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Subclass Paladin Oathbreaker
The Oathbreaker is a necromantic Paladin subclass that replaces the protective Paladin auras with offensive ones. Control Undead at Level 3 uses Channel Oath to take control of undead creatures. Dreadful Aspect uses Channel Oath to Frighten nearby enemies. Aura of Hate at Level 7 adds Charisma modifier to damage rolls for yourself, nearby undead, and nearby fiends.
| LEVEL | FEATURE |
|---|---|
| 3 | Oathbreaker Spells, Control Undead, Dreadful Aspect |
| 7 | Aura of Hate |
Oathbreaker Spells The following spells are always prepared and don't count against your prepared spell limit.
Level 3: Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds
Level 5: Crown of Madness, Darkness
Level 7: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse
Level 9: Blight, Confusion
Control Undead As an Action, you can expend one use of your Channel Oath to target one undead creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target must obey your commands for the next 24 hours, or until you use this Channel Oath again. An undead whose challenge rating is equal to or greater than your Paladin level is immune to this effect.
Dreadful Aspect As an Action, you can expend one use of your Channel Oath to exude a terrifying aura for 1 minute. For the duration, whenever a creature that is Hostile to you starts its turn within 30 feet of you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened of you until the end of its turn. If a creature fails its save, it can't re-attempt the save for that duration.
Aura of Hate Starting at Level 7, you as well as any fiends and undead within 10 feet of you gain a bonus to melee weapon damage rolls equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum bonus of +1). A creature can benefit from this feature from only one Paladin at a time.
The Oathbreaker is the necromantic inversion of the Paladin. Where the standard Paladin auras protect allies (Aura of Protection = saves, Aura of Courage = Frightened immunity), the Oathbreaker inverts this: Aura of Hate buffs your undead minions and yourself offensively.
Aura of Hate at Level 7 adds Charisma modifier to melee weapon damage for every fiend and undead within 10 feet. With 20 Charisma (+5), this adds +5 to every melee swing for you and all nearby undead — creating significant damage amplification if you're running Animate Dead to maintain 2-3 undead servants.
Dreadful Aspect covers the battlefield with a 30-foot Frightened aura on a Channel Oath use. Unlike most Frightened effects, this re-fires every turn: each hostile creature that starts its turn within range saves or becomes Frightened. This creates a persistent fear zone that accumulates Frightened creatures over multiple turns.
The Oathbreaker Spell list supports the necromantic theme: Animate Dead at Level 7 provides the undead that benefit from Aura of Hate. Inflict Wounds at Level 3 deals 3d10 Necrotic on a hit (large burst, high risk). Bestow Curse imposes Disadvantage on ability checks and saves for the duration.
Control Undead allows you to convert enemy undead into allies mid-combat — using the battlefield's own constructs against it.