Sworn by those who walk the line between monstrosity and righteousness, the Oath of the Cursed binds a paladin to the torment of their own hunger and the struggle to control it. These paladins wield the terror of their form to hunt greater evils, fighting against their own urges as they attempt to hold onto the last remnants of their humanity. Their path is one of discipline, sacrifice, and relentless pursuit of justice—no matter the cost.
Tenets of the Cursed
Paladins who take this oath must balance their monstrous curse with unbreakable conviction. Their tenets reflect this eternal conflict:
Control the Hunger – The craving for flesh is a torment, but you must never succumb. Master your instincts, lest you become the very nightmare you fight.
Hunt the Wicked – If darkness is what you have become, then let it serve a purpose. Use your power to hunt creatures who prey upon the weak.
End the Cycle – The curse spreads like wildfire. You must seek to break it, to ensure that no more suffer the fate you bear.
Embrace the Horror – Fear is a weapon. If your monstrous form strikes terror into evil hearts, use it to your advantage.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Paladin Level
Spells
3rd
Cause Fear, Inflict Wounds
5th
Misty Step, Hold Person
9th
Contagion, Vampiric Touch
13th
Phantasmal Killer, Greater Invisibility
17th
Cloudkill, Enervation
Channel Divinity (3rd Level)
When you take this oath, you gain the following Channel Divinity options:
Hunger Unleashed: You tap into the monstrous force within you, letting your unnatural hunger fuel your abilities. As a bonus action, you can temporarily heighten your senses and agility for 1 minute. While active, you gain advantage on melee weapon attacks and gain temporary hit points equal to your paladin level.
Dreadful Presence: You exude an aura of primal horror, striking fear into the hearts of your foes. As an action, each creature of your choice within 30 feet that can see you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes frightened for 1 minute. It can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns.
Aura of Dread (7th Level)
Your unnatural presence warps the world around you. Creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened and cannot regain hit points while frightened.
At 18th level, the radius of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Undying Hunger (15th Level)
Your curse sustains you even on the brink of death. If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to immediately regain hit points equal to half your level. This ability can only be used once per long rest. Additionally, you no longer require food or drink to survive.
Monstrous Ascendant (20th Level)
At 20th level, you fully embrace the monstrous power within while retaining control. Using your action, you undergo a nightmarish transformation for 1 minute:
You gain resistance to all damage except radiant.
Your melee attacks deal extra necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Creatures frightened by you cannot take reactions and have disadvantage on attack rolls.
You can use Misty Step as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
Oath of the Cursed
Sworn by those who walk the line between monstrosity and righteousness, the Oath of the Cursed binds a paladin to the torment of their own hunger and the struggle to control it. These paladins wield the terror of their form to hunt greater evils, fighting against their own urges as they attempt to hold onto the last remnants of their humanity. Their path is one of discipline, sacrifice, and relentless pursuit of justice—no matter the cost.
Tenets of the Cursed
Paladins who take this oath must balance their monstrous curse with unbreakable conviction. Their tenets reflect this eternal conflict:
Control the Hunger – The craving for flesh is a torment, but you must never succumb. Master your instincts, lest you become the very nightmare you fight.
Hunt the Wicked – If darkness is what you have become, then let it serve a purpose. Use your power to hunt creatures who prey upon the weak.
End the Cycle – The curse spreads like wildfire. You must seek to break it, to ensure that no more suffer the fate you bear.
Embrace the Horror – Fear is a weapon. If your monstrous form strikes terror into evil hearts, use it to your advantage.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Channel Divinity (3rd Level)
When you take this oath, you gain the following Channel Divinity options:
Hunger Unleashed: You tap into the monstrous force within you, letting your unnatural hunger fuel your abilities. As a bonus action, you can temporarily heighten your senses and agility for 1 minute. While active, you gain advantage on melee weapon attacks and gain temporary hit points equal to your paladin level.
Dreadful Presence: You exude an aura of primal horror, striking fear into the hearts of your foes. As an action, each creature of your choice within 30 feet that can see you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes frightened for 1 minute. It can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns.
Aura of Dread (7th Level)
Your unnatural presence warps the world around you. Creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened and cannot regain hit points while frightened.
At 18th level, the radius of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Undying Hunger (15th Level)
Your curse sustains you even on the brink of death. If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to immediately regain hit points equal to half your level. This ability can only be used once per long rest. Additionally, you no longer require food or drink to survive.
Monstrous Ascendant (20th Level)
At 20th level, you fully embrace the monstrous power within while retaining control. Using your action, you undergo a nightmarish transformation for 1 minute:
You gain resistance to all damage except radiant.
Your melee attacks deal extra necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Creatures frightened by you cannot take reactions and have disadvantage on attack rolls.
You can use Misty Step as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.