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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Feb 2016 : 01:48:38
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I always thought these paladins would be kind of a hoot to play, but they should be a bit different from your standard. Champions of Valor didn't quite get there with its 3.5E substitution levels (in my opinion), so here's my go at it for 5E.
Comments welcome.
Paladin Orders
The following two orders include a number of paladins and can be found in various parts of the Forgotten Realms.
Harmonious Order
The Harmonious Order is fairly old, and many famous stories told by bards actually stem from real quests performed by members of this order (though often exaggerated in the retellings over the years). These personable and, often, swaggering bards, clerics, fighters, and paladins of Milil guard the Lord of Song’s holy sites and pursue quests or do good works in his name. Bards and tuneservants (clerics of Milil) are encouraged to accompany members of the order on these romantic and glorious quests where they are inspired to create ballads based on their exploits. Most paladins of the Harmonious Order follow the Oath of the Romantic, although a few are followers of the Oath of Devotion.
Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose
The church of Sune has as small, but powerful knightly order of bards, fighters, and paladins who serve to defend things of beauty and guard temples and holy sites along with the clergy, and who, sometimes, pursue quests or do good works in Sune’s name to promote her faith. Similarly, drawing strength from their romances, they seek out and use the power of their love to destroy creatures that are particularly hideous in their evil. They are known for their charm, beauty, and incredible self-confidence. Members in this order are given to writing essays and songs of courtly love when not engaged in vital business and often adopt a beautiful individual to adore from afar whether that individual would by flattered by such attentions or not.
To become one of the Sisters or Brothers, a candidate stands vigil in a church of Sune all night. If the Lady Firehair appears to the candidate in a vision during the night or somehow shows her favor, the candidate is admitted to the order. Most of the Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose follow the Oath of the Romantic, though a few follow the Oath of Devotion or, particularly among elves and half-elves, the Oath of the Ancients.
Other Romantics
While Milil and Sun are by far the most popular deities among paladins who take up the oath of the romantic, there are other gods who sponsor such paladins, including Corellon Larethian, Lathander, and Lurue, as well as, less frequently, Berronar Truesilver, Deneir, Erevan Ilesere, Garl Glittergold, Hanali Celanil, Ilmater, Isis, Lliira, Selűne, Sharess, Torm, Tymora, and a few paladins of Arvoreen who are dedicated to protecting the faithful of Sheela Peryroyl.
Oath of the Romantic
There are few heroes as pure and romantic as paladins that follow the Oath of the Romantic. They are a charming aesthetes at heart, who seek to overcome the daily doldrums of life by traveling the land in search of truth, beauty, romance, and true love, defending innocence and love, and seeking adventure. Along the way they often steal the hearts of the young and lighten the spirits of the elderly. Their romantic outlook is such that they can always imagine a purer life just over the next ridge. Thus, most try to never stay in one place for long and instead wander, often from tournament to tournament dedicating their performance to an admirer or lover. These paladins also adventure to fulfill promises made to those with whom they’ve fallen in love, retrieve an item of beauty and love, or for some other romantic cause – including the simple romanticized notion of adventure. More often than not, these paladins take nothing too seriously but their quest for passion.
Tenants of the Romantic
The tenets of the Oath of the Romantic are found in abiding by one’s heart and soul. It encourages followers to experience the inherent conflicts the may arise between feeling and proper action, and gives guidance on the right course, by following four key tenets.
*Romanticism. Glorify in the truth of your emotions and individualism, follow your heart to your true destination, find rapture in new love and the tide o romance, exalt in the arts and aesthetics, and honor the beauty of nature .
*Courtly Love. Embrace the nobility and duality of true and courtly love—the erotic desire and spiritual attainments, the passion and discipline, the humbling and exalting, the human and transcendent .
*Gallantry. Always demonstrate your quality, through courtesy, refined merriment, and proper behavior .
*Chivalry. Believe in and defend the church, respect and defend the weak and those in love, do not recoil before the enemy, remain faithful to your pledged word, be generous and give largesse to all, and be champion of the good against evil .
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Oath of Love Spells
Paladin Level Spells
3rd Charm person, heroism
5th Enthrall, warding bond
9th Beacon of hope, remove curse
13th Aura of purity, compulsion
17th Dispel evil and good, geas
Channel Divinity
When you take the oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Love’s Guardian: You issue a challenge that compels other creatures to do battle with you rather than your ally. You select one allied creature within 10 feet of you. Any enemy creatures that you can see within 30 feet of you that targets your ally must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is drawn to you, compelled by your divine demand. For the duration, it can’t willingly move more than 30 feet away from you and the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you. This effects ends on the creature if you are incapacitated or die of if the creature is moved more than 30 feet away from you.
Turn the Unholy: As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring fiends and undead, using your Channel Divinity. Each fiend or undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage.
A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can us the Dodge action.
Poetic Charm
Your honeyed words can captivate others. At 7th level, you gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in Performance. In addition, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Persuasion.
Derring-Do
Displays of heroic courage are simply what you do. Starting at 7th level, you may add your Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus to all ability checks for one round, all saving throws (including death saving throws) for one round, Armor Class for one round, or a single damage roll. The bonus must be applied at the beginning of the round before any rolls are made.
You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Purity of Spirit
Your purity of purpose cannot be denied. Beginning at 15th level, you are always under the effects of a protection from evil and good spell.
Heroic Rapture
At 20th level, you are filled with the power of love, emboldening you to new heights of heroism. Using your action, you are surrounded by a palpable feeling of rapture. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:
• At the start of each turn, you gain 10 temporary hit points.
• You can treat all Strength and Constitution saves and checks as Charisma saves and checks and gain advantage on all Charisma saves and checks.
• You gain advantage on death saving throws.
• You can expend 5 hit points from your pool of Lay on Hands healing to end one of the following conditions affecting the target: charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, or stunned.
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Edited by - TomCosta on 08 Mar 2016 01:06:03
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Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3802 Posts |
Posted - 03 Mar 2016 : 15:18:32
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I really like this oath and the related rules. Thanks for sharing  |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 03 Mar 2016 : 16:20:05
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| Thanks. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11701 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2016 : 01:43:50
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Nice concept. On the Champion's Test channel divinity, maybe keep the core concept, but instead you target an individual within 10 feet of you, and anytime someone moves to attack said individual they must make a wisdom save or attack you. Thus, you set a person to protect (ostensibly your loved one).
The derring-do where you apply your charisma modifier to AC (only that one piece) you might want to tone that particular mechanic. Granted its only for a single round, but when the paladin holds them all for the major encounter it could turn the tide easily. Or you could leave it, but give some kind of cool down period between uses (no more than once every 3 rounds, etc...). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11701 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2016 : 01:44:59
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| btw, please understand, I only commented because I actually like what you did, and its worth taking the time to tweak. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2016 : 16:21:52
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| Thanks sleyvas. Keep the comments coming. I really appreciate them. I like the Champion's Test idea. And I hemmed and hawed a bit on the derring-do bonus to AC. Even with that, I'm not sure I'm where you're at yet, but let me give it more thought. |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2016 : 01:26:51
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So, here's the new channel divinity idea. What do you think?
Love’s Guardian: You issue a challenge that compels other creatures to do battle with you rather than your ally. You select one allied creature within 10 feet of you. Any enemy creatures that you can see within 30 feet of you that targets your ally must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is drawn to you, compelled by your divine demand. For the duration, it can’t willingly move more than 30 feet away from you and the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you. This effects ends on the creature if you are incapacitated or die of if the creature is moved more than 30 feet away from you.
Also, I think I'm going to keep derring-do the same for now. In looking at the ancient paladins' 7th level aura of warding, that grants the paladin and his allies resistance to damage to all spells. That's pretty awesome. Derring-do only affects the paladin, and while the romantic paladin also gets poetic charm at 7th level, I think aura of warding is arguably still better. That said, the other orders' 7th level abilities are arguably not as good as aura of warding, and that makes comparing them all a bit more challenging. |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2016 : 02:32:51
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| I also added a new paragraph on other gods that sponsor paladins who take up the oath. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11701 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2016 : 02:54:49
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I love the new channel divinity idea. Its exactly what I thought of when I started reading your idea.
Good point on the Aura of Warding compared to say Aura of Devotion or Relentless Avenger. I'd take that to mean that Aura of warding needs to be reworked for a similar power level. However, that being said, another way to modify the derring-do would be to make the armor bonus for the round a set bonus (just in case some paladin has say a 22+ charisma). It would just be another sentence like "the paladin also receives a +4 bonus to armor class for the round as well" or a higher bonus like +5 even... main thing would be to stop the guy that somehow finagled a 28 charisma from being unhittable. Anyway, not a total game breaker. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2016 : 16:10:07
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Thanks for the idea sleyvas. Glad you like it. I like it too.
I'll have to think a bit more on the AC thing. So I find hp to be more of the defining factor in 5e than AC. Hitting ACs is just not as hard as in earlier editions, 3E especially. Now even the big baddies only have ACs around 20. As far as the Cha thing, I still think most paladins are going to bump Strength first. I would. It's always there and increases your to hit and damage,among others. The oath of the romantic certainly gives Cha more love and makes ramping it up more attractive, but I still think that its secondary to Str, so I think it highly unlikely even a high level romantic paladin would have more than a 20 Cha and if they did, they'd do it at the expense of their Str. Maybe, I should limit the amount of times the ability can be used instead of linking it to Cha. Maybe it can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus or your level divided by 4 or something like that. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11701 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2016 : 23:12:23
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quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta
Thanks for the idea sleyvas. Glad you like it. I like it too.
I'll have to think a bit more on the AC thing. So I find hp to be more of the defining factor in 5e than AC. Hitting ACs is just not as hard as in earlier editions, 3E especially. Now even the big baddies only have ACs around 20. As far as the Cha thing, I still think most paladins are going to bump Strength first. I would. It's always there and increases your to hit and damage,among others. The oath of the romantic certainly gives Cha more love and makes ramping it up more attractive, but I still think that its secondary to Str, so I think it highly unlikely even a high level romantic paladin would have more than a 20 Cha and if they did, they'd do it at the expense of their Str. Maybe, I should limit the amount of times the ability can be used instead of linking it to Cha. Maybe it can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus or your level divided by 4 or something like that.
Hmmm, now that's a very good idea and a mechanic I haven't seen much use of.... thank you, that concept might prove useful in other things. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2016 : 01:04:56
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| Okay, so in thinking it through a bit more, I've come around. The other paladin abilities while always on, are defensive and/or reactive, while derring-do is more proactive and variable and thus, more powerful in its own way, so I'm limiting it to twice per short or long rest. I'm also tweaking poetic charm. Edits made in the first entry. |
Edited by - TomCosta on 08 Mar 2016 01:07:35 |
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5E Paladins of Sune and Milil
