Oath of the Gatekeeper

The Oath of the Gatekeeper is for those who swear to uphold the boundaries between life and death. Every creature has its time, and it is up to the Gatekeepers to ensure that the living move on and balance is maintained. When corrupt individuals seek to prolong their lives, when a necromancer raises an army of the damned, when someone attempts to ascend to Lichdom - paladins of the Gate must rise and destroy any interference of the Great Equalizer. While they do not have to be evil, their association with Death often leads to them inheriting a bad image, however it is only the fear of the unknown that leads to the fear of death. Only the most dedicated and determined of paladins are capable of handling the threads of life, while knowing when to sever them as well.

Tenets of the Gatekeeper

The tenets of the Gatekeeper are sacred codes followed by all who worship and respect Death. They outline the importance of death and the respect of its counterpart life. While most tenets serve merely as guidelines, the Gatekeeper’s role is so important that following these codes are vital in ensuring that the balance between life and death is maintained.

Final Guide. Ease a soul’s passing into the afterlife and respect their life and memory.

Kill the Undying. Any creature that works to achieve eternal life does not understand the necessity of death. Show them.

Life is Precious. Death is what gives life meaning. Protect those who are blessed or cannot protect themselves.

Accept Death. Life is as inevitable as Death. Understand it and embrace it without fear.

The Clock’s Guardian. For every creature who evades their time, another must reach theirs sooner. For every creature whose fate is brought to them before their time, another must live beyond theirs.

Death in Life. Life in Death. Without life, there is no death. Celebrate life with others and aid in the creation of future life.

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed below

Oath of the Gatekeeper Spell

Paladin Level Spells 3rd false life, sleep 5th gentle repose, ray of enfeeblement 9th speak with dead, vampiric touch 13th death ward, phantasmal killer 17th dream, reincarnate

Channel Divinity

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

Death’s Gaze As an action, you display your holy symbol as a dark aura radiates around you, using your Channel Divinity to channel the specter of Death. For the next minute, each of your auras negatively affects your enemies, rather than positively affecting your allies. The Aura of Protection gives a negative modifier to enemies equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). The Aura of Courage gives enemies disadvantage on saving throws to resist fear. You may end this effect, reversing back to your possitive auras, as a free action.

Into The Light As a bonus action, you use your Channel Divinity to usher a creature towards the Gate. Choose a target within 30 ft. of you that has lost at least half of its hit points. You may teleport within 5ft. of the target, and that creature must then make a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the start of your next turn.

Kiss of Death

Starting at 7th level, your connection to Death allows you to cut the very threads of life, bringing your foes closer to their Eternal Slumber. When you score a critical hit against a creature, you deal an extra 2d12 of necrotic damage. This damage is not doubled. If the creature is a construct, this has no effect on them.

The Great Equalizer

At 15th level, you gain the responsibility of maintaining balance between the forces of Life and Death. When you kill an enemy, you or one of your allies within 30ft. of you regains hit points equal to the enemy's number of Hit Dice.

Grim Reaper

At 20th-level, the paladin can, as an action, surround himself or herself with an aura of death that lasts for 1 minute. The aura reduces any bright light in a 30-foot radius around the paladin to dim light. Each creature that is within the 30-foot radius during the transformation must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened. Additionally, the paladin and creatures he or she chooses in the aura are draped in deeper shadow. Creatures that rely on sight have disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures draped in this shadow.

While the aura lasts, the paladin can use a bonus action on his or her turn to cause the shadows to form a scythe, attacking one creature within the aura. The paladin makes a melee spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the target takes necrotic damage equal to 3d10 + the paladin's Charisma modifier. After activating the aura, the paladin can't do so again until he or she finishes a long rest.