Reinhardt's Oath of the Protector
I’m not a huge fan of Overwatch, but my son is. He’s stoked for the release of Overwatch 2, specifically because they added in a much-needed story campaign. I get that Blizzard makes its money from OWL and that’s all about 5 player PVP. But there’s something to be said for an actual story to in the blanks for all the backstory teasers we get with each amazing hero video.
To celebrate the release of Overwatch 2, I’ve decided to start a series based on the characters from the game. I have been thinking about it for a while, and now seems like the perfect time to move forward with this. We are starting with Reinhardt, mainly because he was one of the easiest heroes to do and since I was getting my feet wet with this adventure, easy is good. What was interesting was the feedback I got from both my son and Stephen. I drew up the 1st draft based on what my son knew and we looked up together on the internet. I have to say he was pretty spot on with everything. I wrote it up and Stephen proceeded to redline a bunch of it. It was funny, as I told my son he needed to read descriptions in D&D to see how it would translate and told Stephen he need to play the game to see what abilities I was trying to give the subclass. Neither did of course, and I was left in the middle to piece it together. So thanks to the boy for helping get the abilities I wanted to use right and Stephen for translating them into D&D speak.
So let’s dive into the Paladin Oath of the Protector, based on Reinhardt from Overwatch.
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The Oath of the Protector - Tenets
Reinhardt loves to fight and protect his friends and his audio clips prove this over and over again. I found three of the best clips out there and used them as the tenets for this Oath.
I Will be Your Shield. You know you can do massive damage against your foes, but the battle is lost if you are surrounded by fallen comrades.
Honor and Glory. Only through valiant combat will stories be told of achievements and songs be sung in your honor.
Fortune Favors the Bold. A fight is something one should never run away from, no matter the odds.
Shield Barrier
I love the shield barrier. Stand behind me as I slowly walk forward and you shoot everyone ahead of us. Just don’t forget to have someone covering your flank.
Charge
There are a great many abilities in D&D that allow you to charge forward, running into battle and smashing into an opponent. There aren’t many that allow you to rush forward, grab your target and run them face-first into a tree. The ability seems almost cartoonish to me, and perhaps that’s why I like it so much
Firestrike
I decided to forgo the flame strike ability that Reinhardt has on purpose. As a Paladin, you already get to smite your foes into oblivion if you choose to, so adding a flame smite at 3rd level seems like overkill. Sending out a straight line of horrific fire at 15th level seems justified though.
Earthshatter
Earthshatter = AOE stun ability + Earthquake Spell. Fun times for you, not so much for your opponents.
There you go, the Oath of the Protector based off of Reinhardt from Overwatch. Sure, I could have called it the Oath of the Crusader, since Reinhardt was a Crusader before being in Overwatch. But I see his character as less of a crusader type and more of a knight-errant; someone that has broken away from the land and beliefs of his origin, so that he can go off to right wrongs or to test and assert his or her chivalric idealism.
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