Editing Paladin (section)

====In Midgard====
As one of the most prolific 3rd party creators of 5e content, [[Kobold Press]] has made more than its share of new Paladin Oaths to follow. Whilst there are some that are heavily tied to the [[Midgard]] setting, such as the [[Ramag]] "Oath of the Ancestors", others can be lifted into your own setting with relative ease. So of course we need to break down how you can play a Paladin of these Oaths without being a dick about it.

'''Oath of Radiance:''' Paladins of this Oath serve light in a more spiritual sense, being focused on battling the [[Shadow Fey]], [[Undead]] and any other creatures associated literally or metaphorically with darkness. ''Midgard Heroes Handbook'' and ''Deep Magic''.
* '''''Cleanse Corruption:''''' I will burn out all creatures born of darkness, showing no pity or mercy. I will not suffer the company of dark creatures, save those taken in by darkness who I might redeem.
* '''''Lead With Light:''''' I stand open and courageous in the face of battle and will be the last of my companions to quit the field, just as the last ray of sun leaves the day.
* '''''Preserve The Righteous:''''' I will defend those who labor and live in fear of shadow. I will shield them from harm and keep the light upon them.
* '''''Redeem The Beguiled:''''' Those tempted into the service of darkness may yet be saved, and I will do everything in my power to bring them back to the light. I will be discerning in offering this mercy, but the redemption of the corrupted is paramount.
* '''''Remain Pure:''''' I will never yield to the lies of darkness or suffer corruption to take me. I Will cleanse myself of dark taint or die before threatening those I defend.
This is vaguely comparable to a 'vanilla' Paladin like that of Bahamut or the Oath of Devotion, albeit with more of an emphasis on fighting darkness, so similar tips can apply.
* The oath does have built-in tenets that specify you're supposed to care about protecting innocents and redeeming people, so generally use similar tips on avoiding being Lawful Stupid or Stupid Good which go about prioritizing purity over people or blindly derailing groups by sparing every bad guy.
* The most pertinent tip specific to this flavor of Paladin, of course, is how you handle the bits regarding 'purity'. Your tenets encourage you to abhor darkness and protect your purity, but beyond general 'obviously defend yourself against evil' bits, try and avoid reaching 40k levels of [[Inquisition|monomaniacal]] [[Sisters of Battle|zealotry]]. Unless, of course, that's the whole point of what everyone wants to play.
* Basically: Strike a balance. Focus your redemption on beings you have reason to believe can be saved, and care about your spiritual well-being without being a fanatic.
* The most obvious roadblock you'll face: What if your party members are clearly, unambiguously 'dark/corrupted' like if they're a Warlock? The most probable answer is to find a good roleplaying solution with your fellow players, but on your end, you can try scaling back the 'REDEEM YOUR TAINTED SOUL' angle to more of a 'chill social worker trying to help an addict' vibe. Remember: You're supposed to try redeeming them before judging them, and that requires compassion and wisdom.

'''Oath of Thunder:''' On Midgard, Paladins of Thunder are devotees of Mavros-Perun, a [[Thor]]-like deity with perhaps a bit of [[Marvel Comics]] inspiration. They also tend to be women, due to Mavros-Perun's assocation with Midgard's [[Amazon]]s, although [[dwarf]] and [[centaur]] paladins of this Oath are common too. ''Midgard Heroes Handbook'' and ''Deep Magic''.
* '''''Composure Is My Shield:''''' My deeds are my armor, and I am not easily provoked. If anyone shall insult me, I shall laugh at their ignorance. If anyone shall insult my companions, I shall show them their error.
* '''''Crush The Abomination:''''' Twisted creatures from beyond the world have no place in it. Aberrations and fiends will feel my blade and know death.
* '''''Decisiveness In Battle:''''' When the time for words has passes, I will strike first to bring a swift end to my enemies.
* '''''Duty Above All:''''' Though I Drink with the gods and laugh with the [[valkyrie]]s, I will stand my watch. I will defend my nation. I will defend my companions.
* '''''Humility In Life:''''' I am the Thunder's servant, not its master. I will live without excess, assured in my own strength without ostentation. Charity and courage are twins.
* '''''Voice Like Thunder:''''' My voice rings clear and true in defense of those who can't speak out for themselves. I will speak the truth, because such words echo through the ages.
Something like a more stoic version of the Oath of Glory, with a dash of the Watcher against abominations:
* The first tenet is a good deterrent: YOU are not easily provoked, so you can keep yourself from doing stupid shit. Though you should also be careful not to start bar fights just because your allies are being insulted; it may be a beloved trait in [[Anime|animoo]], but your game might not follow those tropes.
* The third also keeps you from being Leeroy Jenkins because it stresses 'when the time for words is done'.
* Fighting aberrations and fiends generally shouldn't be a problem, unless your campaign makes working with them a plot point, so maybe borrow a bit of pragmatic Watcher and be more tolerant of 'non-threatening' ones or as allies of convenience. Or more to the point, you can roleplay that you clearly don't like it, but as a player, you can still go along with the group.
* The fifth tenet is probably your most helpful one for justifying having a well-rounded personality and not being a dick. While it may refer to avoiding luxury and decadence, the spirit of it can be interpreted to mean 'be charitable, I'm not the shit, so I'm not holier-than-thou, I merely serve something holier than me'.
* The last tenet might possibly be the most socially awkward one, potentially, because you have to draw a fine line between [[The Last Church|speaking truth]] to [[God-Emperor of Mankind|power]] [[Jaghatai Khan|fearlessly]] and just [[Erebus|speaking your mind to be an asshole]]. It does suggest you should be speaking up for the downtrodden, but can easily go into social crusader territory.

'''Oath of the Ancestors:''' This Oath is heavily based on the [[Ramag]], their history and their culture. Whilst it's not a 100% race restricted thing in [[Midgard]], adherents would need to have allied themselves to the Ramag, and applying it to other settings may be impossible, since this guide will try to avoid simply 'reskinning' the material (though if you like the flavor of this oath, you can always ask if you can apply its ideas to a different race). ''Southlands Player's Guide''.
* '''''The Void is Ruin:''''' Creatures spawned from the void, and any fool who dares dabble with it, are a cancer to be stricken from the world.
* '''''The City is Our Heart:''''' Though its districts are scattered, the protection of our capital is our highest calling.
* '''''The Soul and Body are One:''''' Our mass and spirit are bound together, eternally united to serve the people and the city.
* '''''The Magic is a Tool:''''' The titans taught us magic so we can defend our people, harness the ley lines, and gather our lost kin.
The emphasis on a specific race/faction/culture and guarding against corruption makes it something like a combination of the Oath of the Crown and the Oath of the Watchers, but you can also borrow from various community-based deities.
* Like the elfpriests of Corellon, you can basically reason that 'being pro-Ramag doesn't mean being xenophobic'. While you're likely a patriot who views things in terms of how they benefit your people, you can still be open to the idea of judging others fairly and giving them a chance to prove themselves.
* Bits of this oath combine both Vecna and Ioun: Believing there are things best left forgotten (the void), but also that knowledge should be used (magic). These can work as plot hooks, so long as you don't take them to extremes of disrupting the party's policies.
* The emphasis on protecting your city can seem like Lawful Stupid bait, but remember: Your city is part of the world, and if the BBEG conquers/destroys the world, it'll be bad for your people, too.

'''Oath of the Chosen:''' Whilst its tenets refer to Nuria Natal and the god [[Aten]] due to roots, those references could easily be scrubbed and this Oath used to represent any nation or race with a strong religious nature and an associated divine protector. ''Southlands Player's Guide''.
* '''''Defend the Land:''''' Scour all threats to Nuria Natal before they corrupt the holy land.
* '''''Defend the People:''''' A threat to the people of Nuria Natal is a threat to the land itself. Purge the holy land of all that would defile its people.
* '''''Defend Your Faith:''''' Aten is the light of the world. Anything that makes a mockery of you or Aten is a threat to both his chosen land and his chosen people. 
* '''''Be the People’s Beacon:''''' The lands are rife with corrupting influences. Be the torch that guides the chosen people to enlightenment.
This is the most explicitly Oath of the Crown-flavored option (with the aforementioned religious angle), and its extremely patriotic bent takes you from Captain America to USAgent.
* The oath heavily leans towards believing that you're the best civilization around, everyone else is backwards and in need of your enlightenment, and you shouldn't have to take shit from anyone. So the best question to start figuring out how to play it is: How should I roleplay a British/Spanish/Roman/Imperium/etc. colonizer and make it work? As a moderate, as a hammy caricature, or as a deliberately grimdark zealot?
* Once again: Pro-nation doesn't mean antagonistic to everyone else. You can recognize your allies as worthy comrades, though your oath does encourage you to think that YOUR homeland is the purest and best, or at least first among equals.
* Your take on the oath is less about your GLORIOUS HOLY LAND and more about protecting the people in it.
* If your campaign takes you beyond your lands, you could explain that your clergy gave you a crash-course on 'how not to be a dick'. Both to make your own journeys go more smoothly, and also because if your behavior reflects badly on you, then it reflects badly on your nation.

'''Oath of the Elements:''' Associated with [[elemental]]s in [[Midgard]], this could just as easily be associated with [[fey]] or [[Primal Spirits]] in your own setting. ''Southlands Player's Guide''.
* '''''Defend the Natural World:''''' I hold every mountaintop, valley, cave, stream, and spring sacred. I will fight to my last breath to protect natural places from harm.
* '''''Lead the Line:''''' I stand at the forefront of every battle as a beacon of hope to lead my allies to victory.
* '''''Act Wisely, Act Decisively:''''' I weigh my actions carefully and offer my counsel to those who would behave impulsively. When the time is right, I unleash the fury of the elements upon my enemies.
* '''''Integrity:''''' My word is my bond. I do not lie or deceive others and always treat them with fairness.
The emphasis on defending allies and the natural world makes this like a less artsy Oath of the Ancients, making it easier to roleplay.
* A lot of your oath is written with checks to help you integrate better. Besides the usual 'just defender' thing, you've also got commandments suggesting you value others and think carefully. If anything, your third tenet suggests that you try and STOP someone from charging in.
* It's tempting to play this in a Druid-esque manner of placing nature over people, but remember that you're also encouraged to care about your allies.

'''Oath of the Giving Grave:''' Whilst intended for a [[necromancer]]-aligned [[Antipaladin]], nothing technicaly stops this Oath from being associated with shady-but-unevil faiths, such as the [[Raven Queen]] or the [[Blood of Vol]]. ''Midgard World Book''.
* '''''Conquer Death:''''' Immense power is needed to repair what's wrong with the world, and mortal beings' lives are too short to acquire that power and wield it effectively. Therefore, death itself must be overcome, and the only path beyond death is through the grave.
* '''''Serve Those Who Can Teach:''''' To overcome death, one must serve and learn from those who have that knowledge, regardless of one's views about those entities. When they have no more to teach and no further aid to give, only then can the student's moral feelings come into play.
* '''''Brook No Opposition:''''' Your vision for the world is correct, and the path to achieving it is narrow and treacherous. A single misstep could lead to disaster. Anyone who obstructs that path imperils the future and, therefore, deserves neither life nor mercy. This isn't cruelty; it's necessity. Where possible, those who fall can be redeemed by being made to serve your ambition after their deaths.
* '''''Honor the Gods of Death:''''' Honor the gods who grant you power over life and death with devotion and sacrifice so that they will aid you and look favorably on you as an instrument of their power, or even as an ally. Punish those who blaspheme against them.
Not quite the same as the gods of 'grim but natural death' like the Raven Queen or Kelemvor since it is pro-overcoming death, but definitely something like a more sociable version of Vecna's tenets, emphasising knowledge and using it to your advantage.
* Your main motive is 'I want to use this knowledge to help fix the world', so you can play with that. Maybe it's something cliche like wanting to bring back dead loved ones, but it can also involve learning the right magic to prolong lives and prevent disease, as well as the means to get it to those who need it.
* The oath, like many others, tends to assume 'my way of thinking is right'. Just be careful with how you play that so that you don't come across as dogmatic and insufferable; you can believe that generic undead can provide a source of menial labor without going into 'and you're a backwards yahoo if you think otherwise'.
* The emphasis on 'use knowledge', 'keep learning', and 'honor gods', while potentially self-serving, can also give you grounds to make a more humane, humble personality that plays well with others.
* The second tenet's utilitarian view implies that you're learning from someone morally objectionable, but there's nothing stopping you from learning from a GOOD mentor.
* You come from a society that respects its dead Dia De Los Muertos-style...or, going further into those mythos, even interacts with them in mundane, non-evil ways.
* The third tenet is the most blatantly antisocial since its logical extreme (or original intent if you're going for an Antipaladin) probably means 'slaughter those fools trying to stop your necromantic rituals and raise them to think the right way'. But hopefully, you'll have found some way to humanize this oath with the other tenets.
** Or alternatively, the BBEG is trying to kill EVERYTHING, and you want the world to enjoy living to begin with.
* While the last tenet presents the gods as things you kiss up to because you want to get their favor, there's nothing stopping you from worshiping a good or non-evil deity like the Raven Queen or Kelemvor and then picking up some things from them.

'''Oath of Consumption:''' The all-eaters are the dark [[paladin]]s of gods of hunger, excess, and greed. In Midgard, this Oath is only found amongst the ranks of the [[darakhul]] and [[dhampir]], whose preternatural hungers and ties to the dark powers of necromancy give them an instinctive affinity for this creed. ''Underworld Player's Guide''.
* '''''Devour:''''' Feast on any who stand against you. They are the fuel for your war.
* '''''Debase:''''' Let none stand higher than you. Consume their spirit that they know their place.
* '''''Demoralize:''''' Take what you want and flaunt it before those who could not keep it from you.
* '''''Despoil:''''' Learn what your enemy loves and destroy it.
Tricky to pull off since the oath tends to present itself as 'We're the apex predators, we don't need to apologize for what we are, so take what you want'. So kind of like the Oath of Conquest, with similar possibilities.
* Classic Oath of Conquest advice: You're pointed at the bad guys, not your allies.
* If you're from a race or culture that has similar tendencies to hunger and consume, you can still remember that the oath only focuses on your baser instincts; it doesn't keep you from feeling love or holding onto principles.
* You've [[Slayer|gravely undertaken this oath to hone yourself into the perfect weapon]] against a greater foe. 
* You can play your character like Wolverine (or a stereotypical [[Blood Hunter]]): you are driven by darker instincts, but you are dedicated to taking evil out of the world, and want to preserve your humanity.
* Even though there's a strong 'survival of the fittest, crush the weak' vibe in this oath, nothing in it prevents you from having positive views of your allies or those under your watch. You may think weaker beings are lesser than you, but that could still be a net positive as 'being who is slightly less awesome than me'.

'''Oath of the Plaguetouched:''' Unlike the Oath of Pestilence from [[Grim Hollow]], this is actually a good guy tenet! The Plaguetouched paladin, on [[Midgard]] at least, was infected with the strain of [[ghoul]] fever that would have turned them into a [[darakhul]], but some mysterious power answered their prayers for deliverance from this cruel fate. Now they use their second chance on life to battling the [[undead]] in all their forms. ''Underworld Player's Guide''.
* '''''Bravery:''''' In the face of terrible creatures, you stand like a wall between them and the innocent people who those creatures would devour or transform.
* '''''Stop the Spread of Undeath.''''' Fight to ensure the undead don’t snuff out the light of life in the world.
* '''''Relentless.:''''' Creatures of undeath never tire; you must remain vigilant.
* '''''Mercy:''''' Those who suffer disease must be cared for. If you could survive certain death, so can they. But when it is clear they are about to transform into a monster, you must end their suffering quickly.
The setting-specific flavor suggests that you survived a harrowing mystical plague, and the tenets reinforce how that near-death experience shaped you.
* A lot of the tenets emphasize valuing life, which is a big help. They also allow for defending life against more general threats (though undead are a bigger deal), so you can broaden your focus and take part in most parties.
* The first and last tenets most explicitly spell out that you should keep on caring for people.
* Like Moradin and other oaths emphasizing endurance and strength: You don't look down on the weak. In fact, you want to protect them, or even give them the chance to become strong.
* Being trained in an oath which probably exposed you to the sick and dying or those threatened by the undead, you've seen firsthand just how bad life can get for people. This can temper your Paladin in any number of ways to be more grounded and compassionate.