#Oath of Conquest

[whisperingdusk]

An Angel Awakens…

A portrait of Vediah, Aasimar Conquest Paladin and my new D&D character for a Curse of Strahd game! Sent down to the Material Plane to chill for a bit as a statue for getting a /little/ too into the whole smiting evil thing, she has awakened to face a new threat and prove herself again.

[toasterpip]

An antagonist NPC for my D&D game, Caira Oaksong. A holy knight of the Kibian Diocese, she is here to stamp out rebellion and secure the Church's holdings no matter what it takes.

[bugpysforge]

Dusknoir helps the Gods of Death by ensuring that the right individuals cross over. He also helps avert premature death by defending the vulnerable.

Race: Cyclops Class: Paladin Subclass: Oath of Conquest Location: Saffron Night Guards Alignment: True Neutral

View the pokedex of all dungeon pokemon on the Bugpy's Forge website.

[we-are-barbarian]

Worldbuilding Classes - The Paladin

Oh, my darling, the paladin.

I said it in a recent(ish) post, but, truth be told, Paladin was always my favorite class. Recently, that has begun to change, as I've had a ton of fun playing Torryn and come to really vibe with a gravitate toward the barbarian (which has always kinda been my second favorite) but the paladin holds a special place in my heart. As the class that most embodies the archetype of the knight in shining armor, an archetype that I held so close for so long for reasons I won't get into in this post, the paladin was the first thing that I played in DND and is often the class I jump to for any new edition of the game/similar games.

So how do we worldbuild it?

The paladin in many ways asks us several of its own questions. It begs for answers as to how this magic and this power work. The paladin tells us that our undying dedication to a cause is enough to grant us power. And not just any power, but devastating combat prowess alongside the power to preserve life. The paladin is both warrior and healer, savior and destroyer. So how do we fit it into our worlds?

The first thing to ask ourselves is "how does this Oath actually work?" If a paladin swears a sacred Oath, what does that Oath look like? Are their specific words the paladin must say? Are they different from subclass to subclass? Are they the same for every memeber of that subclass? Who is this Oath sworn to? A God? A servant of a God? The very ideals the paladin swears to uphold? These are some of the defining aspects of playing a paladin, and you, as a DM, should not let your PCs forget that they swore an Oath with specific tenets. Hold them to it. Don't beat them over the head with it, but discuss this with them before you start the game. Remind them that this is part of the class they want to play.

So your Oath gives you power. How does that fit you into the world? Paladins in your world could fill any of a number of roles. I might have said this here, it might have been my TikTok page, might be both, but I don't think that characters in world refer to themselves by their class most of the time, unless there is an in world reason to do so. If all Paladins are part of knightly orders of warrior-priests that protect and serve the people, then it's likely they would call themselves "Paladin." If this is the case, do they organize themsevles by their subclasses into these knightly orders? What are the orders called? What is their heraldry? How can you tell one from the next? Also, consider what it takes to hit 3rd level in paladin. You aren't a "full" paladin until you hit level 3. So you must be able to fight and cast spells, turn your spell power into divine strength, and your devotion must be so strong that diseases cannot take root in your body. Once your body and soul are pure, you can take up the mantle of your knightly order. As a DM, you can make this a part of the paladins' growth in your world. They must attain certain levels of strength before they can achieve their goal of becoming a true paladin.

Something else to consider is how the paladin is perceived in your world. This is a heroic archetype. The warrior with divine strength that protects the innocent from demons and undead. Hard not to look like a hero, right? What about a Paladin of Vengeance? What about Conquest? Are they heroes? Not to mention, with pride comes the fall. Oathbreakers exist. It is easy to see how the strengths of the paladin could become its weaknesses if taken to their logical extremes. Perhaps this is an idea you want to play with in your fiction. The idea of paladins having taken things too far, becoming inquisitorial in their pursuit of what they perceive as "the greater good." If you're going to use a paladin as a villain in this way, perhaps consider something other than the oathbreaker for mechanics; kinda hard for anyone with those powers to think of themselves as the good guy, methinks.

I also like the idea of different aesthetics to paladin powers. Maybe each subclass has specific colors and aesthetics that show up with their powers, so you can tell what kind of Oath a specific paladin has sworn based on their magic, not just their heraldry. A Devotion Paladin might find that when they have their aura active or they cast a defensive spell, they are warded by golden angel wings (or their target is.) When they smite, their blade glows with golden light. A Conquest paladin, on the other hand, might have a red fire surrounding their weapon as they smite, and bind enemies in chains of divine, red light. Yet another way to make the Oath feel significant to the world and the roleplay.

The paladin is a class that feels like it should have a big impact on your world. The Cleric asks us to consider how religion works in our world, but the paladin asks us to consider its impact on the world. It takes the aspects of the fighter as a warrior and the warrior traditions of the people and blends it with religious devotion. It creates a new caste of warriors and priests, the blend of the two, to smite the wicked and the profane. But what happens when the line between flawed and wicked becomes blurred? And who decides what is truly profane? Can a single paladin make that decision for themselves? And who are they accountable to, if anyone?

Make today a great day, stay safe, and happy casting everyone.

@wearepaladin @we-are-knight @weareantipaladin @we-are-avenger

[verona-violet]

Anwen Vercingetorix: Knight of the Eternal Flame. An Oath of Conquest Paladin. Born to a simple life she rose to greatness from tragic loss. She has vowed to end the demon invasion of her homeland by any means necessary. But cracks are forming in her previously unshaken faith. Is she on the right path? Is her crusade just? Doubts torment her as she travels the country and finds corruption in the organization of the church and faith she reveres. While some may praise her and see her as divinely blessed there are countless others who whisper her power comes from another more sinister source. (I love my paladins so much I wanted to start sharing some)

[toaarcan]

Mercy (Alu-Fiend, Oath of ConquesttheAncients Paladin) mets @paladin-official's Nurghal (Half-Orc, Oath of Devotion Paladin).

[rosymourning]

The Apostate of the Absolute - a Minthara build

"Ready for battle."

Minthara is an Oathbreaker Paladin, smiting enemies with ease. She betrayed Lolth and was discarded by the Absolute, what comes next?

[check out my other builds!]

Gameplay Notes

This is a full class Paladin build, so the main gameplay loop is to hit hard and smite for a bunch of extra damage. As expected, the build has several good options for spellcasting outside of smites as well, with a bit of an added bonus of itemizing towards Poison damage. I chose to keep a mace as the main weapon, largely based on some character consistencies. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of playing paladins, so I’m sure there are a ton of ways for this to be much better than it is.

Stats and Leveling

Final build: Level 12 Oathbreaker Paladin

[see my comments about making/breaking Minthara’s oath below]

Minthara’s (default) stats: STR 17 / DEX 12 / CON 13 / INT 8 / WIS 10 / CHA 15

Level 1 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 1

Level 2 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 2

Fighting Style: Protection

Divine Smite [wow! you’re a paladin now!]

1st Level Spells [Command and Bless are top tier]

Level 3 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 3

Level 4 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 4

Feat: ASI+ CON>14, CHA>16

Level 5 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 5

Extra Attack

2nd Level Spells

Level 6 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 6

Aura of Protection

Level 7 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 7

Aura of Hate [aka the best Paladin aura ever]

Level 8 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 8

Feat: Savage Attacker

Level 9 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 9

3rd Level Spells

Level 10 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 10

Level 11 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 11

Level 12 - Oathbreaker Paladin Level 12

Feat: ASI+ CHA>18

Items

Armor - Blackguard's Plate (3 Murder Tribunal) [I always loot her armour in Act 1 and give it to Astarion lol]

Melee Weapon -

Xyanyde (1 Goblin Camp) [this has to be looted from Minthara at the Goblin Camp, she won’t have it in Act 2 - it’s not incredible, just cute for her to get her old weapon back]

Handmaiden’s Mace (3 House of Grief) [if you want a sword, use Blackguard’s Sword (3 Murder Tribunal) for the Dazing Smite feature, and instead take ASI+ STR>18 at Level 12]

Shield of the Undevout (3 Murder Tribunal) [I love this shield on Minthara, so once you get it, I think it’s worth dropping the dual wield]

Ranged Weapon - Gontr Mael (3 Steel Watch Foundry) [I try to spread out legendary items amongst the companions, which is why not every build has the Helm of Balduran (lmao), but I think this bow works well for Minthara]

Amulet - Broodmother’s Revenge (1 Emerald Grove)

Helmet - Diadem of Arcane Synergy (1 Creche)

Ring 1 - Poisoner's Ring (2 Moonrise Towers)

Ring 2 - Ring of Mind Shielding (1 Myconid Colony)

Gloves - Blackguard's Gauntlets (3 Murder Tribunal) or Poisoner's Gloves (2 House of Healing) [I genuinely cannot decide, so I will present both options and leave it at that]

Boots - Blackguard's Greaves (3 Murder Tribunal)

Cloak - Derivation Cloak (2 Moonrise Towers)

Lore and Flavor

I gotta be completely honest when I say that I think it is absolutely, entirely ridiculous for Minthara to be an Oath of Vengeance Paladin in this game. Minthara is not fighting the greater evil - she IS the greater evil. Given the options that we have in game, Vengeance is definitely the better option, but I really don’t think it fits her character. So… Oathbreaker it is!

Here’s where it gets weird and metagame-y and immersion breaking, which I am disappointed in myself for… Minthara has to break her oath. Apparently, betraying two gods is not enough. There are a few frustratingly immersion breaking ways to do this, including:

Respec into Oath of the Ancients or Devotion and kill a non-hostile NPC (like Z’rell in her office, for example)

Select an odd, out of character option for the He Who Was quest, forgiving Madeline

Personally, of these decidedly bad options, I’d prioritize option 2, since it doesn’t require a respec. Minthara does have some dialogue absolving herself of guilt for her actions under the Absolute’s influence, so it’s possible forgiving Madeline could make sense for her character. I just don’t know - there isn’t a nice, easy solution.

But I feel strongly that Minthara’s “canon” subclass should be Oathbreaker — strongly enough that I’ll do some janky shit to get there. Because when did Minthara swear an oath for the first time? Surely it would have been during her days serving Lolth. Then she betrayed Lolth and presumably broke her oath. If not then, then maybe she swore an oath to serve the Absolute after being tadpoled which now, under the protection of the Prism, she is turning her back on again. Or maybe, it was intended that she swore to get revenge on the Absolute for abusing her after being set free (which makes a LOT of sense to me… if Oath of Vengeance was actually about getting revenge…). Is it this exact dialogue scene? Is this when she swore her Oath of Vengeance? Regardless, here is the oath she supposedly took:

Fight the Greater Evil. Exerting your wisdom, identify the higher morality in any given instance, and fight for it.

No Mercy for the Wicked. Chasten those who dole out their villainy by wiping their blight from the world forever.

The DND 5e language is similar, but with notable differences:

Fight the Greater Evil. Faced with a choice of fighting my sworn foes or combating a lesser evil, I choose the greater evil.

No Mercy for the Wicked. Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not.

By Any Means Necessary. My qualms can't get in the way of exterminating my foes.

Restitution. If my foes wreak ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds.

Most of these paladins end up being Neutral (often Lawful Neutral), because the vibe is very much that they’re doing good things but getting their hands very dirty while doing it. An Oath of Vengeance Paladin with the Cult of the Absolute as their sworn enemy is aiming to kill all the cultists and destroy the Netherbrain… Minthara is very much not trying to do that. She explains her goals very clearly: “In killing Ketheric, we fractured the cult’s leadership. When we break the other Chosen and claim their Netherstones, we can take control… The power of the enslaved elder brain could reshape the world. We could reshape the world… First we take the Netherstones, then the brain, then the world.” To wrap up the conversation, she mentions her oath, clearly expressing that her motivations are tied to it: “We have a purpose and a bond. By my oath, I will fight with you while that purpose holds.”

Like with Shadowheart (who I desperately want to play as a Twilight Domain cleric after she betrays Shar), the actual best subclass for Minthara is simply not an option in the game. Minthara really ought to be an Oath of Conquest paladin. Check out the DND 5e Oath of Conquest, and tell me it doesn’t match perfectly:

Douse the Flame of Hope. It is not enough to merely defeat an enemy in battle. Your victory must be so overwhelming that your enemies’ will to fight is shattered forever. A blade can end a life. Fear can end an empire.

Rule with an Iron Fist. Once you have conquered, tolerate no dissent. Your word is law. Those who obey it shall be favored. Those who defy it shall be punished as an example to all who might follow.

Strength Above All. You shall rule until a stronger one arises. Then you must grow mightier and meet the challenge, or fall to your own ruin.

Like… come on. That is Minthara forwards and backwards. (To be clear - she’s definitely trying to get revenge as well, I just think that’s not the primary motivation.) But anyway, Oath of Conquest isn’t an option in game (at least vanilla - there are incredible subclass mods out there for those who are interested) so I don’t totally know why I’m even talking about it. Without that option, Oathbreaker is the way to go. She’s abandoned more gods than most people worship in their lifetime, and the main gameplay features of Oathbreaker are pretty fun to play with (Aura of Hate??? Like come on???)

My last comment is that, I know, I’m building Minthara late game with a mace. What the heck. But here me out - this is a cool and character-appropriate mace! The Handmaiden’s Mace appears in Baldur’s Gate 2 as well, where it’s looted off a Handmaiden of Lolth and has this description:

This mace has been crafted finely by the drow and specially treated to survive the glare of the sun. It was made for surface raids by the subterranean race... and its black metal glistens with a dark poison that seems to be generated from within and causes incredible damage upon a successful impact. The mace seems almost alive and warm to the touch, and slithers away from those whom it does not like... namely drow or those who are similar enough to not make a difference. In the hands of anyone else, the mace becomes mere dead weight.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s looted off Viconia in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace, with a description that references the previous game. Basically, this is a mace originally belonging to a Lolth-sworn drow that ended up with Viconia and eventually back with a Lolth-sworn drow! I think Minthara would be comfortable wielding it (she uses maces to begin with) and is one of a subset of people that actually can (if we go based on the Baldur’s Gate 2 lore). I also like Poison damage on Minthara, because it seems fitting with her drow heritage, but I guess that’s more of a personal vibe check than anything I’ve researched. The other mace is just to generally continue her dual-wielding maces set up until switching to a shield - keeping Xyanyde and giving it back to her once you save her (after she presumably lost it) is adorable, in my opinion.

[check out my build disclaimer for info about how and why I don't min/max or completely optimize builds, prioritizing lore and vibe instead]

[dearest-and-nearest]

Thinking about Oath of Conquest. As they bring nothing, but horror. Something much deeper than a mere fear - knowledge, than you have to keen or die right here. You can surrender and keep your pathetic life or try to resist and transform it in horror, because they do not accept resistance. Their aura becomes stronger over time and even close ones feel that urge to submit without thought. Their hearts were cold, but the longer it goes, they become steel, not only cold, but also solid. Everything around them must be strong or submit to them. And when they die, their bodies are thorn apart, as this is the only way for people to free themselves of their tyranny and finally feel light once again.

Thinking about Paladins...

Thinking about Oath of Devotion Paladins, and how over time they seem less and less like flesh and more and more like stone, as solid as their oaths. How more and more it seems like a light shines from their eyes. How their movement slows as they get older, becoming more and more a thing of stone and light. How they become less a person and more an idea, a promise made flesh. When they die, they become a statue with burning light where their eyes once were. Many take their final rest upon seaside cliffs, acting as an eternal beacon to those in need.

Thinking about Oath of the Ancients Paladins, and how the grass they tread upon might grow a bit greener than it did before. How fruit tastes sweeter when they pluck it. How vegetables and grain grow from the blood and bodies of their slain foes. Life springing from bringers of death. How when they bleed, seeds and pollen might release from their wounds along with the blood. How their skin feels more like bark as they grow older. How their presence feels like peace, like rest. How when they die, the Oak Father takes this warrior into his embrace, and a fruit tree grow over their grave, so they might give once more in death as they did in life.

Thinking about Oath of Vengeance Paladins, and how their mere presence might inspire fear and truth. They barely need to ask questions, one look at those eyes, filled with wrathful calm in equal measure is enough to break almost any who look upon them. How their blood might literally boil when it is spilled, so true is their commitment. How they might weep when they are given the chance to at last be kind. How when they die there is nothing to bury, the fire in their souls fueled by their oath consumes their flesh at last, and then they are nothing but ash.

Thinking about Oathbreakers. How the sun is too bright, and it hurts their eyes. How the night is too dark, and always their vision is off. How their hands always find thorns or sharp edges. How every step they take might be an agony, a reminder of how they committed the truest and most fundamental treason of all. How the very air they breath seems to cut at their lungs as the world itself whispers "wrong thing. wrong thing. traitor" in their ears. Their blood never seeps into the ground, only evaporates. Their body does not even rot. The world itself rejects them.

Thinking about Paladins...

[cagemasterfantasy]

Oath of Conquest (2024) (Homebrew)

This is my own take on Oath of Conquest using the 2024 rules for Paladin. This post will be deleted if this subclass gets updated to 2024 rules. Changes are described at the end.

From: Xanathar's Guide to Everything

The Oath of Conquest calls to paladins who seek glory in battle and the subjugation of their enemies. It isn’t enough for these paladins to establish order. They must crush the forces of chaos. Sometimes called knight tyrants or iron mongers, those who swear this oath gather into grim orders that serve gods or philosophies of war and well-ordered might.

Some of these paladins go so far as to consort with the powers of the Nine Hells, valuing the rule of law over the balm of mercy. The archdevil Bel, warlord of Avernus, counts many of these paladins – called hell knights – as his most ardent supporters. Hell knights cover their armor with trophies taken from fallen enemies, a grim warning to any who dare oppose them and the decrees of their lords. These knights are often most fiercely resisted by other paladins of this oath, who believe that the hell knights have wandered too far into darkness.

These Paladins share the following tenets:

Your victory must be overwhelming, douse the flames of hope.

Tolerate no dissent. Your word is law. 

Never be complacent in your rule, for forces will rise to challenge it. 

Spells: The magic of your oath ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Paladin level specified below, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared. Spells can be found in my tags.

Level 3: Bane, Command

Level 5: Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon

Level 9: Bestow Curse, Fear

Level 13: Dominate Beast, Stoneskin

Level 17: Cloudkill, Dominate Person

Level 3 Conquering Presence: When you hit a creature, you can use Channel Divinity to channel a terrifying presence. The target of the triggering attack must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Frightened condition until the start of your next turn. You can attempt to Frighten a creature again in this way once per turn when you hit a creature with an attack for the next minute.

Level 3 Guided Strike: You can use Channel Divinity to guide attacks with supernatural accuracy. When you or a creature you can see within 30 feet of you misses a target with an attack roll, you can use Channel Divinity to grant a +10 bonus to the roll, potentially turning the miss into a hit.

Level 7 Aura of Conquest: By your mere presence your foes are frozen in fear. If a creature has the Frightened condition and you are the source of its fear, its Speed is reduced to 0 while in your Aura of Protection, and that creature takes Psychic damage equal to half your Paladin level if it starts its turn there.

Level 15 Scornful Rebuke: Those who dare to strike you are psychically punished for their audacity. Whenever a creature hits you with an attack, that creature takes Psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) if you do not have the Incapacitated condition

Level 20 Invincible Conqueror: You gain the ability to harness extraordinary martial prowess. As a Bonus Action, you can magically become an avatar of conquest, gaining the following benefits for 10 minutes:

Damage Resistance: You have resistance to all damage.

Extra Attack: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.

Brutal Attacks: Your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest, or you expend a level 5 spell slot to use it again.

Changes:

To prevent overlap with the Abjure Foes feature at level 9, Conquering Presence is now an effect that allows you to inflict the Frightened condition on your attacks.

Guided strike now triggers on a missed attack, and allows you to grant it to allies, matching the 2024 War Domain Cleric’s feature. 

Invincible Conqueror is now a bonus action and lasts for 10 minutes. You can also use it again by expending a level 5 spell slot

[dictatorshipper]

What does making third phychotic paladin who doesn't compromise in a row say about me

[titankingsickle]

Subdual: Tiefling (Zariel) Paladin

[elissastillstands]

Cleaned up some stress/distraction doodles of Minthara! I'm trying to get down my design for her (and get a little better at drawing expressions).

[bugpysforge]

In combat, Bastiodon utilises her spear and shield to both strike and defend. When facing adversaries up front, she is an overwhelming threat, but she finds it difficult to defeat those in her rear.

Race: Saurial Class: Paladin Subclass: Oath of Conquest Location: Lumiose City Army Alignment: Lawful Good

View the pokedex of all dungeon pokemon by following the link in the menu.

[lesbiannieism]

oscar is a paladin. lewis is a divine soul sorcerer. charles is a light domain cleric and the most beloved follower of his deity (ferrari) who inspires worship by all other ferrari followers. max is a champion fighter. gabi is a warlock and nando is his patron. kimi is a sorcerer whose power is derived from a prophecy (that he will be the next max verstappen). and ollie is an arcane trickster rogue

[silverskye13]

Trying to draw my Oath of Conquest paladin, take two.....

[spooky-activity]

Drew Kafka as a tiefling