smite

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

Cleansing Touch

Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to end one spell on yourself or on one willing creature that you touch.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Aura Improvements

At 18th level, the range of your auras increase to 30 feet.

subclass options:

Sacred Oaths

Becoming a paladin involves taking vows that commit the paladin to the cause of righteousness, an active path of fighting wickedness. The final oath, taken when he or she reaches 3rd level, is the culmination of all the paladin’s training. Some characters with this class don’t consider themselves true paladins until they have reached 3rd level and made this oath. For others, the actual swearing of the oath is a formality, an official stamp on what has always been true in the paladin’s heart.

Oath of Beauty

Paladins who swear the Oath of Beauty hold themselves to a lofty standard of excellence, strive to be gleaming beacons of beauty. Some use the power of their graceful visage to inspire the downtrodden. Others become obsessed with their elegant appearance, and use the power of their Oath to manipulate, deceive, and intimidate those they see as beneath them.

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Oath of Conquest

The Oath of Conquest calls to paladins who seek glory in battle and the subjugation of their enemies. It isn’t enough for these paladins to establish order. They must crush the forces of chaos. Sometimes called knight tyrants or iron mongers, those who swear this oath gather into grim orders that serve gods or philosophies of war and well-ordered might.

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Oath of Devotion

The Oath of Devotion binds a paladin to the loftiest ideals of justice, virtue, and order. Sometimes called cavaliers, white knights, or holy warriors, these paladins meet the ideal of the knight in shining armor, acting with honor in pursuit of justice and the greater good. They hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct, and some, for better or worse, hold the rest of the world to the same standards. Many who swear this oath are devoted to gods of law and good and use their gods’ tenets as the measure of their devotion. They hold angels—the perfect servants of good—as their ideals, and incorporate images of angelic wings into their helmets or coats of arms.

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Oath of Faith

The Oath of Faith is for those whose trust in their divinity, their conviction, and their own fate is absolute. The holy warriors of this creed cast aside any misgivings of their choices. There is a plan for all, and to walk the path set out for you is the greatest honor.

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Oath of Glory

Paladins who take the Oath of Glory believe they and their companions are destined to achieve glory through deeds of heroism. They train diligently and encourage their companions so they’re all ready when destiny calls.

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Oath of Leadership

Paladins who swear the Oath of Leadership reject lofty idealism and swear a personal commitment to those under their charge. Whether they be sea captains, military officers, or mercenary leaders, these knights believe that command is a sacred contract of service and not a means to an end. Their oath bids them to protect, guide, and do right by those that would follow them.

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Oath of Perseverance

When life takes and takes, nihilistic purpose calls loudly to those given to action: to go out in a blaze of glory with one great deed before death. But from the fires of calamity, some find quiet. They take up another mantra; to endure, to go on even when things are so tough as to feel impossible. Wounds to heart and health heal in time, and, although scarred, such heroes will persist to see new good done in the world. They swear to survive every setback, and continue the good fight.

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Oath of Redemption

The Oath of Redemption sets a paladin on a difficult path, one that requires a holy warrior to use violence only as a last resort. Paladins who dedicate themselves to this oath believe that any person can be redeemed and that the path of benevolence and justice is one that anyone can walk. These paladins face evil creatures in the hope of turning their foes to the light, and they slay their enemies only when such a deed will clearly save other lives. Paladins who follow this path are known as redeemers.

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Oath of Resolve

The Oath of Resolve is a lonely path, walked by those who seek to achieve as much with their lives as they can. They are wandering crusaders, looking for wrongs to right, or to hamper the efforts of those whose aims will lead to chaos and pain, wherever they might be. These knights do not trouble themselves with the why, and if a larger trouble comes along while they already pursue a task, they do not falter. The only thing that matters is the next step, for the last one never comes.

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Oath of Sorrow

The Oath of Sorrow is a vow to accept pain, to endure misery, and to use the melancholy within you as fuel for the fires of life. Those who follow this oath are a dour lot, but only because they see just how precious mortality is. A paladin who makes a vow to bring their sorrow with them uses it as a weapon, sharing their grief with others to still their hand of evil. Nothing angers them more than needless sorrow, because sadness without joy makes only more sadness. They fight those who are cruel and selfish, those who seek to spread pain for its own sake.

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Oath of Storms

As ancient as the primordials storms themselves, these Paladins have treaded many shores by land or sea. An unmoving force of nature, these warriors strive to give freedom to those who need it and punishment to those who deserve it. While some say the sea is their home, their call is as unbound as it needs to be. No matter when, no matter where, always leading the charge for a better future, these soldiers strike evil upfront.

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Oath of the Ancients

The Oath of the Ancients is as old as the race of elves and the rituals of the druids. Sometimes called fey knights, green knights, or horned knights, paladins who swear this oath cast their lot with the side of the light in the cosmic struggle against darkness because they love the beautiful and life-giving things of the world, not necessarily because they believe in principles of honor, courage, and justice. They adorn their armor and clothing with images of growing things—leaves, antlers, or flowers—to reflect their commitment to preserving life and light in the world.

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Oath of the Crown

The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the just laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threaten to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or a sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order’s ranks.

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Oath of the Keeper

The Oath of the Keeper is not one taken lightly. Unlike other Paladins, those who devote themselves to this cause are often at odds with the very source of their powers. The divine can be just, but it can also overreach. These warriors fight against all incursions into the Material Plane, protecting it from what they see as undue interference in the affairs of mortals. Angels and demons alike have faced their wrath, and paid the price.

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Oath of the Mystics

In the world the gods created, they've left to mortals Arcana, a means of understanding and manipulating the laws of creation. Paladins who follow the Oath of the Mystics swear to protect arcane knowledge and oversee the applications of magic against its abuse. While they understand that the arcane arts can ease and elevate the lives of the common man, they stand as bulwarks against the greed of sorcerer kings and lich lords that resulted in untold casualties in the past.

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Oath of the Open Sea

The Oath of the Open Sea calls to seafaring warriors, swashbuckling sailors, and traveling guardians who seek the thrill of a limitless horizon. Driven to search for adventure and mystery across and beneath every endless oceanic expanse, paladins who swear this oath stand against those who would deny liberty to like-minded travelers, rooting out tyranny and corruption wherever it is found.

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Oath of the Ouroboros

The Ouroboros is the symbol of change and invariability. An endless cycle of end and rebirth, of endless patience and action. This contradictory path, illuminated by the endless serpent, is the heart of the Ouroboros.
Followers of the Ouroboros understand that Time and Destiny are interlinked together, no matter what deity they follow. Whereas many practice their faiths’ to change their mortal fate, these paladins accept their roles as agents of their deity with stoic resolve.

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Oath of the Spellbreaker

The Oath of the Spellbreaker binds a paladin to undo the work of spellcasters who have misused their magic. Followers of this oath live a life of wandering: lifting curses, breaking enchantments, freeing people from magical control, and hunting down the wicked who have used their power to harm others.

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Oath of the Titan

The Oath of the Titan is taken by those who wish to become larger than life, an oath made that allows a person to be a living testament to their own strength. Like walking statues, and often bigger, they wade through the thick of the fight as a force to be reckoned with. A giant amongst their people, they are unmistakable and act as beacons for others to fight against the coming tide. Not just content with leading as an example by their actions, the need to be seen, heard, and felt is intrinsic to their very being. The sounds of their heavy strikes echo like thunder, twins of the hammer blows that leave the telling of their tales in stone and steel for all to see.

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Oath of the Watchers

The Oath of the Watchers binds paladins to protect mortal realms from the predations of extraplanar creatures, many of which can lay waste to mortal soldiers. Thus, the Watchers hone their minds, spirits, and bodies to be the ultimate weapons against such threats.

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Oath of the Watchtower

The Oath of the Watchtower is devoted to the stewardship of its land and the people who live there. While traditional paladins leap to meet danger head-on, paladins who swear this oath are empowered to smite evil where it stands from afar. Often reserved by their very nature, these paladins stand as stoic landmarks in the midst of turmoil, and offer guidance and safety to those in their care. Many have served as town guards or stood watch atop castle battlements, and are equally likely to favor a bow and arrow as they are a sword and shield.

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Oath of Unity

A paladin who takes the Oath of Unity is, in all likelihood, the most dedicated and loyal friend you'll ever make. They are protectors at heart, not just interposing themselves between you and the danger at hand, but by also enabling their companions to better protect each other.
The wise say there is strength in numbers, but the paladins of this Oath say instead that numbers alone isn't aren’t true strength; unity among your party, of focused mind and able body, of willing heart and razor-sharp intent, that is true strength.

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Oath of Vengeance

The Oath of Vengeance is a solemn commitment to punish those who have committed a grievous sin. When evil forces slaughter helpless villagers, when an entire people turns against the will of the gods, when a thieves’ guild grows too violent and powerful, when a dragon rampages through the countryside — at times like these, paladins arise and swear an Oath of Vengeance to set right that which has gone wrong. To these paladins — sometimes called avengers or dark knights — their own purity is not as important as delivering justice.

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Oath of Wands

Scholars, mages, and followers of the gods of knowlege and magic are likely candidates to take the Oath of Wands. Dedicated to the practice and preservation of arcane and holy magical practises, these paladins are the guardians of librarys and schools.

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The Oathless

Not all paladins are able to hold to their Sacred Oaths. Some break their Oath and fall into evil, becoming Blackguards and Oathbreakers, but not all who falter become paragons of evil. Known as the Oathless, paladins who abandon their divinely appointed cause for reasons other then evil still retain some of their power. They wander the wilds as lost warriors, often becoming bandits and mercenaries. Some quest for purpose, seeking to renew their Oath, while others fall into despair.