Oath of Survival

Most paladins swear oaths to uphold justice, protect the weak, or serve the gods. But those who take the Oath of Survival have been stripped of such luxuries. They were betrayed, abandoned, or left for dead—and in that moment of despair, they swore a new vow: to survive, no matter what.

These paladins are relentless, unyielding forces of nature, tempered by suffering and hardened by the will to live. Their code is not written in sacred texts but in the scars on their bodies. They reject the idea that honor or righteousness should come before survival. If they must fight dirty, strike first, or break the rules to stay alive, so be it. To them, mercy is a privilege of the strong, and they will not die for the sake of another's ideals.

Their divine power manifests not in radiant glory but in raw, unrelenting endurance—an iron will that refuses to break. They channel their suffering into supernatural resilience, draining strength from their enemies and refusing to fall no matter how dire the battle becomes. Where other paladins would seek redemption or justice, those of the Oath of Survival seek only one thing: to endure.

Tenets of Survival

The tenets of the Oath of Survival are unwritten, learned through pain and hardship:

• Endure at Any Cost. No matter what happens, you will survive. You will crawl, you will bleed, you will fight with broken bones if you must—but you will not die.
• Trust is a Weakness. You have seen what trust leads to—betrayal, pain, and death. Never lower your guard, never give anyone more power over you than necessary.
• Strike First, Strike Last. In battle, hesitation is death. If an enemy intends to harm you, kill them first. There is no such thing as a fair fight.
• Mercy is for Fools. The world did not show you mercy when you begged for it. Do not expect it, and do not grant it where it is undeserved.
• Whatever It Takes. Honor, laws, and morality mean nothing if you do not live to see another day. Adapt, fight, and do whatever it takes to ensure your survival.

Channel Divinity

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

Predator 's Savagery. You tap into the raw, ruthless instinct to eliminate threats before they can strike you down. As an action, you invoke your oath, causing your strikes to become lethal and unrelenting for 1 minute.

• When your below half your maximum hit points and hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can roll an additional damage die of your weapon’s type.
• Your attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
• Your speed increases by 10 feet
• If you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you regain hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Unbreakable. You refuse to fall, no matter the odds. As a reaction when you take damage, you can use your Channel Divinity to become nearly unstoppable for 1 minute.

• You gain temporary hit points equal to twice your paladin level.
• You have advantage on Constitution saving throws and resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for the duration.
• If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can make a constitution saving throw (DC 10 + half the damage taken). On a success, you drop to 1 hit point instead. You must then finish a short or long rest to use again.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of Survival Spells

Aura of Perseverance

Starting at 7th level, if a friendly creature within 10 ft. of you starts their turn below half their maximum HP, they gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

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

Ironclad Will

Beginning at 15th level, when you take damage from a creature within 10 feet, you can use your reaction to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = your spell save DC). On a failure, they are frightened of you until the end of their next turn. If they were already frightened, they are instead paralyzed until the end of their next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), regaining all uses after a long rest.

Unbreakable

At 20th level, you can use your action to undergo a transformation that lasts for 1 minute. While transformed, you gain the following benefits:

• Indomitable Resilience. You gain resistance to all damage except force and psychic.
• Relentless Endurance. If you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you instead drop to 1 hit point. This can happen once per turn for the duration.
• Predator’s Instinct. Your movement speed increases by 20 feet, and when you hit a creature with a melee attack, they must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = your spell save DC) or be stunned until the end of your next turn. A creature that succeeds is immune to this effect for 24 hours.

"You have been beaten, broken, and left for dead—but you will never fall. Not now. Not ever."