Knife Master (5e Class)

Knife Master

Knife masters are martial experts, masterfully trained in the use of daggers in combat. Using small blades to deliver gruesome strikes, they are able to leave their opponents to deep and hard to heal cuts, soaking them in their own blood, and their technique is so honed that makes their usually underestimated daggers more deadly than a sword. Knife masters are often underestimated, being perceived at first glance as meek, or having their weapons not considered threatening by experienced warriors, and they play on this perception, using the appearance of harmlessness to take their opponents by surprise, leaving their surprised enemies bleed slowly, giving them time to reflect on their failed assessment of danger.

Creating a Knife Master

When you create your knife master, ask yourself where did you learn your knife fighting style and from whom? Look at the combat styles available at 3rd level and use them as a guideline to determine your background. Maybe you were an ex-inmate, learning how to fight with knives to survive; or maybe you have been trained by a clan of assassins, mastering the art of killing discreetly.

Quick Build

You can create a knife master quickly by following the steps ahead: first, Dexterity should be your highest score, followed by Constitution. Knife masters must be agile, but enduring, to withstand the dangers of close combat. Then, choose the criminal background. Third, choose the leather armor, five daggers, a light crossbow and 20 bolts, and the dungeoneer's pack as your starting gear.

Class Features

As a knife master you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Choose any two
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose four skills from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand

Equipment

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

• leather armor, five daggers
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) shortbow, and 20 arrows
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Table: The knife master

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Laceration, Knife Fighting
2nd	+2	Unseen Blade, Dexterous Hands
3rd	+2	Combat Style
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Tendon Strike
6th	+3	Quick Draw, Sever Tendon
7th	+3	Combat Style
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Sharpened Blade (19-20)
10th	+4	Combat Style
11th	+4	Bloodied Feast
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Sharpened Blade (18-20)
14th	+5	Crimson Flow
15th	+5	Combat Style
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Sharpened Blade (17-20)
18th	+6	Ruthless
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	True Mastery

Laceration

Starting at 1st level, when you hit a creature with an attack from a dagger, you can make a deep wound that bleeds profusely. The creature targeted by it starts to bleed, losing 1d4 hit points, plus 1d4 at the end of each of its turns.

The amount of hit points lost increase as your laceration die increases in size: d6 (9th level) and d8 (17th level).

A lacerated creature have Disadvantage on Strength checks and saves due to the pain, and that creature have vulnerability to all your attacks made with daggers.

The effects of the laceration last for 1 minute, ending earlier if the target or another creature within 5 feet of it succeed on a Wisdom (Medicine) check against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier. The laceration also ends if the target magically regain at least 1 hit point.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining your uses of this feature after completing a long rest.

Knife Fighting

At 1st level, you master the art of fighting with daggers. While wielding a dagger on your hand and not wielding another type of weapon and not wearing a shield, you gain the following benefits:

• You can cause slashing damage, instead of piercing, when you damage a target with a dagger.
• When you hit a creature with a dagger, you cause additional damage equal to your laceration die.
• You can draw and throw a dagger as part of your Attack, without using an Action.

Unseen Blade

At 2nd level, when you make an attack, you can make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), contested by your target's Wisdom (Perception). On a success, you have Advantage on the attack. On a failure, you have Disadvantage on the attack.

Dexterous Hands

Starting at 2nd level, whenever a creature makes an attack with a projectile you can see against you, that attack is made at disadvantage.

If the attack is made with a thrown weapon you are able to handle, and you have a free hand, you automatically catch that weapon on a miss.

Combat Style

At 3rd level, you enhance your knife fighting abilities by choosing a specialized style. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 10th and 15th levels.

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.

Tendon Strike

Starting at 5th level, once per turn when you hit a creature with a dagger, that creature's movement speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.

If the creature had already its movement speed reduced by another effect, and it is Large or smaller, you can choose to knock it prone instead.

Quick Draw

By 6th level, you have advantage on initiative rolls.

Additionally, if you hit a creature that is surprised by you, you can impose the effects of Laceration on it for free, until the end of your next turn.

Sever Tendon

At 6th level, when you use Laceration on a creature, that creature have its movement speed reduced by half until the end of your next turn.

Sharpened Blade

Beginning at 9th level, you can score critical hits on a roll of 19-20 when using daggers. This increases to 18-20 at 13th level and 17-20 at 17th level.

Bloodied Feast

Starting at 11th level, when you reduce the target of your laceration to 0 hit points, if the duration hasn't ended, you regain 1 use of it.

You can use this feature three times, and regain your uses of it after completing a short or a long rest.

Crimson Flow

Beginning at 14th level, your laceration only ends on a roll of 20 on the d20 in a Wisdom (Medicine) check, or if a spell that restore hit points is cast with a spell slot of 6th-level or higher.

Ruthless

At 18th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Laceration, you regain one use.

True Mastery

At 20th level, you reach true mastery over your knife fighting. Once per turn when you miss an attack with a dagger, you can reroll that attack.

Combat Style

Ravager

For some knife masters, reaching the true mastery with daggers involves being able to deliver the maximum amount of pain and destruction with them. Ravagers are brutal knife fighters, who rejoice in the violence and danger of close combat. They´are not the typical gracious and swift knife fighters, relying instead in slashing and ripping the flesh of their opponents appart, while striking fear on their hearts.

Ravagers are often criminals, as this style is generally practiced - and believed to be developed - in jails, lowly tavern, in hideouts of gangs or on board of pirate ships.

Menacing

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Intimidation checks. In addition, while wielding a dagger in one hand, and nothing on the other, you can use your Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is higher) rather than Charisma for checks with this skill.

Bloodlust

Starting at 3rd level, you go in a rampage when you taste your enemy's blood. Whenever you take the Attack action and make a melee attack with a dagger against a lacerated creature, you can make another attack against it using a dagger as a bonus action.

If the target is not reduced to 0 hit points before the laceration ends, you suffer 1 level of exhaustion.

Frightening Wound

At 7th level, a creature lacerated by you is also frightened by you for the duration of the wound.

Painful Touch

At 10th level, you can impose an enormous amount of pain upon a creature with a mere touch. As an action, you can force a creature within 5 feet to make a Constitution saving throw against your lacerate save DC. On a failed save, the creature falls prone and is incapacitated until the end of your next turn, or until it takes damage.

Rip and Twist

When you reach the 15th level, whenever you hit a creature with an attack from a dagger, you can dilacerate that same creature using your reaction. You force the target to make a Constitution saving throw against your laceration save DC. On a failed save, the target takes additional damage equal to your dagger attack damage.

Poisoner

Some knife masters use knives as a means to an end. For poisoners, this end is injecting their lethal poisons through the deep wounds left by their blades. Poisoners are a mixture of alchemists and warriors, able to quickly douse their daggers with powerful toxins, debilitating their opponents with them.

Poison Use

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the poisoner kit, and spend only half of the time and resources to craft poisons.

In addition, you can create a basic potion without spending any resources, whenever you finish a short or a long rest.

Contaminated Wound

Also at 3rd level, whenever you lacerate a creature using a poisoned dagger, the creature takes additional poison damage equal to twice your laceration die. This increases to three times your laceration die at x level.

Infected Cut

Starting at 7th level, the target of your contaminated wound is also poisoned for the duration.

Powerful Concoction

At 10th level, whenever a creature fails the saving throw against your basic poison, that creature is also poisoned until the end of your next turn.

In addition, the save DC for your basic poison becomes 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Creeping Death

At 15th level, whenever the target of your contaminated wound takes poison damage from it, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target also suffer 1 level of exhaustion.

Murderer

Murderer knife masters are assassin-warriors, who master the art of delivering a quick and silent death to their targets. They behave like hunters, but their prey is often chosen by their contractors, and instead of a forest, they hunt on urban environments at the night.

Shady Step

When you choose this style at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Stealth, if you don't have it already. In addition, whenever you take the Hide action while in an area of dim light or darkness, you can do so even when in plain sight.

Assassin's Mark

Starting at 3rd level, when you lacerate a creature, that creature is marked to die with your assassin's mark. While the creature is marked, you gain the following benefits:

• Your attacks against the marked creature are made at Advantage.
• When you miss an attack made at Advantage against the marked creature, you cause half damage, instead of no damage.

The mark ends when the laceration ends. It ends early if you attack a creature other than the marked creature.

Killing Blows

Beginning at 7th level, once per turn when you hit a creature marked with your assassin's mark with an attack from a dagger, you cause additional damage equal to two rolls of your laceration die. This increases to three dice at 14th level.

Shadow Tactics

At 10th level, you learn how to use the shadows to enhance your deathly abilities. When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, and make an attack against a creature in a similar area, you can give yourself Advantage on the attack. On a hit, that creature can't make a sound (as if standing in an area of silence), and you can instantly use your reaction to become invisible until the end of your next turn or until you enter an area of bright light.

You can use this feature twice, and regain your uses of it after finishing a short or a long rest.

Vein Hunter

At 15th level, when you use your killing blow against a creature, the target also bleeds, taking additional necrotic damage equal to the additional damage dealt with the killing blow.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Knife Master class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength or Dexterity 13.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Knife Master class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, medium armor, simple weapons, one skill, one tool proficiency.

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