Homebrew Death Knight Species Details

LORD SOTH

Lord Soth began his fall from grace with an act of heroism, saving an elf named Isolde from an ogre. Soth and Isolde fell in love, but Soth was already married. He had a servant dispose of his wife and was charged with murder, but fled with Isolde. When his castle fell under siege, he prayed for guidance and was told that he must atone for his misdeeds by completing a quest, but growing fears about Isolde’s fidelity caused him to abandon his quest. Because his mission was not accomplished, a great cataclysm swept the land. When Isolde gave birth to a son, Soth refused to believe that the child was his and slew them both. All were incinerated in a fire that swept through the castle, yet Soth would find no rest in death, becoming a death knight.

When a paladin that falls from grace dies without seeking atonement, dark powers can transform the once-mortal knight into a hateful undead creature. A death knight is a skeletal warrior clad in fearsome plate armor. Beneath its helmet, one can see the knight’s skull with malevolent pinpoints of light burning in its eye sockets.

Eldritch Power. The death knight retains the ability to cast divine spells. However, no death knight can use its magic to heal. A death knight also attracts and commands lesser undead, although death knights that serve powerful fiends might have fiendish followers instead. Death knights often use warhorse skeletons and nightmares as mounts.

Immortal Until Redeemed. A death knight can arise anew even after it has been destroyed. Only when it atones for a life of wickedness or finds redemption can it finally escape its undead purgatory and truly perish. If a Death Knight would fall in battle, they would rise again in 1d4 + 10 days.

Undead Nature. A death knight doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Death Knight Traits

Are you a skeletal paladin that fell from grace or a wicked knight of an evil order that refused the afterlife?

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

As an undead monstrosity you do not age. If you are to count the years since you where raised from death it could be one year or hundreds. 

Alignment

Death Knights tend to follow the path of law and order, making a conscious choice for one side or the other in the cosmic war between good and evil. Most Death Knights are evil, but there some who side with the righteous and seek redemption.

Size

Death Knights vary in height and weight, maintaining their size from when they where alive. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Hellfire Orb

You hurl a magical ball of fire that explodes at a point it can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. The sphere spreads around corners. A creature takes 1d6 fire damage and 1d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.  You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a short rest.

The damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 9th level (3d6),  13th (4d6), and 17th level (5d6).

 

Undead Resistance

You have advantage on saving throws against poison and being frightened, and you have resistance to necrotic and poison damage.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Infernal.