Death Knight, 3rd Variant (5e Class)

Death Knight

The vengeful knight who uses dark powers to fight great evils

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Once the mindless slave of a powerful undead being, you use the power they gave you as their thrall to destroy them once and for all.

Creating a Death Knight

Class Features

As a Death Knight you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Death Knight level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Death Knight level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armors, shields,
Weapons: simple and martial weapons
Tools:
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Constitution
Skills: Choose 2 from: Arcana, Investigation, Perception, and Athletics.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) 1 martial weapon and shield or (b) 2 martial weapons
• (a) any simple melee weapon or (b) five javelins
• (a) an explorer’s pack or (b) a monster hunter pack
• chain mail and a component pouch
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 3d4x10 in funds.

Table: The Death Knight

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Runic Power, Necrotic Perversion, Rebellion
2nd	+2	Fighting Style, Absorption Shell, Dark Command
3rd	+2	Icebound Fortitude, Death Grip
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Rebellion Feature
7th	+3	Wraith Walk
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	—
10th	+4	Raise Ally
11th	+4	Empowered Death Strike
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	—
14th	+5	Control Undead
15th	+5	Rebellion Feature
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	—
18th	+6	Dread Lord
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Rebellion Feature

Runic Power

Channel the power of your dark magic to preform a death strike on your foe, your death strike is decided by your rebellion which is shown at the end of the class, they will take effect on your command after you hit but before anything else is done, you can use them up to your Intelligence modifier (minimum one) you regenerate all your uses on a long rest.

Necrotic Perversion

Choose a level 1 spell from the wizard spell list, you know this spell and cast it using Intelligence, the slot for this spell can be 1/2 death knight level, to a maximum of a level 8 spell slot, you can also learn a new spell for each spell level you rise, but you may only cast it through this spell slot, upon casting this spell you must take a long rest to regain your spell slot.

Spell Save DC= 8 + Intelligence mod + your proficiency bonus

Spell Attack Modifier= Intelligence mod + proficiency bonus

Rebellion

At the 1st level, you chose a rebellion. Choose between blood, frost, and unholy, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level, and again at 6th, 15th, and 20th levels.

Fighting Style

Starting at level 2 choose a fighting style to adopt:

• Defense: While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
• Dueling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
• Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Absorption Shell

Starting at 2nd level when taking damage from a magic source such as a spell you can choose to absorb the damage of the attack and gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier plus your level in this class, you must take a long rest before using this feature again.

Dark Command

Starting at 2nd level as an action force a target to make a Wisdom saving throw, on a failure they have disadvantage on attacking creatures other than you for a minute, you can use this ability up to your Intelligence modifier (minimum once), regaining expended charges at the end of a long rest.

Icebound Fortitude

Starting at 3rd level you can use a bonus action to activate icebound fortitude, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level multiplied by your Intelligence mod (minimum of your level), and you cannot be frightened or knocked prone for a minute. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you have completed a long rest.

Death Grip

Starting at 3rd level you use foul magic to hurl a enemy towards you, starting at 3rd level you can choose a creature you can see within 30 feet you can use an action to pull them towards you, they must make a Strength saving throw, on a failure they take 2d6 bludgeoning damage and are brought within 5 feet of you or the closest unoccupied space and knocked prone, on a success they take half the damage and are not pulled or prone.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Wraith Walk

When you reach 7th level you can use an action to teleport from a dark mist to a point you can see or visualize within 500 feet, if where you would be taken cannot be done you instead take 1d6 psychic damage, once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you have completed a long rest.

Raise Ally

When you reach 10th level you can cast raise dead once without consuming a spell slot or material components, once you use this feature you cannot cast it in this way again until you have completed a long rest.

Empowered Death Strike

Upon reaching 11th level you can now use the death strike an additional two times before needing to complete a long rest.

Control Undead

Upon 14th level, when killing a humanoid you can raise the target as a ghoul in your service, it follows your command and rolls its own initiative, it decomposes after an hour, upon using this feature to raise a creature you cannot do so again until you have completed a long rest.

Dread Lord

At 18th level, you become permanently attuned to the darkness you were scorned by, you are immune to being frightened or {[5c|Charmed}} and have advantage on magic saves, you are also have resistance to magic damage, you can choose to ignore the resistance for the use of the antimagic shell.

Blood

Those who were enthralled may seek to manipulate one of the most powerful forces of necromancy that lies within death knights, use blood magic to rend your foes with your channeled hatred

Heart strike

Upon choosing this subclass when using death strike you gain HP for the amount of damage dealt, any remaining HP gained over your max HP becomes temporary HP.

Vampire Blood

Upon reaching level 6, you may use an action to gain resistance to all damage for 3 turns and each time a creature attacks you, you can use a reaction to swing at them... if you hit, you heal yourself for the damage dealt.

Blood Plague

When you reach level 15 your critical rate becomes 19-20 and whenever you land a critical hit, you may cause a blood plague. The target you hit with a critical will take damage equal to your Intelligence modifier every turn for a minute.

Blood boil

Upon reaching lvl 20 your Crit rate becomes 18-20, and whenever you land a critical hit you heal yourself for half the damage dealt, when you perform a critical hit, you may choose to drain the blood of your foe, dealing 16d6 necrotic damage and healing yourself for half the damage dealt as well as gaining temporary hit points for overhealing, once you use this feature you must take a long rest before doing so again.

Frost

You take the cold of the dead into its purest form! channel the cold hate of the world to strike your foes down

Frost Strike

Upon hitting a foe with death strike you may force the enemy to take ice damage equal to your Intelligence modifier minimum 1, and the target is petrified for 30 seconds as they are encased in ice, if they take any damage they may make a Strength saving throw versus your spell save DC to escape the ice casing, you may only have one foe encased in ice at a time.

Pass through ice

Upon reaching level 6 any time you touch water you may choose to convert it to ice, up to 10 feet of water in every direction you choose to touch is frozen, and solid enough to walk on. While nearby Ice you gain the features of spiderclimb and cannot be removed from the ice unless you so choose for any reason outside of dropping to 0 hit points, you also gain water breathing and an underwater move speed of 60 feet.

Howling Blast

Upon reaching level 15 you may choose a creature you can see, that creature and any other creatures withing 100 feet of it that you choose must make a Constitution saving throw versus your spell save DC or take 10d6 cold damage taking half damage on a success once you use this feature you cannot use it again until your next long rest.

Chilling Destruction

When you reach level 20 and upon landing a strike you can decide to devote all of your energy to one final swing, your target must make a Constitution saving throw, if they fail they drop to 0 hit points, if they succeed they take 10d6 cold damage, once you use this feature you cannot use it again until your next long rest.

Unholy

The true meaning of undeath, control these monsters as they once controlled you

Festering strike

Upon landing a hit using your death strike will transmute a disease unto the target, they take 1d6 damage every turn for one hour or until they take an antitoxin, or are otherwise cured of poison or disease. If they die while this disease is active they rise as a zombie immediately under your command who shares you initiative and acts on its on turns, these zombies go away once you take a long rest. Creatures immune to disease do not take damage but they do suffer the other negative effects.

Summon gargoyle

When you reach 6th level you may use an action to summon a gargoyle into your service who rolls its own initiative and acts on its turns but otherwise follows your orders and commands, it goes away in one hour, if it drops to 0 hp, or if you lose concentration on it as if you were concentrating on a spell. once you use this feature you cannot use it again until the end of your next long rest.

Raise Dead

When you reach 15th level You gain a vampire spawn permanently under your command, it will fight for you on its own initiative and do exactly as you order, upon its death it will come back at the end of your next long rest.

Army of the dead

You can call upon the undead and form them at will. When you reach 20th level you may spawn 50 zombies as an action that fight for you and do as you command, they go directly after your turn and will follow your mental commands. once you use this feature you cannot use it again until the end of your next long rest.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the death knight class, you must meet these prerequisites:

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the death knight class, you gain the following proficiencies:

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