WHITE KNIGHT

Knight of the Diamond Court • Guardian • Oathkeeper

                                                                                        “A knight’s oath is strongest when the world gives you every reason to break it.”

Introduction

The White Knights were once the shining protectors of the Diamond Kingdom, sworn to defend its people and uphold the ideals of the White Queen.

They were trained to stand between danger and those who could not defend themselves. Even after the Kingdom fractured, many White Knights continued their duties, protecting refugees, escorting travelers, and guarding the remnants of civilization.

You were taught that a knight's greatest weapon isn't their sword. It is their oath. But Underland has a way of making even the purest oaths difficult to keep.

Ability Scores:

Ability Score Increase

Your time as a knight taught you discipline, physical endurance, and the importance of commanding respect.

Increase one ability score by 2 and a different ability score by 1, or increase three different ability scores by 1. None of these increases can raise an ability score above 20.

Feat:

 

Squire of the White Court

You were trained in the traditions of the Diamond Court and learned to protect those who place their trust in you.

You gain the Squire of the White Court feat.

Squire of the White Court. When a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is targeted by an attack, you can use your Reaction to impose Disadvantage on the attack roll, provided you are wielding a Shield or a melee weapon.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Skill Proficiencies:

Skill Proficiencies

Athletics, Persuasion

Skill Proficiencies Description

Your training taught you to endure physical hardship and stand your ground when others might flee. Years of representing the Diamond Court also taught you the importance of diplomacy, etiquette, and speaking with authority.

Tool Proficiencies:

Tool Proficiencies

Choose one of the following:

• Smith's Tools
• Vehicles (Land)

Tool Proficiencies Description

Your order expected its knights to maintain their own equipment and understand the practical necessities of travel. Some knights instead trained to operate the wagons, carriages, and other vehicles used to transport soldiers and civilians.

Languages:

Languages

Choose one of the following:

• Celestial
• One language of your choice

Languages Description

Knights of the Diamond Court were exposed to old courtly traditions, religious teachings, military commands, and diplomatic customs. Many learned Celestial through the court's ancient oaths, while others learned the language of neighboring kingdoms and peoples.

Equipment:

Equipment

You begin with the following equipment:

• A suit of battered knight's armor
• A Knight of the Diamond insignia
• A longsword or warhammer
• A shield
• Smith's tools, if chosen above
• A broken piece of a knight's sword
• 10 gp

Alternatively, you may take the starting wealth determined by your DM.

Spell List

Spell List Introduction

White Knights are not traditionally spellcasters, and this background does not grant an expanded spell list.

However, a White Knight who follows a divine, celestial, or oath-bound magical tradition may have access to spells through their class, subclass, or another feature.

Spell Level	Spells

Spell List Extended

This background does not provide an extended spell list.

Suggested Characteristics

Suggested Characteristics

White Knights were shaped by duty, discipline, and the expectation that they would protect others even when doing so came at a personal cost. Their experiences after the Breaking, however, may have left them hopeful, bitter, determined, or questioning the very ideals they once swore to uphold.

Personality Traits

Roll 1d8 or choose one.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I stand whenever someone important enters the room.
2	I refuse to abandon someone in danger.
3	I polish my armor even when there is no point.
4	I am painfully formal.
5	I believe manners are still important.
6	I always put myself between danger and my companions.
7	I struggle with the idea that some people cannot be saved.
8	I secretly enjoy being called a hero.

Ideals

Roll 1d6 or choose one.

d6	Ideal
1	Duty. An oath means nothing if it is abandoned when inconvenient.
2	Protection. Power exists to protect those without it.
3	Honor. A knight must be better than the world around them.
4	Hope. Underland isn't dead yet.
5	Sacrifice. Someone must be willing to stand.
6	Justice. The powerful should answer for what they do to the powerless.

Bonds

Roll 1d6 or choose one.

d6	Bond
1	I swore an oath to protect someone who is still alive.
2	I carry the insignia of a fallen knight.
3	I am searching for the surviving members of my order.
4	Someone died because I broke my oath.
5	I believe the White Queen's original ideals are still worth protecting.
6	I will restore the honor of my fallen order, no matter what it costs me.

Flaws

Roll 1d6 or choose one.

d6	Flaw
1	I refuse to retreat when someone needs me.
2	I judge people harshly for breaking promises.
3	I am terrible at admitting fear.
4	I believe I can solve everything through honor.
5	I take responsibility for things that aren't my fault.
6	I cannot let an insult against my order go unanswered.

Contacts

Contacts Description

Your years among the Diamond Court and its surviving military orders have left you with connections throughout Underland. Your contacts may be former soldiers, refugees you protected, fellow knights, court officials, smiths, guards, or members of your fallen order.

Your contacts are not necessarily loyal to you, and some may have their own complicated feelings about the Diamond Court.

Contact Table

d6	Contact
1	A former knight who still patrols the roads of the Diamond Kingdom.
2	A refugee you once protected who now runs a small settlement.
3	A court servant who secretly carries messages for surviving Diamond loyalists.
4	A blacksmith who maintained your order's weapons and armor.
5	A former commander who knows what truly happened during the Breaking.
6	A fellow White Knight who disappeared after the fall of your order.