Oath of the Shield Maiden (Lost Lands)

Warrior women are not unknown in the Northlands, and certain regions such as Gatland, Estenfird, and Vastavikland produce a large number of them. Some of these warrior women spend only part of their youth as fulltime warriors and many an outlander is surprised to find that Halla, mother of five, is a demon with a sword. Then there are the Shield-maidens, sworn by mighty oaths to Wotan and Donar to stand between the many threats of the Northlands and the people they serve. They are living weapons that spend their days and nights honing themselves for battle, and woe be to any who face them across a shieldwall. To follow the road of a Shield-maiden is a hard choice to make, but once made, few ever go back on their oaths.

Tenants of the Shield-Maiden

Though the exact words spoken by Shield-maidens vary, some pledging specifically to uphold all Nine Virtues of Donar, the following are the major tenets they swear to abide by.

Courage. Your place is at the front of the shieldwall, in the face of horrid beasts, and in the dark places of the world.

Duty. You serve the people of the Northlands, not any one jarl or køenig, not any clan, nor to any spouse or children of your flesh. Teach the young, heal the sick, and bring the fury of the gods to those who threaten the innocent.

Fidelity. Your first loyalty is to your oath, the gods, and your people. Yours is not the path of hearth and home, yours is the roar of the spear-din and the crashing of the shieldwalls.

Honesty. Your mind’s-worth is your life; do not betray yourself by lying or cheating.

Honor. Integrity is the highest of virtues; do not disappoint those you have sworn to by acting in a discourteous manner, bragging, or belittling others.

The Nine Virtues of Donar

  The Nine Virtues are said to be aspects of Donar's very being that are demonstrated in his actions as he carries out the will of his father. They are regarded as character traits to strive for by most Northlanders, and feature heavily in the boasting and competitions of the Norsk and in the subject matter of songs and poems of the skalds. The complete list of Virtues are: courage, diligence, discipline;ine, hospitality, minds-worth (honor), perseverance, self-reliance, and truth.

  It should be noted that these Virtues are not meant to replicate or serve as a commentary on the Nine Noble Virtues of modern Heathenry. However, they are derived from the same Norse saga and Poetic Edda source materials, so there are necessarily many similarities.

Channel Divinity

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

Wotan’s Eye. As an action, you may imbue yourself and up to your Charisma modifier in creatures with the ability to see through darkness and deception. Affected creatures gain darkvision 60 feet, advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks, and others cannot gain advantage on attack rolls against them. The effects of this channel divinity last a number of minutes equal to your Wisdom modifier. You only have one functional eye while this channel divinity is in effect.

Donar’s Fury. As an action, you call down the wrath of the God of Thunder on your foes. A 15-foot-diameter burst of thunder and lightning appears within 100 feet of you. All creatures caught in this burst must make a Dexterity save or suffer 2d8 thunder and lightning damage, gain the deafened condition until the end of their next turn, and be knocked prone (half damage on a successful save). The damage increases to 3d8 at 10th level, and 4d8 at 15th level. 

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of the Spear Maiden Spells

Aura of Courage

Starting at 7th level, you and all creatures within 10 feet of you can’t be frightened while you are conscious.

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

Blessings of the Gods

At 15th level, a raven is sent from Wotan to serve as your companion. This works as the find familiar spell, but you may not dismiss it to gain a different familiar; it is always a raven.

Also at 15th level, Donar blesses you. Whenever you inflict lightning or thunder damage, you add your Charisma modifier to the damage.

 

Nimbus of the Storm

At 20th level, as an action you can emanate an aura of lighting. For one minute, lighting crackles around you, shedding bright light for 30 feet, and dim light for 30 feet beyond that. Enemies who start their turn within 10 feet of you suffer 10 lightning damage.

Furthermore, while the aura is active, you gain your Charisma modifier in temporary hit points at the start of your turn. 

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