Oath of the Death Knight (5e Subclass)
Death Knight[edit]
Death comes for us all. This is an inevitability that all warriors must face at some point in their lives. Man, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, no matter the race, none can escape death's grasp. And when death itself faces you in battle, that grasp is all the more inescapable. Yet should you be allied with the Hand of Death, perhaps you may run just that little bit longer.
Death Knights, also known as Black Knights; are warriors that wield the very power of death itself. Often sworn to deities of death such as the Raven Queen, Vecna or Anubis (Though some serve powerful undead such as a lich or a nightwalker), these warriors of the grave utilize occult powers known as Profanities to take the strength from their enemies or increase their own. As their power grows, they learn to fuel themselves on the souls of their enemies, and may even escape mortality themselves. Those who choose to fight alongside a Death Knight may yet get a taste of their power, as a Death Knight's ability to pull their allies from the brink of death is oft sought after by any who wishes to live a long life of adventure.
Variant Restriction[edit]
You may only choose this subclass if you are a Champion of Death.
Tenets of the Death Knight[edit]
- Mortality. All that lives is subject to your will.
- Black Honor. Fight with honor; kill without hesitation.
- Power. The souls of your enemies shall fuel your victories.
- Rage Against The Light. Keep to the shadows; extinguish the light wherever you can.
Oath spells[edit]
Starting at third level you gain an expanded spell list that grows with more levels in this class.
| Paladin Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | false life, inflict wounds |
| 5th | darkness, ray of enfeeblement |
| 9th | spirit shroud, animate dead |
| 13th | shadow of moil, spirit of death |
| 17th | raise dead, destructive wave |
Profanities[edit]
Replaces Channel Divinity
At level 3, when you choose to take on the mantle of Death Knight, you learn a number of profanities equal to your proficiency bonus, chosen from the list below. You can use a bonus action to activate one profanity, imbuing you with a dark colored aura that surrounds your body. You may activate profanities a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus divided by 2 (Rounded up), restoring all uses upon a short rest.
Grave Armor. You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Charisma modifier against melee weapon attacks.
Aura of the Damned. Any enemy creature within 20 feet must make a Constitution saving throw or be at disadvantage on attack rolls made against you.
Etherfloat. You may choose to hover a few inches from the ground. You do not trigger pressure plates or the like; you can cross liquid surfaces if they are still; and you descend to the ground harmlessly as if under the effect of the 'Feather Fall' spell.
Deathly Glamour. You can add your Charisma modifier to all Saving Throws. For Charisma saving throws, you add your Charisma modifier twice.
Pale Horse. You increase your movement speed by a number of feet equal to 5 x your proficiency bonus.
Soulflay. A creature you choose within 30 feet of you have disadvantage on one saving throw of your choice.
Soulreaver. The weapon you hold becomes bathed in the essence of your aura. The weapon must be a bound weapon(see below).You gain a bonus to attack and damage rolls with this weapon equal to your proficiency bonus divided by 2 (rounded down).
Terrorize. If a creature moves to within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction and the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC or become frightened of you for 1 minute. Whether successful or not, a creature cannot be targeted by this ability again until you finish a long rest.
At 3rd level you can only benefit from one profanity at a time. this increases as you gain Paladin levels; two at 5th level, three at 12th level, and four at 18th level. Profanities will stay active until it is deactivated, or upon completing a short rest. At the end of each of your turns in combat, while you have more than one profanity active, you must pass a DC 15 Constitution Save, or one random profanity will deactivate. Falling unconscious will deactivate all profanities active.
Bound Weapon[edit]
At 3rd level, you learn a ritual that creates a magical, living bond between yourself and one weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond. Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can't be disarmed of that weapon unless you are incapacitated. While wielding this weapon, you may use Charisma for its attack and damage rolls, you may use it as your Holy Symbol for the purpose of spellcasting (Or attach your Holy Symbol to it), and you may cast spells with a somatic component even if your hands are full.
If it is on the same plane of existence as you, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to instantly materialize in your hand, unless it is held by a greater power. In addition, you may also absorb its physical form within your very being, which may act as an effective storage place. You can have up to two bonded weapons, but can summon only one at a time with your bonus action. If you attempt to bond with a third weapon, you must break the bond with one of the other two.
Siphoning Strikes[edit]
At 7th level, you learn to control the balance of life and death within yourself. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you may claim its soul, gaining a number of temporary hit points equal to the creature's CR + your Charisma modifier (1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 CR creatures grant 1 temporary hit point). If the creature has no CR but has hit dice, you instead gain temporary hit points equal to the number of hit dice the creature has remaining + the size of the hit die (6 for 1d6, 8 for 1d8, 10 for 1d10, etc). These temporary hit points last until your next short rest, and larger quantities of temporary hit points overwrite those gained previously.
Shadow Meld[edit]
At 10th level, as an action you may teleport to a point you can see within 60 feet if you and that point are both in darkness. You may also take one other creature with you. If the creature is not willing, it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC to evade you.
Additionally, you gain immunity to necrotic damage while you have at least one Profanity active.
Death's Embrace[edit]
At 15th level you have learned to better channel the use of souls, and extend their use. When you kill a creature that has hit dice with Siphoning Strikes, you may choose to keep a piece of their soul for later use. You may store a number of souls equal to your Charisma modifier. As a bonus action, you may expend a soul to regain hit points equal to one roll of the creature's hit die + your Charisma modifier.
Revenant[edit]
At 18th level, you fully assume to the mantle of Death Knight, and may bend death to your will. When a friendly creature within 30 feet of you is knocked unconscious and not outright killed, you may expend one of your Rejuvenation Dice. The creature may then choose to drop to 1 hit point instead, and gain temporary hit points equal to one roll of your Rejuvenation Dice + your Charisma modifier (a minimum of 1).
Lord of the Profane[edit]
At 20th level, you have mastered the use of the profane. You may use your profanities an unlimited number of times, and you may learn every Profanity available to a Death Knight. You still may only have 4 profanities active at one time, however the DC for the Constitution saving throw is reduced to 10.
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