Oath of Zeal

Oath of Zeal


The Oath of Zeal is a sworn vow to serve the church of their faith. Usually known by the moniker of Inquisitor, paladins who swear this oath devote their lives to rooting out enemies of their faith, using guile when righteousness is not an option. They sacrifice their own purity in order to cleanse those who defy their faith, and are willing to take extreme measures to achieve their goals.

Tenets of Zeal To the paladins that swear the Oath of Zeal, their long list of tenets are as important as their faith. The specifics vary based on the god that a paladin serves, but they all share the ideals of destroying the enemies of their church and of their god. Root out Heresy. Wherever the enemies of my faith hide, I must hunt them down. Heretics Must be Punished. There can be no mercy for those who will not repent. By Any Means. My qualms cannot get in the way of my duty to my faith. Absolute Faith. I will never go against my church and my faith, and I will never attack those who are faithful.

Oath Spells You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed. Oath of Zeal Spells Paladin Level Spells 3rd bane, disguise self 5th detect thoughts, zone of truth 9th bestow curse, fear 13th compulsion, greater invisibility 17th mislead, scrying

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

Stern Gaze. As a bonus action, you can focus your mind on a particular creature, using your Channel Divinity. Choose one creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. You have advantage on Charisma checks and Charisma saving throws against that creature, and the target has disadvantage on Charisma checks and Charisma saving throws against you for 1 minute.

Unexpected Strike. You are exceptionally effective at getting the drop on heretics. When you hit a surprised creature with a melee attack, you can expend your Channel Divinity to make that attack a critical hit.

Lay on Brands At 7th level, you can use Lay on Hands points instead of a spell slot when you use Divine Smite. You must spend 10 points per spell slot level. You can't use Divine Smite at a level above your highest level spell slot.

Soul Gaze Starting at 15th level, your Stern Gaze Channel Divinity option also affects Wisdom checks and Wisdom saving throws.

Wrath of the Faith At 20th level, you can directly channel the fury of your faith into combat. Using your action, you can undergo a transformation. For 1 minute you gain the following benefits: • You have the benefits of Stern Gaze against every creature within 60 feet of you. • When you use Divine Smite, you deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage. • You emanate an aura of menace in a 60-foot radius. The first time an enemy creature enters the aura or starts its turn there, the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. The DC is equal to your paladin spell save DC. Attack rolls against the frightened creatures have advantage. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.