Oath of Balance

Tenets of Balance

Balance. Open your mind to the colors of the world and understand the motivations and driving forces of the world. A seed of good in an evil heart can be nurtured and grown, and need not condemn the creature. Remember too that light must cast shadows, and see the damage unchecked good may do. Be Balanced in your deeds and thoughts.

Pragmatism. Be courageous, open and unafraid to act - but do not allow that to destroy you, lead to the downfall of others or upset the balance. To not act, to allow events to unfold, if ultimately leading to greater stability and balance in the world is still a noble pursuit.

Fairness. A village is being attacked by orcs, leading to much destruction and death; but do not the orcs need to eat as well? Find a way for the orc and the villager to coexist if possible, but if wanton destruction is the orcs' only drive - devastate them utterly. A great city, a center for learning, growth and development continues its burgeoning ascent - but the wild-lands are being hacked down and the animals are losing their homes? Slow the growth of the city, disrupt its efforts, allow time for the wilds to recover and try to maintain the balance of our world. Such is the path of the Grey Knight - be fair and balanced in your acts and thoughts and see the evil in unchecked good, and  the good in what at first may appear evil.

Compassion. Aid the weak, and punish those that threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom. Be charitable, but do not allow your charity to become a crutch - allow others to find their path and walk it themselves.

Self Determination. Listen to wise counsel, meditate on your path and actions but make your own choices and own them. The path of the Grey Knight is always for the betterment of the world, but not everyone will agree with you or your methods and can bring you into conflict with the forces of good or of evil in this world - do not let it shake you from your course, but always self reflect on maintaining balance.

 

Channel Divinity

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

Twilight Weapon. As an action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with karmic energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). The weapon also emits bright twilight in a 20-foot radius and dim light 20 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration.

You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.

Turn the Unbalanced. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring fiends, undead and celestials, using your Channel Divinity. Each fiend, undead or celestial that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage.

A turned creature must spend its turns 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 only 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.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of Devotion Spells

Balance the Scales

Starting at 3rd level, you can influence your balance within the world, you have a number of Balance the Scales uses equal to 1 plus your Charisma modifier. Whenever you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you may use your reaction and expend one of these charges to replace the die roll with a 10. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Aura of Equipoise

Starting at 7th level, you can influence the natural balance of the world and others around you. As a reaction, when you or a creature within 10 feet of you suffers a critical hit, you can  expend a use of Balance the Scales to turn that critical hit into a critical miss and any effects triggered by a critical hit are canceled. You can choose to use this feature after the d20 has been rolled but cannot do so after damage has been decided.

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

Balanced Spirit

Beginning at 15th level, you are always under the effects of a protection from evil and good spell.

Avatar of Equilibrium

At 20th level on an action you can enter a state of equilibrium that lasts for 1 minute which effects you and the world around you.

On activation you can choose one or more of:

- flatten any high ground and fill in any low ground in a 60-foot sphere around you.

- Still flowing water in a 60 foot sphere

- Still the wind

- Increase or decrease gravity in a 60 foot sphere

- Rapidly grow or decay plant life in a 60 foot sphere

- Alter the ambient temperature in a 60 foot sphere

- Any status effect activated on you by another creature, including alteration to your speed, is reflected back on that creature

- any damage or healing you are effected by is dealt back in equal measure to the creature that effected you

- You can choose to become resistant to a form of damage, but will become vulnerable to its opposite as determined by the DM (resistance to fire grants vulnerability to ice, resistance to slashing or piercing will cause vulnerability to bludgeoning, resistance to magical damage will cause vulnerability to non-magical damage)

- If you are knocked unconscious or killed, the same status is reflected onto the dealing creature.

with a bonus action you can alter only one of the earlier specified choices, or add another for the remaining duration of the 1 minute.

You might be able to achieve something beyond the scope of the above examples in a 60 foot sphere effecting the world or creatures, or even alteration to your state. State your change to the GM as precisely as possible. The GM has great latitude in ruling what occurs in such an instance; the greater the change, the greater the likelihood that something goes wrong. The effect you desire might only be partly achieved, or you might suffer some unforeseen consequence as a result of how you worded the change.

If you are knocked unconscious, leave this area, or the 1 minute elapses the regional effects to the world end immediately, while effects to creatures will remain for the duration specified by that effect.