Oath of the Gottkaiser’s Light

Order of the Divine Heralds

Overview:
The Order of the Divine Heralds is a sacred brotherhood of Divine Warriors dedicated to the Gottkaiser, a revered deity of justice and purity. Tasked with purging the world of infernal influences, these warriors combine martial prowess with divine magic, wielding firearms and holy spells to combat the forces of darkness.

Beliefs and Ideals:
The Order believes that the Gottkaiser imbues them with holy power to cleanse the world of corruption. They see themselves as the light in the darkness, chosen to protect the innocent and uphold righteousness. Their motto, "In the Name of the Gottkaiser, We Purge the Unholy," echoes their unwavering commitment to their cause.

Structure:
The Order is organized into various ranks, with the Order of the Divine Heralds at the pinnacle, overseeing eight additional Orders that serve under them. Each of these subordinate Orders specializes in unique aspects of their divine mission:

1. Order of the Flame: Masters of pyrotechnic weaponry.
2. Order of the Shield: Experts in defensive tactics and protective spells, serving as the bulwark against evil.
3. Order of the Blade: Focused on close combat and melee weapon mastery, combining martial skill with divine grace.
4. Order of the Sky: Practitioners of aerial combat and agility, using light firearms.
5. Order of the Tides: Specialists in naval warfare, employing fluid tactics and adaptability in battle.
6. Order of the Stone: Stronghold warriors who use fortification techniques to protect the innocent.
7. Order of the Whisper: Stealthy operatives skilled in reconnaissance, utilizing subterfuge and deception to gather intelligence.
8. Order of the Stars: Navigators and scholars who seek knowledge of the divine and the cosmos, often guiding the other Orders.

The highest rank within the Order of the Divine Heralds, known as the Kaiserguard, leads these subordinate Orders and is entrusted with the most sacred missions. Beneath them are the Adeptus, seasoned warriors skilled in both combat and divine arts, and the Novices, initiates who undergo rigorous training to hone their skills.

Training and Skills:
Members of the Order of the Divine Heralds are trained from a young age in the use of firearms, combined with the ability to channel the holy power of the Gottkaiser. Their training includes:

- Gunsmithing and Marksmanship: Each warrior learns to craft and maintain their firearms, ensuring they are always ready for battle.
- Divine Invocation: Warriors are taught to invoke the Gottkaiser's power, enabling them to channel holy energy into their attacks, creating effects such as radiant bursts, protective wards, or healing energies.
- Tactical Warfare: The Order emphasizes strategy, teaching its members to outsmart and outmaneuver their foes, utilizing the terrain and their weapons to gain the upper hand.

Rituals and Ceremonies:
The Order of the Divine Heralds holds sacred rituals to honor the Gottkaiser and seek his guidance. These include:

- The Rite of Purity: A ceremony where members cleanse themselves of doubt and temptation, reaffirming their commitment to their divine mission.
- The Blessing of Arms: A blessing performed before battle, empowering their weapons with holy energy for greater effectiveness against infernal foes.
- The Vigil of the Fallen: A somber gathering to honor those who have sacrificed their lives in service of the Gottkaiser, reminding all members of the stakes of their mission.

Conclusion:
The Order of the Divine Heralds stands as a bastion of hope and righteousness in a world threatened by infernal forces. With their guns blazing and divine powers at their fingertips, they are relentless in their pursuit of justice, embodying the light of the Gottkaiser in every battle against darkness, supported by their specialized subordinate Orders.

Oath of the Gottkaiser’s Light Spells

The magic of your oath ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Paladin level specified in the Oath of Devotion Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.

Oath of Devotion Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3	Protection from Evil and Good, Shield of Faith
5	Aid, Zone of Truth
9	Beacon of Hope, Dispel Magic
13	Freedom of Movement, Guardian of Faith
17	Commune, Flame Strike

Sacred Blast

Sacred Blast
You can release a powerful burst of holy light from your firearm as a cone or line attack. Using your Channel Divinity, you fire a radiant blast in either a 15-foot cone or a 30-foot line. Creatures in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + Charisma Modifier + Proficiency Bonus) or take radiant damage equal to 2d10 + your Paladin level (half damage on a success). Fiends and undead hit by this blast have disadvantage on the saving throw and take an additional 1d10 radiant damage.

Divine Order Selection

At 3rd level, when you choose to follow the Order of the Divine Heralds, you must select one of the eight subordinate Orders. Each Order grants you additional features that enhance your abilities and combat style, allowing you to tailor your character to your preferred playstyle.

Available Orders:

1. Order of the Flame

   • Gain access to fire-based weapons. Like Flamethrowers and Molotov Cocktails.
   • You learn the Hellish Rebuke spell and can cast it without expending a spell slot once per long rest.

2. Order of the Shield

   • Specialize in defensive tactics, gaining the Gunner Feat and the ability to wield two-handed firearms with one hand, allowing you to draw and fire a firearm while wielding a shield.
   • As a bonus action, you can expend a spell slot to grant temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your Charisma modifier to yourself or an ally within 30 feet.

3. Order of the Blade

   • Focus on close combat techniques, gaining the Gunner Feat and the ability to wield two handed melee weapons with one hand, while wielding a firearm in the other.
   • You can make an additional attack with your one-handed firearm as a Bonus Action when you take the Attack action, reflecting the precision and speed you have honed through divine discipline.

4. Order of the Sky

   • Master aerial combat and mobility, allowing you to take advantage of height in battle.
   • You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and can use the Fly  spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest. You can glide while falling and you dont take fall damage. 

5. Order of Tides

   • Harness the power of naval warfare and fluid tactics.
   • You can use the Wather Breathing Spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest. You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

6. Order of Stone

   • Gain resilience and defensive capabilities, allowing you to fortify yourself and your allies.
   • You can use your action to summon a temporary shield made of solid stone. This shield grants you and any allies who stand behind it a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn. You create a 10-foot-long, 10-foot-high wall of stone that lasts until the start of your next turn. This wall can be placed anywhere within 30 feet of you.

7. Order of Whispers

   • Specialize in stealth and reconnaissance, gaining advantage on stealth checks.
   • You gain proficiency in Stealth and can cast the Pass Without Trace spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest.

8. Order of Stars

   • Seek knowledge of the cosmos, granting you the ability to accurately determine your position on any terrain, including unfamiliar or mystical locations. You can also identify the time of day based on the position of celestial bodies.
   • You learn the Guiding Bolt spell and can cast it without expending a spell slot once per long rest.

Order of Stars

• Order of Stars

  • Seek knowledge of the cosmos, granting you the ability to accurately determine your position on any terrain, including unfamiliar or mystical locations. You can also identify the time of day based on the position of celestial bodies.
  • You learn the Guiding Bolt spell and can cast it without expending a spell slot once per long rest.

Order of Stone

• Order of Stone

  • Gain resilience and defensive capabilities, allowing you to fortify yourself and your allies.
  • You can use your bonus action to summon a temporary shield made of solid stone. This shield grants you and any allies who stand behind it a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn. You create a 10-foot-long, 10-foot-high wall of stone that lasts until the start of your next turn. This wall can be placed anywhere within 60 feet of you.

Order of the Blade

• Order of the Blade

  • Focus on close combat techniques, gaining the Gunner Feat and the ability to wield two handed melee weapons with one hand, while wielding a firearm in the other.
  • You can make an additional attack with your one-handed firearm as a Bonus Action when you take the Attack action, reflecting the precision and speed you have honed through divine discipline.

Order of the Flame

• Order of the Flame

  • Gain access to fire-based weapons. Like Flamethrowers and Molotov Cocktails.
  • You learn the Hellish Rebuke spell and can cast it without expending a spell slot once per long rest.
  • You gain immunity to fire damage. 

Order of the Shield

• Order of the Shield

  • Specialize in defensive tactics, gaining the Gunner Feat and the ability to wield two-handed firearms with one hand, allowing you to draw and fire a firearm while wielding a shield.
  • As a bonus action, you can expend a spell slot to grant temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your Charisma modifier to yourself or an ally within 30 feet.

Order of the Sky

• Order of the Sky

  • Master aerial combat and mobility, allowing you to take advantage of height in battle.
  • You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and can use the Fly  spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest. You can glide while falling and you dont take fall damage. 

 

Order of the Tides

• Order of the Tides

  • Harness the power of naval warfare and fluid tactics.
  • You can use the Wather Breathing Spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest. You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Order of Whispers

• Order of Whispers

  • Specialize in stealth and reconnaissance, gaining advantage on stealth checks.
  • You gain proficiency in Stealth and you can cast the Pass Without Trace spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest.

Gunsmith

Firearm Proficiency

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with firearms, allowing you to add your proficiency bonus to attacks made with firearms.

This subclass integrates Matt Mercer’s Firearm Rules and enhances them with unique properties tailored to the divine nature of the Heralds.

Gunsmith

Upon choosing this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Tinker’s Tools. You may use them to craft ammunition at half the cost, repair damaged firearms, or even draft and create new ones (DM’s discretion). Some extremely experimental and intricate firearms are only available through crafting.

Firearm Properties

Firearms are a new and volatile technology, and as such bring their own unique set of weapon properties. Some properties are followed by a number, and this number signifies an element of that property (outlined below). These properties replace the optional ones presented in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Firearms are ranged weapons.

Reload. The weapon can be fired a number of times equal to its Reload score before you must spend 1 attack or 1 action to reload. You must have one free hand to reload a firearm.

Misfire. Whenever you make an attack roll with a firearm, and the dice roll is equal to or lower than the weapon’s Misfire score, the weapon misfires. The attack misses, and the weapon cannot be used again until you spend an action to try and repair it. To repair your firearm, you must make a successful Tinker’s Tools check (DC equal to 8 + misfire score). If your check fails, the weapon is broken and must be mended out of combat at a quarter of the cost of the firearm. Creatures who use a firearm without being proficient increase the weapon’s misfire score by 1.

Explosive. Upon a hit, everything within 5 ft of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier) or suffer 1d8 fire damage. If the weapon misses, the ammunition fails to detonate, or bounces away harmlessly before doing so.

Burst Property (Full-Automatic Weapons)

Ammunition

All firearms require ammunition to make an attack, and due to their rare nature, ammunition may be near impossible to find or purchase. However, if materials are gathered, you can craft ammunition yourself using your Tinker’s Tools at half the cost. Each firearm uses its own unique ammunition and is generally sold or crafted in batches listed below next to the price.

Firearms

Gunslinger’s Smite

At 3rd level, the Order of the Divine Heralds gains the ability to channel their divine power into their firearms, allowing them to utilize smite spells with ranged attacks. This feature reflects the order's unique combat style, blending divine magic with gunplay.

Aura of Unyielding Faith

Bolstered Resolve: Allies within the aura gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) at the start of their turns. This reflects the divine protection instilled by the Gottkaiser’s presence.

Smite of Divine Guidance

Your magical smite now imbues your allies with a protective ward of divine energy. Whenever you use your Divine Smite, you can activate the following effect.

Divine Ward: The radiant energy creates a protective field around you and your allies, granting them advantage on the next saving throw they make against a spell or harmful effect before the start of your next turn. This reflects the guiding influence of the Gottkaiser as they protect their followers.

Gottkaiser’s Radiance

As a Bonus Action, you can channel the divine might of the Gottkaiser into your Aura of Protection, enhancing its effects for 10 minutes or until you choose to end it (no action required). Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest. You can also restore your use of this feature by expending a spell slot of 5th level or higher (no action required).

Divine Might: While this feature is active, you gain the following benefits:

1. Heavenly Shield: You and allies within your aura gain a +2 bonus to AC and saving throws against spells and magical effects, reflecting the protective grace of the Gottkaiser.

2. Wrath of the Divine: Whenever a hostile creature starts its turn within your aura, they take radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier plus your proficiency bonus. This divine retribution serves as a warning to those who would challenge the power of the Gottkaiser.

3. Holy Light: The aura is filled with bright light that acts as sunlight, dispelling magical darkness and illuminating the area around you. Additionally, any creature within the aura that is resistant to radiant damage loses that resistance while within its confines, feeling the full power of the Gottkaiser’s presence.