Okay, so Matthew Mercer dropped a Paladin subclass on D&D Beyond like a message in a bottle, and I have been politely losing my mind ever since. It’s called the Oath of the Open Sea. Unofficial, playtest-flavored, and basically built for one very damp half-orc, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t borrow it for our own nautical nonsense.
I need to say this clearly: this subclass was tailored for Fjord on Critical Role, not for a generic character. It’s a playtest, so if you bring it to your DM expecting zero tweaks, you’re basically asking to get hit with the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Still, the bones are good, especially if you’re running something like Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
The Four Tenets: Pirate Code, But Smitey
Most Paladins get a shopping list of nice ideals. This one gets four tenets, and honestly, they slap.
🛟 No Greater Life than a Life Lived Free: If someone tries to boss you around, you smite them. It’s the anti-authoritarian, pro-freedom pirate dad energy I didn’t know I needed.
🌩️ Trust the Skies: Read the weather like your weird aunt reads tea leaves. Nature is giving you clues, and this oath says you should probably listen to the storm before it turns your boat into toothpicks.
🌊 Adapt Like the Water: Be fluid, be slippery, be the reason enemies need therapy. Water can carve stone or hide secrets; you can do the same, minus the erosion.
🧭 Explore the Uncharted: Go places, find evil, smite it, repeat. It’s just a fancy way of saying 'I like road trips and righteous violence.'
Spells That Get the Boat Rocking
This subclass is a weather app with anger issues. Here’s the spell list, nice and tidy:
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Create or Destroy Water, Expeditious Retreat |
| 5 | Augury, Misty Step |
| 9 | Call Lightning, Tidal Wave |
| 13 | Control Water, Freedom of Movement |
| 17 | Commune with Nature, Maelstrom |
Weirdly, no Water Walk or Water Breathing made the cut. For a sea oath, that’s like getting a pirate costume without the hat. I’m not saying I need to breathe underwater, but a Paladin drowning because the ocean forgot to include basic swim support is a big yikes.
Channel Divinity: Fog and Yeet
At third level, Channel Divinity gives two options. Marine Layer creates a fog bank twenty feet in every direction for ten minutes, and the best part? The fog cannot be dispersed. The worst part? That wording is vaguer than a Walmart parking lot prophecy. It’s incredibly strong for level three, and probably should be moved higher. But my goodness, it’s fun: you’re a walking fog machine, and enemies can’t see squat. That’s my kind of drama.
Fury of the Tides is a bonus action, lasts a minute, and lets you push a target ten feet on a hit. If they slam into something, they take extra bludgeoning damage equal to your Charisma modifier. This feels fair, but if you’re fighting on a ship, you absolutely need to let enemies make a Strength or Dexterity save before they go flying overboard. Otherwise every combat becomes a yeeting contest, and while I love chaos, the DM may not.
Aura of Liberation: No Grabbing Allowed
At level seven, Aura of Liberation says no to grappling and restraining for you and chosen friends within ten feet. It also removes underwater movement and attack penalties, and lets creatures use five feet of movement to wiggle out of non-magical grabs. At level eighteen, the aura stretches to thirty feet. Honestly, this is a solid buff, especially for underwater fights, but it feels like it should maybe trade places with Marine Layer. One is a simple quality-of-life improvement; the other is a tactical smoke grenade.
Stormy Waters and Mystic Swashbuckler
At level fifteen, Stormy Waters lets you slam a wave into anything that enters or leaves your melee range. They take 1d12 bludgeoning damage and must make a Strength save or go prone. The save DC wasn’t included, which is very 'make it up, nerds' of them. It’s a cool, flavorful ability and not too overpowered because it only works in a specific window.
Then at twentieth level, you unlock Mystic Swashbuckler. Once per long rest, you channel the spirits of historic sea captains for one minute. Climbing costs no extra movement, Strength checks get advantage, and you get advantage on attacks against creatures within five feet as long as they’re alone in that space. You also get Dodge as a bonus action and advantage on Dexterity checks and saves as long as you can see the effect.
That’s a lot of advantage, but for a capstone it still feels a little light. I’d love to see cold damage added to hits, or maybe a shivering aura like Oath of Devotion’s Holy Nimbus but with frost instead of radiant. Otherwise it’s less 'legendary sea captain' and more 'very agile guy who borrowed a boat.'
Should You Play It in 2026?
If your DM is cool, yes. With a little homebrew seasoning, this subclass can be an absolute blast. It’s built with Critical Role’s Fjord in mind, but any sea-faring Paladin with a taste for freedom, fog, and yeeting enemies off boats can make it work. Just remember: it’s a playtest, not a promise. Treat it like your uncle’s boat: fun to borrow, but you should probably patch the holes before you take it into open water.