Oath of Judgement

The Oath of Judgement binds the paladin to a dogmatic creed that gives them the positions of judge, jury, and executioner. Often dispatched as agents that mete out justice by whatever means they deem necessary, they do not fear taking the low road of deception and guile when the high road is incapable of achieving results. Although bound to serve a deity, these paladins are typically considered above typical rules and conventions of their faith in order to hold their peers to the standards of their deity. Often called inquisitors, these devout warriors answer to their own sense of righteousness, and to their deity alone.

Many paladins who swear this oath are servants to lawful-aligned deities of any moral standard, and are feared figures among their deity's enemies, as well as among their own clergy. These paladins never stay in one place, and move from place to place seeking out enemies of the faith, researching emerging threats, and uncovering apostasies among their own clergies.

 

Tenets of Faith

Tenets held by paladins of judgement are as varied as the number of oaths taken, though they all tend to believe that the ends justify the means. Their core principles are brutal, and simple.

Deliver Judgement. When confronted with enemies of my faith, I act without hesitation in finding them guilty, or not guilty.

Punish the Deserving. Should I judge someone guilty, harsh punishment must dealt swiftly and decisively.

Do What I Must. My own personal feelings and attachments cannot, and will not, hinder my ability to serve my deity.

Seek the Truth. The keys to combating enemies of my faith is understanding them, and extracting knowledge of them by any means at my disposal.

I am the Law. I must hold faith that my beliefs are the beliefs of my deity, and my actions are the will of my deity. I am their law incarnate.

Channel Divinity

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

Pass Judgement.  As a bonus action, you judge one creature within 30 feet guilty using your Channel Divinity. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, or become frightened. While frightened in this way, that creature is placed under one of the following effects of your choice for one minute:

   Execution. You gain advantage on attack rolls made against that creature, and can reroll any 1's rolled on damage dice.

   Interrogation. You have advantage on all Charisma checks made against the target, as well as any Wisdom (insight) checks.

   Imprisonment. The creature is bound by ethereal chains, and must make a Strength (athletics). The creature is restrained, and can make either a Dexterity (acrobatics) or Strength (athletics) check to break free. 

Hunt the Guilty. As an action, you declare one creature within 120 feet that you can see an enemy of your faith. While effected by this ability, you can always tell the direction of the creature, and their approximate distance from you. Additionally, they cannot benefit from invisibility in this, and you have advantage on any Wisdom (perception) and Intelligence (investigation) checks made to locate them. This effect lasts for 24 hours.

 

Tactics of Inquisition

Beginning at 3rd level when you select this Oath, you gain proficiency in both Insight and Stealth checks.

Judgement Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of Devotion Spells

Retributive Strikes

Starting at 7th level, you can channel your faith to ensure your ability to exact justice, any creatures that have taken damage from your divine smite have their speed halved until the end of their next turn, and they are unable to regain hitpoints during this time.

Unstoppable Pursuer

Beginning at 15th level, while a creature is under the effects of your Channel Divinity, you gain the ability to teleport to a space within 30 feet of them as an action as long as they are on the same plane of existence as you.

Instrument of Punishment

At 20th level, as an action, you can channel the will of your deity for 1 minute. Your eyes burn bright, and your body seems to shift in subtle ways to more closely resemble your deity. Whenever an enemy creature ends its turn within 30 feet of you, you can choose to teleport to an unoccupied space within five feet of it and make a single weapon attack. This does not use a reaction.

In addition, for the duration, you have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by any creature under the effects of your Channel Divinity.

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