Oath of the Shield

Paladins who swear the Oath of the Shield dedicate themselves to the unwavering protection of others. They see the shield as both a symbol and a literal manifestation of their duty. These paladins are guardians, standing resolute in the face of danger to shield those who cannot defend themselves.

TENETS OF THE SHIELD

A Paladin that pledges themselves to the Oath of the Shield must protects those around them and upholds themselves to the following tennets.

Unyielding Defence. I vow to stand as an impenetrable bulwark, shielding the innocent from harm and bearing the brunt of danger myself.

Sacrificial Vigilance. I understand that true protection sometimes requires personal sacrifice. I pledge to be ever-vigilant, placing myself in harm's way to shield others from danger.

Boundless Loyalty. The bonds I forge with those I protect are unbreakable. I vow to stand by my allies through thick and thin, ensuring no one faces adversity alone.

Shield Attacks

3rd-level Oath of the Shield feature

You are able to use a shield as a simple melee weapon that deals 1d8 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning or slashing damage depending on if you are bashing the shield into them or cutting them with its edge. If your shield is a  magic shield that adds a magical bonus to your AC you can add that bonus to you damage rolls as if it were a magic weapon. You can apply the following effects to attacks you make with a shield.

Shield Bash. Once per turn when you deal bludgeoning damage to a creature by attacking them with you shield you can attempt to shove them as part of that attack.

Shield Slice. Once per turn when you deal slashing damage to a creature by attacking them with you shield you can make an Strength (Athletics) check (DC 12 + the targets Challenge Rating) to attempt to disarm them of one item they are holding.

Oath Spells

3rd-level Oath of the Shield feature

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

Oath of the Shield Spells

Channel Divinity

3rd-level Oath of the Shield feature

You gain the following Channel Divinity options. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how Channel Divinity works.

Divine Protection. You can use your Channel Divinity to bolster the defences of yourself or an ally you touch. As a bonus action you can give a creature a +3 bonus to their AC and saving throws until the end of their next turn.

Holy Ward. You can use your Channel Divinity to lessen or nullify damage dealt to yourself or an ally within 5 feet of you that you can touch. As a reaction to yourself or your ally being about to take damage you can magically form a glowing shield around them that absorbs 5d10 points of damage.

Aura of Shielding

7th-level Oath of the Shield feature

You constantly protective aura while you’re not incapacitated. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction and you and any creatures of your choice within this aura gain a +1 bonus to their AC and saving throws.

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

Additional Divinity

15th-level Oath of the Shield feature

Your vow to protect others allows you to more frequently use your Channel Divinity options and you gain an additional way to use your channel divinity. Once per long rest when you use your Channel Divinity you do not expend a use of the feature. Your new Channel Divinity option is as follows:

Godly Ward. You can spend one minute performing a prayer of protection on a creature you are touching and expend a use of your Channel divinity to grant them protection from damage they  may take within the next hour. Whilst a creature has this protection they can roll a number of d10s of their choosing each time they take damage to reduce the damage taken. The maximum amount of d10s total is 10, a creature could spend all 10 to reduce one instance of damage or spread them out across multiple instances of damage.

Invulnerable Warden

20th-level Oath of the Shield feature

You gain the ability to harness extraordinary resistance to damage. As an action, you can magically become an avatar of protection, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You cannot be moved against your will by creatures or magic.
• You have resistance to all damage types.
• The bonus to creatures' AC and saving throws from your Aura of Shielding increases to +2

Alternately, you can forgo these benefits and instead gain immunity to all damage and conditions for the duration. At the end of each of your turns if you use the feature in this way you must make a Charisma saving throw of a DC equal to 8 plus twice the amount of rounds you have been using the feature for (starting at a DC of 10 and ending at a DC of 28). If you were not hit with an attack or in an area of effect that would normally cause you to take damage you can make the saving throw with advantage.

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.