Oath of the Arbiter

The Oath of the Arbiter binds a paladin to the harsh ideals of justice, atonement, and punishment. Touted as Wardens and Judges, an Arbiter paladin bears the responsibility of being judge, jury, and executioner to those who would harm others and commit evil. An Oath of the Arbiter paladin follows the God of Justice Tyr. They are protected from those who would harm them, have the ability to receive holy revelations about the hearts of others, and are given the strength needed to strike down those who are guilty.

Paths of the Arbiter

Every Arbiter who pledges their service to Tyr must follow the path of the Judge, Jury, and Executioner.

Judge. An Arbiter makes the final ruling of who is guilty and who is innocent. Regardless on the decision made, an Arbiter does not doubt or waver.

Jury. An Arbiter must use everything at their disposal to determine the guilt of anyone or anything that they judge. A judgement cannot be made until culpability can be proven.

Executioner. Not every life that an Arbiter crosses paths with is guilty, nor will every guilty party meet death when facing an Arbiter. But once an Arbiter makes a judgement, they must see their ruling through to the end.

 

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

Tyr's Judgement. As an action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with positive energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). The weapon also emits bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light 20 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration. The weapon's damage type changes to Radiant, and Radiant ammunition is provided for any weapon that needs it.

You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.

Righteous Glare. As a bonus action, you present your holy symbol and speak a statement condemning the accused, using your Channel Divinity. Each creature of your choice that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. You can target a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier, with a minimum of 1. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is Stunned until the start of your next turn as your eyes burn through their guilty soul with radiant light.

Edicts: Judge, Jury, and Executioner

A paladin that follows the Oath of the Arbiter enacts their power through Edicts, binding their enemies to their will. They walk three paths: The Judge, The Jury, and The Executioner.

This feature grants an Oath spell at the 3rd, 5th, and 9th, 13th, and 17th levels in this class.

The spells are: Sanctuary, Hold Person, and Haste. At 13th and 17th level, you are given Compulsion and Wall of Force. Your DM may allow you to instead use Find Greater Steed and Summon Celestial.

In addition, you gain Edicts at the 3rd, 5th, and 9th levels, and expanded options at the 13th and 17th levels.

First Path: Judge

At 3rd level, you gain the impartial strength and position of a judge. Starting when you gain this level, you can choose any creature that you can see and Judge them. Any time that creature targets you with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a Wisdom Saving throw against your Paladin Spell Save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell. This Edict doesn’t protect you from area effects, such as the explosion of a fireball.

If you make an attack, cast an offensive spell, or otherwise deal damage to another creature, the Edict ends. The Edict automatically ends after a minute has passed.

Once this Edict ends, it cannot be used against the same creature until 24 hours have passed.

Second Path: Jury

At 5th level, you gain the declarative presence of a jury. As a bonus action, you may subject any creature you can see within 30ft to the Jury Edict. You gain advantage on all Charisma checks made against the creature, and any time the creature attempts to lie to you in any way, it must first make a Wisdom Saving throw against your Paladin Spell Save DC. On a failed save, the creature is compelled to tell the truth, and cannot simply stay silent. On a success they are not compelled. You know whether the creature failed the check or not.

While Judge is also active on a creature that this edict affects, you gain advantage on all Charisma checks made against the creature.

If you speak to another creature that is not an ally while this Edict is active, the Edict ends. The Edict automatically ends after a minute has passed.

Once this Edict ends, it cannot be used against the same creature until 24 hours have passed.

Third Path: Executioner

At 9th level, you gain the deadly gaze of an executioner. Starting when you gain this level, you gain an Edict that allows you to freeze a target in their tracks.

Once per turn when you hit a creature within 30 feet with a weapon attack, your stare can give that creature the Executioner Edict. A creature subjected to the Edict must make a Wisdom Saving throw against your Paladin Spell Save DC or have their speed halved.

While Judge is active on any creature affected by this edict, you have advantage on attack rolls you make while the creature is within 5 feet of you.

While Jury is active on any creature affected by this edict, the creature must roll a Wisdom Saving throw against your Paladin Spell Save DC each time they attempt to move. On a failure, they must use their movement to approach you as close as their remaining movement allows.

This edict affects a creature for one minute. If you move away from a creature affected by this effect, the Edict ends.

Once this Edict ends, it cannot be used against the same creature until 24 hours have passed.

Well Worn Path

At 13th level, your Edicts wear away at the condemned.

A creature with more than one active Edict on it:

1. Suffers an additional 1d8 Radiant damage every time it is struck by a weapon attack.
2. The target loses all damage resistances. If the creature is immune, it becomes resistant.

Winding Paths

At 17th level, your ability to bind creatures with Edicts improves.

When targeting a creature with an edict, you may affect it with two instead.

Arbiter's Presence

Starting at 7th level, creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on wisdom saving throws to defend against spells you cast and effects you cause.

A creature subjected to this effect sees your face as a golden spotlight that illuminates their soul.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Guaranteed Justice

At 15th level, you learn to punish wrongdoers who would struggle in the face of justice. Whenever a creature you can see within 30 feet of you succeeds on a saving throw against a spell you cast or an effect you caused, you may deal 3d8 radiant damage to the creature that succeeded saving throw. You may use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier, regaining all charges on a long rest.

Arbiter's Will

At 20th level, you can draw upon Tyr's power to become the personification of an Arbiter of Justice. As a bonus action, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You are resistant to all damage.
• All attacks against you must be made at disadvantage.
• When you fail against an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw, you can use your reaction to succeed instead.

Once you use this bonus action, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again.