Oath of Benevolence

Oath of Benevolence paladins are never formally initiated to this sect, almost always they are instead forged at the anvil of ruthlessness and suffering. Woe to any humanoid who finds themselves in the muck of tyranny, yet it is always those who become a paladin of this oath who breaks free, not before liberating those under them first. Seldom do you find them parading their might, as they find that the easiest way to help those truly in need is not to boast, but quietly to listen.

Commonly many of these paladins do not belong to an organization, making use of their agency to bypass jurisdiction lines to provide aid to those who may be wounded in areas that other paladins may scoff at being morally grey. Paladins of this order see nothing else than the sanctity of the innate value of life, going out of their way to bring hope especially in complicated circumstances. At the height of their power, these paladins may symbiotically involve themselves with some good-aligned gods, deities, or powers to avail themselves of divinity to steadily march against the forces of darkness.

TENETS OF BENEVOLENCE

Unspoken yet deeply understood, the tenets of the oath of benevolence mark the foundation of the paladin's altruism.

Comprehension. You shall always wait first to understand. No judgement shall be placed, no aid shall be bestowed until the form fits the shape.

Conciliation. You shall stand as the commander of peace between two sides. Tragedy leaves no victors, only the defeated. Defeat breeds malcontent, malcontent must be purified in the scope of imposed.

Inspiration. There is only one way to walk forward through the muck of darkness. That with a guiding hand outstretched behind you.

Patience. You shall sympathize with those who live without darkness. Misdeeds do not demand damnation. Understand most all can be redeemed.

Responsibility. You shall stand strong. You shall stay awake. You shall push yourself to the extreme if it means any good could proliferate.

Oath Spells

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

Oath of Benevolence Spells

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.

Defender of the Meek. You can use your Channel Divinity to protect those susceptible to harm. As a bonus action you can grant a creature other than yourself a bonus to AC equal to your proficiency bonus for the next 10 minutes.

Incite the Reverent. You can use your Channel Divinity to utter forceful words that spark action in those around you. As an action, you present your paladin focus, and all allies, or non-aggressive creatures, within 30 ft. may use their reaction immediately to move up to their speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Aura of Hope

Starting at 7th level, you consistently inspire optimism, and you emanate a benign aura while you’re not incapacitated. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.

You and all friendly creatures within range receive bonus hit points equal to half your paladin level whenever targeted with healing.

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

Benediction

Starting at 15th level, the quality of your protection of others rises to that of being revitalizing. Whenever you heal another creature, you may also grant that creature the effects of the death ward spell. You may use this feature once per long rest.

Avatar of Mercy

At 20th level, your silhouette sparks confidence in the hearts of your allies, and defeat in the minds of your enemies. As an action, you may magically become an avatar of mercy, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

• Whenever you heal a target, you may grant them temporary hit points equal to your paladin class level, as well as all other allies within 10 ft. of the target. Creatures that retain the temporary hit points are immune to effects that would cause them to the blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, or stunned.
• Whenever you damage a creature with your divine smite, that target and all other creatures you choose within 10 ft. of the target must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma bonus) or receive the frightened condition. When you impart this condition, you may instead choose an ally for the creatures to be frightened of.

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