Doom Knight (5e Class)

Doom Knight

Fighter Variant

Doom Knights are vile warriors who harness the power of darkness and evil itself, channeling the power of darkness to siphon the life of their opponents, summon the power of darkness or even control the dead. Doom Knights usually draw their power from powerful entities of darkness, such as evil deities, demon lords and powerful undead, that often select fighters who have already a soul tainted by cruelty or despair. Some of them act as emissaries and agents, carrying on missions in the name of their powerful masters, while others attain this power to accomplish a personal goal, usually one that requires the use of violence, such as a selfish pursuit of power, or vengeance. It is not unheard, however, of doom knights that pursue an accord with evil entities for a more selfless goal, willing to sacrifice their morals, and sometimes souls, for the power to protect others.

Servants of Darkness

Doom knights typically are subjects of a higher power of darkness, and attain their power trough a pact. The process of creation of a Doom Knight varies from entity to entity, and require varied levels of complexity. Some are simple, and only rely on a split decision made by the soon-to-be doom knight in a moment of weakness. Others are the result of a carefully conducted ritual, that often involves a specific place and a sacrifice. Some rituals even required to be performed regularly, in order to maintain the power of darkness imbuing the knight.

Creating a Doom Knight

Doom Knight by Mikhail Lipovsky

In addition to the questions posed on the "Creating a Fighter" topic on the core fighter class, you can ask yourself the following additional questions: Why did you choose to make a pact for the power of a doom knight? Were you a soldier in a defeated battle, desperate to save the lives of civilians behind you, and forged a pact in an act of despair? Or maybe you were a cunning warrior, who searched for the secrets of the occult, looking for a way to forge a pact with your evil patron? Doom Knights are individuals who have fallen victims of their desires and fears, so choose one strong desire or source of despair as a reason for your evil powers.

Who, or what is your patron? Patrons of doom knights are almost always associated with evil and death. Your patron can be a powerful fiend, such as Orcus; a legendary undead, like Szass Tam or Strad; or maybe a deity, like Nerul or Vecna. When choosing your patron, you can also determine the level of influence your patron has over you, and what you have to give in return for your power. Some will grant your power in exchange for a specific task, or for loyal servitude. Others, will ask for your immortal soul.

Quick Build

You can make a Doom Knight quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on melee weapons or on archery (or finesse weapons). Your next-highest score should be Constitution, or Intelligence if you plan to adopt the Eldritch Knight martial archetype. Second, choose the haunted one or the acolyte background.

Class Features

As a doom knight you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Arcana, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Religion

Equipment

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

• (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, longbow, and 20 arrows
• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Table: The doom knight

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Bound Blade, Siphon Strike
2nd	+2	Dominate Undead, Skeletal Familiar
3rd	+2	Martial Archetype
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Doom Spear
7th	+3	Martial Archetype feature
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Dead Burst, Unholy Steed
10th	+4	Martial Archetype feature
11th	+4	Fearful Taunt, Null Strike
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Thorns of The Void
14th	+5	Dark Heal
15th	+5	Martial Archetype feature
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Return
18th	+6	Martial Archetype feature
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Annihilate

Bound Blade

Starting at 1st level, you can summon a mighty blade through which you channel some of your powers. You can use a bonus action to create a Bound Blade in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. It has the damage and properties of the form you choose, this form must be a simple or martial melee weapon that you are proficient with

Your Bound Blade disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.

You can transform one magic weapon into your Bound Blade by performing a special ritual while you hold the weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your Bound Blade thereafter. You can't affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way. The weapon ceases being your Bound Blade if you die, if you perform the 1-hour ritual on a different weapon, or if you use a 1-hour ritual to break your bond to it. The weapon appears at your feet if it is in the extradimensional space when the bond breaks.

Siphon Strike

At 1st level, by reversing the flow of energy through your blade, you can steal the life force from an enemy. When you hit a creature with the bound blade, you can use your bonus action to cause necrotic damage, instead of the normal damage. When you do so, you regain a number of hit points equal to the necrotic damage caused.

Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Dominate Undead

By tapping to negative energies, a Doom Knight of 2nd level or higher can force an undead with a level lower than his to become subservient to his will. As an action, you target one undead creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. On a failed save, the target must obey your commands for the next 24 hours, or until you use this feature again. An undead whose challenge rating is equal to or greater than your doom knight level is immune to this effect.

Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Skeletal Familiar

Starting at 2nd level, at the end of a short or long rest, you can call an undead familiar that loyally serves you. This functions as the find familiar spell, but the familiar is an undead, instead of a fey. You can't have more than one familiar conjured at the same time.

Martial Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your combat styles and techniques. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.

You choose the same archetypes available to the Fighter class. Some of these archetypes have changes, to fit with the core abilities of the doom knight. The changes are shown on the Martial Archetype Changes bellow.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Doom Spear

A 6th level, you can manifest your evil power into a spear of darkness. Whenever you take the Attack action, you can replace any of your attacks for a doom spear attack. The doom spear is a javelin that manifests on your empty hand, and deals 1d8 necrotic damage, instead of the normal damage die of the weapon. Otherwise it has the same properties of a javelin, but disappears after thrown.

You have no disadvantages due to making attacks at a long range of the doom spear, and if you take the Attack action and make at least one attack with the doom spear as part of that action, you can make another as a bonus action.

Finally, if you score a critical hit with the doom spear, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. On a failed save, the target is incapacitated until the end of your next turn.

Dead Burst

At 9th level, the Doom knight can cause any undead currently under your control to explode in a shower of blood and gore. As an action, you can command the undead to explode if you are within 60 feet of it. Doing so destroys the undead and forces each creature within 20 feet of it to make a Dexterity saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. On a failed save, the target takes 4d6 necrotic damage, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Unholy Steed

At 9th level, you can spend a use of your Skeletal Familiar feature to channel the power of darkness and summon an undead mount. This works as the find steed spell, but the creature type of the summoned creature is undead, and it's appearance is either spectral, skeletal, or zombie to reflect this. You can't have an Unholy Mount summoned while your familiar is conjured, and vice versa.

Fearful Taunt

At 11th level, your terrifying presence is unleashed, causing all targets in sight to either cower in fear or enter in a desperate rage. As an action, you can force all hostile creatures in a 30-foot radius to make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. On a failed save, you can choose to either impose the frightened condition or to taunt the targets. Taunted targets have disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you. The chosen effect lasts until the end of your next turn. A creature that succeeds the save is immune to the effects of this feature for the next 24 hours.

When you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks to unleash a Fearful Taunt.

Null Strike

By channeling his divine evil through his blade, the Doom knight can cause potential backlash against any mage who he strikes. Also at 11th level, once per turn when you hit a creature with your Bound Blade, you can choose to mark that creature with a nullifying mark. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier if it casts a spell of 1st-level or higher. On a failure, the spell fails and the target takes 1d6 psychic damage per level of the spell slot used on the spell. On a success, the mark vanishes.

The mark lasts until the target cast a spell or until you use this feature again. Once you mark a creature, you can't do it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Thorns of The Void

By sacrificing his health, a Doom knight masks himself in plated thorns of black power. At 13th level, you can choose to sacrifice up to 5 hit points per Doom Knight level to create this thorns. The thorns grant you temporary hit points equal to the amount of hit points sacrificed. If a creature hits you with a melee attack while you have these hit points, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to 5 x your Doom Knight level.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Dark Heal

At 14th level, the Doom knight can gathers nearby negative energy to heal himself. When a creature within 60 feet take necrotic damage, you can use your reaction to absorb that energy, reducing the damage to 0. You regain the same amount of hit points. Alternatively, if you take necrotic damage, you can choose to absorb the damage, regaining hit points equal to the necrotic damage you would take (without a reaction).

After absorbing 100 points of necrotic damage with this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest. If you absorb damage beyond 100, the remaining damage is taken by you.

Return

At 17th level, you can gather a horrid amalgam of nearby dead creatures to form a monstrous creature of bone and flesh. You need a pile of corpses of large size, in a place you can see within 90 feet. The creature raised has the properties of an Otyugh, but its type is undead, rather than aberration.

The undead is friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the undead, which has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to the undead, it defends itself from hostile creatures but otherwise takes no actions.

The undead remains under your command for 1 hour, or until you lose concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). If your concentration is broken, the undead doesn’t disappear. Instead, you lose control of the undead, it becomes hostile toward you and your companions, and it might attack. An uncontrolled undead disappears 1 hour after you summoned it.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Annihilate

At 20th level, you can release your restrains and channel all your power into a single destructive strike. As an action, make an attack with your bound blade against a living creature within reach. On a hit, the target takes 80 necrotic damage. If your target has 40 hit points or less, the attack automatically hits.

A creature reduced to 0 hit points by this attack is annihilated, and have its soul torn apart. An annihilated creature can be restored to life only by means of a True Resurrection or a Wish spell.

Once you hit a creature with an Annihilate strike, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Martial Archetype Changes

Arcane Archer

Bound Bow (additional arcane archer feature)

Starting at 3rd level, you can transform your bound blade into any ranged weapon of your choice. The ammunition for your bound bow is magically created whenever you attack.

Eldritch Knight

Spellcasting

You must choose from the abjuration and necromancy spells on the wizard spell list, instead of abjuration and evocation.

Arcane Charge

At 15th level, you gain the ability to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see when you cast a Eldritch Knight spell. You can teleport before or after the spell.

You can use this ability once, and regain the ability to do so after a short or a long rest.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Doom Knight class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Strength, 13 Constitution.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Doom Knight class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, medium armor, simple weapons, and martial weapons.

Restriction. You can't multiclass into the fighter class.

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