The Oath of Decay is a vow to respect and honor death, the dead, and even the undead. Its paladins fight against those who would defy their own mortality as well as the reckless fools who spread death but don't honor it. They seek to command and corral undead to serve their true purpose rather than destroy them, embracing the truth and peaceful solace that unites all in death.

Paladins of decay aren't actual death knights, though they are often mistaken as such; while most of them are alive, many are undead as well, because virtuous undead that seek a greater purpose often take to the oath. Some who follow the oath revere the power of death knights, emulate them, and even attempt to become one. Others believe death knights have gone too far and must either submit to the proper order of undeath or be destroyed.

Oath of Decay Tenets

Despite their fearsome reputation as death knights, the paladins who swear the Oath of Decay are not mindless killing machines. Instead, they follow these dark tenets.

All Things End. Even that which seems divinely ever-lasting must come to an end eventually. Those who play at being eternal must be reminded of their mortality.

Death is the True Nature. As enchanting as life may be, a lie will always remain a lie. Unliving is the default state of existence, and undeath is the purest form of life. You may let the living linger in their dream for now, but never be afraid to show them their true nature.

Decay Before Death. Death in its proper form comes with a warning, a harbinger that signals the coming end. You must be the emissary of such decay.

Undead Must Be Controlled. Undead belong in a hierarchy, with living creatures commanding the top-most undead, and more powerful undead commanding the weaker, less capable ones. Undead that refuse this hierarchy must be made to submit or be destroyed.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Decay Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.

Oath of Decay Spells

Deathly Essence

Starting at 3rd level, your Divine Smite feature deals necrotic damage instead of radiant damage and ignores resistance to necrotic damage when targeting undead.

In addition, you can choose to have your paladin spells and features treat undead as either monstrosities or undead. You make this choice each time you affect an undead with a paladin spell or feature.

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how Channel Divinity works.

Control Undead. As an action, you can target one undead creature that you can see within 30 feet of you using your Channel Divinity. The target (or its controller, if it has one already) must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or else be forced to obey your commands for the next 24 hours, or until you use this Channel Divinity again. An undead whose challenge rating is greater than or equal to your level is immune to this effect.

Summon Phantom. As a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to conjure an undead spirit that manifests in an unoccupied space you can see within 15 feet of you. The spirit uses the statistics for a specter, except it has hit points equal to 10 + your paladin level, its bonus to hit with attacks is equal to your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus, and its attacks deal damage equal to 1d4 + half of your paladin level.

The phantom is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the phantom shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It is under your control, and it obeys your mental commands (no action required by you). If given no commands by you, it will defend you. The phantom disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or after 1 minute.

Aura of Animation

Starting at 7th level, when you create an undead using a necromancy spell, the creature's hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to your paladin level.

In addition, while you are conscious, you and other friendly living creatures within 10 feet of you have resistance to necrotic damage and advantage on death saving throws, and any undead you control which ends its turn within that range regains hit points equal to half your paladin level. This can't restore an undead to more than half of its maximum hit points.

Finally, each skeleton and zombie you create using animate dead also adds your proficiency bonus to its Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws and increases its walking speed by 10 feet, but it only gains these bonuses while it is within the range of this aura.

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

Decaying Smite

At 15th level, any weapon you hold becomes a conduit for the animating forces of undeath.

If you expend a spell slot to deal damage to a living creature with your Divine Smite feature and the attack kills the target, you can choose to animate the corpse with deathly magic as part of the attack. The corpse stands up immediately as a zombie with a number of hit points equal to your paladin level. It remains animate for 8 hours, after which time it collapses and turns to dust.

In combat, the zombie's turn comes immediately after yours. It is under your control, and it obeys your mental commands. If given no commands, it will defend you.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Necrolord

At 20th level, you gain access to the very power of death itself. As an action, you can transform into an avatar of undeath. For 1 minute or until you lose consciousness, you gain the following benefits:

• You count as undead instead of your normal types.
• Enemy creatures that end their turn within 30 feet of you take 10 necrotic damage.
• When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, if it isn't an undead or construct, it can't regain hit points until the end of your next turn.
• When an undead that you control within 30 feet of you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you can choose to prevent that creature from dying. If you do, it stays at 1 hit point, but it falls prone and is incapacitated until the end of its next turn.
• When you are reduced to 0 hit points, before you become unconscious, you can choose up to 10 undead under your control within 30 feet of you. Each target with a challenge rating lower than your proficiency bonus is destroyed and turned to dust. You instantly regain hit points equal to 1d12 + your Charisma modifier (minimum 1 hit point) for each undead destroyed in this way.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.