Welcome back to the weekly D&D and Tabletop Gaming thread! Here’s a place where we can talk about Dungeons & Dragons or any other tabletop games that you nerds might be into. Tell us about the games you’re playing, speculate about future expansions, recruit your fellow Avocados into new groups, whatever you want.
This week, I’m taking a look at the Oath of Glory Paladin, a subclass first introduced in the Mythic Odysseys of Theros book. Paladins who follow this oath believe that they are destined to achieve personal glory through great acts of heroism. The tenets of the oath are as follows:
- Actions over Words. Strive to be known by glorious deeds, not words.
- Challenges Are but Tests. Face hardships with courage, and encourage your allies to face them with you.
- Hone the Body. Like raw stone, your body must be worked so its potential can be realized.
- Discipline the Soul. You must marshal the discipline to overcome failings within yourself that threaten to dim the glory of you and your friends.
The Oath Spells associated with the Oath of Glory include Guiding Bolt and Heroism at level 3, Enhance Ability and Magic Weapon at 5th, Haste and Protection from Energy at 9th, Compulsion and Freedom of Movement at 13th, and Commune and Flame Strike at 17th.
Starting at level 3, you can Channel Divinity in one of two ways. As a bonus action, you can augment your own natural athleticism to become a Peerless Athlete. For 10 minutes, you have advantage on all Athletics and Acrobatics checks; you can carry, lift, drag, and pull twice as much weight as normal; the distance you can jump increases by 10 feet. Alternatively, after you use your Divine Smite ability, you can use a bonus action to make it an Inspiring Smite. You can distribute temporary hit points to any number of creatures within 30 feet of you. The total number of temporary hit points equals 2d8 + your level, divided however you choose among the chosen creatures.
At 7th level, your oath allows you emenate at Aura of Alacrity. Your walking speed is increased by 10 feet, and any ally that begins their turn within 5 feet of you also has their walking speed increased by 10 feet until the end of their turn. The range of this aura increases to 10 feet when you reach level 18.
At level 15, you can use a reaction for a Glorious Defense of yourself or your allies. When you our a creature within 10 feet of you is hit with an attack, you can use your reaction to add your CHA modifier to the target’s AC for that attack. If the increased AC causes the attack to miss, you can make your own weapon attack against the original attacker, as long as that creature is within your range. You can use this reaction a numer of times equal to your CHA modifier, and regain expended uses on a long rest.
Finally, by the time you reach level 20, you have become a Living Legend. As a bonus action, you can empower yourself with legends of your own deeds. For 1 minute you gain advantage on all CHA ability checks you make. During that minute, once per turn if you miss with a weapon attack you can choose to make that attack hit instead; and if you fail a saving throw you can use a reaction to re-roll. You can activate this ability once per long rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it a second time.
Josephus is back as DM to continue his Eberron. The members of the Clifftop Adventurer’s Guild in Sharn include:
- Sly, a Wildhunt Shifter Druid of the Circle of Dreams from the mysterious and exotic continent of Xen’drik (CleverGuy)
- Cherri Bomb, a pink Tiefling Rogue (Waffle)
- Uda Haserrea, a Summer Eladrin Paladin hailing from the Fairy Court of Thelanis (Wasp)
- Petie, an Earth Genasi Ranger, who grew up in mostly Dwarvish community underground (Spiny)
- Scylla, a Half-Elf Genie Patron Warlock, who a found a curious patron in a back alley market near Morgrave University (Hayes)
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Dear Patience,
I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while–you must have been worried sick! After our brush with Xoriat and the Daelkyr, it took me a long time to get my head right. The Gatekeeper druids helped a bit. We had to let them know what happened at the rift, and to send a new druid to guard the entrance. And I had to give them back the staff that I recovered from the Guardian after we killed it. I didn’t deserve to keep such a thing. The Gatekeepers were at least able to clear all of our heads of the madness caused by our prolonged exposure to Xoriat itself. And talking with Petie on our way back to Sharn turned out to be just what I needed to help me through the lingering depression.
A few days after our return to Sharn, we were given our next mission for the Provost. Our goal was to recover an item called the Aethervane, and we had to travel all the way to the Lhazarr Principalities to find it. When we finally arrived in Regalport, we were met a one-legged Changeling fellow by the name of Ishmael, who brought us to a tavern called the Drowned Rat to go over things. The Aethervane is a compass touched by Kythri, the Churning Chaos. This compass actually detects the influence of the Outer Planes on our world instead of simply pointing north. Unfortunately, the ship that was carrying the Aerthervane had been attacked by pirates. Ishmael said he could get us an audience with the High Prince of Lhazarr, but we would need to bring a suitable gift. Luckilly, the High Prince had a notable fondess for a drink called “salasta,” and Ishmael knew where we could find some.
Salasta is made by Merfolk! They wouldn’t just give it to us, though–we had to work for it. There was a sunken ship beneath a tangle of seaweed that held a half-dozen bottles of the stuff that we could have if we recovered it. Good thing I had thought to cast Water Breathing on everyone! To make things more interesting, the Merfolk also offered up a beautiful pearl to whichever of us made it to the chest of salasta first. I don’t really need the pearl, but a race sounded fun! I dove into the water and forced my way through a tangle of seaweed. Then I remembered that I could become a shark! I transformed and swam as fast as I could, but I wasn’t fast enough to beat Uda and Petie, who both used magic to teleport themselves right up to the chest. It was fun being a shark though, and I was able to help the others lift the heavy chest above the waves.
Gift in hand, Ishmael arranged for us to meet the High Prince aboard his ship, the Dragoneye. Our gifts and our conversation were enough to impress the High Prince. Uda and Scylla both showed off some of their treasures and told stories about how they acquired them, but I think what really impressed the Prince was my knowledge of the lightning rail system. I think with everything I’ve learned, it might be possible to build a system like that on Xen’drik when I get back! It might take some convincing with House Orien though.
Anyway, the High Prince was so pleased with us, that he offered to loan us a vessel, the Malleon’s Bastard, to bring us to where the ship carrying the Aethervane was last seen, along with six of his guards to accompany us. He even gave us a couple of magical items, a Rope of Climbing and a Ring of Swimming.
We sailed out on the Malleon’s Bastard and eventually found the wreckage of a ship washed up on a shoal. We rowed over to the wreck, with the Prince’s guards, and climbed aboard to look for clues. Uda lucked into finding a logbook, showing that the Aethervane had indeed been on board this vessel, but it was nowhere to be found now. Scylla did discover a couple of treasures, an invisibility potion and a dragonshard carved to looks like a sea serpent in a hollowed-out book.
Suddenly, we heard an alarm ringing from the Malleon’s Bastard. An elemental galleon was fast approaching, along with a sudden storm. We watched as pirates started to board the Malleon’s Bastard and attack the sailors. A small group of pirates veered off, however, and started heading towards the wreck we were on, apparently riding on the back of water elemental. As the bandits approached and the storm hit in earnest, Cherri and Petie started firing arrows and bolts, and Uda manage to hit a bandit square in the face with a Fire Bolt. I rushed up onto a raised deck and prepared myself to attack. Scylla let loose a Shatter spell on top of the group as soon as they entered her range. One of the bandits exploded, and the rest were hurt but still closed the rest of the distance. My friends and the Prince’s guards lined the rails of the wrecked ship, and tried to push back the pirates. Scylla blasted the pirates off of the elemental’s back with a Thunderwave, as I tried to take control of the storm with Call Lightning. There was something odd about that storm though–it wasn’t natural. It felt like someone else was fighting me for control. I was still able to call down the lightning, but the pirates seemed to resist the effects somehow, and more bolts struck at random.
One of the Princes guards was killed, and the pirates beat Scylla up pretty bad, but Uda was able to do something that made them all frightened. Scylla was forced to back away from the rail, and I used a Healing Word to help her, then called down another lightning bolt, this time targeting the elemental creature itself. Again, the storm fought my control, but luck was in my favor–a second bolt came down on the elemental as well and destroyed it. After that, we made short work of the remaining bandits, and even managed to capture one alive. It seemed the battle aboard the Malleon’s Bastard had turned in our favor as well. As we made our way back towards the ship through the driving rain, we saw an airship appear from the clouds and gather up what was left of the pirates and take off, taking the storm with it.
We questioned our captive and found out that his crew was known as the Wind Whisperers. He didn’t give us very much information, but we did discover that he had a House Lyrandar dragonmark. The meaning of this was lost on me at first, but Scylla explained that Lyrandar controlled shipping in both the seas and the skies. Why they’d be allied with pirates was a mystery–we had to get back to the High Prince with this news fast.
We’re on our way back to Regalport now. I do miss home, but at least Khorvaire is rarely boring! Perhaps you can come visit some time, if the Moonspeakers allow.
Your brother,
Sly
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