Oath of The Serpents

The Oath of The Serpents is sworn to the ancient beliefs of the old snake gods. Those who take on this oath seek to gain power through rituals and any manner of underhanded evil. The path of the snake is arduous, and it's more convenient to traverse it with trusted companions. Paladins who take this oath often adorn themselves with ribbons, bandages, and strings made of high quality material such as gold or silk to show off their wealth and power, and have armor adorned with snakes to represent their ideals.

Tenets of the Snakes:

 - Bite back:  A snake always strikes back. Destroy those who attempt to wrong you.

 - Lurk and Strike: Like a snake, you are not expected to fight fair. Strike at your prey's weaknesses, and watch as they fall to your overwhelming strength.

 - Cunning Constriction: The art of a skilled predator lies in calculated restraint, allowing your quarry to unwittingly approach their demise. Rather than pursuing your prey relentlessly, entice them into your grasp through strategic manipulation.

 - Protect your Den: A snake does not often make allies, but the ones you do make are now under your protection. Remember, do right by those who do right unto you.

Channel Divinity

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

Snake Bite - As a bonus action, you can use your Channel Divinity to imbue your strikes with venomous power. For 1 minute, you can force any creature you hit with your Divine Smite feature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is poisoned until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, the creature has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes against a creature that is not you before the end of its next turn. Creatures immune to the Poisoned condition automatically succeed.

Additionally, you can replace the radiant damage of your Divine Smite feature with poison damage instead.

Rattler's Threat - You can use your Channel Divinity to make your prey nervous at the chance of your strike. As a Reaction,  you can grant yourself a +10 bonus to a Charisma (intimidation) or a Wisdom (insight) check.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of the Serpents Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	ray of sickness, ensnaring strike(The target is ensnared by snakes instead of vines)
5th	ray of enfeeblement, pass without trace
9th	hypnotic pattern, stinking cloud
13th	blight, sickening radiance
17th	cloudkill, contagion

 You begin to take on the aspect of a snake. Choose your aspect from the Serpentine Aspect table or determine it randomly.

Serpentine Aspect
d6	Aspect
1	You grow retractable snake fangs and a forked tongue, although they do not have any venom, they are very pointy.
2	You grow snake-like scales on various parts of your body, such as your face, back, arms, and/or legs. You determine the color and shape of the scales.
3	Your eyes change color, and you now have slant pupils. In the dark, your eyes glow with very dim light.
4	Spectral snakes appear on your body whenever you aren't looking. You can hear them hiss from time to time.
5	Various small snake heads begin to grow out of your scalp. They are friendly to you and your friends, and lack any sort of venom that their species normally would have. You determine the species of snake.
6	You begin to grow a Snake-Like tail that grows in size the longer you have it. You can choose the type of snake tail you grow, and the size limit of the tail.

Aura of Predation

Beginning at 7th level, serpent magic has seeped its way into your soul, enhancing your predatorial instincts. You can choose two of the following skills of your choice: Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth, or Survival. You and any creature of your choice within 10 feet of you gain a bonus to the chosen skills equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1). You can replace your chosen skills with any of the the other skills presented at the end of each short or long rest.

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

Venemous Fangs

Starting at 15th level, venom courses throughout your body, improving your natural constitution. You are now resistant to poison damage, and have advantage against the poisoned condition.

Additionally, you can overexert yourself and release more venom than you would normally use. Whenever you deal poison damage to a creature, you can use your reaction and choose to expend a number of hit die equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1) and add it to one damage roll.

Great Serpent

At 20th level, as an Action, you can call upon your soul's wellspring of power to summon and control a writhing mound of spectral serpents. While in this state a Giant Spectral Snake appears from your back, and attacks your enemies for you.

For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:

• You radiate a poisonous aura that affects any creature of your choice within 30 ft. of you. Creatures affected by this aura lose their resistance to poison damage and creatures with immunity to poison have resistance instead.
• As a bonus action, you can command your Spectral Serpent to lunge and bite a creature within 30 ft. of you, dealing 4d6 + your Charisma modifier poison damage on hit and the creature is poisoned until the start of your next turn. If the creature is immune to the poisoned condition, they has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes against a creature that is not you before the end of its next turn. This attack uses your Spell Attack Modifier.
• You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.