This week’s article updates the Oath of the Fairies, a Paladin subclass for D&D 5.5e who pledges to serve the mercurial Archfey. With dreamlike temperaments that vary in tune with a world unseen by mortals, Archfey are usually more inclined to become patrons of warlocks or bards, but a paladin in their service can make an unforgettable character with story hooks for both GMs and players.

Oath of the Fairies

Serve the Whims of the Archfey.

Paladins who swear the Oath of the Fairies pledge service to an Archfey, a powerful entity who scoffs at the powers traditionally worshipped by mortals. The Fey derive power from a potent mixture of arcane magic and raw emotion. The Archfey can seem temperamental or unpredictable, and only a kindred spirit who sees method to the madness would bind themselves to their service.

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

These paladins share the following tenets:

• Never allow decisions to be forced through coercion.
• Find new solutions to old problems.
• Question every answer until only truth prevails.

Level 3: Oath of the Fairies Spells

The magic of your oath ensures that you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Paladin level specified in the Oath of the Fairies Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.

Oath of the Fairies Spells

Paladin Level | Spells

3 | Faerie Fire, Goodberry

5 | Calm Emotions, Zone of Truth

9 | Hypnotic Pattern, Phantom Steed

13 | Conjure Woodland Beings, Freedom of Movement

17 | Mislead, Seeming

Level 3: Dream Song

Immediately after you hit a target with a Melee weapon or an Unarmed Strike, as a Bonus Action, you can expend one use of your Channel Divinity to lull the target to sleep with Fey poetry. The target must succeed on a Wisdom Save or have the Unconscious condition for 10 minutes.

The effect ends if the target takes damage or someone else takes an action to rouse them from the effect.

Level 7: Aura of Befuddlement

Whenever a creature makes an Opportunity Attack against you or an ally within your Aura of Protection, the attack is made at Disadvantage.

Level 15: Horn of the Hunt

You can use the Magic action to expend one use of your Channel Divinity and declare a creature you can see the subject of a Wild Hunt. For 1 minute, or until you use this feature again, whenever an ally hits the creature with an attack, that ally heals 2d8 Hit Points.

Level 20: Fairy Circle

As a Bonus Action, you create a fairy circle in a 30-foot Emanation that originates from where you are standing. While inside the fairy circle, you and any allies may expend all of your movement to teleport to any other point within the fairy circle.

If you leave the fairy circle, any creature within may use its effects. The fairy circle is permanent unless its edge is subjected to an effect such as an Antimagic Field or Dispel Magic spell.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a Long Rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a level 5 spell slot (no action required).