Order of the Death Knights (5e Subclass)
Order of the Death Knights[edit]
Blood Hunter Subclass
The scourge of undeath that has plagued the land for millenia was the very origin of blood hunters. Most bore a deep hatred for the undead, having lost family and friends to the wicked creatures. While most undead were created with crude magics that simply reanimated the corpse, there existed a more complex ritual calling for a portion of the caster's blood that bound a spirit to bones. Some fledgling blood hunters untouched by the horrors of the undead sought out this ancient ritual, discovering their accursed blood further empowered the enchantment. Although unable to bind the spirits of intelligent creatures, they surmised that it was possible to bind the bones of beasts to their service.
In the years that followed, a small subset of blood hunters established the Order of the Death Knights. In their quest to vanquish evil, they saw no tool invalid. As a rite of passage, all fledgling death knights would hunt down skeletons with which to assemble their servant. From the bones of the fallen, they would construct the approximation of a warhorse and bind it with their blood. An unmistakable indicator of the order they follow, a death knight rides their unholy steed into battle. Most death knights endlessly seek conflict on the borders of civilization, wandering from town to town and vanquishing any evil that plagues the land. Despite their earnest efforts, death knights are the most reviled order of blood hunters, even being shunned by the Ghostslayers. To a death knight, though, the choice is obvious; a loyal companion is a boon to be had, regardless of the form it takes.
Horseman of Death[edit]
At 3rd level, you learn to use your blood magic to summon a skeletal steed. You can magically summon a skeletal steed which is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. When you finish a short or long rest, you can summon your skeletal steed. The steed appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, and you determine its appearance. If you already have a steed from this feature, it vanishes when a new steed appears. You use the Skeletal Steed stat block below, and it uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places.
In combat, the skeletal steed acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. You can also sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the Attack action to command the steed to take the Attack action. If you are incapacitated, the steed can take any action of its choice.
If the steed has died within the last hour, you can use your action to touch it and expend one use of your Blood Malediction feature. The steed returns to unlife after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.
Skeletal Steed
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Medium undead, neutral Armor Class 13 + PB (Natural Armor)
Damage Vulnerabilities Bludgeoning Crimson Steed. While you are within 60 feet of your steed and have an active crimson rite, you can command your steed to use its bonus action to sheath its hooves in the elemental energy of your rite, causing its attacks to deal damage of the chosen type on hit(as in the Crimson Rite feature). This effect lasts until your rite fades, your steed uses a bonus action to dismiss it, or if you end your turn more than 60 feet away from your steed. Powerfully Built. Your skeletal steed counts as one size larger when determining its carrying capacity, whether or not a creature can mount it, and the weight it can push, drag, or lift. Unholy Bond. Your skeletal steed's proficiency bonus is equal to your proficiency bonus. Also, you can add your proficiency bonus to any ability check or saving throw the steed makes. ACTIONSHooves. Melee Weapon Attack: 2 + PB to hit, range 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + 2 bludgeoning damage
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Knight's Right Hand[edit]
When you join this order at 3rd level, you gain the Blood Curse of the Claw for your Blood Malediction class feature. This does not count against your blood curses known.
- Blood Curse of the Claw
As an action, you can reanimate the severed hand of a murderer. Your blood imbues the hand with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as a Crawling Claw(the DM has the creature's game statistics). The claw is under your control for 24 hours, after which it stops obeying your commands. To maintain control of the claw for another 24 hours, you must invoke this blood curse on the claw again. Using the blood curse in this way reasserts your control over up to two claws you have animated with this blood curse, rather than animating a new one.
On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command any or all claws within 60 feet of you that you raised with this blood curse, issuing the same command to each one. You decide what action the claws will take and where they will move during their next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the claws only defend themselves against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the claws continue to follow it until the task is complete.
While a claw is within 60 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through a claw's "eyes" and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of its blindsight. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
- Amplify. You reanimate or reassert control over one additional claw.
Trampled Under Hoof[edit]
Beginning at 5th level your skeletal steed can attack twice, instead of once, when it takes the Attack action on your turn.
Additionally, your skeletal steed can take the Disengage action on your turn, without you needing to use your bonus action to command it. While mounted on your skeletal steed, you gain the benefits of the Disengage action when it takes that action.
Undying Resolve[edit]
Beginning at 7th level, you skeletal steed's spirit has become entwined with yours. At the start of each of your turns, you and your skeletal steed regain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus if your skeletal steed is within 60 feet of you. You don't gain this benefit while at 0 hit points.
Bonestorm[edit]
Beginning at 11th level, your skeletal steed can use its action to make a melee attack against each creature of its choice within 5 feet of it, with a separate attack roll for each target.
Branded by Blood[edit]
Upon reaching 15th level, whenever you invoke a blood bargain or amplify a blood curse, you can choose to have your skeletal steed suffer the damage instead of you.
Additionally, you gain the Blood Bargain of the Brand for your Empowered Blood feature.
- Blood Bargain of the Brand
Your skeletal steed has resistance to all damage. This effect ends when your skeletal steed takes damage, or at the end of your next turn.
When your skeletal steed suffers damage, you can use your reaction to invoke this blood bargain. Your steed has resistance against the triggering damage.
Horseman Against the Apocalypse[edit]
At 18th level, you have attained full control over your skeletal steed, gaining the ability to alter its physical form to better suit your needs. You can use your action to touch your steed and alter its form, restructuring its body and altering the magic binding it to your service, granting your steed the benefits of one of the following features of your choice. Your steed can only benefit from one of the following features at a time.
- Conquest
Your skeletal steed gains a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls, and its hit points and hit point maximum increase by an amount equal to twice your character level.
Your steed is a hulking mass of bone, a pair of deformed horns sprouting from its crown. As a result of its increased mass, its movement speed is reduced by 10 feet.
- Pestilence
When a hostile creature comes within 30 feet of your skeletal steed for the first time in a turn or starts its turn there, they must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned for 1 minute.
A dense black fog drifts to the ground from your steed, spreading out around it. If a creature can see your steed, you have advantage on Intimidation (Charisma) checks against them, and disadvantage on all other Charisma checks.
- War
While your skeletal steed's hooves are sheathed in the elemental energy of your Crimson Rite, it gains a flying speed equal to its movement speed.
The elemental energy of your rite roils violently, entirely consuming your steed. While it is sheathed in the energy of your rite, creatures have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to spot it, and it has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
- Famine
Your skeletal steed's speed increases by 20 feet, and it can use a bonus action on each of its turn to take the Dash or Disengage actions.
Your steed appears ragged and decrepit, held together purely by magic. It receives a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls, and its hit points and hit point maximum are reduced by an amount equal to your character level.
- Death
If damage reduces your skeletal steed to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken. On a success, it drops to 1 hit point instead.
Your steed is pallid and rotting, teetering on the brink of life. It has a -1 penalty to its Armor Class and saving throws.
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