Oath of the Grave

The Oath of the Grave is a seldom-practiced tradition reserved for the followers of the Raven Queen or her doctrine. Sometimes called raven knights, black knights, or grave knights, these paladins serve as protectors of the natural order and warriors in the war against the forces of undeath. At the same time, they excel at healing; using their unique abilities to preserve the life around them.

Tenets of the Grave

The tenets of the Oath of the Grave have been passed down for generations. This oath emphasizes the preservation of life and the extermination of undeath. The idea of resurrections serving a noble purpose is still hotly debated, but the raising of the dead in any sort of unholy manner is universally detested.

• Annihilate the Unholy. The undead and those who would create more violate the natural order. Destroy them before they defile more than they have already.
• Preserve the Righteous. Death should not come early to those who do not deserve it. Preserve the righteous to the best of your ability, so they may live without fear.
• Let Souls Pass On. Every soul deserves its place in the afterlife. When you see a creature forced into undeath, let its soul go free.
• Accept Death. Death comes to all eventually. Accept it, and you will find a place in the afterlife.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of the Grave Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

Oath of the Grave Spells

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how Channel Divinity works.

Icy Repose - As an action, you present you holy symbol and speak a prayer against undeath, using your Channel Divinity. Each undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is frozen for 1 minute or until it takes damage. A frozen creature is affected by the petrified condition until the effect ends. 

Vow of Death - As a bonus action, you can utter a vow of death against a creature you can see within 10 feet of you, using your Channel Divinity. You deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to the creature whenever you hit it with an attack for 1 minute or until it drops to 0 hit points or falls unconscious. If a creature under this effect dies, it cannot become undead.

Aura of Preservation

Starting at 7th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can’t be charmed while you are conscious and have resistance to necrotic damage.

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

Soul of Demise

Beginning at 15th level, when a creature under the effect of your Vow of Death dies, that creature cannot be raised from the dead for the next 30 days, outside of using a Wish spell.

Additionally, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature with Vow of Death. 

Reaper of Winter

At 20th level, as an action, you can emanate a deathly chill. For 1 minute, swirls of chilling wind surround you in a 30-foot radius.

Whenever an enemy creature starts its turn within the area, the creature takes 10 cold damage and their movement speed is reduced by 10 feet.

In addition, whenever a creature dies within the area, you regain hit points equal to 2d10 + your Constitution modifier

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.