Oath of Vengeance
The Oath of Vengeance is a solemn commitment to punish those who have committed a grievous sin. When evil forces slaughter helpless villagers, when an entire people turns against the will of the gods, when a thieves' guild grows too powerful and murders with impunity, a paladin may swear an oath of vengeance to arrest the rule of such forces, at any cost.
These paladins are relentless hunters — focused, unyielding, and willing to set aside the niceties of civilized conduct to see justice served. They do not delight in cruelty, but they understand that stopping great evil sometimes requires difficult choices.
Oath of Vengeance Table:
| Level | Subclass Features Gained |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Oath Spells, Channel Divinity |
| 7th | Relentless Avenger |
| 15th | Soul of Vengeance |
| 20th | Avenging Angel |
Tenets of Vengeance
Fight the Greater Evil. Faced with a choice of fighting my sworn foes or combating a lesser evil, I choose the greater evil.
No Mercy for the Wicked. Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not.
By Any Means Necessary. My qualms can't get in the way of exterminating my foes.
Restitution. If my foes wreak ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds.
Subclass Features
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | bane, hunter's mark |
| 5th | hold person, misty step |
| 9th | haste, protection from energy |
| 13th | banishment, dimension door |
| 17th | hold monster, scrying |
Channel Divinity
3rd-level Oath of Vengeance feature
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Abjure Enemy. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer of denunciation, using your Channel Divinity. Choose one creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, unless it is immune to being frightened. Fiends and undead have disadvantage on this saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. While frightened, the creature's speed is 0, and it can't benefit from any bonus to its speed. On a successful save, the creature's speed is halved for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Vow of Enmity. As a bonus action, you can utter a vow of enmity against a creature you can see within 10 feet of you, using your Channel Divinity. You gain advantage on attack rolls against the creature for 1 minute or until it falls to 0 hit points or becomes incapacitated.
Relentless Avenger
7th-level Oath of Vengeance feature
By 7th level, your supernatural focus helps you close off a foe's retreat. When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, you can move up to half your speed immediately after the attack and as part of the same reaction. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.
Soul of Vengeance
15th-level Oath of Vengeance feature
Starting at 15th level, the authority with which you speak your Vow of Enmity gives you greater power over your foe. When a creature under the effect of your Vow of Enmity makes an attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature if it is within range.
Avenging Angel
20th-level Oath of Vengeance feature
At 20th level, you can assume the form of an angelic avenger. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 hour, you gain the following benefits:
- Wings sprout from your back and grant you a flying speed of 60 feet.
- 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.