Oath of the Ferryman

While many paladins are the focus of vengeance, devotion, or just by holy order, there are those who decide to take a path less tread. The Oath of the Ferryman takes the paladin class to a dark, but calmer side to being a warrior of the divine. The Ferryman has been depicted as many things in different cultures. From Charon in the Greek Mythology, Aken in the Egyptian Pantheon, or the Grim Reaper in generally accepted versions, this oath that paladins take is that of servitude to that of the dead. It's not a widely known oath as many gods of death in their respective pantheons would rather not make such an oath as it would interrupt their laws in guiding those to the afterlife. The Oath is often made the by the spirits for the spirits. It's a promise to those who are dead to help them move on, assist in their apprehensions, or make them atone for their past transgressions for hopes in moving on and obtaining the eternal rest they seek. 

 Oath Spells. 

You gain the following spells at the level specified.

Paladin Level	Spell
3rd	Armor of Agathys, Unseen Servant
5th	Misty Step, Pass without Trace
9th	Speak with Dead, Fly
13th	Charm Monster, Death Ward
17th	Dispel Evil and Good, Contact other Plane

Tenets of the Ferryman

The tenets of the Oath of the Ferryman are those of preservation and assistance to the passing. All who take the oath accept that they shall give each spirit the decency of an honorable passing to an eternal rest. 

Help the lost. You are a guiding light for the lost souls of the material plane. Giving them a path where there is none.

Neutrality through Nature. Without bias, you maintain the natural order of the cycle of death, allowing those who were troubled in their living years. All spirits deserve their rest no matter their past.

Preserve the wisdom. Spirits of the dead have untold wisdom. Tell their story so that their experiences can be preserved and passed on to the next generation. 

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

• Spiritual Wisdom. When you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you call upon the spirits to assist you for 1 hour. When you use this Channel Divinity, make a Charisma Check and add the corresponding die to the check:
  • 1 - 7: 1d4
  • 8 - 11: 1d6
  • 12 - 15: 1d8
  • 16 - 19: 1d10
  • 20+: 1d12
• Toll from beyond. When you present your holy symbol, you invoke those from the great beyond and a great bell is heard. Each creature you specify within 30 ft of you that can hear or see you must succeed on Charisma Saving throw. On a failure, those creatures are Frightened of you for 1 minute as they have witnessed their own mortality. If the check fails by 5 or more, they cannot willingly attack you or allies within 5 feet. 

Aura of the Ethereal

Starting at 7th level, you emit an aura that chills enemies to the bone. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.

Enemies that either start their turn or enter the aura has their speed reduced by 10ft. When an enemy first starts their turn within the aura, they must succeed on a charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 2d6 necrotic damage as the spirits within the aura sap the life force. 

At level 18, the range of the aura increases to 30ft.

Hymn of Being

Starting at level 15, when a creature successfully damages you with a melee attack, you may reduce the damage taken by your charisma modifier plus your proficiency bonus. The damage you reduce can then be given to another player as temporary hit points for the next 1 minute. 

Near-Death Experience

At level 20, you are able to prevent a creature from dying prematurely through the use of a spirit taking the killing blow instead. Whenever a creature you can see within 60ft was to drop to 0 hit points, they instead drop to 1 hit point. If the creature is already at 0 hit points, you can instead treat their next death save as a 20 on the die roll. Once you use this feature, you cannot so until you complete a long rest.