Guardian of the Forest

Tenets of the Guardian of the Forest

Paladins who take this Oath bind themselves to the spirits of nature, forsaking some of their divine magic in exchange for primal power. They uphold the following tenets:

• Balance Above All – Life and death, predator and prey, darkness and light—nature thrives in balance, and I must uphold it.
• Guardianship, Not Dominion – I do not rule the forest; I am its shield and sword.
• The Pack Stands Together – Like wolves, we survive through unity and protect those who walk beside us.
• The Wild Endures – Civilizations may rise and fall, but the wild remains eternal.

Oath Spells

You gain access to the Guardian of the Forest spell list, focusing on mobility, spiritual guidance, and nature's wrath.

Oath of Redemption Spells

Channel Divinity

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

• Spirit’s Ward: As an action, you summon ethereal wolf spirits to protect allies within 10 feet. They gain resistance to non-magical damage for 1 minute.
• Predator’s Mark: As a bonus action, you can mark one creature within 30 feet. For 1 minute, you have advantage on attack rolls against it, and it cannot hide from you.

Level 7: Nature’s Call

You gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) and Wisdom (Survival) checks in natural terrain.
Additionally, your lay on hands feature is replaced with Spirit’s Embrace:

• You take damage equal to the amount of HP restored when healing an ally.
• If used on a beast or a spirit (such as a summoned creature), it heals double.

Spirit's Embrace

7th-level Guardian of the Forest feature (Replaces Lay on Hands)

As a Guardian of the Forest, your connection to the natural world deepens, allowing you to channel life essence through your own vitality.

When you use Lay on Hands, you take damage equal to the amount of hit points restored. This damage cannot be reduced or avoided.

• If the target is a beast or a spirit (such as a summoned creature or a fey spirit), the healing is doubled.
• You cannot use this feature if the damage taken would reduce you to 0 hit points.

Your bond with nature is a sacrifice, offering your own strength to sustain the wilds and its protectors.

Level 15: Ghastly Protection

You are partially bonded to the spirit world:

• You cannot be surprised while in natural terrain.
• Once per long rest, you may phase into the Ethereal Plane as a reaction to avoid an attack completely.
• If you die, your body dissolves into mist and your spirit lingers for 1 minute, able to communicate briefly with allies before passing on.

Elder Guardian

You become an avatar of the forest’s eternal will.
As an action, you undergo a spiritual transformation for 1 minute, gaining the following benefits:

• Spectral wolves appear around you, attacking enemies when you take damage (deal 1d10 radiant damage as a reaction).
• You gain advantage on all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks.
• You regenerate 10 HP at the start of each of your turns.

Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

The Elder Guardian is an ancient spirit, bound to the heart of the forest. It manifests as a towering, spectral figure of an immense wolf, woven from the essence of nature itself, with shimmering golden eyes and a presence that instills reverence and fear alike. Its role is to watch over the deepest parts of the wilderness, ensuring that the balance remains intact. It has no mortal body, existing in both the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane simultaneously.