Oath of the Annihilator

The oath of the annihilator is as ancient as the darkness between stars.

These paladins—sometimes called antipaladins, dark paladins, or death knights—represent the antithesis of the ideal paladin. Paladins who take this oath see themselves as divine instruments of reckoning and foretellers of armageddon. Despite their extreme viewpoint and often brutal behavior, they still conduct themselves honorably and expect to be treated with respect.

Many who swear this oath are devoted to gods of destruction, chaos, and war.

Tenets of The Annihilator

The principles of the oath of the annihilator are simple.

They emphasize the value of strength above all else.

• Extinguish the Weak. An enemy who lacks the strength to prevail in combat must be ushered into the embrace of death.
• Maintain the Balance. For life to flourish, there must be destruction. The strong endure, the weak succumb.
• Revel in Destruction. All things end, especially life. Everyone has only a limited time to experience mortal delights, the greatest of which are combat and strife.
• Embrace the End. Death should not be feared. Since it comes for everyone, best be prepared for it at any time.

Channel Divinity

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

Vow of Ruin. As a bonus action, you can utter a vow of ruination using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute thereafter, successful attacks you make against objects and constructs are treated as critical hits. If your weapon isn’t a magic weapon, it becomes a magic weapon with a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls for the duration of this effect.

Wither Foe. As an action, you can present your holy symbol and speak a prayer of damnation, using your Channel Divinity. Choose one creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, it takes necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier + your paladin level, and it has disadvantage on saving throws for 1 minute or until it’s reduced to 0 hit points.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

Oath of Annihilation Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	bane, proselytize
5th	augury, shatter
9th	bestow curse, phantom steed
13th	blight, caustic waste
17th	contagion, hallow

Aura of Inevitability

Starting at 7th level, you and allied creatures within 10 feet of you are immune to the frightened condition.

When you or an allied creature within 10 feet of you takes damage, the damage is reduced by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). At 18th level, the range of this effect increases to 30 feet.

Annihilating Smite

Starting at 15th level, your smites are powerful enough to bring your foes to their knees. When you use your Divine Smite against a creature that is Large or smaller, the creature must make a successful Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Harbinger of the End

At 20th level, you can use an action to assume the form of a harbinger of the apocalypse. Your appearance alters in some frightening way of your choosing. For example, your skin could take on the texture of broken stone and magma, your hair could become flames, or you could sprout demonic horns and a tail. For 1 minute thereafter, you gain the following benefits:

• When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you heal 20 hit points.
• Your attacks and spells ignore a target’s resistance to damage.
• You add your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) to your saving throws.

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