Paladin Oath – Oath of the Fairies

Hello, everyone! This week’s Paladin Oath is ready for all your Fey-themed adventures (and Beyond, as a new book from Wizards of the Coast next week implies!) Also included in this update is the Feyborn background, offering you ways to give even your non-paladin characters some ties to the Feywild as well.

Paladin Sacred Oath

Oath of the Fairies

A paladin swearing the Oath of the Fairies binds themselves to an Archfey, a powerful creature who scoffs at the powers traditionally worshipped by mortal races. Though similar in terms of sheer magical ability, the Fey derive their power from a mixture of the arcane and raw emotion. The Archfey can be seen as unpredictable or temperamental, but a paladin sworn to their service typically feels a kindred spirit between them, and often sees logic where others see chaos (though others may perceive the paladin themselves as chaotic as well).

It may feel like a contradiction for a paladin to swear an oath to an Archfey – an emotional, often irrational entity seems like the last source of power for a binding magical oath. However, Archfey may find the notion of a vow of service to be a novelty or a resource otherwise unavailable to them, and an open-minded paladin may find that they have a lot to learn from an Archfey.

Tenets of the Fairies

Freedom. Above all else, don’t allow anyone to force you or anyone else into making a decision unwillingly.

Creativity. A new solution to an old problem can be much more valuable than a predictable one.

Flexibility. When a method to solve a problem isn’t working, finding a new solution quickly is key.

Oath Spells

In addition to the spells granted by your class, you always have the following spells prepared. If they are not already on the paladin spell list, they are considered to be paladin spells for you.

Channel Divinity

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

Dream Song. You can use your Channel Divinity to recite a poem woven with Fey magic. As a bonus action, you can cause your words to invoke certain phrases from Fey poetry. For the next 10 minutes, whenever you attempt a Charisma(Persuasion) check, you may instead use a Charisma(Performance) check with a +10 bonus. This Channel Divinity effect does not affect creatures wearing metal equipment.

Slumbering Strike. You can use your Channel Divinity to infuse your attacks with ancient Fey words which can sap a creature’s vitality. When you hit with a melee weapon attack, you may use your Channel Divinity to utter a brief couplet of Fey poetry to the creature you attacked. The creature must make a Wisdom save whose DC is equal to your spell save DC. On a failure, the creature falls unconscious for 10 minutes, or until the creature takes damage or someone uses an action to shake or slap them awake. If the creature fails this save by 10 or more, it also takes a level of exhaustion. This Channel Divinity effect does not affect creatures wearing metal equipment.

Aura of Agility

Beginning at 7th level, the free spirit entwined into the magic of your paladin’s oath begins to affect not only yourself but your allies as well. You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you increase your speed by 15 feet. Additionally, you and all friendly creatures gain a bonus to saving throws to escape the grappled, restrained, and stunned conditions equal to your Charisma modifier.

At 18th level, this aura’s size increases to 30 feet.

Freedom of Mind

Beginning at 15th level, your bond with the Archfey has afforded you a resistance to effects which would cloud others’ senses. You have advantage to saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Additionally, instead of sleeping, you may quietly meditate or trance for 6 hours to gain the benefits of 8 hours of sleeping.

Fairy Circle

At 20th level, you learn the words to a poem written by the Archfey you swore your oath to. As an action, you may recite the poem to create a fairy circle around where you stand. The fairy circle is a ring of colorful mushrooms or flowers with a radius of 30 feet, centered on the point where you recited this poem. While inside the fairy circle, you may expend all of your movement to teleport to any other point within the fairy circle. Creatures friendly to you may also use the fairy circle’s effect.

If you leave the fairy circle, any creature within it may use its effects, regardless of whether it is friendly towards you. The fairy circle is permanent unless its edge is subjected to an effect such as an antimagic field.

You cannot use this ability again until you complete a long rest.

Background Option: Feyborn

You are somehow tied to the mysterious Feywild, a twilit, dreamlike reflection of the mortal world. So many cautionary tales of the dangers of the forests include accounts of those who heed whispers heard by no one else, only to disappear. Sometimes, though, these mortals return touched by the plane of fairies in ways that few can fathom. Other Feyborn are the descendants of Fair Folk, mysteriously tied to a world of pure emotion which they may have yet to see for themselves. Either way, as a Feyborn you likely will find yourself swept up in adventure, as the fairies seem almost drawn to this life like a moth to a flame, and those marked by them are no different.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Persuasion

Language: Sylvan

Equipment: A set of iridescent, brightly-colored clothes, a decorative talisman made of constantly flowering plants, and a belt pouch containing 5 GP.

Feature: Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Feature: Fey Slip

When a creature misses you, you may teleport up to 10 feet as a reaction. You cannot use this feature again until you complete a short rest.

Suggested Characteristics

“Extreme” is typically the first adjective someone would use when describing a Feyborn’s attitudes. The temperamental nature of the fey might make itself clear in a Feyborn’s personality through a quick temper, a happy-go-lucky temperament, or similarly dynamic emotional ranges.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.