Creating an oathbreaker paladin may be one of the most rewarding characters in Dungeons & Dragons. And choosing an almighty god with the right flare for an oathbreaking paladin is especially important. But where should you start looking in D&D's broad pantheons?

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Whether you intend to adopt the oathbreaker subclass or temporarily abandon your current oath, there are plenty of D&D deities to choose from. Just make sure you talk to your DM about which gods are present in their pantheon. If so, any of these corrupted gods could be a good match for the oath breaker.
Some DMs prefer not to have the paladin oathbreaker subclass available in their campaign. If you're still interested in the narrative possibilities offered by Oathbreakers, work with your DM to explore how your paladin's decision to leave the Oath might change or alter their abilities while still keeping your original subclass.
10 Oathbreaker cheese
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
Forked tongue |
Liars, charlatans, traitors |
To start with the most obvious, Syrul Oathbreaker is an excellent choice for any devious paladin. Her trademark is a forked tongue, and for good reason. Her lies and deceptions are well known to those who choose to worship her.
As part of Greyhawk's pantheon of gods, Syrule's followers are often associated with the Scarlet Order, a devious faction within the city's gates. Creating a paladin who is possibly connected to Syrule and this nefarious order of assassins can set the stage for a treacherous and sometimes untruthful character who wields deception like a sword.
9 Erythnul, The Many
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
A drop of blood |
Thieves, Berserkers, Soldiers |
Known for his bloodlust and violence, Erythnul, The Many, is a vile and evil god who also resides in the Greyhawk pantheon. Worshipers of Erythnulu believe that blood spilled on the battlefield grants their deity its power. Often depicted with a mace, he hails from the chaotic outer plane of Pandemonium.
For paladins with a militaristic background or story, Erythnul can be a great god to worship. Soldiers who believe that power comes from the might of swords and shields rather than words will certainly find plenty of dogmatic flavor in this bloodthirsty god. If you're looking to build a combat-focused paladin, Erythnul should give you plenty of rationale for roleplaying.
8 Kelemvor, God of the Dead
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
Skeletal arm scales |
Priests, ordinary people |
Kelemvor, a classic D&D deity if ever there was one, is the traditional god of the dead in the Forgotten Realms setting. His emblem is a skeletal arm holding a set of scales. As such, it weighs the balance of life and death and guards the barrier between the living world and the next.

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While many classic paladin builds serve life force, worshiping Kelemvor as an oath-breaking paladin can prove to be an interesting roleplaying challenge. Kelemvor is not necessarily evil, but rather a servant of the natural order of things. Abandoning the oath to preserve life and instead vowing to preserve the power of death offers a complex dimension to any paladin roleplaying gamer.
7 Hextor, Scourge of Battle
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
Six downward pointing arrows in a fan |
Soldiers, tyrants |
If your paladin is facing a crisis of faith in the inherent goodness of the world, consider Hextor the oath-breaking deity of choice. Part of Hextor's dogma is that ruthlessness and cruelty are necessary aspects of life. They should not be feared, but rather respected.
There are many religious-military factions from various versions of the Greyhawk campaign setting (of which Hextor is a part) that worship the Bane of Battle. Homebrewing a theocratic military order for your paladin can be a great stepping stone to creating your paladin. It's also worth considering if your paladin previously came from a more peaceful order of worship and how they were pushed towards Hextor instead.
6 Incabulos, The Black Rider
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
A reptilian eye inside a horizontal diamond |
Necromancers |
Often appearing as a deformed figure with bony arms, Incabulos is a deeply sinister deity. Oathbreakers who seek to inflict disease and pestilence on their enemies and reserve their healing for only their most trusted allies should consider this deity as their building. Incabulos revels in contagion and other ailments.
If you plan to use the previous 5th edition D&D rules and play your own oathbreaker subclass, the subclass' expanded spell list will help season the Incabulos paladin perfectly with spells like Blight and Contagion at your disposal. If you're playing with the 2024 Player's Handbook rules, consider using an Origin Feat like Magic Initate to round out your spell list. Also, ask your DM about magic items that might allow your paladin to inflict disease on others.
5 Nerull, The Reaper
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
Skull with scythe |
Assassins, necromancers |
Nerull is a favorite god of death-loving necromancers and other magic users who seek to alter the barrier between life and death. Nerullo's followers, feared by most commoners, believe that only murder will quench their god's thirst for blood. Nerullo is also said to reside in the prison plane of Carceri, which can be an interesting place for higher level players to visit.

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To give Nerull a taste of paladin builds, consider adding more effects to healing spells. Work with your DM to determine if the Cure Wounds spell cast by your paladin Nerull temporarily reduces maximum hit points. Or you can simply add flare to your spells by giving your healing magic a darker aura or tone.
4 Shar
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
Black disc with purple border |
Traitors, you mourn loss |
Probably familiar to all Baldur's Gate 3 fans, Shar is often known as the Dark Traitor or Mistress of the Night. Her worshipers favor cunning and deception above all else. If your campaign is set in Faerun, Shar is an excellent choice from this pantheon.
Shar's underlying motif is darkness. When building a Shar paladin, consider whether your paladin previously worshiped a deity such as Pelor whose primary theme is light and goodness. This can create an interesting contrast when you decide to break your oath in favor of a new one.
3 Vecna, Whispered
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
Eye in palm of left hand |
Necromancers, Undead |
Long-time fans of Critical Role will surely remember Vecna. Formerly a mortal, Vecna has attained godhood and is now one of the darkest and most mysterious characters in the greater realms of D&D. Followers of Vecna desire above all arcane knowledge and often the ability to cheat death.
If your paladin is frustrated with a mysterious, benevolent god who refuses to answer or speak directly, consider Vecna as your oath-breaking deity. Vecna often makes promises to her worshippers. And giving your DM a chance to roleplay as one of the meanest characters in canon will probably be worth the effort.
2 Cyric, God of Lies
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
White skull without jaws |
Traitors, thieves, barbarians |
Cyric's followers, another wily god from the Forgotten Realms pantheon, are among the most vicious. Signified by the symbol of a skull sitting in the middle of a dark sun, Cyric thrives on intrigue and illusion. His designs seek to turn lifelong friends into enemies or just rulers into tyrants.

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Players interested in RPG-heavy campaigns should consider Cyric for their Oathbreaking Paladin. If your build includes a block with high Charisma stats, roleplaying with the delusional worshiper of Cyric can be really engaging and fun. This is especially true if your campaign takes place in a densely populated center or is driven by palace intrigue.
1 Bhaal, God of Murder
Sigil |
Followers |
---|---|
A skull surrounded by a Ring of blood droplets |
Killers, compulsive killers |
Another classical deity known across pantheons, Bhaal desires murder and death above all else. Assassins who work in the shadows also favor Bhaal. After all, a knife in the back is safer than a sword through the chest.
If you or your player has recently committed a murder in the campaign, perhaps even unjustly, consider using Bhaal to tempt your paladin into breaking his oath. This can create a truly unique roleplaying moment for you or your player. You can also build your build at home and include the Touch of Death channel divinity feature from the original fifth edition Death Domain subclass, which adds necrotic damage to weapon attacks.

Dungeons and Dragons
- Original release date
- 1974-00-00
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Number of players
- 2+