Previous Hundred Dungeons posts:
The Wild (wilderness exploration)
The Dark (dungeon exploration)
Recuperation (resting and downtime)
I will admit to some trepidation as I post the Paladin design for Hundred Dungeons. It’s one of my favorite classes, and also one that can be overpowered in fifth edition D&D. Yet players don’t always regard it as such, and get temperamental about smiting.
So let’s embrace our design goals for Hundred Dungeons classes:
Simplify in-game decision points
Condense the 20 levels down to 10 that cover a similar spread of power
Work in more “always on” features
Balance the pillars (which means removing some combat stuff and replacing it with features that showcase exploration and social activity)
As a last note, I’m sure you’ll see that I’m trying to remove any “half-casters” that could stand on their own two feet without spellcasting. Let’s see how it turned out!
PALADIN
The world can be bleak and selfish, but oathbound Paladins stand for something greater than themselves. They may be devout knights, penitent sinners, or doomed zealots stepping into danger to prove their moral mettle and exemplify the tenets of their oath.
Paladins are primarily warriors of conscience. Loyalty transforms their faith into a source of divine power that enhances their combat abilities and empowers them to heal and defend their allies.
Ability Increase: Charisma
Skills: Faithful Pledge, Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons, Heavy Weapons, Simple Armor, Martial Armor, Heavy Armor, Shields
…and one skill of your making
Hit Dice: d10
Starting Hit Points: 10 + Constitution score
Starting Gear:
Backpack
Pouch
Longsword
Scale Mail
Token of your Oath
5 silver
EXPLOITS
DIVINE HANDS
Level 1
Your touch bestows healing or condemnation. You have a number of oath dice (d8s) equal to double your Paladin level. You can expend the oath dice in the following ways:
Lay on Hands: As a Combat action, you touch a creature and expend any number of oath dice. Roll the expended dice and heal the target a number of hit points equal to the total result. Remove the effects of one disease, poison, or level of exhaustion affecting the healed creature.
Smite: Once each turn, when you hit with a melee attack, you can expend up to four oath dice. Roll the expended dice and inflict additional radiant damage to the target equal to the total result. When you gain this exploit, choose aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead. When you smite a creature of that type, add your Charisma score to the radiant damage.
Your oath dice replenish when you finish a long rest.
OATH’S VIRTUE
Levels 2, 4, & 6
Choose Devotion, Penitence, or Vengeance. Your Oath’s Virtue grants unique exploits at levels 2, 4, and 6.
Devotion, Level 2: Spend 1 minute concentrating in stillness to sense within 100 feet of you the presence and direction of:
Areas of consecration or desecration
The closest aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead
For the next hour, your ability rolls to track or find evidence of what you sense with this exploit are mighty, as is your next attack made against a creature sensed this way.
Devotion, Level 4: You gain the skill Rallying Cry. As a Combat action, touch a creature who is charmed or frightened, and roll Charisma at 14. If you succeed, remove one of the above conditions from that creature.
Devotion, Level 6: You learn to cast the spell revivify using Charisma. It replenishes when you finish a long rest.
—
Penitence, Level 2: You and creatures you choose within 10 feet of you are mighty when rolling to maintain concentration.
Penitence, Level 4: You gain the skill Seasoned Pilgrim. Choose one type of damage. Concentrate for 10 minutes, and at the end of that time you grant creatures you choose within 10 feet of you resistance to that damage type for 1 hour. During that hour, you are vulnerable to that damage type.
Penitence, Level 6: You learn to cast the spell protection from energy using Charisma. It replenishes when you finish a long rest.
—
Vengeance, Level 2: As a quick action, you challenge a creature you can see within 60 feet of you. For 1 minute, the target’s attacks against creatures other than you are weak, and when you smite it, add your Charisma score to the radiant damage if you haven’t already. This effect ends on the target if you use this exploit to challenge another creature.
Vengeance, Level 4: You gain the skill Relentless Pursuit. When you challenge an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead, your attacks against it are mighty for 1 minute.
Vengeance, Level 6: You learn to cast the spell bestow curse using Charisma. It replenishes when you finish a long rest.
Find steed
Level 3
Concentrate for 10 minutes to call one nearby beast or creature native to your current plane of existence that is suitable and willing to bear you as a mount. The GM determines what creature responds to your call.
QUICK ATTACK
Level 3
You can attack with any weapon as a quick action.
AURA OF PROTECTION
Level 5
Other creatures you choose within 10 feet of you add your renown to ability rolls they make against damage, spells, and magical effects.
OATH’S AURA
Levels 7 & 9
Choose Courage, Fear, or Vitality. Your Oath’s aura grants unique exploits at levels 7 and 9.
Courage, Level 7: You and creatures you choose within 10 feet of you are immune to being charmed, frightened or surprised, and increase their speed by 20 feet. In the Wild, add 2 to your party’s travel distance.
Courage, Level 9: When a creature within 10 feet of you is hit by an attack, or fails a Constitution, Dexterity, or Wisdom roll, you can use your reaction to roll an oath die and add it to either their defense or their ability roll result. Use the new result to determine if the attack hit or the ability roll was a success.
—
Fear, Level 7: When a creature begins its turn within 10 feet of you, you may force it to roll Wisdom at 10 + double your renown or become frightened of you for 1 minute, or until it takes damage.
Fear, Level 9: As a Combat action, expend any number of your oath dice and roll them. Divide necrotic damage up to the total result among any creatures within 10 feet of you.
—
Vitality, Level 7: When a dying creature starts its turn within 10 feet of you, it heals 1 hit point.
Vitality, Level 9: As a quick action, expend any number of your oath dice and roll them. All creatures you choose within 10 feet of you heal a number of hit points equal to the total result.
Binding Word
Level 8
Concentrate for 1 minute to summon an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead whose level is lower than your Paladin level. If possible, the creature is charmed by you for 8 hours, at the end of which it returns to its native plane. If you know the true name of such a creature, you can summon that particular individual. Replenish this exploit by finishing a long rest.
Unconquered Champion
Level 10
Whenever a creature hits you with a melee attack, that creature takes 1d8 radiant damage. If the creature is an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead, it must roll Wisdom at 10 + double your renown or become frightened of you for 1 minute.
NEXT TIME
Remaining classes to explore include the Ranger, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard. We better keep chugging along! Hope you’ll join us for more.
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Hundred Dungeons is created and written by Graham Ward © 2023
Permission granted to copy for personal use only.
| EXP Required | Paladin Level | Hit Dice | Exploits | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renown 1 | +1 Charisma |
Unbreakable Conviction | ||
| — | 1 | 1d10 | Divine Hands | |
| 2 | 2 | 2d10 | Oath's Virtue | |
| 3 | 3 | 3d10 | Find Steed, Quick Attack | |
| 4 | 4 | 4d10 | Oath's Virtue | |
| Renown 2 | +1 to any ability score |
About My Order's Business | ||
| 5 | 5 | 5d10 | Aura of Protection | |
| 6 | 6 | 6d10 | Oath's Virtue | |
| 7 | 7 | 7d10 | Oath's Aura | |
| Renown 3 | +1 to any ability score |
Relic of [Oath's Virtue] | ||
| 8 | 8 | 8d10 | Binding Word | |
| 9 | 9 | 9d10 | Oath's Aura | |
| Renown 4 | +1 to any ability score |
Hallowed Patron | ||
| 10 | 10 | 10d10 | Unconquered Champion |
