Paladin subclass options revolve around Oaths. Well and good. But an oath is a thing you do yourself. It is a promise you make, and thus do solemnly swear X, Y, and Z. Paladins also traditionally are divine classes. This raises a few questions in my mind that I'm struggling with.
How do they work, lore-wise, in 5e? Do they pledge their oaths to specific deities, and in exchange for keeping those oaths, the deities grant them spells? Does their own conviction drive them with such power they they are able to achieve magical effects? Does a deity's domain matter in regards to oaths, or can a deity of any domain back a paladin of any oath?
I generally favor the paladin as a player and I've always played it that all the power wielded by a paladin is granted by their deity via the oath. If the paladin breaks their oath, they can no longer draw on the power of the deity. It's similar to clerics but moderately different because the paladin has specific guidelines they have set for themself. If the paladin has pledged to serve their god without question, to protect the innocent, and uplift those in need, then they cannot turn a blind eye if someone in their party goes murderhobo. They would be compelled by their oath to intervene. If a paladin has sworn an oath of conquest, vowing to bring the wrath of their god upon the unbelievers and the unworthy, they may be the one doing the murderhobo stuff. This is also how I see paladins from my usual standpoint as a DM. So long as the paladin maintains their oath in a way the deity is okay with, they maintain their power.
So as a massive fan of the paladin and spending some time thinking up unique homebrew content with my friends here's my interpretation. A paladin and cleric gain their magic from the deity they follow, however why the deity finds this advantageous to do differs dramatically between them. Clerics aren't required to follow an oath or other specific agreement with their deity beyond following their teachings and using their power to spread the deity's influence. Deities gain power from the devotion of their followers which means that more followers = more power. Your average cleric is a pretty solid advertisement for a deity, "hey I help people and send out these clerics to help the needy, pray to me so I can do more of this." So deities give clerics power so they may attract more followers to them, but paladins are completely different. Paladins are defenders of the faith, they don't go out spreading the good word or converting people, they fight people that go against that deity's teachings and ideals. Clerics bring in new followers, Paladins rid the world of influences that would take away followers. So paladins must follow the oath they give because otherwise they serve no purpose. This is a really fun interpretation especially when we had paladins do some shifty stuff for their up and up god because it weeded out dissent.
If you go by the material in the Player's Handbook, a cleric is a deity's agent in the Material Plane, furthering the deity's influence and agenda. Deities invest power in devoted, trustworthy individuals and in return the cleric acts on the deity's behalf. It's in any deity's interest to have clerics, regardless of that deity's portfolio or agenda. Paladins are devoted to proactively fighting against evil and draw power from the strength of their convictions.
Obviously, there's some overlap between a paladin's quest for good and the interests of certain deities, and it wouldn't be strange for good deities to have paladins among the ranks of their followers, but devotion to a deity isn't required. You can rationalize the source of a Paladin's magic and divine energy however you like; it could be backed by a god, the good-aligned Outer Plane, the Positive Energy Plane or the inner light of a person's soul. Maybe the abstract concepts of goodness and justice are a cosmic force that people can tap into. Maybe there's some inherent divinity in nature that they tap into. You can use whatever metaphor or concept strikes your fancy or works well in your world.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Forum Infestation (TM)
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Paladin subclass options revolve around Oaths. Well and good. But an oath is a thing you do yourself. It is a promise you make, and thus do solemnly swear X, Y, and Z. Paladins also traditionally are divine classes. This raises a few questions in my mind that I'm struggling with.
How do they work, lore-wise, in 5e? Do they pledge their oaths to specific deities, and in exchange for keeping those oaths, the deities grant them spells? Does their own conviction drive them with such power they they are able to achieve magical effects? Does a deity's domain matter in regards to oaths, or can a deity of any domain back a paladin of any oath?
Ongoing Projects: The Mimic Book of Mimics :: SHARK WEEK
Completed Projects: The Trick-or-Treat Table
My Homebrews: Races :: Classes :: Spells :: Items :: Monsters
Option B; they draw power from the oath itself.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
I generally favor the paladin as a player and I've always played it that all the power wielded by a paladin is granted by their deity via the oath. If the paladin breaks their oath, they can no longer draw on the power of the deity. It's similar to clerics but moderately different because the paladin has specific guidelines they have set for themself. If the paladin has pledged to serve their god without question, to protect the innocent, and uplift those in need, then they cannot turn a blind eye if someone in their party goes murderhobo. They would be compelled by their oath to intervene. If a paladin has sworn an oath of conquest, vowing to bring the wrath of their god upon the unbelievers and the unworthy, they may be the one doing the murderhobo stuff. This is also how I see paladins from my usual standpoint as a DM. So long as the paladin maintains their oath in a way the deity is okay with, they maintain their power.
So as a massive fan of the paladin and spending some time thinking up unique homebrew content with my friends here's my interpretation. A paladin and cleric gain their magic from the deity they follow, however why the deity finds this advantageous to do differs dramatically between them. Clerics aren't required to follow an oath or other specific agreement with their deity beyond following their teachings and using their power to spread the deity's influence. Deities gain power from the devotion of their followers which means that more followers = more power. Your average cleric is a pretty solid advertisement for a deity, "hey I help people and send out these clerics to help the needy, pray to me so I can do more of this." So deities give clerics power so they may attract more followers to them, but paladins are completely different. Paladins are defenders of the faith, they don't go out spreading the good word or converting people, they fight people that go against that deity's teachings and ideals. Clerics bring in new followers, Paladins rid the world of influences that would take away followers. So paladins must follow the oath they give because otherwise they serve no purpose. This is a really fun interpretation especially when we had paladins do some shifty stuff for their up and up god because it weeded out dissent.
Evangelists vs Crusaders and Inquisitors. I like it.
Ongoing Projects: The Mimic Book of Mimics :: SHARK WEEK
Completed Projects: The Trick-or-Treat Table
My Homebrews: Races :: Classes :: Spells :: Items :: Monsters
If you go by the material in the Player's Handbook, a cleric is a deity's agent in the Material Plane, furthering the deity's influence and agenda. Deities invest power in devoted, trustworthy individuals and in return the cleric acts on the deity's behalf. It's in any deity's interest to have clerics, regardless of that deity's portfolio or agenda. Paladins are devoted to proactively fighting against evil and draw power from the strength of their convictions.
Obviously, there's some overlap between a paladin's quest for good and the interests of certain deities, and it wouldn't be strange for good deities to have paladins among the ranks of their followers, but devotion to a deity isn't required. You can rationalize the source of a Paladin's magic and divine energy however you like; it could be backed by a god, the good-aligned Outer Plane, the Positive Energy Plane or the inner light of a person's soul. Maybe the abstract concepts of goodness and justice are a cosmic force that people can tap into. Maybe there's some inherent divinity in nature that they tap into. You can use whatever metaphor or concept strikes your fancy or works well in your world.
The Forum Infestation (TM)