Oath of Malevolence

Tenets of Malevolence:

1. Self-Preservation: You prioritize your own survival and growth above all else. You are ruthless and cunning, always seeking opportunities to further your own power and influence.
2. Dominion of the Undying: Embrace the powers of undeath and assert dominance over life. Strive to become immortal, and view life and death as tools to be wielded.
3. Subjugation of Weakness: Weakness is a liability. Encourage the spread of fear and enforce your will upon those who stand in your way. Crush any who dare oppose you.

Oath of Malevolence

The Oath of Malevolence is a path embraced by dark-hearted paladins who forsake notions of honor and righteousness in favor of personal gain and the pursuit of undeath. These malevolent warriors harness the powers of darkness and undeath, wielding them with a sinister intent that seeks domination and subjugation.

Theme: The Oath of Malevolence delves into the darker aspects of the Paladin class, focusing on themes of self-preservation, undeath, and the pursuit of power. It contrasts the traditional ideals of righteousness and protection with a more self-serving and malevolent mindset.

Roleplaying: Paladins who follow the Oath of Malevolence are often complex and morally ambiguous characters. They prioritize their own survival and personal interests above all else, often exhibiting a ruthless and cunning nature. These paladins view themselves as superior beings, striving for dominance and control over others. They have little regard for the concepts of mercy or compassion, instead relishing in the subjugation of weakness and the spread of fear.

Abilities: The Oath of Malevolence grants paladins the ability to harness necrotic energy, take damage to deal more damage, and embody undeath in various ways. They gain defensive features that enhance their endurance and resistance to necrotic and poison damage. As they progress, they tap into temporary wellsprings of power, gaining temporary hit points and converting damage into radiant energy. At their peak, they can assume an avatar of malevolence, becoming nearly invulnerable and absorbing the souls of defeated enemies to fuel their own strength.

Alignment: The Oath of Malevolence is inherently aligned with evil, as it promotes selfishness, dominance, and the exploitation of weakness. Characters who follow this path typically lean towards chaotic evil or lawful evil alignments, though variations can exist depending on individual interpretations.

Campaign Fit: The Oath of Malevolence is best suited for campaigns with darker themes, where moral ambiguity and internal conflicts can take center stage. It can work well in campaigns focused on political intrigue, personal quests for power, or exploring the consequences of embracing evil. As with any homebrew content, it's important to discuss the inclusion of the Oath of Malevolence with the Dungeon Master and fellow players to ensure it aligns with the overall tone and direction of the campaign.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

PALADIN LEVEL	SPELLS
3rd	Bestow Curse, Siphon Vitality (Homebrew)
5th	Searing Smite, Ray of Enfeeblement
9th	Vampiric Touch, Fear, Malevolent Undeath (Homebrew)
13th	Blight, Death Ward, Dreadful Visage (Homebrew)
17th	Circle of Death, Negative Energy Flood

Malevolent Aura

3rd Level - Malevolent Aura: You exude an aura that strikes fear into the hearts of your enemies. When you activate your Divine Smite feature, you can choose to take half of the damage dealt as necrotic damage to yourself. Additionally, creatures within 10 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, they become frightened of you until the end of their next turn.

Malevolent Endurance

7th Level - Malevolent Endurance: Your connection to undeath grants you greater resilience in the face of adversity. You gain the following benefits:

1. Undying Fortitude: You gain resistance to necrotic and poison damage. Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against the poisoned condition.

2. Spectral Shield: As a reaction when you are hit by an attack, you can summon a spectral shield to protect yourself. The attack's damage is reduced by 1d10 + your Charisma modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain expended uses after a long rest.

Lich's Endurance

15th Level - Lich's Endurance: You gain the ability to tap into the wellspring of undeath within you, pushing your physical form to its limits. As a bonus action, you can enter a state of Lich's Endurance for 1 minute. During this time, you gain the following benefits:

1. Undying Resilience: Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your Paladin level + your Charisma modifier. Additionally, while in this state, you have resistance to all damage except radiant and necrotic damage.

2. Necrotic Retribution: Whenever you take necrotic damage, you can use your reaction to release a burst of necrotic energy. Each creature of your choice within 10 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes necrotic damage equal to half the amount of damage you took. On a successful save, the damage is halved. This damage ignores resistance and immunity to necrotic damage.

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

Malevolent Ascendance

20th Level - Malevolent Ascendance: As an action, you can transform into an avatar of malevolence for 1 minute. During this time, you gain the following benefits:

• Your Strength and Charisma scores increase by 4, to a maximum of 24.
• You have resistance to all damage types except radiant damage.
• Once during this form, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to absorb its soul. Doing so grants you temporary hit points equal to the creature's hit point maximum. Additionally, you gain advantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks until the end of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you complete a short rest.