Oath of a Death Knight

In the annals of history, there was a paladin named Sir Alaric the Pure, renowned for his unwavering dedication to justice and his radiant aura that inspired hope in the darkest of times. However, fate took a cruel turn when Sir Alaric fell in battle, his body left to decay on a forsaken battlefield. Yet, his oath to protect the innocent and vanquish evil was so powerful that it defied death itself.

Rising from the grave, Sir Alaric was reborn as a Death Knight, his once shining armor now a haunting visage of his former self. His weapons, once blessed by the light, became bound to his very soul, summoned from the void with a mere thought. These spectral blades cut through the fabric of life; their touch as cold as the grave.

Freed from the constraints of the mortal coil, Sir Alaric now floats effortlessly above the ground, a ghostly figure gliding silently through the battlefield. His presence is a chilling reminder of the thin veil between life and death, instilling fear and despair in the hearts of his enemies.

Channeling the dark powers of the netherworld, Sir Alaric unleashes devastating attacks that drain the life force of his foes. His strikes are reminiscent of the legendary Death Knights of Azeroth, whose very names are whispered in fear. Despite his transformation, Sir Alaric’s commitment to his oath remains unbroken. He is a relentless force, driven by a purpose that transcends mortality, guided by a dark, unwavering resolve to fulfill his sacred duty.

As a Paladin of the Oath of the Death Knight, you follow in the footsteps of Sir Alaric, embracing the power of death to continue your quest for justice. Your actions are a testament to the unyielding strength of your oath, even in the face of death itself.

Oath of a Death Knight Spells

The magic of your oath ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Paladin level specified in the Oath of Death Knight Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.

Oath of Death Knight Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3	Inflict Wounds, Mage Armor
5	Mirror Image, Ray of Enfeeblement
9	Animate Dead, Vampiric Touch
13	Blight, Phantasmal Killer
17	Cloudkill, Contagion

Grave's Embrace

When you take the Attack action, you can expend one use of your Channel Divinity to call upon the chilling power of the grave. You can activate one of the following abilities when you activate the feature:

• Spectral Chains: Summon ghostly chains that erupt from the ground, binding your enemies. Each creature of your choice within 30 feet must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained for 1 minute. While restrained, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier at the start of each of its turns. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

• Necrotic Shroud: Unleash a wave of necrotic energy that radiates from you in a 30-foot radius. Each creature of your choice within this radius must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes necrotic damage equal to 2d10 + your paladin level and is frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not frightened.

Siphoning Strikes

You have learned to control the balance of life and death within yourself. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your half your Max HP + your CHA modifier rounded down. If you have temp hit points they are not combined.

Bound Weapon

As a Death Knight Paladin, your weapons are no longer mere tools of war; they are extensions of your very soul, bound to you by the dark powers of the netherworld. These spectral armaments are summoned from the void with a mere thought, appearing in your grasp as ghostly, ethereal versions of their former selves.

When you call upon your Bound Weapon, it materializes in your hand, shimmering with an eerie, otherworldly glow. The weapon feels weightless yet solid, its edges cold to the touch and capable of slicing through both flesh and spirit. These spectral weapons are not bound by the physical limitations of the mortal realm, allowing you to wield them with supernatural precision and power.

Features:

• Instant Summoning: You can summon or dismiss your Bound Weapon as a bonus action, causing it to appear or vanish in a swirl of dark energy.
• Unholy Precision: Your Bound Weapon strikes with unerring accuracy, guided by the dark forces that animate it. You gain a bonus to attack rolls made with this weapon equal to your Charisma modifier.
• Necrotic Infusion: The weapon’s strikes are imbued with necrotic energy, dealing additional necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus on a hit.
• Spectral Form: The Bound Weapon can pass through solid objects, allowing you to ignore cover when making attacks with it.

Your Bound Weapon is a manifestation of your unyielding will and the dark power that sustains you, a constant reminder of your oath and the price you have paid to uphold it.

Blend Into the Shadows

As an action, you may teleport to a point you can see within 60 ft. of you that is in darkness, you must also be within darkness to teleport. You may also take one other creature with you. If the creature is not willing, it must succeed on a DC 8 + CHA modifier + proficiency bonus Dexterity saving throw to evade you.

Additionally, you gain resistance to necrotic damage while your Channel Divinity is active.

Revenant

You can assume the form of an Avatar of the Undying Oath, a being of pure necrotic power and unyielding resolve. As an action, you transform for 1 minute, gaining the following benefits:

1. Spectral Form: You become incorporeal, allowing you to move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.
2. Necrotic Aura: An aura of necrotic energy radiates from you in a 30-foot radius. Enemies within this aura take necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier at the start of their turns.
3. Unholy Resilience: You gain resistance to all damage except radiant and force damage. Additionally, you regain hit points equal to half the damage dealt by your melee weapon attacks.
4. Grim Reaper: Your Bound Weapon becomes a conduit of death itself. When you hit a creature with your Bound Weapon, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be paralyzed until the end of your next turn.

 

Revenant

You can assume the form of an Avatar of the Undying Oath, a being of pure necrotic power and unyielding resolve. As a bonus action, you transform for 10 minutes, gaining the following benefits:

1. Spectral Form: You become incorporeal, allowing you to move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.
2. Necrotic Aura: An aura of necrotic energy radiates from you in a 30-foot radius. Enemies within this aura take necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier at the start of their turns.
3. Unholy Resilience: You gain resistance to all damage except radiant and force damage. Additionally, you regain hit points equal to half the damage dealt by your melee weapon attacks.
4. Grim Reaper: Your Bound Weapon becomes a conduit of death itself. When you hit a creature with your Bound Weapon, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be paralyzed until the end of your next turn.

Activate Undying Avatar

You gain the following benefits:

1. Spectral Form: You become incorporeal, allowing you to move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.
2. Necrotic Aura: An aura of necrotic energy radiates from you in a 30-foot radius. Enemies within this aura take necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier at the start of their turns.
3. Unholy Resilience: You gain resistance to all damage except radiant and force damage. Additionally, you regain hit points equal to half the damage dealt by your melee weapon attacks.
4. Grim Reaper: Your Bound Weapon becomes a conduit of death itself. When you hit a creature with your Bound Weapon, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be paralyzed until the end of your next turn.