Oath of the Warden

There is a legend among paladins known only to the most powerful of each order. This tale speaks of an ancient compact, the first oath ever sworn, and the only promise never broken: the Oath of the Warden. Destroyers of the apocalyptic powers, these paladins are a grim and determined lot. They operate in secret, for the world cannot know how often it teeters on the brink of annihilation.

Those who swear this oath condemn themselves to perpetual conflict against impossible odds. There can be no rest or respite, for the forces they oppose are the gravest threats known (and unknown) to the mortal world. Dressed in unassuming grey, each warden operates in the shadows, dispensing righteous fury before the enemy even knows what hit them. Most never know it was by the unseen hand of a warden that their world was saved, and that is just the way these paladins like it.

Oath of the Warden Features

Paladin Level	Feature
3rd	Oath Spells, Channel Divinity
7th	Baleful Aura
15th	Disciplined Mind
18th	Baleful Aura (30 ft.)
20th	Darkstalker
26th	Epic Sacred Oath

Tenet of the Warden

The wardens have only one pledge, which they hold above all other commitments. Their oath demands they make the ultimate sacrifice, risking life, limb, and soul to safeguard the future of all. They do not fight for good or evil, only existence. They will not hesitate to commit acts of evil for the greater good. However, wardens are not reckless. Their task demands they be thoughtful when possible and decisive when necessary.

Secure the Future. You are the thin line between existence and utter oblivion. All that stand in your way are accessory to the apocalypse and must be cast aside. Mercy, compassion, and justice are not principles, but tools to be discarded at your convenience.

Order Domain

You add the Epic spell enslave to your ascendant Epic spell list. Additionally, your Divine Spark allows you to project a magical aura of order, balancing the universe around you and granting you the following benefit. Until your Divine Spark is expended, you generate an aura of axiomatic energy in a 60 ft. radius. When a creature in the area rolls a d20 and rolls higher or lower than an 11, you can choose to instead have it roll an 11 (no action required). A creature cannot be affected by this feature.

Spell Level	Order Domain Spells
6th	globe of invulnerability, mass suggestion
7th	forcecage, temple of the gods
8th	dominate monster
9th	time stop

Oath Spells

At 3rd level, and again at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level, you gain the spells listed in the Oath of the Warden Spells table.

Oath of the Warden Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	hunter’s mark, jump
5th	find traps, pass without trace
9th	Flame arrows2, nondetection
13th	Faithful hound, fire shield
17th	greater restoration, swift quiver

Channel Divinity

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

Sacred Marksmanship. You can use your Channel Divinity to imbue up to two ranged weapons with holy power. As an action you can touch up to two ranged weapons, granting them the following properties for 8 hours. This effect ends early if you use it again before its duration ends.

• The weapons are magical.
• If the weapons have the ammunition or loading property, they no longer have those properties. The ammunition and loading are provided magically.
• When you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack using the weapons, you can use your Divine Smite feature.

However, the damage dice for your Divine Smite feature when used in this manner are d6s instead of d8s.

Warden’s Shadow. You can use your Channel Divinity to cloak yourself from enemies. As an action you can take the Hide action and have proficiency in the Stealth ability check made as a part of the action. If you already have proficiency in Stealth, you instead double your proficiency bonus for the ability check.

Baleful Aura

Beginning at 7th level, you can surround yourself with an aura that wards off enemies that would get close to you. When a creature attempts to move within 10 feet of you, you can choose (no action required) to have it first succeed on a Wisdom saving throw versus your spell save DC or be unable to willingly move within 10 feet of you for the remainder of that turn.

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

Disciplined Mind

At 15th level, when you cast a spell that requires concentration, you can immediately take a bonus action or action to fortify your mind for the spell’s duration. While your mind is so fortified, if you take damage you automatically succeed on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on the spell.

Darkstalker

At 20th level, you can use your divine power to become an instrument of death. When you move, your body leaves behind a short trail of grey fog, and your voice echoes with threatening tones in the rare event you choose to speak. Additionally, you can take an action to undergo a transformation which lasts for 1 minute and grants you the following benefits.

• When you score a critical hit and use your Divine Smite feature on the hit, it generates an explosion of divine energy in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on the target. Creatures of your choice other than the creature targeted with the attack within the affected area take radiant damage equal to the radiant damage dealt by the attack.
• At the start of each of your turns, you gain a bonus to your weapon attack and damage rolls equal to your Charisma modifier, which lasts until the start of your next turn. This benefit ends if you move or take any actions other than making weapon attacks.
• When you kill a creature you can see, you can take a reaction to seal its soul with a holy glyph that appears on the target’s body. A creature so sealed cannot be returned to life unless you give permission for it to do so. If you are Epic, this effect is considered an Epic effect. Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Epic Sacred Oath

At 26th level, you unlock all powers your oath can offer to fend off the apocalypse. The rest is up to you. You gain the following features.

Deadshot. Once per turn, when you score a critical hit with a ranged weapon attack, you can expend a paladin or crusader spell slot to roll the attack’s damage dice three times instead of twice.

Expanded Oath Spells. You gain additional oath spells that can be cast by using your crusader spell slots, detailed in the Expanded Oath of the Warden Spells table.

Expanded Oath of the Warden Spells

Spell Level	Spells
6th	find the path, globe of invulnerability
7th	project image, symbol
8th	mind blank
9th	Power word: heal

Saint of Killers. As a bonus action, you can choose to transform a weapon you are holding into a divine firearm: a revolver if the weapon was one-handed, or a hunting rifle if the weapon was two-handed. You are considered proficient in both types of weapons. The weapon retains any magical properties it had in its ordinary form unless said property would not be possible with a ranged weapon (such as the weapon grappling a target on a successful hit). You can choose to revert a weapon back to its original form as a bonus action, and the effect ends if the weapon spends more than 1 minute out of your hands.