For the Honor of Grayskull!
I've only seen the first season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. I've thought about seeing the rest of the series, but I've heard kind of mixed things which is why I've put it off. But that's neither here nor there! I wrote the Oath of Power as a tribute to the show and as a Christmas gift to a friend who really enjoyed it when we still only had season one.
I feel like I have a bit less to say today than I often do. I've talked about adaptations and homages before, and I've talked about sources of inspiration multiple times.
Ah, I have an idea: auras!
Many sacred oaths, both those made by Wizards of the Coast and those made by third parties and homebrewers, have an aura feature at 7th level. I say "many," but the truth is probably closer to "overwhelmingly most." So far, I haven't shared a single sacred oath on this blog that doesn't have a 7th level oath feature. Is this a rule for sacred oaths, similar to 3rd level Channel Divinity options? Well, not quite.
Wizards of the Coast has officially published seven sacred oaths. Five of these have 7th level aura features, but two don't: the Oath of Vengeance and the Oath of the Crown. So 7th level auras are very common, but they aren't strictly a rule. Auras are very apt for a paladin—they're a literal manifestation of the "beacon of hope" theme paladins have—but alternatives are possible. For example, Relentless Avenger fits very nicely with the Oath of Vengeance's theme of targeting, hunting, and slaying.
Still, I find myself very partial to auras. In fact, I've only made one sacred oath that doesn't have a 7th level aura feature! Making so many auras does put one in the strange position of sometimes being strapped for new ideas. There's nothing inherently wrong with reusing features between homebrews, mind—I just personally try to avoid doing so if I can help it. Still, I've managed to create a unique aura for virtually every sacred oath I've created. Some are straightforward yet appropriate, like Aura of Hope on the Oath of Power. Others I think are elegantly innovative, like the Oath of Detachment's Aura of Temperance. And I've made a few auras that I think are plain strange, but fun.
So, what goes into an aura? As in all homebrewing, there aren't technically any rules, nor do there need to be. But I can at least share what personal rules I like to follow.
I consider there to be two types of auras: friendly auras and hostile auras. Friendly auras are like the Aura of Devotion: they affect friendly creatures. Simple enough. Hostile auras are like the Aura of Conquest: they affect hostile creatures. Again, simple enough, haha. I try to follow the wording of official aura features when I write them. So I write a friendly aura in the style of Aura of Devotion, and I write a hostile aura following the style of Aura of Conquest.
I have made an exception to this personal rule once with the Oath of Enthusiasm. The Aura of Luster doesn't affect creatures at all, after all; instead, it affects the environment, preserving light and snuffing out darkness. For that, I decided to follow the "friendly aura" wording style as best as I could.
My second personal rule is that I want auras to be passive. What do I mean by passive? I mean that an aura should not require actions by anyone involved. Instead, the effect should simply radiate from the paladin. This is actually one reason I dislike the Oath of Redemption! The Aura of the Redeemer is for one a ripoff of the Oath of the Crown's Divine Allegiance, and for another it uses the paladin's reaction. That's hardly a radiated effect!
Now, there's plenty of homebrewers who don't follow this rule, and that's completely fine. And even I kind of skirt the edges of it with my Oath of Betrothal's Aura of Care, which has no actions associated with it but does only function on the paladin's turn. Still, this is a point of personal taste that I am willing to stick to in my own design.
And, well, that's all the personal "rules" I have! Fewer than I expected, I suppose, haha. Oh, this isn't a rule, but it is good to point out: many a homebrewer has forgotten that Aura of Courage is a base class feature for paladins. Unfortunately, there's no use in adding fear immunity as an aura to you sacred oath homebrew!
In the meantime, enjoy the Oath of Power. And remember: you have the power!
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