Knight of the Shield (rogue)

Once an official royal order of knighthood in Tethyr, the Knights of the Shield were a group of information dealers and political manipulators that operated within the Sword Coast, Lands of Intrigue and, to a lesser extent the North for over a thousand years, dating back to -170DR before it was officially disbanded in 187DR. The Knights of the Shield continued to exist as an extensive information-sharing network after being disbanded as an official order of knighthood, on the surface appearing to be a secret society of merchants and nobles who were interested in the mercantile and civic matters of their respective lands.

The organization would have their agents gather vital and valuable information from throughout western Faerûn and share it within their ranks, to the financial benefit of members. For many years they used this knowledge in mercantile practice, making wise financial investments and political connections to become richer and more powerful than the rest of the aristocracy in their respective cities. After the establishment of the Shield Council in 889DR they used their network of spies and informants to manipulate and influence social, economic and military developments across the west as they saw them arise. Of course, these machinations still benefited the members of the Shield in great measure.

Though it was a secret for half a millennia, the upper leadership of the Knights were actually in league with at least two fiendish powers, both Baatezu and Tanar'ri and possibly many more. In the last century the mid-level membership began engaging in the trade of souls and mastered the creation of their own fiendish currency. Lower echelon Knights and the overwhelming majority of those inside the order still know little of the secret powers of the order, but those at the very top have sold many more souls than just their own.

Bonus Proficiencies

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in medium armor, shields and the forgery kit. You may choose a language proficiency instead if you are already skilled in the forgery kit. Additionally, you are skilled in the art of sending and receiving coded, hidden or secret messages - cryptography. Using multiple languages, you can ably create written ciphers. Others can't decipher a code you create unless you teach them, they succeed on an Intelligence check (DC equal to your intelligence score + your proficiency bonus), or they use magic to decipher it.

Vested with Authority

Being inducted into a knightly order (albeit a disbanded one) you have learned to use, and abuse, your authority in order to get your way. You have advantage on Deception and Intimidation checks when you claim to be representing an authority figure - even falsely so - including when forging documents with official-looking seals and signatures. 

Soul Trade

Beginning at 9th level, you have been gifted with knowledge of the fiendish trade of souls, and the unique Shield Coins of the Knights of the Shield. When a life ends in your presence, you're able to snatch the departing soul, trapping a sliver of its life essence that takes physical form. As a reaction when a creature you can see dies within 30 feet of you, you can cause it to be trapped within a specially-minted coin unique to the Knights of the Shield, which must also be within 30 feet of you. The coin is nonmagical, identical in color, size and shape to a typical gold coin, but appears blank and is three times as dense as a normal gold coin. The alchemical properties which make it so are a closely guarded secret from Calimshan, and even lesser knights unfamiliar with the trade often carry one. Each coin costs 25gp to procure via secret contacts. Once a soul is trapped within a coin, it's magic activates, becoming a Shield Coin, and is detectable and identifiable as such.

The Shield Coin functions similarly to a Soul Trinket (as described in the Phantom subclass in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything p.63) or a Soul Coin (as described in Descent into Avernus p.225) in that it contains the spiritual essence of a recently departed creature. To hold a Shield Coin is to feel the soul bound within it - overcome with rage or fraught with despair. While the Shield Coin is on your person, you have advantage on death saving throws and Constitution saving throws, for your vitality is enhanced by the life essence within the object. An evil creature can carry as many Shield Coins as it wishes (up to its maximum weight allowance). A nonevil creature can carry a number of Shield Coins equal to or less than its Constitution modifier without penalty. A non-evil creature carrying a number of Shield Coins greater than its Constitution modifier has disadvantage on its attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. 

As a Knight of the Shield, you can make a maximum number of Shield Coins equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. Attempting to make a new Shield Coin when you have reached your maximum, causes the coin to explode, freeing the intended soul and dealing 1d6 magical slashing damage to all creatures within five feet of the coin. A soul can eventually escape the Shield Coin on its own, turning back to a nonmagical coin in a number of days equal to the dead creature's CR or level plus one. If a coin is found as treasure, it's remaining time is at the DM's discretion, but is revealed by an Identify spell.

You can use the Shield Coin to force the soul within to serve you, allowing you to cast Find Familiar or Find Steed. Most knights choose the form of a bird for their familiar - eagles, falcons, hawks, owls, parrots, ravens or vultures - though this is more as a preference than a rule. Each use of the Find Familiar spell reduces the days remaining on the coin by one, while each use of the Find Steed spell reduces the days by two. In either familiar or steed form the soul remains until killed or dismissed and then returns to the coin, time spent in familiar or steed form is time not spent trying to escape the coin, and therefore does not count against the days remaining. You can use your familiar as a go-between to negotiate and trade Shield Coins with supernatural powers during a short or long rest. 

Genies, hags, fiends and their representatives value the coins very dearly, and will trade information or favors worth many times the coin's value (approximately 1000gp, DM's discretion) to possess one, even moreso if it contains the soul of a creature of long-life or great power. Fiends will trade the coin for temporary cult membership or a magical boon (described in Mondenkainen's Tome of Foes pp. 18-21, 30-32 & 237, examples below) each providing rare powers. Other powers may offer Supernatural Gifts (DMG pp. 227-228) though Celestials generally only trade to protect the soul of an exceedingly good person or creature. The effect lasts a number of days equal to the time of the soul remaining in the coin, or until a new cult power or boon is traded for another Shield Coin. Only one such gift can be active at a time, and Knights of the Shield cannot bargain for the same cult power or boon two days in a row. A Knight of the Shield can direct their familiar to magically contact a representative of one of these powers to make the exchange during a short or long rest.

 

Example Cult Powers and Demonic Boons:

 Balor - This creature has resistance to fire damage. When it is reduced to 0 hit points, it explodes; each creature within 10 feet of it takes fire damage equal to its number of Hit Dice.

Baphomet - This creature can perfectly recall any path it has traveled.

Demogorgon - This creature has advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.

Dispater - Once per day, as a reaction when this creature takes damage, it reduces that damage to 0 and teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

Fraz-Urb'luu - This creature has advantage on Wisdom (Insight or Perception) checks. As a bonus action, it automatically detects the location of all illusions and hidden creatures within 15 feet of it.

Geryon - Once per short rest, as a reaction when this creature takes damage, it can roll 1d10 and subtract the number rolled from the damage.

Fierna - As a reaction when this creature is hit by an attack, it can choose one ally it can see within 5 feet of it and cause that ally to be hit by that attack instead.

Jubilex - This creature has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. Whenever this creature suffers a critical hit or is reduced to 0 hit points, all creatures within 5 feet of it take acid damage equal to its number of Hit Dice.

Levistus - This creature magically teleports to a location of DM's choice within 1 mile of its location. Using this ability also restores all of the creature's hit points. This ability can be invoked as an action by the creature or when the creature would die. Once the creature uses it, the creature can't use it again.

Mammon - As a bonus action, this creature makes a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested by the Wisdom (Insight) check of a creature it can see within 15 feet of it. If this creature succeeds, one handheld item of its choice that it can see (such as a sheathed sword or dagger, or a coin purse) on the target magically teleports to its open hand without the other creature noticing. The item can't be one that the target is currently holding, and it must weigh no more than 10 pounds.

Zariel - Once per short rest when this creature hits with an attack that isn't a critical hit, it can turn the hit into a critical hit.

Zuggtmoy - This creature is immune to the charmed and frightened conditions. In addition, if it is reduced to 0 hit points, each creature within 10 feet of it takes poison damage equal to it's number of Hit Dice.

Soul of Deceit

Starting at 13th level, your thoughts can't be read by telepathy or other means, unless you allow it. You can present false thoughts by succeeding on a Charisma (Deception) check  contested by the mind reader's Wisdom (Insight) check.

Additionally, no matter what you say, magic that would determine if you are telling the truth indicates you are being truthful if you so choose, and you can't be compelled to tell the truth by magic.

Deceive Magic Items

By 17th level, you have learned enough about the workings of magic and deception that you can improvise the use of items even when they are not intended for you. You ignore all alignment, class, race, and level requirements on the use of magic items.