A review copy of “Sacred Oath – Oath of the Fates” and “Primal Path – Path of the Hero” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: David Serrano
In this rare two-for-one review, I look at two Greek Mythology-inspired subclasses, the Paladin Oath of the Fates and Barbarian Path of the Hero.
Oath of the Fates and Path of the Hero can be found in the Warriors of the New World bundle, or purchased separately. I’m a big fan of offering both methods to consumers. Most players are only going to be interested in picking and choosing the few subclasses they want to play, while a DM (or a group of players) may want to grab the whole bundle.
Each subclass in the bundle is inspired by the heroes and ideals of Greek Mythology. The Oath of the Fates is a paladin subclass drawn from the classic trope of destiny, fate, and being the chosen one in a heroic adventure. As you can probably guess, that mostly manifests as bestowing disadvantage on your enemies and advantage on yourself.
The two Channel Divinity options are Seal of Destiny and Pledge of Triumph. Seal of Destiny is offensive-oriented, targeting enemies within 30 feet and forcing them to make Charisma saving throws, lest the suffer disadvantage on attacks, ability rolls, and saves for 1 minute. The interesting kicker is that it requires concentration to maintain.
On the defensive end is Pledge of Triumph, which boosts an ally (or yourself, though I wish it were ally-only to foster teamwork), granting them +1 AC, a d4 to attack rolls and saves, and an extra d4 radiant damage on attacks — effectively combining Divine Favor, Bless, and Shield of Faith into a single ability!
At 7th level the Fate Paladin can effectively grant herself advantage with Guided Blade, and at 15th both Channel Divinity options become even stronger. The 20th level Avatar of Fate is underwhelming, however. A 1st level Divine Smite can be used at will without expending spell slots, and a new Fated Quarry ability marks enemies, effectively restraining them. Good stuff, but is it really good enough for 20th level?
The Path of the Hero is largely built around Bolstering Presence. Starting at 3rd level, whenever the Hero Barbarian rages, she grants temporary hit points to her allies (1 + PB) equal to her level + STR modifier. I like that the number of allies and the amount of hit points continues to scale.
At 10th and 14th level the Bolstering Presence continues to improve, granting immunity to charm and frighten, increasing the amount of hit points, and even granting damage resistance and damage bonuses.
I’m not a fan of the 6th level feature, Terrifying Presence. When raging, enemies around you must succeed on a Wisdom save or become frightened.
So which is it, are we heroically inspiring our allies or terrifying our enemies? I find it weird that the Hero Barbarian does both at the same time. I’d also argue that frightening enemies isn’t entirely thematically appropriate to a classic Greek hero.
Both subclasses are competently designed and mostly well-balanced, with useful abilities that work particularly well as part of a team. But are they fun? Neither has features or abilities that really excite me or motivate me to play that class.
Granting buffs to the whole party when raging is awesome, but the Hero Barbarian has nothing else going on. The Pledge of Triumph for the Paladin is just a bunch of buff spells, and while granting advantage and disadvantage is very powerful and useful, it’s not terribly rewarding or visually interesting. Compare these to subclasses from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, which include Rogues who generate psychic blades, Druid’s with wildfire spirits, and Monks who can manifest their astral selves.
That being said, simplistic subclasses absolutely have their place in 5e, and these subclasses could make a great fit for a Greek-themed adventure.
Pros:
- Can be purchased as a bundle or a la carte.
- Effectively themed around Greek Mythology.
- Well-balanced subclasses with abilities that benefit the entire party.
Cons:
- Abilities mostly boil down to generic buffs and debuffs.
- Terrifying Rage doesn’t fit the Path of the Hero.
The Verdict: Thematically inspired by the heroes of Greek Mythology, Oath of the Fates and Path of the Hero would make fine alternative subclasses for Mythic Odysseys of Theros, or any heroic adventure.
A review copy of “Sacred Oath – Oath of the Fates” and “Primal Path – Path of the Hero” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
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