I got to thinking about the famous holy avenger swords and how, in 5e, they sort of suggest Oath of Vengeance paladins. Any paladin can use them, of course – even an Oathbreaker, though I imagine paladins everywhere would just as soon have you forget that. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to see what the holiest weapons of the other Oaths look like.

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Sword of Holy Devotion

Weapon (any sword), legendary (requires attunement by a paladin)

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you cast a paladin spell that targets a single willing creature and the target is not you, you can’t lose concentration on that spell from taking damage.

While you hold the drawn sword, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. When a creature in that radius fails a saving throw against a spell cast by a fiend or undead, you can use your reaction to let that creature reroll its saving throw. The creature must use the new result.  If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet.

Spear of the Green

Weapon (spear), legendary (requires attunement by a paladin)

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you cast a paladin spell with a target of Self, you can’t lose concentration on the spell from taking damage.

While you hold the drawn spear, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. Creatures of your choice in that aura gain resistance to poison damage and have advantage on saving throws against the poisoned condition. If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet.

Reminder: I recommend a house rule such that a creature with proficiency in all martial weapons deals 1d8 damage with a spear (Versatile 1d10).

Conquering Maul

Weapon (maul), legendary (requires attunement by a paladin)

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When a creature would become frightened of you and its current hit points are less than half of its maximum hit points, you can make it become charmed instead. The charmed condition ends in 1 hour or when the creature takes damage. A creature that is immune to the frightened condition can’t be affected.

While you hold the drawn maul, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. Creatures of your choice in that aura that score a critical hit deal an additional 1d12 damage. If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet.

Staff of the Holy Redeemer

Weapon (staff), legendary (requires attunement by a paladin)

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. If you have taken damage  since the end of your previous turn, your attacks with this staff deal an additional 2d8 radiant damage.

While you hold the staff, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. Creatures of your choice in the area that regain hit points from a spell or your Lay on Hands regain double the normal number of hit points. If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet.

Crownguard Lance

Weapon (glaive, halberd, lance, or pike), legendary (requires attunement by a paladin)

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When the target of your compelled duel spell or Champion Challenge deals damage to a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to Lay on Hands.

While you hold the weapon, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. Creatures of your choice in the area gain resistance to psychic damage. If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet.

Oathsunder

Weapon (battleaxe or greataxe), legendary (requires attunement by a paladin)

You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you hit a celestial or humanoid with it, that creature takes an extra 2d10 necrotic damage.

While you hold the axe, it creates an aura in a 10-foot radius around you. As a bonus action, you can deal 1d6 + your Charisma modifier necrotic damage to creatures of your choice in that area. You gain temporary hit points equal to twice the number of creatures that take damage from it. If you have 17 or more levels in the paladin class, the radius of the aura increases to 30 feet.

Design Notes

I think the general idea here is to give each weapon features that feel like they could have been subclass features for that Oath, and just got left on the cutting-room floor. Oathsunder probably carries that sense the best.

Conquering Maul is the weapon I’m least happy with, because the frighten -> charm thing was the best idea I could find, but it’s overcomplicated. Also, there’s a strong mythological argument to be made that the Spear of the Green should be a whole lot closer to a vorpal axe, but I didn’t go that direction here.

I do really like having some of these weapons solve a few of the paladin’s concentration issues, so that maybe you can tell yourself that War Caster isn’t a feat tax.

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