Oath of the Valkyrie

The Oath of the Valkyrie represents dedication to serve a deity’s interests on the battlefield. The paladin brings death and defeat to enemies and brings healing and comfort to allies. For those brave men and women slain in combat, the paladin administers last rites and prepares worthy souls for their journey to the afterlife.

A paladin sworn to this oath embodies the best and bravest qualities of any warrior, including honor, duty, sacrifice, and determination against all odds. Some paladins following this oath dedicate themselves to a god of heroism or chivalry in combat, while others serve in the name of gods of conquest. To enemies, the paladins of this oath are avenging angels and bringers of death. To their allies, however, these paladins are the answer to their fervent, desperate prayers for aid.

There are also times when the paladin offers temporary mercy to a warrior, giving them a second chance to prove their valor and seek redemption for cowardice or failures displayed in combat.

Tenets of the Valkyrie

The tenets of the Oath of the Valkyrie date back to the time of the first valkyries. This oath focuses on life or death in combat.

When it comes to enemies—either those of the paladin or those of the deity—they promise a swift death to the most dangerous of their foes on the field.

When it comes to allies, the paladin brandishes their power to heal wounds and mend broken spirits. These tenets can seem harsh and unyielding to non-believers because adherents of this oath tend to view people as either honorable and worthy of a good death or dishonorable and deserving of nothing more than an unmarked grave.

On occasion, however, the paladin grants temporary mercy to a warrior who shows promise but has somehow failed on the field of combat. The paladin may charge such an individual with a vow to redeem themselves and prepare for the day of final judgment of their worthiness.

These are the tenets of the paladin.

• Bring Death to Worthy Enemies. Decide which of your enemies most deserve death and deal it to them. Seek out the greatest of foes on the battlefield and in so doing bring honor and victory to your allies.
• Stand Witness. Give witness to deeds of bravery and heroism on the field of battle. Remember what you have seen and share these accounts of valor so that sacrifices and true courage are never forgotten. When the time comes for your death, fight well and seek a beautiful end.
• Aid the Heroic. Provide aid and support to your allies, especially those who prove most worthy. Heal those that can be saved and return them to the fight as quickly as possible.
• Honor the Fallen. After the clamor of combat fades, honor the fallen by administering last rites to the dying. When possible, respect the bodies of the worthy dead, either through burial or having them consumed in flames, each according to their beliefs.

Oath of the Valkyrie Features

Paladin Level	Feature
3rd	Oath Spells, Channel Divinity
7th	Aura of Victory
15th	True Shield
20th	True Valkyrie

Oath Spells

You gain the following oath spells at the paladin levels shown in the Oath of the Valkyrie Spells table. See the class features for how these oath spells work.

Oath of the Valkyrie Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	bane, compelled duel
5th	branding smite, magic weapon
9th	blinding smite, crusader’s mantle
13th	death ward, locate creature
17th	banishing smite, geas

Channel Divinity

When you take the Oath of the Valkyrie, you gain these two Channel Divinity options.

Vanquish Foe. As a bonus action, select one target you can see. You gain advantage on attack rolls against your chosen target for 1 minute or until the creature drops to 0 hit points or falls unconscious. While vanquish foe remains in effect, add your proficiency bonus to your weapon damage against the chosen target.

Your chosen enemy suffers disadvantage on attack rolls made against targets other than you as long as your vanquish foe remains in effect.

Watcher of the Fallen. You can use your Channel Divinity to gain battlefield awareness. As an action, you can cast the deathwatch spell (see new 5E spells, below).

In addition, as long as deathwatch remains in effect, as an action you can cast gentle repose on a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus.

Aura of Victory

At 7th level, you emanate an aura that bolsters your allies and gives your enemies pause while you remain conscious. Each round, all friendly creatures within 10 feet that can see you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum of 1).

In addition, any enemy creature starting its turn within the aura’s area of effect suffers psychic damage equal to half your paladin level.

The range of your aura increases to 30 feet when you reach 18th level.

True Shield

Starting at 15th level, as a reaction you can cast sanctuary on yourself, as well as one friendly creature you can see within 30 feet.

If an enemy creature succeeds at its saving throw to ignore the sanctuary effect and inflicts damage, it suffers psychic damage equal to half your paladin level.

True Valkyrie

When you achieve 20th level, as an action you can assume the brilliant, glowing form of a true valkyrie for up to one hour.

Angelic wings sprout from your back, giving you a flying speed of 90 feet. In addition, you can cast plane shift once per day. While in this form, as a reaction you can add your Charisma bonus to your armor class against one attack. This power recharges following a long rest. Finally, while in true valkyrie form, you can draw the soul from one recently deceased body (no more than one day dead) and store it within your weapon.

In this way, you can transport the soul to its place of final rest. Once you place the soul within your weapon, the creature cannot be returned to life by any means short of a deity’s direct intervention. The dead creature must be willing to have its soul taken for this part of the power to have an effect.