Oath of Decay

The ever present march of time, the corrosion of life and all matter. Decay is the common manifestation, the only certainty in the entirety of existence. All things that be will one day convert to dust through the rigors of time. As man falls to the rigors of time so to do the very gods that make them. Nothing can last eternal in the presence of decay. Paladins that follow in the footsteps of the darkest emperor find themselves cloaked in auras of pure desolation, taking on the form of the ultimate end to all existence with the goal of introducing this force to anything that chooses to stand up against it.

"It matters not who you are or what manner of power you may possess. Before the power I wield, all beings are equal. Come. It is time that you too were reduced to naught but bones."

Tenets of Decay

The Tenets of the Oath of Decay are set by the deity of decay itself, speaking towards the importance that their work holds and to stand against the arrogance of those who think their immortality can protect them from his grasp.

All Things Turn to Dust Any creature claiming immortality must face my ire.

Even Gods will End While the various gods and pantheons play their important rolls none of them are above the hand of decay.

Respect the Balance You uphold the will of decay but you have no need to interfere in the balance of the world, simply uphold it. Kill only when you must.

Do Not Fear Your End Even you, the avatar of decay, will one day succumb to it. Do not fear your own passing and fight without regrets. 

Channel Divinity

You can use your channel divinity to surrender your body to the decay that fuels your magics. As an action you hold your weapon aloft and black miasma begins to radiate from it, streaking forth to cover your entire body. As it envelopes you your visage becomes that of a skeleton wreathed in the miasma, radiating it around yourself. This miasma surrounds your body in a 15 ft. radius. Any enemy that enters this miasma for the first time must make a constitution saving throw. On a failed save the creature takes 4d6 necrotic damage and gains one point of exhaustion. Creatures affected also have disadvantage in hitting enemies other than you while obscured by the miasma.

Aura of Senescence

Starting at 7th level, any space within 10 feet of the paladin becomes difficult terrain as the decay eats away at the very ground around their feet. Any nonmagical weapon that hits the paladin decays. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative −1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to −5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal that hits the paladin is destroyed after dealing damage.

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

Breath of Death

At 15th level, the god of decay allows you to release a torrent of miasma towards your foes to reduce them to skeletons. The breath releases in a 25 foot long cone. Any creature caught in it must make a constitution saving throw, taking 8d6+20 of necrotic damage on a failed save as well as a level of exhaustion, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The paladin can't do so again until they finished a long rest.

Grandest Decay

At 20th level, the paladin can assume the form of decay made manifest gaining the appearance of a colossal skeleton cloaked in a grand mist of miasma and a colossal, golden crown.

Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:

• Your sizer increases to Huge.
• All creatures within a 30 foot radius around you gain a level of exhaustion each turn they remain in your radius.
• You can use your Breath of Death ability three times before requiring a long rest.

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