Oath of Grave

The Oath of the Grave is a sacred commitment taken by paladins who serve as the final guardians of the transition between life and death. These paladins view death as a natural rest that must be protected from the corruption of necromancy. They hunt down those who would defy the natural cycle by raising the dead or seeking unnatural immortality.

Tenets of the Grave

• The Sanctity of Rest: The dead have earned their peace. Any attempt to disturb their rest through reanimation is an affront that must be corrected.

• The Eternal Cycle: Life and death are two halves of a whole. To prolong one unnaturally is to wither the other.

• Mercy at the Threshold: Death should be met with dignity. Provide comfort to the dying and a swift end to those trapped in the misery of undeath.

• Preserve the Soul: The body is a vessel, but the soul is eternal. Protect the essence of the fallen from being consumed or shackled by dark magic.

Level 3: Oath of Grave Spells

The magic of your oath ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Paladin level specified in the Oath of Grave Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.

Oath of Grave Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3	Bane, False Life
5	Gentle Repose, Ray of Enfeeblement
9	Revivify, Speak with Dead
13	Death Ward, Blight
17	Antilife Shell, Raise Dead

Level 3: Channel Divinity

 

• Path to the Grave: As an action, you choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you and curse it until the end of your next turn. The next time you or an ally of yours hits the cursed creature with an attack, the creature has vulnerability to all of that attack's damage, and then the curse ends.

• Eyes of the Grave: As a bonus action, you can sharpen your senses to detect the presence of the undead. For 1 minute, you know the location of any undead within 60 feet of you that isn't behind total cover.

 

 

Level 7: Aura of Preservation

Starting at 7th level, you emit an aura of hallowed energy. The aura extends 10 feet in all directions while you aren't incapacitated.

• Vital Protection: You and friendly creatures in the aura have resistance to necrotic damage. Undead in the aura cannot regain hit points.

• Reaping Presence: When a hostile creature enters the aura for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d6 radiant damage + your Charisma modifier. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage.

• Scaling: This damage increases to 1d8 at level 12 and 1d10 at level 17.

   

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

Level 15: Sentinel at the Threshold

At 15th level, when you or a creature you can see within 30 feet drops to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to:

• Cause the creature to drop to 1 hit point instead.

• Grant it temporary hit points equal to twice your paladin level. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Level 20: Avatar of Finality

At 20th level, as an action, you assume the form of a spectral reaper for 1 minute:

• You emanate silver light in a 30-foot radius. Enemies starting their turn there take 4d6 radiant damage.

• Undead have disadvantage on saves against your spells and Channel Divinity.

• Any creature reduced to 0 hit points in your aura is instantly under the effects of Gentle Repose.