Paladin 101: Oath of the Open Sea

Tags Paladin 101 author-davyd-atkins

If you crave nothing more than a ship deck beneath your feet and sails flapping above your head, then the Oath of the Open Sea paladin might be for you. Made by Critical Role's Matt Mercer, this homebrew paladin subclass focuses on freedom, exploration, adaptability, and a trust in the wisdom of the waves. Although the subclass excels in seafaring campaigns, it is just as at home on dry land, bringing the fury of the ocean inland.

Subclass update

The Oath of the Open Sea subclass saw an update in February 2022. The subclass now offers two new oath spells, freedom of the waves and freedom of the winds. You'll also find text has been updated for clarify. If you have an older character that uses this subclass, double-check its build as things may have changed.

Oath of the Open Sea paladin features

At its core, the Oath of the Open Sea is a mobility-focused paladin subclass, enabling themselves and their allies to move freely around the battlefield while slowing and stymying their foes. Its oath spells include appropriately nautical-themed spells, as well as ones that augment movement, while its Channel Divinity features obscure and protect allies and drive back enemies. If you want to be a paladin that controls the battlefield like the moon controls the tides, then the Oath of the Open Sea is the way to go.

  • Oath Spells (3rd level): The Oath of the Open Sea’s spell list covers three themes: mobility, the power of water, and the wisdom of nature. Spells such as expeditious retreat and misty step help you maneuver around the battlefield more easily, while options like augury and commune with nature allow a paladin to gather insights and information. Finally, there are devastating offensive spells, including call lightning and two new Critical Role spells, freedom of the waves and freedom of the winds.
  • Channel Divinity (3rd level): The Oath of the Open Sea gains two channel divinity options, Marine Layer and Fury of the Tides. Marine Layer heavily obscures the area around you, though you and creatures within 5 feet of you only treat the area as lightly obscured. Fury of the Tides augments the strength of your attacks and allows you to push back enemies, potentially inflicting damage if the creature is pushed into an obstacle.
  • Aura of Liberation (7th level): This subclass feature makes you and your allies immune to being grappled or restrained. It also removes the movement and attack penalties for being underwater.
  • Stormy Waters (15th level): In keeping with the oath's theme of movement and positioning, Stormy Waters allows you to punish enemies for either entering or leaving your reach.
  • Mythic Swashbuckler (20th level): The capstone feature of the Oath of the Open Sea allows you to become the embodiment of heroic sea captains for 1 minute. You gain a climbing speed, advantage on Athletics checks made using Strength, advantage on attack rolls when fighting one-on-one, and advantage on Dexterity checks and saving throws against effects you can see. 

Pros

One of the greatest strengths of the Oath of the Open Sea is how well it functions as a mobility-based paladin. You’ll be able to move around the battlefield with ease, on top of slowing down enemies. Wreath your party in your Marine Layer and they’ll be harder to hit and protected from any effect that requires enemies to see them—but not hindered to the same degree.

The second big plus to the subclass is the unique thematic direction it takes the paladin class in. Sharing thematic beats with the Oath of the Ancients paladin, this subclass has a strong identity. If you want to play a freedom-focused paladin and focus more on the chaotic side of the class rather than the typical lawful stereotype, Oath of the Open Sea is an excellent choice. You can embrace the likes of Jack Sparrow and Han Solo, chaotic good leaders and captains who value freedom above all else.

Cons

A seafaring-based subclass for any class is going to be niche and may feel out of place in some campaigns. Despite its mechanical strengths, the Swashbuckler rogue is an example of this. It should be noted that this is by design for the Oath of the Open Sea subclass; it was crafted for a specific player and their character's backstory. As such, discuss with your Dungeon Master if this subclass would be a good fit in their campaign.

The second, less obvious weakness of the subclass is the focus it places on mobility. That theme can clash with the core paladin identity and some of its mechanics. The paladin is often seen as a tank-style class, able to stand as a bulwark between the party and their enemies. Constantly moving around the battlefield can be at odds with this, meaning you have two conflicting stratagems: the agile striker and the stoic defender. If you’re not trying to fill the role of party tank, and are free to dash around the melee, the Oath of the Open Sea works excellently. Just know that the moment you start standing still and taking your lumps, you’re passing up some of the subclass' core strengths.

Building an Oath of the Open Sea paladin

Paladin artwork from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Ability scores

Choose Charisma as your primary ability score. This feeds into the number of spells you can prepare per day, your saving throw DCs, and various other class abilities. Although Dexterity might seem like a natural choice for such a mobility-focused subclass, I’m going to recommend the stalwart paladin choice of Strength as your secondary ability score. Make Constitution your third-best score and then set your remaining ability scores as you see fit.

Races

Assuming the use of the origin customization rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, these suggestions are going to focus on synergizing with the Oath of the Open Sea's strengths, as well as its narrative themes. As such, races with bonuses to speed or underwater-based traits are obvious choices.

  • Triton artworkTriton: As sea-dwelling folk, tritons are a natural choice for a seafaring subclass. Their racial spells will augment your already solid spell list, and their Emissary of the Sea and Guardians of the Depths traits mean that you don’t have to worry about being swept overboard in uncharted waters.
  • Tabaxi: You may be asking why on earth I'd recommend a cat-like race for a water-based subclass—cats hate water! That may be true, but if tabaxi do one thing better than any other race, it’s go fast! Their Feline Agility trait allows an Oath of the Open Sea paladin to move around the deck in the blink of an eye.
  • Sea elf: Another water-dwelling race, the sea-elf is much like the triton and a strong thematic match for the Oath of the Open Sea.
  • Swiftstride shifter: Swiftstride shifters are the fastest of the shifter subraces and fill a similar niche to tabaxi. Also, their ability to move as a reaction can work well as an Oath of the Open Sea; you may want to reposition when an enemy approaches rather than attack.
A note on unarmed smites

It's important to note that while you can’t smite using unarmed strikes per the rules, some races such as the tabaxi have natural weapons which they can use in place of an unarmed strike. As these are classed as weapons, you can smite with them.

It’s also been noted by the designers that paladins needing to smite with a weapon is a purely thematic decision, and allowing unarmed smites shouldn’t break the game. So, if you want your enemies to be smote with your fists, speak to your DM about it.

Feats

Focus on movement-based feats. Mobile is an obvious choice as the subclass leverages its movement well and we want feats to complement that. A secondary consideration is Marine Layer, as this ability opens up some interesting options in regards to visibility.

  • Athlete: This feat boosts your agility significantly, as well as providing a +1 to your Strength or Dexterity. In narrow spaces such as a ship's mast and rigging, don’t underestimate the reduced distance needed to make a full long jump.
  • Charger: As an Oath of the Open Sea paladin, you’re likely to be rushing to and from enemies, so being able to Dash and then attack makes Charger very useful. Combine that with the ability to shove an enemy you’ve charged and this feat boosts the subclass' already significant ability to control the fight.
  • Mobile: This is an obvious feat choice. You get a speed boost, ignore difficult terrain when dashing, and get what is effectively a free Disengage if you make an attack. A good feat in many situations, it meshes well with Oath of the Open Sea.

Spells

Paladins don’t get spellcasting until 2nd level, so you don’t have to worry about spells right away. But it does help to plan ahead. Paladins prepare their spells daily from their full list of spells, so you always have options, for which you may want to consider the following:

  • Compelled duel: This spell allows you to better control combat by forcing enemies to target you rather than your allies. Use the subclass' mobility to keep moving and they may never get the chance to strike.
  • Thunderous smite: This thematically appropriate smite spell lets you bring down the wrath of the storms on your enemies.
  • Revivify: Having a resurrection spell in your back pocket is almost always a good idea.
  • Crusader's mantle and aura of vitality: When you activate your Marine Layer Channel Divinity, your allies are likely to pull in close. Cast one of these auras for more value.

Oath of the Open Sea paladin sample build

For my build of an Oath of the Open Sea paladin, I chose the tabaxi race and paired their fast movement with the Mobile feat. Focusing on their Charisma first and then their Strength, I’ve chosen the Dueling fighting style for extra damage with their scimitar while keeping a shield equipped for the extra AC.

What course will you chart with the Oath of the Open Sea?

The Oath of the Open Sea departs from a lot of paladin conventions, not only in terms of its theme but also its mechanics. If you’re setting sail on a seafaring adventure—or just one where the wettest you'll get is the odd puddle—the Oath of the Open Sea can prove to be a fun departure from your typical paladin.

To swear your oath to surf and sea, chart a course to the D&D Beyond character builder. Once moored up there, enable "Critical Role Content" on the "Home" tab, then make a 3rd-level paladin. From there, you’ll be able to select Oath of the Open Sea as your paladin subclass. May the wind be at your back, your cutlass sharp, and your compass as true as your oath!

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Davyd is a moderator for D&D Beyond. A Dungeon Master of over fifteen years, he enjoys Marvel movies, writing, and of course running D&D for his friends and family, including partner Steph and his daughter Willow (well, one day). They live with their two cats Asker and Khatleesi in the south of England.

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