Dark Knight, 2nd Variant (5e Class)
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Dark Knight
Creating a Dark Knight
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| A female Miqo'te Dark Knight by DarkHHHHHH |
Ask yourself, how did your character come to become a dark knight? Were they once a warrior forced to commit a heinous deed? Did they have a change of heart after questioning if what they were doing was right? Or were they wronged and became forced to walk this path?
- Quick Build
You can make a Dark Knight quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the Soldier background. Third, choose Plate Armor, Two Martial Weapons, Two Daggers, and An explorer's pack for your starting equipment.
Class Features
As a Dark Knight you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Dark Knight level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Dark Knight level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: All armor and shields
Weapons: All Martial and Simple Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Arcana, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival.
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Plate Armor or (b) Chain mail or (c) Hide armor
- (a) A martial weapon and a shield or (b) Two martial Weapons
- (a) A Longbow and 20 arrows or (b) Two Daggers
- (a) An explorer's pack or (b) Dungeoneer's pack
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 3d4x10 GP in funds.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Blood Weapon Bonus Damage | Blood Charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Blood Gauge, Fighting Style, Blood Weapon | d6 | 1 |
| 2nd | +2 | Dark Vision, Blood Tap | d6 | 2 |
| 3rd | +2 | Dark Knight Archetype, Disturbed | d6 | 3 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | d6 | 4 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | d8 | 5 |
| 6th | +3 | Dark Knight Archetype Feature | d8 | 6 |
| 7th | +3 | Dark Missionary | d8 | 7 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | d8 | 8 |
| 9th | +4 | Grit | d8 | 9 |
| 10th | +4 | Living Dead | d8 | 10 |
| 11th | +4 | Dark Knight Archetype Feature | d10 | 11 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | d10 | 12 |
| 13th | +5 | Soul Eater | d10 | 13 |
| 14th | +5 | Twisted Mind | d10 | 14 |
| 15th | +5 | Abyssal Drain | d10 | 15 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | d10 | 16 |
| 17th | +6 | Dark Knight Archetype Feature | d12 | 17 |
| 18th | +6 | Stalwart Soul | d12 | 18 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | d12 | 19 |
| 20th | +6 | The Dark Knight | 2d6 | 20 |
Blood Gauge
Beginning at the 1st level, you discover a method to draw from your inner darkness and wield its power. You gain a number of Blood Charges for your Blood Gauge equal to your Dark Knight level. This is the basis of your power as a Dark Knight, and when using some spells and features, you may be required to spend Blood Charges. These replenish after a long rest.
Certain features that use your Blood Gauge may require the enemy to make a saving throw. The saving throw is calculated as follows.
Dark Knight Spell DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.
When using spells or features that require you to make an attack, your attack modifier is calculated as follows.
Dark Knight Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.
Fighting Style
Starting at 1st level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
- Archer:
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
- Strongbow
You can use your Strength modifier, in place of Dexterity, for your attack and damage rolls with longbows and shortbows.
- Blind Fighting:
Being unable to see a creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it, provided the creature isn’t hidden from you.
- All Terrain Athlete:
You have a swimming speed and a climbing speed equal to your normal speed, and you gain a +1 bonus to armor class.
- 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, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
- Interception:
When a creature you can see hits a target that is within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus. You must be wielding a shield or a simple or melee martial weapon to use this reaction.
- Might and Magic:
You learn two cantrips of your choice from the Warlock Spell List. Whenever you cast a spell against a target within 5ft of you with an attack, you no longer gain disadvantage on the attack roll.
- Protection:
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield or melee martial weapon.
- Two-Weapon Fighting:
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
- Tunnel Fighter:
As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5ft while within your reach.
- Unarmed Fighting:
Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8. When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.
- Lancer
When wielding a lance, you no longer suffer disadvantage on attack rolls against a creature within 5ft of you, and lances may now be wielded in one hand. Additionally, Lances you wield now deal 2d6 instead of 1d12.
- Superior Technique
You learn one maneuver of your choice from among those available to the Battlemaster archetype. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice.) You gain one superiority die, which is a d8 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
- Rider
You gain the benefits of the Mounted Combatant feat.
Blood Weapon
Beginning at 1st level, as a bonus action, you may spend one Blood Charge to fill your weapon with dark power allowing it to ooze a blood-red aura. For the next minute, all damage you deal with that weapon gains bonus damage. This bonus damage is found in the Dark Knight class table.
Dark Vision
Beginning at 2nd level, your body has been corrupted by the darkness you harness, granting your eyes a soft red glow that can be amplified to an intense glow, similar to the thaumaturgy spell. You can see dim light within 60ft of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of grey. At 5th level, you gain the ability to see through magical darkness. Finally, at 11th level, you can see and discern magic as if using the detect magic spell within 60ft.
Blood Tap
Also, beginning at 2nd level, as a bonus action, you may expend one of your hit die (including your constitution modifier). You recover a number of Blood Charges equal to half of the result (rounded down) minus 1 to a minimum of 1. However, you may not exceed your maximum number of charges. At 11th level, you may also activate one of your blood tap features as a part of the same bonus action. Additionally, you gain the following features to utilize your blood gauge.
- The Blackest Night
As a bonus action, you may expend one Blood Charge to create a barrier that protects you or a creature within 30ft. of you. The target gains temporary hit points equal to your 5 + Your Charisma modifier + Your Dark Knight Level. A creature benefiting from this feature cannot benefit from it again until the temporary hit points given are depleted.
- Syphon Strike
As a bonus action, you may expend one Blood Charge to cause your next melee attack within the next minute to drain the life force from your target. On a hit, you will heal half of the damage you deal.
- Salted Earth
As a bonus action, you can expend two Blood Charges to cause the earth below you to be mired in darkness, chipping away at any who dares step into it. You create a salted field in a 10ft radius around yourself, which persists for up to one minute. Any hostile creature within the area will take Necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus at the end of its turn.
Dark Knight Archetype
At 3rd level, you may choose which path of darkness you wish to walk. The Dark Magus, who uses dark magic to overwhelm their foes or the Avenger who perfected their martial skill to destroy all who oppose their justice.
Disturbed
Also at 3rd level, now coming to terms with what lies within, you've lost a piece of your mortality, causing you to feel alien to others. You are now immune to being frightened and gain proficiency in the intimidation skill. If you already had proficiency in intimidation, gain expertise instead.
Ability Score Improvement
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.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Dark Missionary
Beginning at 7th level, your overwhelming presence serves as a bastion of defense for both yourself and your allies. Whenever you or any allies within 15ft of you are subjected to an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw, they gain a bonus to the roll equal to your Charisma Modifier. Additionally, within that same aura, all damage taken by your allies that isn't bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing is reduced by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus. The Dark Knight does not gain this benefit. You must be conscious to grant this bonus. This aura increases in size to 30ft at 18th level.
Grit
At 9th level, your martial experience has allowed you to better adapt to any physical adversities you face. Choose one of the following:
- Brawn - Strength
- Endurance - Constitution
When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a saving throw of the chosen ability to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Living Dead
Starting at 10th level, whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points, you instead go back to 1 hit point and activate living dead. While living dead is active, damage may not reduce you below 1 hit point; however, at the end of each round, you must roll one death save. Once you roll your final death save, your character either ends living dead and remains at 1 hit point and suffers four levels of exhaustion or finally succumbs to their injuries. If another creature heals you during living dead, it will automatically end the feature, or if you heal at least a quarter of your maximum hitpoints while in this state, your living dead feature will also end. In either of these cases, you will only suffer one level of exhaustion. You may only use this feature once per long rest. If you have any similar feature which brings you back to 1 hit point from 0, they will always activate before living dead.
Soul Eater
Starting at 13th level, for every instance of you dealing 5 damage, you heal 1 hit point. If you hit multiple enemies with the same attack, however, you will only benefit from this feature as if you only damaged one creature. For example, if you deal 15 damage on an attack with a greatsword, you will heal 3 hit points from the attack. Additionally, whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
Twisted Mind
Beginning at 14th level, you have gained an uncanny understanding of your own darkness and can understand the darkness in others. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws, and you may now communicate with another willing creature of your choosing, establishing an empathetic link within 20ft of you. While linked, you two will feel the same emotions, share thoughts and speak to one another so long as the dark knight wishes or until they finish a long rest. You may also expend two Blood Charges to force your way into the mind of a creature within 30ft of you, similar to the Detect Thoughts spell. Instead of using Intelligence per the spell's description, however, you will use your charisma. A creature affected by this feature will be left with a headache dealing d4 psychic damage after successfully forcing your way into their mind.
Abyssal Drain
At 15th level, you have perfected not only leeching and feeding off your own darkness but also the darkness others carry. Whenever an allied creature within 30ft is reduced to half of their maximum hit points or reduced to 0 hit points, you will gain temporary hit points equal to your Dark Knight level. This feature may only be used once per creature every short rest.
Stalwart Soul
At 18th level, your body and soul have been fully merged with your inner darkness granting you near-limitless power. You increase your maximum hit die by 3 and increase your maximum hit points by an amount equal to your level and further increase it by 1 for every level gain afterward. Additionally, you regain a number of hit points at the end of each of your turns equal to your proficiency bonus if you have less than or half of your maximum hit points. You cannot gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.
The Dark Knight
At 20th level, if you begin combat without any Blood Charges, you regain 3 of the resource, and if you begin combat without any hit die remaining, you regain 1. Additionally, you gain +2 to your Constitution and Charisma scores and raise their maximum to 22 instead of 20.
Dark Magus
Not all Dark Knights are warriors sworn to the blade. Some employ magic fueled by their inner darkness to similar, if not deadlier effects.
Dark Magic
As a Dark Magus, you have decided to focus on manipulating your Darkness. Doing so allows you to convert your own life force into powerful Dark Arts. You gain proficiency in Arcana to represent your sheer control over your darkness. If you already had proficiency, you instead gain expertise.
You may prepare a number of Dark Arts equal to your Charisma modifier + half your Dark Knight level (Rounded up). These Dark Arts are detailed in the Dark Arts section at the end of the class. Additionally, you know the Toll the Dead cantrip. Also, your maximum number of Blood Charges is increased by a number equal to your Charisma modifier.
- Casting Dark Arts
Using the dark magical energy from within, you are able to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spell casting. To cast one of these spells, you use its casting time and other rules, but you don't need to provide material components for it. You cannot cast Dark Arts, which you do not meet the level requirements of. Casting 2nd-level spells and upcasting to that tier will be 5th, and the same applies for 3rd-tier spells at 9th level, 4th tier at 13th level, and 5th tier at 17th level. The Dark Magic Table will show the default point cost of each Dark Art cast at its lowest possible level.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of Dark Arts requires time spent in meditation or enrapturing yourself in your darker emotions: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Once you reach the 6th level in this class, you can spend additional Blood Charges to increase the level of a Dark Art that you cast, provided that the spell has an enhanced effect at a higher level. The spell’s level increases by 1 for each additional Blood Charge you spend.
Salt and DarknessBeginning at 6th level, you may now add your Charisma modifier to any Dark Arts you cast and increase the damage dealt from them by one additional die. Additionally, you may now place your Salted Earth at any point within 60ft of you, and it will now add your Charisma modifier to its damage. Spell and SwordBeginning at 11th level, whenever you use your blood weapon feature, the weapon is now treated as magical for the purpose of ignoring resistance and immunities. Additionally, whenever you cast a cantrip or a spell, you may make a weapon attack as a bonus action. Alternatively, if you make a weapon attack, you may cast a cantrip or 1st-level spell as a bonus action (This spell may not be upcast). Finally, whenever you deal necrotic damage, you treat a creature's resistance to it at one level lower. For example, Immunity will become resistance, and resistance will be treated as if the creature did not have resistance. Living ShadowAt 17th level, you've mastered your inner darkness, and in tandem with your dark magic, you may now manifest it into the world. For the cost of a minimum of 10 Blood Charges, you may mold your own living shadow, which perfectly mimics all of your features, race, spells, and appearance, with exception of a darker aura. While summoned, your living shadow can be directly controlled by you and will follow your orders to the best of its abilities; however, it will question some decisions it may not agree with as it is an aspect of yourself (GM's discretion). When creating your Living shadow, you may spend up to your maximum amount of Blood Charges, and for each Blood Charges invested, the living shadow has that many within its resource pool. Your living shadow cannot gain any additional Blood Charges when summoned and only has half of your maximum hit points when summoned. Your living shadow will last for 1 hour up to a maximum of 24 hours, increasing by 2 hours per Blood Charge invested when outside of combat. When engaged in combat, it will consume one Blood Charge as maintenance at the end of its turns for every round of combat that passes. It may use any resource which costs Blood Charges as normal. However, when the living shadow is reduced to 0 hit points or runs out of Blood Charges, it will disappear at the end of its next turn. You may only use this feature once per long rest. Dark Arts
The AvengerDarksideBeginning at 3rd level, with conviction swelling within, you begin augmenting your arsenal to allow you to follow through on your own beliefs. When you use The Blackest Night, Syphon Strike, or Salted Earth from your Bloodtap feature when not in darkside, they may now be used as an action or bonus action. Additionally, all damage you take is reduced by 2. This damage reduction is increased by 1 every time you gain a new Avenger subclass feature. Additionally, whenever you take damage, you may choose to channel your emotions to enter Darkside as a reaction. You may end your Darkside state as a bonus action on your turn, and while under the effects of Darkside, you will not be able to regain hit points or gain temporary hit points by any means, but you will gain access to the following features:
Whenever you damage a creature with a melee attack, you may expend one Blood Charge to deal an additional 2d6 bonus damage to the attack. For every additional Blood Charge invested, you deal an additional d6 damage to a maximum of 5d6 bonus damage.
As an action, you may expend 2 Blood Charges to launch a wave of darkness that envelopes and harms anyone in its path. All creatures within a 30ft line must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d8 force damage on a failure or half as much on a success. For every additional Blood Charge invested, you may deal an additional 1d8 force damage to a maximum of 10d8.
While in Darkside, any weapons under the effects of your Blood Weapon feature gains +1 to attack and damage rolls and reduce the critical strike range of that weapon by 1. While under the effects of Darkside, whenever you use your siphon strike feature as a bonus action, it will instead empower your next Edge of Darkness or Flood of Darkness features into the following instead:
Increase the damage die of your edge of darkness to d10s instead of d6s, and a creature struck by this feature will take additional damage at the start of each of its turns equal to your proficiency bonus for 1 minute unless another creature or themselves spend an action to rid themselves of the lingering shadows. You may only have one application of the damage over time a portion of this feature per enemy.
Increase the damage die of your Flood of Darkness from a d8 to a d12, and you can now augment its 30ft line to be from a minimum of 10ft range up any distance within the 30ft line. Additionally, you can change it to be a cone that stems from a minimum of 10ft up to 30ft. Let the Darkness LooseAlso, at 6th level, you've learned to direct and focus your inner torrent of emotions to become a whirlwind of destruction whenever a creature slights you. Whenever a creature attempts to debilitate you with any of the following situations:
You may enter a rage by spending 1 blood charge, granting you the following benefits until the end of your next turn, allowing you to ignore the effects of the condition or preventing them (whichever is applicable) until the end of that next turn, where the condition will then resume (If applicable).
You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain expended uses at the end of a short rest. Best Served ColdBeginning at 11th level, Whenever a creature is suffering from any negative condition, your attacks have their critical range reduced by 2, and if you deal the killing blow on a creature, you may immediately activate your Let the Darkness Loose feature, ignoring activation requirements and not expending a use of the feature. You may only benefit from this portion of the feature once per short rest. Whenever you roll for initiative in combat, you may immediately enter your darkside without spending a reaction, and your darkside may now be activated using a bonus action. Finally, once per long rest, you may activate your let the darkness loose feature as a reaction, ignoring its activation requirements once. ShadowbringerAt 17th level, you've reached the end of your lonely path and have become a being who leaves blood and destruction in their wake. Whenever you make an attack against a creature, you may empower it to manifest your full wrath. Your critical strike range will be lowered by 2. The creature targeted with this feature cannot use reactions or any other features in response to this attack. On a hit, you will immediately deal your normal damage plus an additional 25, which cannot be reduced, mitigated, or bypassed by any means. After dealing damage to the creature, if they had hit points equal to or less than the total damage dealt from that attack, this attack instantly kills the target. You will also regain half of the damage dealt as healing, and any features which would trigger in response to the creature being reduced below 1 or 0 will not trigger. If the creature does not die from this attack, you instead take half of the damage dealt, which cannot be reduced by any means as well. On a critical hit using this feature, regardless if you do not kill the creature, you will still only take half of the damage that you would take as if the attack was not a critical hit. Additionally, if the creature does die from this feature when a critical strike is rolled, you will immediately heal an amount equal to the total damage dealt, ignoring your Darkside feature's restrictions. MulticlassingPrerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Dark Knight class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength 13, Charisma 13, and any one of the following alignments: Evil, Chaotic, or Neutral (Cannot be Neutral Good). Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Dark Knight class, you gain the following proficiencies: All simple and Marital Weapons and all armor and shields and 1 Dark Knight skill of your choice.  Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes |
