Oath of Pestilence

The Oath of Pestilence holds a Paladin to spreading the decay and destruction of any and all living life. One who undertakes such an oath understands that all life must one day come to an end, and that they are their god's chosen to spread this truth. Planting their roots deep within society, most do not even know such a Paladin has infiltrated their society until the corruption reaches a fundamental level.

Plague Knights as they are sometimes called, these knights of filth embody corruption and degeneracy in every sense of the word; their armaments typically depict their gods greatest sin or an equally revolting act. Some are known to go so far to spread the disgust that they'll graft parts of their fallen enemies into them as some manner of sick trophy.


Tenets of Pestilence

Spread the Corruption - It is not enough to simply embody the rot that you speak of. You must act as a force of your god to spread their deathly aura to any and all you can reach.

Extinguish Light - So long as hope exists, your job is not done. You must travel as far as you can, and you must snuff out all light that dare shine across you. The most satisfying form of extinguishing overwhelming light is through perverting it against its original purpose.

Embody the Pox - Only through strife does life flourish. From rot you scar the world, from stench you make survival unbearable. And from pestilence life evolves.

Pervert the Mind - Rot the mind of even the very people around you, spread the pox of your god through the world and let it itch in their hearts.

 

Inner Rot

Due to the envenomed oath you've sworn, your knowledge of mixing poisons goes hand in hand with your ability to spread rot. 

You gain proficiency in alchemist tools, or one other tool set if you already have alchemist tools proficiency and may use your Charisma modifier for alchemist tools checks rather than intelligence.

Channel Divinity

You gain two Channel Divinity options:

False Smite - Once per turn when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you may expend a channel divinity charge and inflict 4d6 additional necrotic damage to that target. Inflicting damage this way requires you to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC, taking one fifth of your max hp on a failed save or one tenth on a successful save.

Additionally, a target struck by a false smite must make a Charisma saving throw or become envenomed. An envenomed target is wrought with soul poisoning and takes 1d10 additional poison damage at the start of their turn and may repeat the Charisma saving throw at the end of their turn, ending the effect on a success.

False Light - As a reaction when a target you can see within 60 feet of you is healed by a creature other than you by a spell or effect that only heals a singular creature, you may expend a channel divinity charge and corrupt the magics used to recover into a force of death. A target hit by this reaction is not healed, and additionally must succeed on a Charisma saving throw equal to your Paladin spell save DC or take necrotic damage equivalent to the damage healed.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of Pestilence Spells

Aura of Illness

Starting at 7th level, you constantly emanate an aura of rot and plague whilst not incapacitated. The aura extends 10 feet from yourself in every direction, but not through total cover.

If a hostile creature enters the aura for the first time or starts its turn there, rot spreads through their form. When a hostile creature within the aura that is normally immune or resistant to poison damage or disease enters or starts their turn in the aura, you may expend 15 points from your lay on hands pool to ignore that immunity or resistance for 1 minute. Your paladin spells inflicting the poisoned condition now lower immunity to the poisoned condition to resistance, or resistance into neutral while the creature targeted is within your aura. Immunity lowered to resistance by this aura can't be lowered further by other features.

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

 

Mastery of Rot

Starting at 15th level, your control over poison and disease has reached an apex against living creatures. Living creatures subject to paladin spells you cast inflicting the poisoned condition or disease have disadvantage on the saving throw.

Additionally, as a reaction to a poisoned target within your aura making an attack roll or a saving throw, you may subtract 2d4 from the rolled total. Upon using this reaction, you must make a Charisma saving throw against your Paladin spell save DC. Your max HP is reduced by 1/5th on a failed save or 1/10th on a successful one and this effect lasts until you finish a long rest or are targeted by a spell or effect that removes disease.

Finally, poisons applied to your weapons now use your paladin save DC rather than the listed one and you gain expertise on Alchemist tools checks. 

 

Avatar of Rot

At 20th level, you assume the form of an avatar of rot and decay. You become immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition, resistant to necrotic damage and add an additional damage die to your spells or abilities that inflict poison damage, the poisoned condition, disease or inflict necrotic damage.

As an action on your turn, you may release this rot outward into a thirty-foot cone. Any living creature caught within this cone must make a charisma saving throw against your spell save dc, taking 8d6 poison damage on a failed save. Plants always take the maximum amount of damage. A target that fails this save is subject to atrophy and subtracts 1d6 from their attack rolls and ability checks. On a successful save the target takes half as much and is not subject toward atrophy. This effect lasts until the target is targeted by a spell or effect that ends disease, when the target completes a long rest or when they succeed on the saving throw. Targets may repeat this saving throw at the end of their turns.

Once used this way, this ability may not be used until after a long rest or unless you expend 50 points from your lay on hands pool at once to recharge this ability.