The Arcane Knight combines the martial mastery common to all fighters with a careful study of magic. Through a motivated study of magic, Arcane Knights are able to cast spells from the Wizard spell list. They focus their study on two of the eight schools of magic: abjuration and evocation. These knights have an innate talent for spellcasting and are masters of aiding martial combat with magic. However, these knights learn a comparatively small number of spells, committing them to memory instead of keeping them in a spellbook.

[Notes: Hello. This is my take on how to improve the Fighter Martial Archetype, Eldritch Knight. I love this subclass. My very first character was an Eldritch Knight. And though I absolutely loved every moment of it, I quickly realized that the class has a massive flaw. It doesn't properly capture the essence of a magical knight who wields weapons and magic harmoniously in combat. At some point, you sort of get forced to choose to either be a spellcaster and cast a spell, or be a fighter and make attacks. I DO understand that that's sort of the point of this class, but I wanted to make it so no matter how you plan to play this subclass, you WILL be using both martial combat and magic.  Compared to the other melee spellcaster subclasses such as the Bladesinger and Arcane Trickster, the Eldritch Knight runs into the problem of contradicting the main class which the other two do not encounter. The Arcane Trickster, despite being a 1/3 caster like the Eldritch Knight, successfully complements the Rogue class in a way that the Eldritch Knight just isn't able to do as it is now. Therefore, I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix it by homebrewing it in a way that your spellcasting is actually rewarded by investing more stat points into your spellcasting ability, but still allows a smooth spellcasting experience if you don't. I hope that you guys like my version of the subclass. This is for you, my fellow EK players.]

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells. 

Cantrips

At 3rd level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. At 10th level you learn an additional cantrip.

Spell Slots

The Arcane Knight Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these wizard spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell burning hands and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast burning hands using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the wizard list. The Spells Known column of the Arcane Knight Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 6th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the wizard spells you know and replace it with another spell from the sorcerer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.

Arcane Knight Spellcasting Table 

Fighter Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	— Spell Slots per Spell Level —
			1st	2nd	3rd	4th
3rd	2	3	2	—	—	—
4th	2	4	3	—	—	—
5th	2	4	3	—	—	—
6th	2	4	3	—	—	—
7th	2	5	4	2	—	—
8th	2	6	4	2	—	—
9th	2	6	4	2	—	—
10th	3	7	4	3	—	—
11th	3	8	4	3	—	—
12th	3	8	4	3	—	—
13th	3	9	4	3	2	—
14th	3	10	4	3	2	—
15th	3	10	4	3	2	—
16th	3	11	4	3	3	—
17th	3	11	4	3	3	—
18th	3	11	4	3	3	—
19th	3	12	4	3	3	1
20th	3	13	4	3	3	1

 

[Note: I barely did anything to the Eldritch Knight's spellcasting. It's still a 1/3 caster, it still uses the Wizard Spell List, and it's still limited to the Abjuration and Evocation schools of magic. I honestly think that the spellcasting ability of the Eldritch Knight is fine. I've seen other reworks of this subclass by turning it into a 1/2 caster, but that just didn't sit right with me considering that being a 1/2 caster has historically been exclusive to main classes such as the Ranger and the Paladin. Looking at the Arcane Trickster, being a 1/3 caster is not the problem. The Arcane Trickster, despite being just a 1/3 caster, is one of the if not the best subclasses for the Rogue. No, the problems of the Eldritch Knight lies in the class features and their mechanics. The only thing I changed here is that I added the ability to use an arcane focus. More on that in the Weapon Bond feature.]

Weapon Bond

At 3rd level, you learn a ritual that creates a magical 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. The weapon also becomes a magical weapon allowing you to add your spellcasting modifier to its damage as magic damage. It also becomes an arcane focus for your Eldritch Knight spells. 

Additionally, if the weapon is on the same plane of existence, you can summon it as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand.

[Ah yes. The Weapon Bond. The feature that actually made me play an Eldritch Knight. Unfortunately, it was very underwhelming. It had almost no value outside of roleplaying, with only a niche use when using thrown weapons or the very unlikely chance that you face an enemy that could disarm you. In this version of the Eldritch Knight, I decided to make it a little bit more exciting, considering a weapon that you magically bond with seems like a very significant aspect of being a spellcasting fighter. Therefore, I decided that magically bonding to one weapon turns it into a magical weapon (Duh?) . From level 3 to 7, you will be forced to either cast magic or attack, so I wanted to make it so that no matter what happens, as long as you are making an attack with your bonded weapon, a magical effect is still happening. Also, your bonded weapon becomes an arcane focus. BECAUSE WHY WOULDN'T IT BE? This is a weapon that you are magically binding to yourself and therefore will become an integral tool to your career as an Eldritch Knight. Why keep this feature out of the Eldritch Knight's hands when you can ALWAYS buy a component pouch anyway? It seems pointless to not allow this to happen.]

War Magic

Beginning at 7th level, you gain the following abilities:

• You are able to cast spells without the verbal or somatic components.
• You gain advantage on constitution saving throws to maintain concentration.
• When you would take an attack of opportunity, you may choose to cast a spell instead.

Additionally, when you would take the attack action using your bonded weapon, you may choose to cast a cantrip in place of one weapon attack you normally would make. You may only use this ability once per turn.

[Every Eldritch Knight that has ever been takes War Caster. This feat was made for the Eldritch Knight, and if you don't take it, you're kind of just nerfing yourself? So I figured if you were going to take the feat no matter what, might as well build it into the class. But moving on to the main thing of this feature, War Magic. The bread and butter of the Eldritch Knight. I tweaked it so that instead of making one attack as a bonus action when you cast a cantrip, you can replace one attack you would have made during the attack action with a cantrip instead. IF THE BLADESINGER CAN DO IT, SO SHOULD THE ELDRITCH KNIGHT. Besides, this way, it eliminates the problem of just never using War Magic when you get your second extra attack. Now you may say, "But the Bladsinger doesn't have 4 attacks at level 20." To that I would say, "They also have access to 9th level spells at level 20." The Bladesinger loses nothing when it chooses to cast a spell over taking the attack action. Whereas the Eldritch Knight has to make the choice to cast a spell of 4th level at the maximum and lose out on 3 extra attacks, or you take the attack action and you just don't cast a spell at all. Even with Improved War Magic, as the Eldritch Knight is now, you will almost always be choosing to attack than use War Magic. With this, you actually have a useful feature you would use past level 11.]

True Strike Virtuous

Starting at 7th level, when you cast True Strike, it gains the following effects:

• Both you and the target of this spell gain advantage on attack rolls against each other and disadvantage on attack rolls against other creatures.
• The spell remains active for the full duration unless you become incapacitated or the target dies. Alternatively, you may use a bonus action to end the spell.
• You do not need to maintain concentration on this spell. 

[Note: Unlike every other feature here which was just a rework or tweak of already existing features, this is a completely new feature that I just added. I decided to take inspiration from the Arcane Trickster's Mage Hand Legerdmain and give the Arcane Knight its own signature cantrip. I just felt like the cantrip use of the Eldritch Knight was almost exclusively limited to either Green Flamed Blade or Booming Blade, and I found that kind of boring. So I decided to add a third cantrip into the mix of cantrips that the Arcane Knight could include in its rotation. I chose True Strike because I felt that I could go several ways with it, and in the end, I decided to turn it into a mini Compelled Duel. It doesn't have a charm effect on the target to force it to duel you, it just heavily incentivizes them to do so. The rationale to remove concentration from this spell is that I decided to make the spell last the full duration instead of it ending when you land a hit on the target. This is because if it ends when you hit the target, the fact that the target has advantage on you and disadvantage on anyone else becomes useless because the spell would have ended in the same turn you cast it. This way, by removing concentration and making it last the entire minute, the monster maintains advantage on you on its turn, putting you at a higher risk of getting critted, while still giving it disadvantage on any of your party members until the start of your turn, which is a nice little boon that I think a signature cantrip is justified to have.]

Arcane Combat

At 10th level, you learn how to make your weapon strikes undercut a creature's resistance to your spells. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, that creature has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes against a spell you cast before the end of your next turn.

Additionally, you gain the ability to parry spells using your bonded weapon. If a spell is casted by  a target within 5 feet of you, or on a target within 5 feet of you, or the spell effect passes through your threatened area, you may use your reaction to make a spell attack against the spell's attack roll or save. If you meet or beat the spell attack roll or the spell save DC, the spell is parried and has no effect. You may only use this ability a number of times equal to your spellcasting modifier per long rest.

[Note: To be completely honest with you, Eldritch Strike was perfectly fine. It was one of the if not the only feature in the EK subclass that actually made sense and complimented the Fighter class. Thus, why I kept the original effect. However, being able to parry spells is just extremely freakin' cool so I decided to indulge myself and slide the ability in. There's some rationale behind it in the sense that after gaining more experience wielding magic in combat gives you the ability to also know how to counter it, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I just wanted to be able to swat spells out of the air like a badass.]

Arcane Charge

At 15th level, you gain the ability to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see when you use your Action Surge. You can teleport before or after the additional action. Additionally, you can choose to activate this ability after you cast a cantrip as part of your attack action. However, you can only choose to activate this ability in this way a number of times equal to your spellcasting modifier per long rest.

[Note: Arcane Charge was also fine. It just felt a little redundant considering you could take Misty Step as your 2nd level out of school spell, but it was available if you didn't (which in my opinion is very rare because a lot of people generally take Misty Step whenever they're able to). The only difference I made is an alternative activation of the ability, which I admit, is also redundant. I guess I just wanted to make it more available than a maximum of twice per long rest.]

Improved War Magic

Starting at 18th level, when you would take the attack action using your bonded weapon, you may choose to cast a spell in place of one weapon attack you normally would make. You may only use this ability once per turn, up to a total of times equal to your spellcasting modifier per short rest.

 [Note: Same mechanic as the original Improved War Magic, but with the reworked mechanics of War Magic. Instead of taking one attack as a bonus action when you use your action to cast a spell, you can replace one of the attacks you would have made with a spell instead. I also decided to limit the amount of times you can use this ability to spellmod per long rest because I feel that if you got to do this for free every time, it's kind of giga broken. Besides, this way, it still prompts you to choose whether to take your action to just cast a spell, or attack and use this ability, and it kind of requires you to invest more points into Intelligence than you normally would have if you choose the latter. You don't have a lot of spell slots anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem to choose. Also, I don't think I have to mention this, but this doesn't stack with War Magic. It's the same instance of War Magic, so you don't get to cast a cantrip, a spell, then take two attacks.]