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Paladin Subclass Reveal: Oath of the Living Covenant

“I do not walk alone. My strength is not my own. We are one. We are eternal.”

While most paladins swear fealty to gods, ideals, or eternal laws, a rare few bind themselves to something stranger. Those who take the Oath of the Living Covenant do not kneel before a distant deity—they enter into a pact with a living, breathing presence that dwells inside their body.

It might be a holy symbiote sent from a celestial host, or a parasitic spirit whose hunger balances on the edge of devotion and domination. Whatever its origin, this covenant is alive. It whispers in quiet moments, shares its host’s breath and blood, and fights to ensure both survive. You can see the Monk twinned soul here.

This oath raises a question that plagues every paladin who dares swear it: Do I wield this power… or does it wield me? 

Tenets of the Living Covenant

Unlike traditional paladin tenets, these are not mere words carved in stone. They are living laws, enforced by the entity fused to your flesh and soul.

• One Body, One Will. You are bound. Your actions ripple through your symbiote, and its instincts echo in you.

• The Strong Must Endure. Mercy is a choice—but survival is a mandate. The covenant demands strength.

• To Break the Oath is to Break the Self. If you sever the bond, you may unravel entirely.

Features of the Oath

Oath Spells

Your bond with the Living Covenant grants you access to additional spells.

Your covenant whispers secrets into your soul, granting spells no ordinary paladin would dream of.

Like all sacred vows, the Living Covenant grants powers as your bond deepens.

3rd Level – Channel Divinity 

Your symbiote enhances your divine power, allowing you to invoke its unique blessings—or its hunger.

✦ Symbiotic Smite

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend your Channel Divinity to deal an additional 2d8 necrotic or psychic damage (your choice), and regain hit points equal to half the damage dealt.

✦ Communion of Flesh

As an action, you can activate your covenant’s presence, allowing it to speak through you and granting the following effects for 1 minute:

• You gain advantage on Persuasion and Intimidation checks.
• Your voice carries an unsettling echo—creatures within 30 feet that hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + Charisma mod + Prof bonus) or become frightened until the start of their next turn.

7th Level – Fleshbound Resilience

Your covenant reinforces your body, protecting you with its own will.

• You gain resistance to necrotic and poison damage.
• You can use Lay on Hands on yourself as a bonus action.

Once per short or long rest, when you are reduced to 0 HP but not killed outright, your covenant reacts violently—you immediately regain hit points equal to your Paladin level, and creatures of your choice within 10 feet take radiant or necrotic damage equal to half that amount.

15th Level – Living Guardian

Your symbiote is no longer just a presence—it is a protector, acting even when you cannot.

• If you are incapacitated, stunned, or unconscious, the symbiote acts on its own, allowing you to:
  • Move up to half your speed on your turn.
  • Cast one spell of 1st or 2nd level that does not require concentration.
  • Make one weapon attack as if you were conscious.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Additionally, your Aura of Protection extends to 30 feet, as your symbiote passively reinforces allies as well.

20th Level – Avatar of the Covenant

You and your symbiote reach perfect unity, becoming a single, transcendent force.

As an action, you can activate Avatar of the Covenant, merging fully for 1 minute. While in this form:

• You gain resistance to all damage except force and radiant.
• When you hit with a melee attack, you may use your reaction to force the target to make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + Cha mod + Prof bonus). On a failure, they become paralyzed for 1 round.
• When you cast a spell that heals HP, you also grant the target temporary hit points equal to half the healing done.
• You may telepathically communicate with any willing creature within 120 feet.

Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Why Play the Oath of the Living Covenant?

This subclass is a paladin unlike any other. It offers durability, survivability, and versatility—equal parts protector and predator. Its symbiote mechanics reinforce the paladin’s frontline role, while adding a sinister, alien edge.

Do you imagine your covenant as a celestial graft, a parasitic hive-mind, or the last remnant of a god’s corpse clinging to survival? The flavor is as flexible as the bond is binding.

The real question for players is not how powerful you’ll be in battle—but how your character navigates the relationship with the other voice that lives within.

Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!