While some champion strength of arms or magical prowess, those who swear the Oath of Discovery believe knowledge is power. Often sworn to Istori, these paladins seek out new lands to explore and secrets to unearth. They also serve as teachers, mentors, and experts for communities they encounter that need their assistance. Above all, these paladins seek to bring truth to banish all lies, and provide knowledge in the face of ignorance.
Tenets of Discovery
Paladins of Discovery share a set of core tenets, though their execution varies widely depending on the region.
Explore. Seek out new frontiers to explore, for yourself or for all.
Enlighten. Shed the light of knowledge on the darkness of ignorance wherever you travel.
Inform. Secrets create ignorance. Informing others empowers them.
Challenge. Confront liars and reveal their deceits for what they truly are.
hit dice:
hit points at 1st level:
hit points at higher levels:
armor proficiencies:
weapon proficiencies:
tools:
saving throws:
skills:
starting equipment:
You can choose to substitute the following starting equipment for your paladin:
• chain mail in exchange for a breastplate
spellcasting:
3 l Expeditious Retreat, Identify
5 l See Invisibility, Zone of Truth
9 l Clairvoyance, Speak with Dead
13 l Arcane Eye, Dimension Door
17 l Legend Lore, Teleportation Circle
class features:
Channel Divinity
3rd Level Oath of Discovery Feature
When you take the oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Explorer’s Ward. As an action, choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. When you present your holy symbol, the creature is surrounded by shimmering feathers and runes. The creature gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your paladin level, and gains proficiency with cartographer’s tools, navigator’s tools, and thieves’
tools. If the creature is already proficient with these tools, they instead have advantage when making ability checks with these tools. This proficiency lasts as long as the creature has temporary hit points from Explorer’s Ward remaining. These temporary hit points fade when the target finishes a short or long rest.
Polarize. As a bonus action, you are suffused with divine energy, granting you a number of polarity charges equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). If not expended, these charges last for one minute.
When you are attacked with a metal weapon, you can use your reaction and spend a polarity charge to roll 1d6 and add the number rolled to your AC against that attack. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the GM determines whether the attack roll hits or misses.
As a bonus action, you can spend a polarity charge to roll 1d6 and add the result to both your next attack and damage roll when attacking a creature wearing metal armor.
Furthermore, as long as you have polarity charges remaining, you can cast true north (see Chapter VI) as a bonus action, with your weapon indicating the direction.
Ancient Rites
3rd Level Oath of Discovery Feature
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain knowledge of ancient rites and traditions sacred to your oath. You gain the ability to cast cleric and druid spells with the ritual tag. The spell must be on the spell list for cleric or druid, the spell’s level can be no higher than half your level (rounded up), and it must have the ritual tag. You must have the ritual book in hand to cast rituals.
If you come across a spell in written form, such as a magical spell scroll, a ritual book, or a spellbook, you might be able to add it to your ritual book. The spell must be on the spell list for the class you chose, the spell’s level can be no higher than half your level (rounded up), and it must have the ritual tag. Copying the spell into your ritual book
takes 2 hours per level of the spell, and costs 50GP per level. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it.
Furthermore, you gain proficiency with artisan’s tools (calligraphy supplies).
Aura of Concentration
7th Level Oath of Discovery Feature
Starting at 7th level, you and friendly creatures within 30 feet of you don’t have to roll a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration the first time you take damage each round. Additionally, if you lose concentration as a result of taking damage, the effect of the spell doesn’t end until the end of your next turn.
At 18th level, whenever a creature within your aura makes a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration, they can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the saving throw.
Twice-Found Sigils
15th Level Oath of Discovery Feature
Beginning at 15th level, you master ancient sigils of power, newly rediscovered by you or others who have sworn your same oaths. You can only have one sigil active at a time, and once you have inscribed a sigil, you can only inscribe that same sigil until you finish a long rest.
Sigils. Inscribing a sigil requires you to spend ten minutes drawing the sigil onto a flat surface. When you create the sigil, you can name a number of people equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) to be magically recognized by your sigil. The sigil covers an area up to 10 feet in diameter, and no smaller than 1 foot in diameter. The sigil is
nearly invisible, requiring an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC to discover it. You are aware when your sigils trigger. If you are sleeping when a sigil triggers, you immediately awaken, unless magically prevented from doing so. A sigil can be dispelled as a spell equal to half of your paladin level. Sigils you create remain active until you inscribe another sigil, you spend ten minutes removing it, or the surface the sigil is inscribed upon is destroyed.
• Sigil of Prophecy. When a creature recognized by the sigil finishes a long rest within 60 feet of the sigil, the creature can cast augury as an action one time before next finishing a long rest.
• Sigil of Truth. A creature not recognized by the sigil who touches it must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell DC. If the creature fails the saving throw, you immediately know the creature’s surface thoughts, emotions, and one truth the creature is concealing. A creature can’t trigger this sigil more than once every 24 hours, though any number of different creatures can trigger the sigil while it is active.
• Sigil of Correspondence. You inscribe one half of this sigil on one surface and the other half on a different surface. The surfaces can’t be more than your paladin level in miles away from each other. Activating these sigil halves requires an action, and can only be done by recognized creatures. If both sigil halves are activated, each
creature activating one of the halves can telepathically speak to and hear the other person as if they were standing next to each other in a quiet room. The sigil halves remain active as long as the creature activating them is touching them.
Champion of Discovery
20th Level Oath of Discovery Feature
At 20th level, as a bonus action, you can cause shining runes to cover your skin, and you grow wings comprised solely of these runes. For 1minute, you gain the following benefits:
• You gain flying speed equal to your walking speed.
• You can use the Dash action as a bonus action, and you can make one weapon attack with advantage when you end your dash as part of this action.
• Your weapon attacks deal an additional 1d8 psychic damage.
• Hostile creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on Wisdom and Intelligence ability checks and saving throws.
subclass options: