Oath of Penitence - Paladin Subclass

✠  OATH OF PENITENCE ✠

A Paladin Sacred Oath for Baldur's Gate 3

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Some paladins swear their oaths before altars of gold and witness. The Penitent swears theirs in private, in the dark, in the full knowledge of what they are and what they have done. The covenant does not require an audience. It only requires honesty.

The Penitent does not seek to be unhurt. They seek to be the one who is hurt — so that others need not be. And when the blow lands, it is not the Penitent who should feel shame. It is the one who swung.

The divine recognises suffering received honestly and offered faithfully. And it answers.

✠  TENETS OF PENITENCE

Mea Culpa

You do not excuse your sins, nor the sins of others. Name them clearly, without comfort or evasion. The weight of wrongdoing is sacred — to deny it is to deny your covenant. When an enemy strikes, they commit an act that must be accounted for. You are the one who keeps the account.

Cruor et Gloria

Every wound received in faithful service draws you closer to the divine. You do not seek suffering for its own sake, but you do not turn from it when it comes — and you do not let it fall on those who cannot bear it. The scar is proof of the prayer.

Via Solitaria

The path of penance is often walked without companions. Others will call you broken, or lost, or beyond saving. Walk on. Your god chose you precisely because you will not stop.

✠  KEEPING YOUR OATH

The Oath of Penitence uses the Oath of Vengeance breaking conditions. The Penitent who lets the guilty walk free, prevents deserved consequence, or sides with an oppressor against those seeking justice has violated the core of what this covenant demands.

This Oath does not brea