The Oath of the Shadow’s Embrace is sworn by paladins who dedicate themselves to the Raven Queen, the enigmatic deity of death and fate. These paladins embrace the power of shadows and twilight, using darkness as a shield and a weapon to protect the innocent and guide the lost. They stand as guardians of the boundary between life and death, ensuring balance and honouring the natural passage of souls.

Paladins of this oath are sombre yet compassionate, tempering their justice with mercy and wielding the power of the Veil to shield allies and bring judgment to the wicked. With their steadfast devotion, they serve as the Raven Queen’s chosen heralds, ensuring that the threads of fate remain untangled and the sanctity of the Veil remains unbroken.

"Before the Raven Queen, I stand, once a child of shadows, now a herald of her will. Through her guidance, I have found purpose in the twilight. I vow to uphold these solemn promises. Under her watchful gaze, may my steps be silent, my heart be true, and my spirit be as steely as the shadows themselves. By the Raven Queen’s grace, I accept this path of redemption and service." — Lîda Thâldernin

Tenets of the Shadow’s Embrace

This oath's tenets reflect the Raven Queen's teachings and heralds' solemn duties.

1. Cloak of Shadows: I will wield darkness as my ally, a shield to protect the innocent and a veil to shroud those in need.
2. Whispers of the Forgotten: I will seek out the lost and forsaken, lending my ear to their plight and my hand to their salvation, as once was done for me.
3. Blade of Mercy: I will temper my strikes with compassion, meting out justice not from wrath, but to restore balance between light and dark.
4. Keeper of the Veil: I will honour the passage between life and death, guarding the barriers against those who would twist them for ill.

Channel Divinity

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

Shadow Veil: As an action, you can use your Channel Divinity to summon a cloak of magical shadow around yourself or an ally within 30 feet. For 1 minute, the target has advantage on Stealth checks and cannot be targeted by opportunity attacks. If the target is hidden, they remain hidden unless they attack or cast a spell.

Mercy's Judgment: As an action, you can mark a creature within 30 feet for the Raven Queen’s judgment. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw (DC = your spell save DC). On a failed save:

• For 1 minute, the next time you reduce the creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to stabilize them instead of killing them. If you do, the creature is charmed by you for 24 hours and will not act against you unless provoked.
• Additionally, if the creature dies while under this effect, you can utter a prayer to the Raven Queen to seal their passage. Doing so banishes their soul to the afterlife and prevents them from being resurrected except by a Wish spell.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of the Shadow's Embrace Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	protection from evil and good, pass without trace
5th	darkness, misty step
9th	silence, blink
13th	death ward, dimension door
17th	commune, mislead

Aura of Twilight

Starting at 7th level, you emanate an aura of protective twilight out to 10 feet. You and friendly creatures within the aura gain the following benefits:

• Gain resistance to necrotic and radiant damage.
• When a creature within the aura makes a Stealth check, it gains a bonus equal to your Dexterity modifier.

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

Keeper of Shadows

At 15th level, your mastery over shadow grants you additional power:

• You cannot be blinded, and you have darkvision out to 120 feet, even in magical darkness.
• You can use a bonus action to step between shadows. When you are in dim light or darkness, you can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space also in dim light or darkness.

Avatar of Death and Shadow

At 20th level, you become a vessel of death and shadow, embodying the Raven Queen’s will. As an action, you transform for 1 minute, gaining the following benefits:

• A shroud of shadows extends 30 feet around you. Allies in the shroud gain half cover, and enemies in the shroud have disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you.
• You gain resistance to all damage, and you heal for 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier at the start of each of your turns while in dim light or darkness.
• You can choose to deal necrotic or radiant damage with your weapon attacks, and they deal an additional 2d8 damage.

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