Feat: Oathbound to Michael, Archangel of Judgment
Prerequisite: Level 5
By swearing yourself to Michael, warrior of Heaven and executor of divine judgment, you are bound not by hunger for victory—but by law, mercy, and righteous cause.
Immediate Benefits (Level 5)
1. Judged Strike
Once per turn when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you may mark it with Divine Judgment until the end of your next turn.
While judged:
- The target takes extra radiant damage equal to your proficiency bonus the first time it takes damage each round.
- If the creature attacks a target other than you, that extra damage triggers immediately.
This encourages standing your ground and controlling the fight, not burst spam.
2. Shield of the Just
When a creature you can see within 30 feet is hit by an attack, you may use your reaction to grant it:
- A bonus to AC equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) against that attack.
If this causes the attack to miss, the attacker is Judged until the end of its next turn.
Uses per long rest: proficiency bonus
Comparable to Protection fighting style, but reaction-limited and resource-gated.
3. Disciplined Soul
You gain advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed.
Additionally, once per long rest, when you fail such a save, you may choose to succeed instead.
Strong, but very narrow and flavorful.
Oathbound Limitation (Balance Lever)
Judgment Is Not Vengeance
If you purposefully strike a helpless, surrendered, or non-hostile creature, you lose access to Judged Strike and Shield of the Just until you complete a short rest and offer a prayer of atonement.
This keeps Michael’s blessing moral, not mechanical-only.
Scaling: Path of Heavenly Judgment
Level 9 – Angelic Interdiction
- Shield of the Just may now protect two creatures within range with the same reaction (both against the same triggering attack or separate attacks).
- When you apply Divine Judgment, you gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
Level 13 – Sword of the Archangel
Once per long rest, when you hit a creature marked by Divine Judgment, you may:
- End all invisibility, illusions, or magical disguises affecting it and make the creature no longer able to become invisible.
- Ignore resistance to radiant damage for that attack
Judgment reveals truth before it destroys.
Level 17 – Michael’s Verdict
Once per long rest, as a bonus action, you call down Michael’s authority for 1 minute:
- Enemies you mark with Divine Judgment have disadvantage on all their attacks each round until they are no longer marked
- Allies within 30 feet of you gain advantage on saving throws
- You are immune to being frightened
If you willingly break your oath during this minute, the effect ends immediately.
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