Oath of Fate

Oath of Fate paladins believe that the actions of every living being are determined by fate. As such, they follow prophecies religiously. Of course, many prophecies are the ramblings of madmen or the whisperings of con men, so it is the sacred duty of Oath of Fate paladins to research prophecies. This includes weeding out prophecies that are false, punishing those that knowingly create or spread false prophecies, and ensuring that true prophecies are allowed to unfold. This puts Oath of Fate paladins at odds with Oath of Freedom paladins, who seek to ensure that all living beings are able to exercise free will. Despite their belief that every living being's actions are determined by fate, the influence of Free Will gods and their religious followers can disrupt fate and ruin prophecies if left unchecked.

An Oath of Fate paladin can in effect act as detective, judge, jury, and executioner. They keep track of all prophecies and prophets, seek divine guidance as to whether or not the prophecies are real, and then take action to either denounce or defend the prophecy as appropriate. This may seem like each paladin has a tremendous amount of unchecked political power, but it is the belief of the order that every action is determined by fate, which provides all the checks and balances that are required.

Typical punishments for false prophets are imprisonment for fools and madmen and public execution for con men. There are no typical measures to ensure the completion of a true prophecy, as most prophecies are wildly different. The paladin must let fate decide their involvement in the prophecy, acting at random or trusting their gut. Performing an action that directly hinders the prophecy is strictly frowned upon, and should only occur in cases where the paladin feels very strongly that they are making the right decision. After the prophecy has either failed or been completed, an investigation will take place to determine if overall the paladin's action ended up being helpful or was truly against the prophecy, as paladins of fate recognize that fate can work in strange ways. Should the investigation prove that the paladin ultimately acted against the prophecy, the paladin is treated as having gone against their oath, and must repent or lose the powers of their oath, as described in the "Breaking Your Oath" section of the paladin class.

 

Aura of Fate

The Oath of Fate paladin has a 10ft aura around them, which causes any friendly humanoid in it's range to gain a +1 bonus to hit, AC, saving throws, and skill checks. This bonus is increased to +2 at level 7, +3 at level 11, +4 at level 15, and +5 at level 19. 

Fated Mind

At the 7th level, Oath of Fate paladins can ask for direct guidance from fate in a prophecy. Once per short rest, they may either ask if a prophecy is real or they may ask for guidance in making sure the prophecy is completed. Guidance can come in nearly any imaginable form - words (visual and or audible), images, sensory feelings (touch, taste, etc).... and they can sometimes be vague or unhelpful, such as a message implying that the paladin should wake up in the morning or a message about a place or thing that the paladin has yet to discover.

Fated Body

At 15th level, Oath of Fate paladins may decide to let fate play a bigger part in their lives 5 times per short rest by adding 1d20 and subtracting 10 to any one roll OR to their armor class for one turn. The paladin must decide to do this before seeing the result of their roll and cannot use this effect multiple times for one roll or one turn of AC.

Fated Soul

At 20th level, Oath of Fate paladins can take the form of their own soul, an intriguing beacon of fate, for one turn. During this turn, everything that can see is compelled to look toward you. Should they choose to do so, they must make a DC 30 CON save or be charmed for 3 turns. You may move in 120ft in any direction, including through solid material, so long as you end your turn in a space that your body can occupy. If you are attempting to take a combat action, you must flip a coin to see which action you take. Heads, you attack. Tails, you cast a free Miracle. If you attack, you may choose a target normally. All your attacks this turn hit, but cannot critically hit. If you cast a Miracle, all players may shout out what they wish the Miracle to be, and the first player to choose something within the bounds of a normal Miracle spell has chosen it's effect. The DM may participate in this, and the effect does not have to be in favor of the paladin or their party.