Verdict
The Paladin subclass for players who want the biggest hits on the most dangerous enemy. In 2024, Vow of Enmity is part of the Attack action, reaches 30 feet and lasts a minute, so you have Advantage on one enemy for most of a fight. It gives up the crowd control of other oaths to get there.
How it plays
Open the fight by attacking and spending a Channel Divinity use on the boss. From then on, every attack against it has Advantage, which lines up with Divine Smite: more hits means more chances to smite and, with Advantage, a better crit chance. When the target dies, the vow jumps to the next creature within 30 feet for free.
Hunter's Mark and Bane come free as oath spells, and Misty Step and Dimension Door give a heavy-armor Paladin the mobility they would otherwise lack. At level 7, a hit with an opportunity attack pins the target for the turn while you step back or reposition.
Features by level
| Level | Feature | What it does, in short |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Oath Spells | Always prepared: Bane and Hunter's Mark (3), Hold Person and Misty Step (5), Haste and Protection from Energy (9), Banishment and Dimension Door (13), Hold Monster and Scrying (17). |
| 3 | Vow of Enmity | When you take the Attack action, spend one Channel Divinity use to mark a creature you can see within 30 feet. You have Advantage on attack rolls against it for 1 minute. If it drops to 0 Hit Points, you can move the vow to another creature within 30 feet at no action cost. |
| 7 | Relentless Avenger | When you hit with an Opportunity Attack, the target's Speed becomes 0 for the rest of the turn, and you can move up to half your Speed as part of that Reaction without provoking. |
| 15 | Soul of Vengeance | After a creature under your Vow of Enmity attacks you or anyone else (hit or miss), you can use your Reaction to make a melee attack against it, if it is in range. |
| 20 | Avenging Angel | Bonus Action for 10 minutes: 60 foot Fly Speed with hover, and enemies that start a turn in your aura must save or become Frightened. Attacks against Frightened creatures have Advantage. Once per Long Rest, or spend a 5th-level slot to restore. |
Vow of Enmity changed a lot from the 2014 version, which was a Bonus Action with a 10 foot range that ended when the target dropped. Older guides will describe that version.
Vow of Enmity accuracy maths
Advantage is worth more against enemies you hit less often. The table shows the chance of at least one hit with a single attack, with and without Advantage, for different "need this on the d20" targets. The formula is 1 minus (1 minus p) squared.
| Target number | Normal | With Advantage | Relative gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Need 2 (95%) | 95% | 99.75% | +5% |
| Need 8 (65%) | 65% | 87.8% | +35% |
| Need 11 (50%) | 50% | 75% | +50% |
| Need 14 (35%) | 35% | 57.8% | +65% |
| Need 17 (20%) | 20% | 36% | +80% |
The first row is a simplification: a natural 1 always misses, so a 95% chance is the cap, and Advantage lifts it to 99.75%. The pattern is the useful part. Against an easy target, Advantage barely matters; against a boss with a high AC where you need a 14 or better, it adds about two-thirds more hits. Critical hits improve too: the chance of a natural 20 on at least one die rises from 5% to 9.75%, which also feeds your Smite damage.
That is why Vow of Enmity fits the boss, and why it is wasted on the third goblin: the benefit grows exactly as the fight gets harder.
Building one
- Ability scores: Strength first, then Constitution and Charisma. Dexterity matters only if you do not wear heavy armor.
- Weapon plan: a great weapon fits the one-big-hit style. Two nick weapons produce more attacks, which each gain from Advantage.
- Skills: Persuasion if you are the party face, Athletics or Intimidation otherwise.
- Feats: Great Weapon Master or Heavy Armor Master, plus War Caster if you keep Hunter's Mark up.
- Channel Divinity budget: Vow of Enmity uses a Channel Divinity charge, so save it for a creature that matters rather than every fight.
Who should pick it
Pick it if you like big single hits and want to be the party's boss killer. Skip it if you want to protect allies or control a crowd; other oaths suit that job better.
Corin Ashdown is the pen name of the editor who writes and checks every guide on Vorbelutrioperbir. How we write and check guides.