The New 2024 Oath of the Ancients Paladin (DnD 5e Subclass Deep Dive)
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Also known as Fey knights or Green Knights, the Oath of the Ancients is one of the most unusual subclasses for the DnD 5e Paladin. Sworn to protect nature at all cost, these wilderness warriors are steeped in Druidic and Elvish lore, offering a more untamed version of the traditional knight in shining armor that most people associate with Paladins.
Yet it turns out that what was old is new again, with the Oath of the Ancients getting a major refresh in the pages of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. This includes a number of new enhancements, including a more powerful version of their Nature’s Wrath and Aura of Warding features, plus the ability to bounce back from the brink of death itself with a new and improved Undying Sentinel ability.
So is the Oath of the Ancients Paladin still a lean green smiting machine? Below, we delve into all the details.
What’s changed in the new 2024 Oath of the Ancients Paladin?
Below are all the changes to the 2024 Oath of the Ancients Paladin in DnD 5e. For ease of reference we’ve included the level and whether the feature has changed from 2014. It’s important to note that both the old and the new version of the subclass still fall under the DnD 5e core rules.
| Oath of the Ancients Paladin Feature | Level | Changed from 2014? | Changes to the 2024 Oath of the Ancients Paladin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oath Spells | 3 | No | N/A |
| Channel Divinity | 3 | Yes | Nature’s Wrath now affects each creature of your choice within 15 feet (in the 2014 rules it was 10 feet). Targets must now also make a Strength saving throw instead of getting to choose between making a Strength or Dexterity saving throw. |
| Aura of Warding | 7 | Yes | Now gives allies in your Aura resistance to Necrotic, Psychic and Radiant damage. |
| Undying Sentinel | 15 | Yes | The 2014 Oath of the Ancients Paladin would simply go to 1 Hit Point instead of 0. The 2024 version instantly regains a number of Hit Points equal to three times your Paladin level. |
| Elder Champion | 20 | Yes | Now uses a Bonus Action instead of an action, and can be refreshed with a level 5 spell slot. |
What are the Oath of the Ancients Paladin features for 2024 DnD 5e?
Below are the full list of all the features using the new 2024 core rules. Where applicable we have called out details to the changes that have been made from the 2014 Oath of the Ancients Paladin.
Tenets of Devotion
For the 2024 Oath of the Ancients, the key tenets that guide character’s remain the same:
- Kindle the Light. Through your acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair.
- Shelter the Light. Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren.
- Preserve Your Own Light. Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you can’t preserve it in the world.
- Be the Light. Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of your joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.
Level 3: Oath Spells
In the new 2024 rules, your Oath of the Ancients Paladin gains spells from the list below (with additional spells added as you advance in level). Once you gain access to an oath spell, you always have it prepared and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
| Oath of the Ancients Spells | |
|---|---|
| Paladin Level | Spells |
| 3rd | Ensnaring Strike, Speak with Animals |
| 5th | Moonbeam, Misty Step |
| 9th | Plant Growth, Protection from Energy |
| 13th | Ice Storm, Stoneskin |
| 17th | Commune with Nature, Tree Stride |
Level 3: Channel Divinity
In the 2024 rules, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options:
- Nature’s Wrath. You can use your Channel Divinity to invoke primeval forces to ensnare a foe. As an action, you can cause spectral vines to spring up and reach for a creature within 15 feet of you that you can see (notably, in the 2014 rules it was only 10 feet). The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained (in the 2014 rules they could choose between a Strength or Dexterity saving throw). While restrained by the vines, the creature repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success, it frees itself and the vines vanish.
- Turn the Faithless. This feature has not changed from the 2014 version. You can use your Channel Divinity to utter ancient words that are painful for fey and fiends to hear. As an action, you present your holy symbol, and each fey or fiend within 30 feet of you that can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage. A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action. If the creature’s true form is concealed by an illusion, shapeshifting, or other effect, that form is revealed while it is turned.
Level 7: Aura of Warding
In the 2014 version, this feature provided friendly creatures within 10 feet of you to resistance to damage from spells. At 18th level, the range of this aura increased to 30 feet. This has changed in the 2024 rules. Now, any friendly creatures inside your Aura receive resistance to Necrotic, Psychic and Radiant damage.
Level 15: Undying Sentinel
In the 2014 version of this feature, when you were reduced to 0 hit points (and not killed), you could choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. In the new 2024 version, you when you are reduced to 0 hit point, you instantly regains a number of Hit Points equal to three times your Paladin level. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Level 20: Elder Champion
In the 2014 rules, this feature required an action to use. In the 2024 rules, it now requires only a bonus action. Doing so, allows you to assume the form of an ancient force of nature, taking on an appearance you choose. For example, your skin might turn green or take on a bark-like texture, your hair might become leafy or moss-like, or you might sprout antlers or a lion-like mane.
The transformation lasts for 1 minute and you gain the following benefits:
- At the start of each of your turns, you regain 10 hit points.
- Whenever you cast a Paladin spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you can cast it using a bonus action instead.
- Enemy creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws against your Paladin spells and Channel Divinity options.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest or burn a spell slot of Level 5 or greater (this last option is new to the 2024 rules).
Is the New 2024 Oath of the Ancients Paladin worth playing?
The Oath of the Ancients Paladin is definitely a fan favorite and one of the more unique subclass options for the new 2024 Paladin. None of these changes cut too deep and are genuine improvements. The extra range for Nature’s Wrath, the added resistances to Aura of Warding, the buffs to Undying Sentinel and the tweaks to Elder Champion are all legitimate enhancements that makes the subclass more powerful and flexible. It’s an all-nature update that sees the Oath of the Ancients staying true to its nature.
You can find the complete rules for the new Oath of the Ancients Paladin in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available for pre-order now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
Below is also a video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel, with DnD lead designer Jeremy Crawford discussing more about the changes to to the subclass.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
