Oathless
Bound by no Oath. Loyal only to themselves
Oathless are Paladins who abandon their Sacred Oath for reasons other than evil, but still retain some of their power. They wander the wilds as lost warriors, often becoming bandits and mercenaries. Some quest for purpose, seeking to renew their Oath, while others fall into despair.
An Oathless Paladin owes allegiance to no one. They hold to no Tenets and are loyal to nothing but themselves. Oathless Paladins are often selfish, with their own safety and power being their only concern. These lost warriors won't hesitate to obtain what they desire, even at the expense of others.
In most societies, the Oathless are met with distrust or outright hostility. In cultures where honour is paramount, their very existence is an affront, often leading to violent confrontation.
Another Option
When a Paladin breaks their Oath, most either turn to another class or take the Oathbreaker subclass. This subclass provides another option for remaining within the Paladin class.
For a truly masochistic experience in the Crown & Misery campaign setting, play a High Elf Oathless Paladin. As a High Elf, no one likes you; as an Oathless, no one trusts you. Double the disdain, double the fun!.
Level 3: Illusory Escape
You fight without honour or respect.
When you take damage from a source you can see, you can use your Channel Divinity to take a Reaction to give yourself the Invisible condition, and move up to your Speed. You have the Invisible condition until the start of your next turn, or until you attack or force a creature to make a saving throw.
Level 3: Oathless Spells
The magic of your oath, or in this case, a lack of one, ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Paladin level specified in the Oathless Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Oathless spells
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Charm Person, False Life |
| 5 | Pass without Trace, Suggestion |
| 9 | Gaseous Form, Vampiric Touch |
| 13 | Charm Monster, Greater Invisibility |
| 17 | Dominate Person, Passwall |
Level 3: Persona non Grata
The shattered power of your broken Oath radiates from you.
Whenever you make an ability check to convince any creature to trust you or to enter into a deal or agreement of any kind, you subtract your Paladin level from your roll. This effect can manifest in many ways, causing creatures to distrust you.
Level 7: Aura of Deception
You have no qualms securing your safety at the expense of others.
When you use Illusory Escape, you can force a creature of your choice within your Aura of Protection to make a Charisma saving throw against your Spell Save DC. On a failure, you and the creature instantly switch places, and it takes the triggering damage in your place. You then gain the normal benefits of Illusory Escape starting from the space that you reappear in.
Level 15: Forceful Will
You use your presence to dominate instead of aiding others.
When you force a creature within your Aura of Protection to make a saving throw to resist the effects of an Oathless Spell or an Enchanment Spell spell, it has Disadvantage on its initial saving throw.
Level 20: No Honour
You use self-serving power to become a grey shade of the righteous Paladin you could have been.
As a Bonus Action, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a level 5 spell slot (no action required).
Cunning Escape You can take the Dash or Hide action as a Bonus Action.
Invisible You have the Invisible condition.
Misdirect When a creature misses you with an attack, you can force it to repeat its attack against another creature of your choice within the normal range of its attack.