Like Dungeons & Dragons, choosing a class in Baldur's Gate 3 is not only a matter of combat mechanics, but also reflects the kind of character you want to roleplay. You can then further narrow it down to a subclass of your choice. This is especially true if you play as a paladin.
Unlike other classes, paladins must follow certain principles to maintain their subclass abilities, and each subclass has different rules. There are four subclasses to choose from in the base game, and if you make in-game decisions that go against the spirit of your oath, you will lose your powers.
Now there's another fan-made Oath that anyone looking for a unique Paladin experience can pick up. Oath of Penitence – Nexus Mods user Nevaty's Paladin subclass is an adaptation of the home-made Dungeons & Dragons subclass of the same name to work in Baldur's Gate 3. Along with its own oath to uphold, it has a fully fleshed out list of abilities that are unlocked through leveling up like any other subclass.
Here's how the Oath of Penance works in Baldur's Gate 3.
As the name suggests, a vow of penance is not about being ashamed of one's actions, but rather acknowledging one's sins and making amends. Here are the tenets according to the mod page:
- Mea Culpa: You do not excuse your sins or the sins of others. Name it clearly, without comfort or avoidance. The weight of wrongdoing is sacred. To deny this is to deny your covenant.
- Crewe and Gloria: Every wound received through faithful service brings you closer to divinity. You do not seek suffering for its own sake, nor do you turn away when suffering comes. Scars are evidence of prayer.
- Via Solitaria: The path of penitence is often walked unaccompanied. Others will tell you that you are broken, lost, or beyond salvation. Keep walking. Your God chose you because you will not stop.
Breaking a paladin's oath is similar to the oath of vengeance in the base game. Not upholding justice or taking revenge is setting the guilty free, and that goes against your oath.
The mod page has details on all the new abilities you can gain as part of this oath, some of which you can access as soon as you select a subclass. For example, Mortified Flesh is a passive that means that when you are attacked, your next melee attack deals extra damage calculated as “1d4 + your Charisma modifier bonus splash damage.” Alternatively, Mea Culpa is an action that can only be performed once per short rest. Damage occurs at “1d4 + Charisma modifier bonus cutting damage” and inflicts 2 turns of the Bleeding status effect on the enemy.
If you want to give it a try, you can download it now from Nexus. As we've covered before, there are plenty of other custom Paladin Oaths out there, so there's plenty to play with.
- released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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M (Mature): Blood and gore, partial nudity, sexual content, strong language, violence.
- engine
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Divine 4.0
- multiplayer
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Online co-op, local co-op
- cross platform play
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Full cross-platform play.
