Okay, so I had a couple of ideas for how to build a "death knight" PC from the ground up, and wanted to hear your thoughts.
Idea 1: Oathbreaker Paladin with Reborn lineage
-This one seems to fit the most from a lore perspective. You are a Paladin who was turned to a Death Knight for forsaking their oath, with the Reborn lineage reflecting your undead nature. Having some command over undead creatures and ways to boost them also fits very well.
Idea 2: Conquest Paladin/Undead Patron Warlock multiclass
-This one isn't quite as "on the nose" as the Oathbreaker from a lore perspective, but I think is more interesting from a mechanical standpoint. Form of Dread synergizes very well with Aura of Conquest, and eventually if you take more levels in Warlock, your Grave Touched feature gives you an undead nature without relying on the Reborn lineage. It also has the added benefit of letting you replace an attack's damage with necrotic damage, so you can perform a fully necrotic smite on someone (which is also in line with a Death Knight, from a stat block perspective).
The only thing a Death Knight can do that isnt addressed in either of these approaches is their "Hellfire Orb" ability, and I cannot think of an elegant way to work something similar into the a Paladin-based build.
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The only thing a Death Knight can do that isnt addressed in either of these approaches is their "Hellfire Orb" ability, and I cannot think of an elegant way to work something similar into the a Paladin-based build.
Ring of fire elemental command?
Shield of the Hidden Lord, thematically, this works really well.
The only thing a Death Knight can do that isnt addressed in either of these approaches is their "Hellfire Orb" ability, and I cannot think of an elegant way to work something similar into the a Paladin-based build.
Ring of fire elemental command?
Shield of the Hidden Lord, thematically, this works really well.
Ah. I had not considered magic items. Good ideas. Id probably go for a Necklace of Fireballs myself, but I like your suggestions
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Okay, so I had a couple of ideas for how to build a "death knight" PC from the ground up, and wanted to hear your thoughts.
Idea 1: Oathbreaker Paladin with Reborn lineage
-This one seems to fit the most from a lore perspective. You are a Paladin who was turned to a Death Knight for forsaking their oath, with the Reborn lineage reflecting your undead nature. Having some command over undead creatures and ways to boost them also fits very well.
Idea 2: Conquest Paladin/Undead Patron Warlock multiclass
-This one isn't quite as "on the nose" as the Oathbreaker from a lore perspective, but I think is more interesting from a mechanical standpoint. Form of Dread synergizes very well with Aura of Conquest, and eventually if you take more levels in Warlock, your Grave Touched feature gives you an undead nature without relying on the Reborn lineage. It also has the added benefit of letting you replace an attack's damage with necrotic damage, so you can perform a fully necrotic smite on someone (which is also in line with a Death Knight, from a stat block perspective).
The only thing a Death Knight can do that isnt addressed in either of these approaches is their "Hellfire Orb" ability, and I cannot think of an elegant way to work something similar into the a Paladin-based build.
Four-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Ring of fire elemental command?
Shield of the Hidden Lord, thematically, this works really well.
Ah. I had not considered magic items. Good ideas. Id probably go for a Necklace of Fireballs myself, but I like your suggestions
Four-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!