Oath of Glory Paladin from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything Embodies 5E D&D Heroism

Paladins in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons take Sacred Oaths and become ideal champions of those tenets. The Oath of Glory found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything was originally the Oath of Heroism. The tenets of the oath changed a little bit in the final version and some of the features as well. Since the character I play in a weekly live stream 5E D&D game took the Sacred Oath of Glory during their journey as a justicar it felt only natural to share a closer look at this fantastic subclass.

Oath of Glory paladins are ready when destiny calls

The 5E D&D Player’s Handbook describes how paladins take vows to commit to their cause. At 3rd level a paladin makes a Sacred Oath, which includes principles specific to these final oaths. For an Oath of Glory paladin these tenets guide them to glorious acts of heroism. Here are the tenets for the original Oath of Heroism from Unearthed Arcana, which would become the Oath of Glory in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything:

• Actions over Words. Strive to be known by deeds not words.
• Challenges are but Tests. Every hardship serves to challenge your abilities and harden your resolve.
• Embrace Destiny. You didn’t choose this path, but it’s yours to walk. And it will carry you into legend.
• Hone the Body. Like raw stone, your body must be worked so its potential can be realized.

Here are the tenets of the Oath of Glory as they appear in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything:

• 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 changes to these are not major but they certainly exist. With Actions over Words a paladin is expected to be known for glorious deeds. This is kind of a big deal. Comparing both versions of Challenges are but Tests shows they basically say the same thing. The Hone the Body tenant seems almost exactly the same. The revised version is better but I have to say I am saddened at the loss of Embrace Destiny. I feel destiny is a massive part not only of this oath but paladins and characters in general. Losing this line does make me sad. In the case of the final tenant the package in complete as it incorporates the paladin’s immortal soul. You are challenged to overcome your own filings to become a better person. This alone is a fantastic challenge to play this character as it has a roleplaying arc for your character built right into these tenets.

On Thursdays I play an Oath of Glory paladin in the Dawnbringers game at Miniterrain Domain’s Twitch channel here. Thorgarn starts off in season two, episode one as a troubled barbarian. He has seen a lot of loss both in his failure to pass the tests to become an actual priest of Moradin and his witnessing the death of his mentor Father Greffin. Coming from a design with plenty of room for character growth this character fit perfectly into the Oath of Glory. I honestly feel most characters should have personal growth over the length of a campaign. Just as real world people grow, develop and change so should our 5E D&D characters. 

This concept was initially inspired by a video we did on the channel a while back, which I’ve included above. As to the Sacred Oath of Glory itself, while it is designed for those seeking to win glory within the world of Theros the initial concept of seeking to be a hero by doing glorious deeds, helping others and seeking to improve your shortcomings works for any setting and any paladin who wishes to become a name that will be remembered by future generations.

Here’s a summary of the Oath of Glory features from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, which will propel your 5E D&D paladin to great heroism.

• Oath Spells. You gain access to guiding bolt, heroism, enhance ability, magic weapon, haste, protection from energy, compulsion, freedom of movement, commune and flame strike. Glorious!
• Channel Divinity. One option makes you an unparalleled athlete while the other allows these paladins to provide temporary hit points to nearby creatures when they deal damage with Divine Smite. Heroic!
• Aura of Alacrity. Nearby companions move faster in the race to face hardships. Courageous!
• Glorious Defense. Great heroes make the protection of others a priority and with your reaction you can keep nearby allies much safer. Disciplined!
• Living Legend. Great deeds make a hero and the for 1 minute your own legendary deeds grant you benefits to Charisma checks and turn failed weapon attacks and saving throws into successes.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, stay nerdy!

*Featured image — A tiefling Oath of Glory paladin as seen in the 5E D&D Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]