Paladin/Unearthed Arcana


 * To view the official mechanics and statistics of this class, see Paladin.

The material in this article is presented for playtesting and to spark your imagination. These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by full game design and editing. They aren't officially part of the game and aren't permitted in D&D Adventurers League events. Ask your Dungeon Master before using any material on this page.

If Wizards of the Coast decides to make this material official, it will be refined based on your feedback, and then it will appear in a D&D book.

= Waterborne Adventures = (Unearthed Arcana: Waterborne Adventures)

Mariner
As long as you are not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, you have a swimming speed and a climbing speed equal to your normal speed, and you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

= Light, Dark, Underdark! = (Unearthed Arcana: Light, Dark, and Underdark!)

Close Quarters Shooter
You are trained in making ranged attacks at close quarters. When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. Finally, you have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks.

Tunnel Fighter
You excel at defending narrow passages, doorways, and other tight spaces. As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

= Class Feature Variants = (Unearthed Arcana: Class Feature Variants)

Fighting Style Options
2nd-level paladin feature (enhances Fighting Style)

Thrown Weapon Fighting
You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll.

Unarmed Fighter
Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8. When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.

= Sacred Oaths = (Unearthed Arcana: Sacred Oaths)

Oath of Treachery
The Oath of Treachery is the path followed by paladins who have forsworn other oaths or who care only for their own power and survival. Commonly known as blackguards, these profane warriors are faithful only to themselves. Anyone desperate enough to follow one of these paladins does so because, while deceitful, these paladins command great power. Those who follow them without falling prey to their treachery hope to indulge in wanton violence and accumulate great treasure.

Many of these paladins pay homage to demon lords, especially Grazz't and Orcus. Even the Lords of Hell are loath to ally with these champions of chaos, but sometimes Baalzebul and Glasya find a kindred spirit in a blackguard's penchant for double dealing and treachery.

Fallen Paladins. The Oath of Treachery is an option for the paladin who has strayed from another Sacred Oath or who has rejected the traditional paladin life. This option exists alongside the Oathbreaker. DMs are free to use either option to model villainous or fallen paladins.

If you switch to this oath from another one, replace all of the previous oath's features with the features of this one, and if you renounce this oath, replace its features with the features of the new one.

Tenets of Treachery
A paladin who embraces the Oath of Treachery owes allegiance to no one. There are no tenets of this oath, for it lacks any substance. Those who are unfortunate enough to have close contact with blackguards have observed that a blackguard's overwhelming concern is power and safety, especially if both can be obtained at the expense of others.

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


 * Conjure Duplicate. As an action, you create a visual illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute, or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). The illusion appears in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you. The illusion looks exactly like you; it is silent; it is your size, is insubstantial, doesn't occupy its space; and it is unaffected by attacks and damage. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the illusion up to 30 feet to a space you can see, but the illusion must remain within 120 feet of you.
 * For the duration, you can cast spells as though you were in the illusion's space, but you must use your own senses. Additionally, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how uncanny the illusion is.


 * Poison Strike. You can use your Channel Divinity to make a weapon deadlier. As a bonus action, you touch one weapon or piece of ammunition and conjure a special poison on it. The poison lasts for 1 minute. The next time you hit a target with an attack using that weapon or ammunition, the target takes poison damage immediately after the attack. The poison damage equals 2d10 + your paladin level, or 20 + your paladin level if you had advantage on the attack roll.

Aura of Treachery
Starting at 7th level, you emanate an aura of discord, which gives you the following benefits.


 * Cull the Herd. You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that has one or more of its allies within 5 feet of it.
 * Treacherous Strike. If a creature within 5 feet of you misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force the attacker to reroll that attack against a creature of your choice that is also within 5 feet of the attacker. The ability fails and is wasted if the attacker is immune to being charmed.
 * You can use this ability three times. You regain expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.

Blackguard's Escape
At 15th level, you have the ability to slip away from your foes. Immediately after you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to turn invisible and teleport up to 60 feet to a spot you can see. You remain invisible until the end of your next turn or until you attack, deal damage, or force a creature to make a saving throw. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Icon of Deceit
At 20th level, you gain the ability to emanate feelings of treachery. As an action, you can magically become an avatar of deceit, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:
 * You are invisible.
 * If a creature damages you on its turn, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to your spell save DC) or you control its next action, provided that you aren't incapacitated when it takes the action. A creature automatically succeeds on the save if the creature is immune to being charmed.
 * If you have advantage on an attack roll, you gain a bonus to its damage roll equal to your paladin level.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.