Oath of the Gray

While Gray Paladin believed that the Universe did indeed have inherently Good and Evil sides, they recognized that these aspects could not be separated without negative consequences. If the Evil were to gain dominance, life would become self-destructive and be extinguished. However, if the Good quest for peace were allowed to come to pass, the galaxy would fall to lethargy, apathy, and eventually fade and die. Both Good and Evil were part of the Universe, and all aspects of the Universe had to be studied and respected.
Balance was central to a Gray Paladin's life, and without it, the Universe would fall to ruin. Thus, they acted as guardians of this balance, guided by their connection with the Universe. Gray Paladin ultimately believed that the end justified the means. The Gray Order generally encouraged mutually beneficial relations between civilizations and systems. However, if a situation arose that required a species, or even planet, to be manipulated or destroyed to re-balance the state of the galaxy, a way would be found to do so.

The Code
Flowing through all, there is balance
There is no peace without a passion to create
There is no passion without peace to guide
Knowledge fades without the strength to act
Power blinds without the serenity to see
There is freedom in life
There is purpose in death
The Universe is all things.

 

There is no peace without a passion to create/There is no passion without peace to guide
For a Gray Paladin, passion was an integral part of life. Without it, what was to stop one from simply meditating on the mysteries of the Universe until one's body atrophied? Yet, inner peace was needed to focus one's passions constructively and purposefully, rather than indiscriminate training, artifact hunting, or simple destruction with no ultimate goal. Passion without peace was simple madness. Peace without passion was apathy.

Knowledge fades without the strength to act/Power blinds without the serenity to see
Finding truth, promoting peace and understanding, these were noble pursuits, but without using the found truths to enact change or improvements in and around oneself, having the knowledge was meaningless. In the same way, power with no purpose beyond increasing itself held no greater meaning.

There is freedom in life/There is purpose in death
In order for life to exist, there must be chaos and order at an equal level. This principle guided the Gray Paladin's actions. Sometimes laws needed to be broken and sometimes chaos must be brought to order, however neither should be ended permanently. The push and pull between the two kept the galaxy alive, re-growing and changing and improving itself. Life is Change.

The Universe is all things.
Good and Evil, life and death, action and inaction and reaction, peace and war, the Universe encompassed all aspects. The Gray Paladin knew that to truly be guardians of Life, one could not choose. Life could not be denied its emotions, death had its place, and rejecting or focusing on a few aspects while ignoring others was simply denying reality and oneself. Becoming a complete being and guardian of the Universe demanded embracing it all.

Channel Divinity

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

Feel the Light. Immediately after you deal damage to a creature with your Divine Smite feature, you can use your Channel Divinity as a bonus action and distribute temporary hit points to creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you, which can include you. The total number of temporary hit points equals 2d8 + your level in this class, divided among the chosen creatures however you like.

Feel the Dark. As an action, the paladin channels the darkest emotions and focuses them into a burst of magical menace. Each creature of the paladin’s choice within 30 feet of the paladin must make a Wisdom saving throw if it can see the paladin. On a failed save, the target is frightened of the paladin for 1 minute. If a creature frightened by this effect ends its turn more than 30 feet away from the paladin, it can attempt another Wisdom saving throw to end the effect on it.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of the Gray Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	guiding bolt, inflict wounds
5th	enhance ability, darkness
9th	bestow curse, protection from energy
13th	compulsion, blight
17th	commune, contagion

Dark Aura

Starting at 7th level, the paladin, as well any fiends and undead within 10 feet of the paladin, gains a bonus to melee weapon damage rolls equal to the paladin’s Charisma modifier (minimum of +1). A creature can benefit from this feature from only one paladin at a time.

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

Balanced Resistance

At 15th level, the paladin gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.

Gray Master

At 20th level, you can assume the form of an angelic avenger. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:

• At the start of each of your turns, you regain 10 hit points.
• You emanate an aura of menace in a 30-foot radius. The first time any enemy creature enters the aura or starts its turn there during a battle, the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. Attack rolls against the frightened creature have advantage.

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