Oath of Battle

While all paladins are, in one respect or another, the faith militant of their respective traditions, those who swear the Oath of Battle place themselves at the forefront of armed conflict. Crusaders of their faith, paladins that swear this Oath spend as much time studying military history and strategy as they do their tenets of their own religion. They are often born leaders, men and women who would rise through the ranks of command in a military organization even without the aid of their deity. More than just good in a fight, paladins who swear the Oath of Battle are invaluable on a battlefield when armies clash, drawing the opposing forces to them and inspiring the troops on their side to ride head-on into battle and win the day.

Tenets of Battle

The tenets of the Oath of Battle come from hundreds of years of military tradition. Despite the differences in the loyalties and composition of varying military orders, there are certain rules, unspoken or otherwise, that have evolved over the years into a creed that paladins who swear the Oath of Battle hold as dear as their own lives.

• Lead from the Front: Go gallantly and willingly to the front lines, placing yourself in danger to stir the hearts and minds of your companions. You need no standard-bearer; be the standard that draws the eyes of enemies and allies alike to the thickest part of the battle.
• Comrades Before Oneself: A soldier alone is merely a soldier; many soldiers together are a force to be reckoned with. You are nothing without your comrades in arms; you must put the well-being and safety of your battle companions before your own, and when an ally falls, it is your duty to pick them up and carry them to safety if need be.
• Never Forget the Mission: Do not let anger, revenge, or despair come between you and your goal. Every battle is fought for a reason, and there is an objective to be won that must be remembered always. In every facet of life, remember your mission, and place it before your own desires.
• Defeat is Not an Option: Never surrender when the fight can still be won. Never abandon your position unless commanded to do so by a superior officer.
• Never do anything to endanger the chance for your force to emerge from battle victorious. Fight to the last, but remember that the war is more important than the battle.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Table: Oath of Battle Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	healing word, shield
5th	flame blade, spiritual weapon
9th	beacon of hope, spirit guardians
13th	guardian of faith, stoneskin
17th	greater restoration, mass cure wounds

Channel Divinity

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

• Sacred Armor: As an action, you can imbue heavy armor that you are wearing with positive energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to your AC (with a minimum bonus of +1). If you fall unconscious or are no longer wearing the armor, the effect ends.
• Sacred Shield: As an action, you can imbue a shield that you are holding with positive energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, any ranged attack made against a creature that you are friendly to that is within 30 feet of you targets you instead. If you fall unconscious or are no longer holding the shield, the effect ends.

Aura of Battle

Beginning at 7th level, the very spirit of battle flows outward from you, causing you to become a supernatural locus point in combat that keeps your allies ever-wary of incoming attacks. Enemies cannot gain advantage on attack rolls against you and creatures within 10 feet of you while you are conscious.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Blessed of Battle

Starting at 15th level, you are always under the effects of a divine favor spell.

Avatar of Battle

At 20th level, as an action, you can channel the spirit of battle and cleave through hordes of opposing enemies as a scythe clearing wheat. For 1 minute, when you hit an enemy with a weapon attack, if that enemy has fewer than 30 hit points, your attack automatically reduces that enemy to 0 hit points. Additionally, for the duration, when you take the Attack action on your turn, after you have finished making your attacks you can use your bonus action to make a weapon attack against an enemy you have not attacked this turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.