Dread Knight

This school focuses on enhancing the user's ability to fight on the front lines of battle, eventually raising undead servants and leading them in combat. While often seen as an evil practice there are those that wish to wield this power for good or simply petty selfishness, though many people will be inclined to think the worst of practitioners of necromancy. 

Dread Armor

At 2nd level, you add the mage armor spell to your spellbook if it is not there already. When you cast this spell you can choose to make it give a base AC of 16, rather than its normal armor calculation. 

Dread Warrior

Also at 2nd level, you can use an action to conjure a shadowy version of any simple melee weapon that lacks the special property in your hand. You are considered proficient with this weapon and when you attack with this weapon you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. Your weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.

In addition, your hitpoint maximum increases by 2 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class. 

Battle Style

At 6th level you further your combat prowess, choosing from 2 of the following options. You choose an additional option at 10th and 14th level. 

Empowered Thralls

The hit point maximum of any undead creature you control is increased by an amount equal to your wizard level.

Eternal Servitude

You can keep a number of skeleton or zombie under your control permanently equal to your proficiency bonus (you don't need to recast animate dead to regain control of them every 24 hours).

Extra Attack

You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Grave Armor

You can cast mage armor without expending a spell slot a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. In addition, whenever you cast mage armor using this feature you gain a number of temporary hitpoints equal to your proficiency bonus. 

Martial Prowess

You can now conjure any simple or martial weapon and the conjured weapon counts as magical for overcoming resistances and immunities. 

Strength of the Grave

Any undead creature you control adds your proficiency bonus to its damage rolls. Additionally, all undead you control have their attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non magical attacks. 

Improved Technique

Beginning at 10th level, you further hone your choice of magical or martial prowess. One battle style of your choice is further enhanced in one of the following ways: 

Empowered Thralls (Unnatural Resilience)

When you raise or summon an undead under your control it gains temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier plus your proficiency bonus. These temporary hit points last until they are expended.

Eternal Servitude (Greater Minions)

You can now instead have a number of skeletons or zombies permanently under your control equal to double your proficiency bonus.

Extra Attack (Vampiric Essence)

Once per round whenever you hit a creature with a conjured weapon you can heal yourself a number of hit points equal to your constitution modifier. If you reduce the creature to 0 hitpoints you instead heal for double your constitution modifier. This has no effect on undead or constructs. The creature must also be a higher CR than 0. 

Grave Armor (Chill of the Grave)

Your mage armor can instead be calculated as 19 AC, and whenever a creature of your choice ends its turn within 5 feet of you it must succeed a Constitution saving throw against your wizard spell DC or take 1d8 cold damage. 

Martial Prowess (Empowered Weapon)

Your conjured weapon has a +1 to attack and damage rolls and deals an additional 1d4 necrotic damage on a hit. 

Strength of the Grave (Strengthened Bond)

You can telepathically command your undead (no action required) and can command them from up to 300 ft away. 

Undead Dragon

Starting at 14th level you can conjure a powerful undead servant. As an action you summon an undead dragon. The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger. The creature dissipates after one hour or until you dismiss it (no action required). Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.