Oath of the Ethereal Gears

The Oath of the Ethereal Gears is rumoured to have originated following a Great Modron March from the outer plane of Mechanus, though its true origin is unknown. Legend holds that its first adherents were inspired by the order forced upon the chaos of their worlds by Primus through the dispassionate and unwavering logic of his modron army. Recognizing the inherent value of structure and discipline over chaos and anarchy, the first paladins of the Ethereal Gears organized under a unified banner and set about trying to achieve universal harmony by enforcing their tenets, and standing between unrelenting chaos and those whose lives would be consumed by it.

 

Tenets of the Ethereal Gears

Over time, various sects of the Ethereal Gears have appeared, disappeared, and re-appeared again. This has never concerned those who follow its tenets, as they see all followers as cogs on the same wheel; an individual’s differing beliefs, or whether or not they acknowledge Primus and Mechanus, is unimportant, so long as the core tenets are upheld. After all, a clog on the far side of the wheel helps to turn it as much as the cog right beside you.

Created to Protect. It is by Design that all beings have a role to play, and to threaten one needlessly is to threaten the Design. Therefore, those who are threatened this way must be protected. 

Destroy the Aberrant. Nature has its own balance and order which must be respected and maintained. Aberrations inherently stand against this balance, and must be destroyed.

Unwavering Vigilance. The poison of chaos is ever present, and from pauper to king, all beings are susceptible. Dispassionate logic is the antitoxin; but if amputation is required, there can be no hesitation, lest the poison spreads.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of Devotion Spells

Channel Divinity

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

Aura of Control. You may expend your Channel Divinity as an action, extending your aura in a 30 ft radius to protect you and your allies by exerting control over an enemy. Within the radius, the first enemy to perform a melee weapon attack against you or an allied creature has its weapon possessed by your aura until the end of its turn. While possessed in this way, the enemy has disadvantage on all weapon attack rolls made with that weapon. If their attack fails as a result, the attack is turned against the creature that attacked instead, dealing half damage to them.   

Turn Aberrations.  You can use your Channel Divinity to speak commands that resonate with creatures unnatural to existence. Each aberration or undead within 30 feet of you that can hear you (they do not need to share a language with you) must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage. A turned creature must spend its turn trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use on the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action. If the creature’s true form is concealed by an illusion, shapeshifting or other effect, that form is revealed while it is turned.

 

Stabilizing Presence

Beginning at 7 level, your dedication to stability permeates the air around you. At the start of each of your turns while in combat, you and friendly creatures with at least 1 HP within a 10 ft radius of you regains Hit Points equal to your Charisma modifier. The aura fades if you are unconscious or if you die.

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

Cog Creation

Beginning at 15 level, you gain the status of ‘cogwheel’, and can create your own cogs. You learn the animate objects spell, which counts as a paladin spell for you. It is always prepared, and does not count against the number of spells which you can prepare. Additionally, you can cast it without expending a spell slot by using your Channel Divinity feature as an action on your turn.

Perfect Order

At 20th level, you can feel the Great Engine which turns the gears of the universe connected directly to you, making everything work exactly as it should. As an action, you can channel its power to guide you in battle. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain advantage on your first attack of each of your turns. If you had disadvantage, it is cancelled out for this attack.
• You gain advantage on all Dexterity checks and saving throws.
• You cannot be surprised.
• Once per round, you can roll a d12 as a reaction and either add the number to any roll you have just made, or subtract it from an attack roll or saving throw an enemy has made to contest you. You can do this after the roll you are choosing to affect, but before the outcome is determined.

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