Does Deception break paladin oath?

[Jurras]

Just starting off and debating between performance and deception. trying to do a mostly good person

[Clonedpickle]

The only oath you would be breaking by deception is devotion.

[psionyx]

Originally posted by Tanks608:

Just starting off and debating between performance and deception. trying to do a mostly good person

I'm playing an oath of the ancients pally right now, and I've used Deception a few times without any issue. it depends on the context mostly. If you are deceiving someone for personal gain, or in a way that would lead them to personal harm, etc, then yeah it's probably going to go against you. But if you are, for example, using Deception to convince a pair of Tieflings to leave a captured Githyanki alone, and leave and let YOU deal with it, because you're a big and tough Paladin who can totes handle this kind of thing....well that's fine. She's your ally, she's in danger of being killed, and you are kind of sworn to protect life (for the most part).

[Clonedpickle]

Originally posted by psionyx:

Originally posted by Tanks608:

Just starting off and debating between performance and deception. trying to do a mostly good person

I'm playing an oath of the ancients pally right now, and I've used Deception a few times without any issue. it depends on the context mostly. If you are deceiving someone for personal gain, or in a way that would lead them to personal harm, etc, then yeah it's probably going to go against you. But if you are, for example, using Deception to convince a pair of Tieflings to leave a captured Githyanki alone, and leave and let YOU deal with it, because you're a big and tough Paladin who can totes handle this kind of thing....well that's fine. She's your ally, she's in danger of being killed, and you are kind of sworn to protect life (for the most part).

Oaths don't care about context. A ancient paladin can use deception as long they remain a pacifist and treat life as something sacred. On the other hand, if a devotion paladin used deception they would be breaking their oath as they follow being truthful and honest no matter what.

[Saghanarius]

Playing as Lolth-sworn oath of devotion paladin.
Have deceived:
1) hag to boost my stats and leave the girl with me
2) ogre to fight for me for coin (2 times)
3) goblin at windmill
Guess what? The oath not broke
I've got no idea why

[Senkoau]

Originally posted by BREDaniel/Tanks608:

Just starting off and debating between performance and deception. trying to do a mostly good person

Read the oath's tenants, its in there under sub-class features. Each oath has a specific code that you have to follow e.g. for the above oath of devotion the tenants are . . .

1) Courage: Stride dauntlesly into action.
2) Compassion: Show clemency when prudent, and lend your arm to those in need.
3) Duty: Tend your responsibilities, obey just laws and support those entrusted to your care.

So they acted in accordance with their oaths as they never showed cowardice, mercilessness or abrogated their duties to those under their care. Whereas if they'd been an oath of vengence paladin it probably would have been broken because they showed mercy to the wicked breaking one of its tenants. I've seen two players seperately break an oath trying to save an NPC where to save her you need to convince some innocents to leave or kill them. They killed them and thus fell.