Oath of Vigilance (5e Subclass)
Oath of Vigilance
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| Many watchers follow gods such as Heimdall |
Sentinels of Fate. Gatekeepers of Balance. Divine Watchmen. All these names and more describe the small group of determined paladins that detach themselves from personal matters and step back to enforce balance across the multiverse. The rare individuals that swear the Oath of Vigilance are bound to observe before stepping in, keep their emotions in check, and never swing too far one way or another.
Gods of light and knowledge like Heimdall or Helm are commonly revered by these paladins for their divine insight and detachment. In the Forgotten Realms, these paladins often guard the borders of the famed nation of Elturgard. In addition, paladins of vigilance (often simply called watchers) very commonly follow the archmage Mordenkainen for his philosophy of the Balance.
Tenets of Vigilance
The tenets of the Oath of Vigilance often vary according to the order, but most variants revolve around the same core principles. Paladins who take this oath are expected to observe a situation carefully first, before rushing in with drastic action. These paladins are nearly always lawful neutral or neutral in alignment.
Prediction. The future is not one winding path, but many roughly-worn roads that are always of uncertain end. Every footstep along every branch alters fate forever. Just make sure you know where you are stepping.
Truth. No honorable person can expect and seek out truth. Doing so would lend respect to the hypocrites and deceivers that are so reviled.
Detachment. Never allow personal matters to get in the way of the greater order of reality. The great will always outweigh the small.
Watchfulness. Observe every event, throw light into every shadow, for any force great or terrible that lies unseen will always grow yet stronger.
Oath Spells
You gain Oath spells at the Paladin Levels listed:
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | detect evil and good, detect magic |
| 5th | augury, zone of truth |
| 9th | daylight, sending |
| 13th | arcane eye, divination |
| 17th | commune, dispel evil and good |
Channel Divinity
When you take this sacred oath, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options:
Aura of Shielding. As an action, you can stick your weapon into the ground and expend your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, the attack rolls of every creature of your choice within 30 feet of you are made with disadvantage. This effect ends early if you remove the weapon from the ground or move more than 5 feet away from it.
Cast Away Darkness. As an action, you can grant yourself and any creatures of your choice within 60 feet of you darkvision out to 120 feet for 1 minute. While this effect is active, each affected creature is considered proficient in Perception if not proficient in it already.
Watchful Soul
Beginning from 3rd level, you have proficiency in Perception and Insight. If you already had proficiency in either, your proficiency bonus is doubled for those checks.
Herald of Fate
From 7th level onwards, you can call to reality itself to see the possible futures. You can spend 10 minutes in a meditative state, being unaware of your current surroundings. At the end of this period, roll on the following table, then add your Charisma modifier:
| d20 | Result |
|---|---|
| Under 5 | You take 4d10 psychic damage and you are blinded until you take a rest or until you receive magical healing of any kind. |
| 5-10 | Nothing happens. |
| 11-15 | You become aware of the location, creature type, alignment, and current mood of every creature within 1 mile of you. You also become aware of their status (full hit points, damaged, or dead) 30 days in the future. |
| 16-23 | You become aware of the location and fate (full hit points, damaged, or dead) of one creature whose exact identity you know within 1 year. The creature needn't be on the same plane as you. |
| Above 23 | You become aware of the exact details (statistics, fate, mood, etc.) of one creature you know of within 1 year, and can inflict or remove a number of conditions on it equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 0), except for prone or grappled. If you choose to inflict conditions, these conditions last for a number of days equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 0). |
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so for a number of days equal to half your roll - half your paladin level (round down, minimum 1).
Effortless Truth
Starting at 15th level, you can easily defy the will of even great beings to compel their truth. You can cast zone of truth a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one) without expending a spell slot, regaining these additional uses when you finish a short rest. In addition, you gain a bonus to your Insight checks equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +0).
Undying Sentry
Once you reach 20th level, you become an embodiment of vigilance and watchfulness above all else in the multiverse. You gain the following benefits:
- You gain truesight out to 120 feet.
- All deception checks made within 30 feet of you have disadvantage if you so wish.
- You can cast plane shift targeting only yourself a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain the ability to do so once you finish a long rest.
- You age at one tenth your race's normal rate, you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can't be aged magically.