Oath of Karma
Paladins who swear the Oath of Karma uphold the balance between suffering and compassion. They believe every deed carries a consequence: mercy should be repaid with mercy, and cruelty should be answered with judgment.
These paladins stand as divine arbiters of return and recompense. They shield the kind, bear pain for others, and turn violence back on those who deal it.
Tenets of Karma
The tenets of the Oath of Karma teach that no action is without consequence.
Balance the Scales. Harm left unanswered invites more harm. Let justice be returned in kind.
Honor Compassion. Kindness freely given is sacred. Protect those who show mercy to others.
Bear the Burden. Take suffering upon yourself so others do not have to endure it alone.
Return What Is Given. Mercy deserves mercy. Violence deserves judgment.
Level 3: Oath of Karma Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Karma Spells table. See the Sacred Oath class feature for how oath spells work.
Oath of Karma Spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Bless, Cure Wounds |
| 5 | Aid, Warding Bond |
| 9 | Beacon of Hope, Protection from Energy |
| 13 | Death Ward, Fire Shield |
| 17 | Greater Restoration, Holy Weapon |
Level 3: Channel Divinity
You gain the following Channel Divinity options.
Karmic Retribution. When a creature you can see deals damage to you, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of your Channel Divinity to gain resistance to that instance of damage. After the damage is resolved, the triggering creature takes Radiant damage equal to the damage you took.
Karmic Restoration. When a creature you can see deals damage to you, you can take a Reaction and expend one use of your Channel Divinity to gain resistance to that instance of damage. After the damage is resolved, one creature of your choice within 30 feet of you regains a number of Hit Points equal to the damage you took.
Level 7: Aura of Karma
Your presence rewards mercy and punishes cruelty. While you aren’t Incapacitated, you and your allies within your Aura of Protection gain the following benefits:
- Reward Mercy. Once per turn, when a creature in the aura restores Hit Points to another creature with a spell or feature, you can cause the creature that provided the healing to gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Charisma modifier.
- Punish Harm. Once per turn, when a creature in the aura takes damage from another creature, you can cause the attacker to take Radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Level 15: Balancing Smite
When you use your Divine Smite, choose one of the following effects:
- Friendly creatures of your choice in your Aura of Protection gain Temporary Hit Points equal to three times the level of the spell slot expended, plus your Charisma modifier.
- One creature you can see within 30 feet of you regains Hit Points equal to half the damage dealt by the attack.
Level 20: Perfect Karmic Balance
As a Bonus Action, you can embody perfect karmic balance for 1 minute. For the duration, you gain the following benefits:
- When a creature of your choice in your Aura of Protection restores Hit Points to another creature, both of those creatures gain a karmic die, which is a d6. Within the next minute, each creature can roll that die and add it to one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw it makes.
- When a hostile creature in your Aura of Protection targets another creature with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction to force the attacker to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it must choose a different target or the attack is wasted.
- Your Punish Harm effect can trigger on each attack, rather than once per turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest. You can also restore your use of this feature by expending a level 5 spell slot (no action required).