The Essence Knight Class for Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Fifth Edition (5e)

Base Class: Fighter

You have learned to use your Fighter hit dice to power certain abilities and have some control over yourself and others.

Hit Die Pool

You have learned to harness your own life essence to power certain features and abilities. Your life essence is represented by your Fighter hit dice and your hit point maximum at any given time. You have a number of Fighter hit dice equal to your class level and you can recover a number of them equal to one half your class level when you finish a long rest.

Bonus Proficiencies

Your fledgeling control over your own life essence allows you better manipulation of your body during physical exertion. You gain proficiency in both Athletics and Acrobatics. Alternatively, you can choose to gain expertise in either Athletics or Acrobatics if you already have proficiency in the skill you choose.

Acrobatics and Athletics Proficiency

You gain proficiency in Acrobatics and Athletics.

Acrobatics Expertise

You gain expertise in Acrobatics

Athletics Expertise

You gain expertise in Athletics.

Manipulate Essence

Your understanding of life essence and expertise in combat has taught you how to exert subtle control over your own life essence and that of other creatures. You learn two basic essence manipulations of your choice, which are detailed under “Basic Essence Manipulations” below.

You learn an additional basic essence manipulation of your choice at 7th and 10th-level. Each time you learn a new manipulation, you can also replace one manipulation you know with a different one.

Essence Manipulations

Basic Essence Manipulations

The manipulations are presented in alphabetical order.

Bolster Attack
When you make an attack roll you can expend 1 Fighter hit die to add an additional 1d6 force damage to the attack on a hit. You can choose to add this damage after you make the attack roll, but before you know if it succeeds.

The additional damage increases to 2d6 when you reach 15th-level in this class.

Clinging Essence
As a bonus action, you can expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to gain the ability to walk along any solid surface, including walls and ceilings, without falling. The effect lasts for 1 minute for each hit die expended. You also have advantage on saving throws to resist being knocked prone or moved against your will.

When you reach 15th-level, you also gain the ability to walk on liquid surfaces in the same way.

Dispersed Landing
As a reaction whenever you take damage from falling, you can expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to reduce and disperse the damage. Reduce the fall damage by 1d6 for each Fighter hit die expended. Any creature within 5 feet of you when you land must make a Strength saving throw. It takes force damage equal to the amount of fall damage you reduced and falls prone on a failed save, or half as much damage and does not fall prone on a successful one.

The amount of damage reduced increases to 2d6 at 15th-level.

Empowered Jump
When you jump, you can expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus and increase the distance or height of your jump by 10 feet for each Fighter hit die expended.

The number of feet added to your jump increases to 20 at 15th-level.

Essence Bump
As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see makes an attack roll, you can expend 2 Fighter hit dice to bump its life essence and impose disadvantage on the attack.

When you reach 15th-level, the next attack roll against the bumped target is made at advantage.

Hold Essence
As bonus action, you can expend 1 Fighter hit die to restrain a creature within 10 feet of you that you can see by its life essence. The target can be up to one size larger than you. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained until the start of your next turn.

The range of this ability increases to 30 feet at 15th-level.

Infused Weapon
As part of a long rest, you can infuse a weapon with your life essence. While infused, you can use a bonus action and expend 1 Fighter hit die to recall your weapon into your open hand if it is able to move, as if under the effects of the Catapult spell. The weapon must be within 30 feet of you to do so. If the weapon is being held or restrained by another creature, the creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or have the weapon pulled out of its possession.

When you reach 15th-level, you can expend 1 Fighter hit die once per turn to replace one attack on your action with a ranged attack using your infused weapon, whether it has the thrown property or not. The weapon returns to your hand immediately after it is thrown. If the weapon does not already have the thrown property, it has a range of 30 feet when thrown in this way.

Move Essence
You can expend 1 Fighter hit die and replace one attack on your action to move a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see. The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be moved 10 feet toward or away from you (your choice).

When you reach 15th-level, the target is also knocked prone after being moved.

Improved Essence Manipulations

Optic Overload
When you take the attack action, you can replace one of your attacks with an optic overload. Expend 4 Fighter hit dice to overload the optic nerves of a creature you choose within 10 feet of you. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 4d10 force damage and is blinded for 1 minute on a failed save, or half as much damage and is not blinded on a successful one. The creature automatically succeeds on the saving throw if it is already blind.

Also on a failed save, the target experiences severe head pain for the next minute. For the duration, it subtracts 1d6 from all of its attack rolls, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, as well as Constitution saving throws made to maintain concentration.

The target can attempt the saving throw again at the end of each of its turns, ending the effects on a success.

Suffocate
When you take the attack action, you can replace one of your attacks with suffocate. Expend 4 Fighter hit dice to suffocate one creature within 10 feet of you. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 6d10 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

After a failed save, the target is suffocated by you for 1 minute or until you lose concentration (as if concentrating on a spell). While suffocated, the target is paralyzed, suspended a few inches above the ground, cannot breathe, and can only speak in gargled choking noises. At the start of each of its turns while suffocated, the target takes an additional 2d10 force damage. It dies after being suffocated for a number of rounds equal to its constitution modifier.

While the creature is suffocating, you can use an action to bring it closer to death. You can choose to either deal 4d10 force damage to it or subtract 1 from the number of rounds it has left before it dies.

The target can attempt the saving throw again at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Launch Essence
When you take the attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks to launch a creature by its life essence. Expend 2 Fighter hit dice to launch a creature within 10 feet of you. The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be launched up to 60 feet in a direction you choose, and is knocked prone.

If the creature strikes a solid surface, it takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown. If it strikes another creature, that creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and also be knocked prone. The DC for the Dexterity saving throw is equal to your Fighter level.

Cauterize Essence
As an action, you can touch yourself or another creature and expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to regain 10 hit points for each hit die expended.

Bolster Attack

When you make an attack roll you can expend 1 Fighter hit die to add an additional 1d6 force damage to the attack on a hit. You can choose to add this damage after you make the attack roll, but before you know if it succeeds.

The additional damage increases to 2d6 when you reach 15th-level in this class.

Cauterize Essence

As an action, you can touch yourself or another creature and expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to regain 10 hit points for each hit die expended.

Clinging Essence

As a bonus action, you can expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to gain the ability to walk along any solid surface, including walls and ceilings, without falling. The effect lasts for 1 minute for each hit die expended. You also have advantage on saving throws to resist being knocked prone or moved against your will.

When you reach 15th-level, you also gain the ability to walk on liquid surfaces in the same way.

Dispersed Landing

As a reaction whenever you take damage from falling, you can expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to reduce and disperse the damage. Reduce the fall damage by 1d6 for each Fighter hit die expended. Any creature within 5 feet of you when you land must make a Strength saving throw. It takes force damage equal to the amount of fall damage you reduced and falls prone on a failed save, or half as much damage and does not fall prone on a successful one.

The amount of damage reduced increases to 2d6 at 15th-level.

Empowered Jump

When you jump, you can expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus and increase the distance or height of your jump by 10 feet for each Fighter hit die expended.

The number of feet added to your jump increases to 20 at 15th-level.

Essence Bump

As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see makes an attack roll, you can expend 2 Fighter hit dice to bump its life essence and impose disadvantage on the attack.

When you reach 15th-level, the next attack roll against the bumped target is made at advantage.

Hold Essence

As bonus action, you can expend 1 Fighter hit die to restrain a creature within 10 feet of you that you can see by its life essence. The target can be up to one size larger than you. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained until the start of your next turn.

The range of this ability increases to 30 feet at 15th-level.

Infused Weapon

As part of a long rest, you can infuse a weapon with your life essence. While infused, you can use a bonus action and expend 1 Fighter hit die to recall your weapon into your open hand if it is able to move, as if under the effects of the Catapult spell. The weapon must be within 30 feet of you to do so. If the weapon is being held or restrained by another creature, the creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or have the weapon pulled out of its possession.

Launch Essence

When you take the attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks to launch a creature by its life essence. Expend 2 Fighter hit dice to launch a creature within 10 feet of you. The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be launched up to 60 feet in a direction you choose, and is knocked prone.

Move Essence

You can expend 1 Fighter hit die and replace one attack on your action to move a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see. The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be moved 10 feet toward or away from you (your choice).

When you reach 15th-level, the target is also knocked prone after being moved.

Optic Overload

When you take the attack action, you can replace one of your attacks with an optic overload. Expend 4 Fighter hit dice to overload the optic nerves of a creature you choose within 10 feet of you. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 4d10 force damage and is blinded for 1 minute on a failed save, or half as much damage and is not blinded on a successful one. The creature automatically succeeds on the saving throw if it is already blind.

The target can attempt the saving throw again at the end of each of its turns, ending the effects on a success.

Suffocate

When you take the attack action, you can replace one of your attacks with suffocate. Expend 4 Fighter hit dice to suffocate one creature within 10 feet of you. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 6d10 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The target can attempt the saving throw again at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Favored Manipulation

Your ability to manipulate life essence in a specific way grows more innate. Choose one basic manipulation that you already know to be your favored manipulation. You can use that manipulation a number of times equal to one half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) per short or long rest without expending any Fighter hit dice.

Bolster Attack

Cauterize Essence

As an action, you can touch yourself or another creature and expend a number of Fighter hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to regain 10 hit points for each hit die expended.