Oathsworn+Paladin


 * __Oath of Righteousness__**


 * Conduct:** The paladin must act with honor. He loses the benefits of this oath if he causes harm or loss to any creature (even an evil creature) by lying or cheating, or if he allows a wrongdoer to escape justice through carelessness or negligence. He will not knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will he continue an association with someone who consistently offends his moral code, unless they are repentant and trying to mend their ways. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.


 * Benefits:** At 1st level, the paladin gains the ability to //detect evil// and smite evil (and gains the ability to make additional smites per day as normal). Starting from 3rd level, he generates an aura of courage.


 * __Oath of Mercy__**


 * Conduct:** The paladin must treat all creatures with kindness and compassion. He loses the benefits of this oath if he causes or allows unnecessary physical, emotional or spiritual harm or pain to come to any creature (even an evil creature). He may punish or even kill a creature if it is necessary to prevent it from committing an evil act or causing harm or loss to another creature, but it should be in proportion to the creature’s actions.


 * Benefits:** At 2nd level, the paladin gains the ability to lay on hands. At 3rd level, he gains divine health. At 6th level, he gains the ability to remove disease (and gains the ability to do so an additional number of times per week as normal).


 * __Oath of Service__**


 * Conduct:** The paladin must help those in need, provided they do not use that help for chaotic or evil ends. He serves all creatures, although he may have varying degrees of allegiance. He respects and obeys legitimate authority as it is assumed to represent the interests of the greater number of people. However, he may choose to provide help to an individual instead if he is in greater need of assistance. As a servant, he is humble, courteous and respectful. He loses the benefits of this oath if he does not provide help when he is able to (e.g. providing help would not violate any of his oaths and he is not on a more important mission), or if he acts in an arrogant or disrespectful manner.


 * Benefits:** At 2nd level, the paladin gains divine grace. At 5th level, he may call for a //special mount//.


 * Atonement:** A paladin who has acted in an arrogant or disrespectful manner may atone by simply offering a sincere apology.


 * __Oath of Faith__**


 * Conduct:** The paladin faces the same behavioral restrictions as a cleric of his deity, faith or philosophy and loses the benefits of this oath if he acts in a way that would cause a cleric to lose his abilities. If he serves the forces of good in general (as opposed to a specific god, pantheon or philosophy), he loses the benefits of this oath if he performs an evil act.


 * Benefit:** At 4th level, the paladin gains the ability to turn undead and cast paladin spells. These abilities improve as normal.


 * __Oath of Wrath__**


 * Conduct:** The paladin may not retreat from a fight with evil. He may avoid conflicts, even by stealth, especially if he needs to conserve resources in order to defeat a greater evil. However, once the paladin attacks a creature that he knows to be evil, he may not stop fighting until it surrenders, flees or is otherwise defeated. If he does, he loses the benefit of this oath. He does not lose the benefit of this oath if he leaves a battle because he is no longer able to fight, e.g. he is unconscious, dying, or otherwise helpless. He may break off from a fight in order to accomplish a more important task, e.g. healing a wounded ally, but must continue fighting as soon as it is practical.


 * Benefit:** At 2nd level, the paladin may enter a state of wrath for a number of rounds per day equal to his paladin level. These rounds need not be consecutive. This is a supernatural ability that the paladin may activate and end as a free action. He may only enter a state of wrath on his action, and not in response to another’s action. While in a state of wrath, he gains the benefit of a //protection from evil// spell and gains a bonus to melee damage rolls against evil opponents equal to his Charisma bonus. This bonus damage does not stack with the bonus damage from smite evil.


 * __Oath of Nemesis__**


 * Conduct:** The paladin dedicates himself to be the special foe of a particular type of creature. In combat, he attacks such creatures in preference to all other foes unless they present an obviously greater threat. He may not retreat from a fight with such creatures if he knows them to be evil. He may not stop fighting until they surrender, flee or are otherwise defeated. If he does, he loses the benefit of this oath. He does not lose the benefit of this oath if he leaves a battle because he is no longer able to fight, e.g. he is unconscious, dying, or otherwise helpless. He may break off from fighting such creatures in order to accomplish a more important task, e.g. healing a wounded ally, but must continue fighting them as soon as it is practical. In addition, he must provide help to those who are threatened by such creatures or seek his assistance to oppose them. He loses the benefits of this oath if he does not provide help when he is able to (e.g. providing help would not violate any of his oaths and he is not on a more important mission).

He also gains the ability to smite evil creatures of his nemesis type once per day (as smite evil, but only with respect to such creatures), and gains an additional smite per day at 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th level. If he also has the ability to smite evil (e.g. from the Oath of Righteousness), he does not gain additional smites per day, but he gains an additional +1 to hit and +2 to damage when he smites an evil creature of his nemesis type. At 2nd level, he gains divine grace, but only against spells, attacks and other effects created by evil creatures of his nemesis type. If he also has the divine grace ability (e.g. from the Oath of Service), the bonus to saving throws does not stack. Instead, he gains an additional +2 bonus to his saving throws against evil creatures of his nemesis type. At 3rd level, he gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to his Charisma bonus against evil creatures of his nemesis type. This is a supernatural ability. A paladin who has sworn an Oath of Nemesis may freely multiclass as a ranger, but he must select his nemesis type as a favored enemy, and must use the bonus to favored enemies that he gets at every 5th ranger level to increase his bonus against his nemesis type or one of his nemesis types, if he has sworn more than one Oath of Nemesis.
 * Benefit:** At 1st level, the paladin gains the ability to detect evil creatures of his nemesis type at will (as the spell //detect undead//, but only with respect to such creatures).

__**Oath of the Protector**__

Conduct: The paladin swears to act in defense of a community, with actions based on what threat that community is facing. Perhaps prepare the militia and stand on the village ground against violent invaders. Perhaps hunt down the dark force or being that haunts the towns streets at night. Perhaps representing a minority group to the cities mayor. Perhaps leading the Kings army to stop the spread of the Barbarian Hordes. He must never accept more payment than common room and board. He may be without a community to defend for no more than a month.. a month which needs to be spent seeking out a community to protect.

Benefit: Starting at second level, the paladin can exude an aura of Inspire Courage (as the Bard song ) once per day per level. This effect lasts as long as his allies can view him wielding his deity favored weapon and 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 8th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1 (+2 at 8th, +3 at 14th, and +4 at 20th). Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. {for ease of ruling, if mounted.. within 120 feet, if on higher ground.within 90 feet, if on foot in melee combat.. 30 feet, assuming normal vision conditions.}

Starting at 4th level, the paladin gains A +4 insight bonus to Sense Motive, Spot, Search, Diplomancy, Survival, and Investigate* when the check is in support of defeating the threat to the protected community.