Oath of the Dreadbound

Paladins who swear the Oath of the Dreadbound walk the boundary between life and death. These fearsome warriors, commonly known as Death Knights, wield necromantic power, curse their enemies, and enforce their own uncompromising codes of honor.

Some protect the innocent and ensure the dead receive their final rest. Others serve as mercenaries, criminal enforcers, executioners, or terrifying champions of darker causes. The oath itself does not require goodness or evil, only absolute conviction.

Many Dreadbound Paladins forge supernatural bonds with infernal guardians, most notably Hell Hounds. These loyal companions grow more powerful as their masters deepen their connection to death's mysteries.

Tenets of the Dreadbound

Death Is Inevitable. Every life eventually reaches its end. Accept this truth and determine what purpose you will serve.

An Oath Survives the Grave. Honor the promises, contracts, and obligations you willingly accept.

The Final Debt Must Be Paid. Betrayal, murder, and broken vows demand consequences.

The Dead Are Yours to Judge. Decide whether the departed deserve protection, punishment, peace, or servitude according to your own convictions.

Subclass Features

Level 3: Dreadbound Oath Spells, Gravebrand, Deathbound Hell Hound

Level 7: Aura of the Black Procession

Level 15: Death's Defiance

Level 20: Lord of the Last Ride

Dreadbound Oath Spells

Dreadbound Oath Spells

Your oath grants you access to magic associated with death, curses, funeral rites, and supernatural judgment.

You always have the following spells prepared when you reach the specified Paladin level. These spells count as Paladin spells for you and do not count against the number of spells you can prepare.

Paladin Level 3: False Life, Inflict Wounds

Paladin Level 5: Gentle Repose, Blindness/Deafness

Paladin Level 9: Speak with Dead, Bestow Curse

Paladin Level 13: Death Ward, Blight

Paladin Level 17: Contagion, Hallow

Gravebrand

Gravebrand

You can channel divine power to mark an enemy for death.

As a Bonus Action, you expend one use of your Channel Divinity and choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of yourself. The creature becomes marked for 1 minute.

Once on each of your turns, when you hit the marked creature with a melee weapon attack, the attack deals an extra 1d6 Necrotic damage.

A creature damaged by this feature cannot regain Hit Points until the start of your next turn.

If your Deathbound Hell Hound hits the marked creature with its Infernal Bite, the next attack roll you make against that creature before the end of your next turn gains a +2 bonus.

The mark ends early if the creature dies, you have the Incapacitated condition, or you use Gravebrand again.

You can have only one creature marked by Gravebrand at a time.

Deathbound Hell Hound

Deathbound Hell Hound

You share a supernatural bond with a loyal Hell Hound. This infernal companion is linked to your oath and serves as your faithful guardian.

The Hell Hound retains its own identity, appearance, and personality. It is not an ordinary Beast.

Level 3 — Infernal Bond

Your Hell Hound accompanies you as a companion. Until you gain Faithful Steed at Paladin level 5, it does not receive the empowered Otherworldly Steed statistics. Its starting abilities and participation in combat use the DM-approved companion rules.

Level 5 — Deathbound Steed

When you gain the Paladin's Faithful Steed feature, you may use Find Steed to empower your existing Hell Hound instead of summoning a conventional steed.

Your companion uses the Otherworldly Steed stat block with the following changes:

• Its creature type is Fiend.

• Its size is Small or Medium, as approved by the DM.

• It cannot serve as a mount for a Medium rider.

• Otherworldly Slam is renamed Infernal Bite.

• Fell Glare is renamed Hellish Presence.

• It retains the spell's normal Hit Point, Armor Class, attack, and spell-slot scaling.

The Hell Hound acts immediately after your turn. It can move and take the Dodge action without a command. You may use a Bonus Action to command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Help, or Search action.

Scent the Dead

The Hell Hound has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks relying on smell to detect or track blood, corpses, Undead, or Fiends.

Ember Maw

Infernal Bite is magical. When you empower your Hell Hound with Find Steed, choose Fire or Necrotic as its bite's damage type. The damage type remains unchanged until its next summoning or empowerment.

Guard Dog of the Damned

The Hell Hound has Advantage on ability checks made to detect Undead, Fiends, and necromantic disturbances, and on saving throws against effects originating from Undead or Fiends.

Sidecar Beast

Your Hell Hound can safely occupy the dedicated sidecar of your motorcycle. Entering or exiting the sidecar requires 5 feet of its movement when the vehicle is stationary or moving slowly enough for a safe transition.

Ashstride — Greater Empowerment

When Find Steed is cast using a spell slot of level 4 or higher, your Hell Hound gains Ashstride instead of the spell's normal flying capability.

Ashstride grants a Climb Speed of 60 feet and the ability to climb difficult surfaces, including vertical walls and ceilings, without making an ability check.

The Hell Hound can move between floors, walls, and ceilings while maintaining contact with a surface. It ignores nonmagical difficult terrain consisting of ash, rubble, or loose stone.

Its footsteps may leave glowing infernal embers that cause no damage.

Ashstride does not grant flight or hovering.

Companion Limit

You cannot simultaneously maintain a Deathbound Hell Hound and an additional creature summoned through Find Steed.

If your Hell Hound is reduced to 0 Hit Points while empowered by Find Steed, its magical manifestation disappears as described by the spell. A later casting can restore the same companion.

All modifications described here are homebrew exceptions to the normal Find Steed spell.

Aura of the Black Procession

Aura of the Black Procession

The power of death surrounds you, shielding those who march beside you.

While you do not have the Incapacitated condition, you emanate a 10-foot aura.

You and friendly creatures within the aura have Resistance to Necrotic damage.

Your Deathbound Hell Hound gains Temporary Hit Points equal to your Charisma modifier plus your Proficiency Bonus (minimum 1) whenever you finish a Long Rest.

While your motorcycle is within the aura, it gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against magical effects that can affect vehicles or objects.

At Paladin level 18, the radius of this aura increases to 30 feet.

This aura functions alongside your normal Paladin auras. Its benefits do not stack with identical sources of Resistance.

Death's Defiance

Death's Defiance

Your bond with death allows you to resist the final moment.

When damage would reduce you to 0 Hit Points without killing you outright, you can instead drop to 1 Hit Point.

Once you use this benefit, you cannot use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Additionally, when your Deathbound Hell Hound would be reduced to 0 Hit Points without being killed outright, you can use your Reaction to cause it to drop to 1 Hit Point instead, provided it is within 30 feet of you.

Once you use this companion-protection benefit, you cannot use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

The two benefits have separate once-per-Long-Rest limits.

Lord of the Last Ride

Lord of the Last Ride

You temporarily become an avatar of death, commanding terrifying power over the battlefield.

As a Bonus Action, you transform into a supernatural Death Knight for 1 minute.

While transformed, you gain the following benefits:

Grim Executioner. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the attack deals an additional 1d8 Necrotic damage.

Dread Hound. Your Deathbound Hell Hound can make one Infernal Bite attack on its turn without requiring your Bonus Action.

Phantom Engine. While you are riding your motorcycle, its movement speed increases by 20 feet, and it gains Resistance to Necrotic damage.

Deathless Procession. You and your Deathbound Hell Hound have Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.

The transformation ends early if you die or become Incapacitated.

Once you activate this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a Long Rest.