Subclass Paladin Oath of Vengeance

What Is the Oath of Vengeance?

The Oath of Vengeance is a Paladin subclass built around relentless single-target pursuit and Opportunity Attack punishment. Vow of Enmity at Level 3 spends a Channel Oath use, and no action, to grant Advantage on all attacks against one target. Relentless Avenger at Level 7 reduces a struck enemy's Speed to 0 on an Opportunity Attack hit, and grants you increased movement on your next turn.

Class Features

Progression Overview

LEVEL	FEATURE
3	Oath of Vengeance Spells, Vow of Enmity
7	Relentless Avenger

Level 3

Oath of Vengeance Spells The following spells are always prepared and don't count against your prepared spell limit.

Level 3: Bane, Hunter's Mark
Level 5: Hold Person, Misty Step
Level 9: Haste, Protection from Energy

Expend one use of your Channel Oath — no action required — to make a vow of enmity against a creature you can see within 30 feet. You gain Advantage on attack rolls against it for 10 turns.

Level 7

Relentless Avenger If you hit an enemy with an Opportunity Attack, you reduce the creature's Speed to 0 until the end of the current turn, and you gain 15 feet of extra movement.

Playstyle Notes

The Oath of Vengeance is the single-target damage Paladin. Vow of Enmity at Level 3 is the defining feature: Advantage on every attack roll against one target for 1 minute. With Extra Attack at Level 5, you're making two Advantage attack rolls per turn against the marked target, significantly increasing Critical Hit frequency. Crits double all Smite damage dice — a Critical Divine Smite at Level 5 deals up to 4d8+modifier Radiant instead of 2d8+modifier.

Hunter's Mark at Level 3 (from Oath Spells) adds 1d6 per hit and layers with Smite damage for maximum per-hit burst. Bane imposes Disadvantage on saves and attacks for up to 3 enemies — useful for softening enemies before focusing them down.

Hold Person at Level 5 is the Vengeance Paladin's combo setup: Paralyze a target (Paralyzed = auto-critical within 5 feet), then spend your action attacking with Advantage. Every melee hit against a Paralyzed target within 5 feet is a guaranteed Critical — smiting on every attack doubles to quadruples Smite dice.

Relentless Avenger at Level 7 adds zone control to the Opportunity Attack: hit them when they try to move away, reduce their Speed to 0, and your movement increases next turn. This prevents kiting while enabling pursuit. Paired with the Hold Person/Paralyzed combo, enemies that try to flee after breaking a save find they can't.