Dread Knight

Dread Knights exist as the leading force of an evil faith.  They use their might, a mixture of necromantic powers, and are often sadistic in their twisted pursuit.  When guile and subterfuge does not accomplish to goal; a Dread Knight is sent forth.  They do not answer to the clergy, and are deeply dedicated to their deity.  They will take any measures necessary to accomplish their deity's goals.

This subclass replaces Lay on Hands with Harm Touch

Harm Touch

Your unholy touch can inflict wounds. You have a pool of wounding power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can inflict a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level × 5.

As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to remove a number of hit points from that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool.

Alternatively, you can expend 5 points from your pool of wounding to cause the target to suffer one disease. You can cause multiple diseases with a single use of Harm Touch, expending points separately for each one.

Starting at level 15, you can spend points to siphon life from the target to heal yourself, at double the damage cost.  Example: Spending 10 points will cause 5 points of damage and heal the paladin for 5 points.  Spending 20 equates to 10 damage and 10 healing.

This feature heals undead, and had no effect on constructs. The siphon cannot be used against undead as there is no hit point loss.

Channel Divinity

Abjure Enemy. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer of denunciation, using your Channel Divinity. Choose one creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, unless it is immune to being frightened. Fiends and undead have disadvantage on this saving throw.

On a failed save, the creature is frightened for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. While frightened, the creature’s speed is 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.

On a successful save, the creature’s speed is halved for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.

Vow of Enmity. As a bonus action, you can utter a vow of enmity against a creature you can see within 10 feet of you, using your Channel Divinity. You gain advantage on attack rolls against the creature for 1 minute or until it drops to 0 hit points or falls unconscious.

Dread Knight Spells

You gain spells at the paladin levels listed in the Dread Knight Spells table.

Paladin Level	Spell
3rd	Inflict Wounds, Cause Fear
5th	Blindness/Deafness, Wither and Bloom
9th	Animate Dead, Vampiric Touch
13th	Blight, Shadow of Moil
17th	Danse Macabre, Enervation

Aura of Fear

Beginning at 7th level, you emanate an unholy aura while you are not incapacitated.  Unfriendly creatures within a 10 foot radius must succeed on a Windom saving through or drop whatever it is holding and become frightened for 1 minute as per the Fear spell.

While frightened, a creature must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move.  If the creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn't have line of sight of you, the creature can make a Windom saving through.  On a successful save, the spell ends for that creature.

A creature who has passed their save cannot be effected by this aura for 48 hours.

At 17th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Summon Unholy Steed

Beginning at 10th level you are able to conjure a Nightmare as your steed.

Supernatural Resistance

At 15th level, the paladin gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.

 

Death Lord

 

At 20th level, the paladin can, as an action, surround himself or herself with an aura of gloom that lasts for 1 minute. The aura reduces any bright light in a 30-foot radius around the paladin to dim light. Whenever an enemy that is frightened by the paladin starts its turn in the aura, it takes 4d10 necrotic damage. Additionally, the paladin and creatures he or she chooses in the aura are draped in deeper shadow. Creatures that rely on sight have disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures draped in this shadow.

While the aura lasts, the paladin can use a bonus action on his or her turn to cause the shadows in the aura to attack one creature. The paladin makes a melee spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the target takes necrotic damage equal to 3d10 + the paladin’s Charisma modifier.

After activating the aura, the paladin can’t do so again until he or she finishes a long rest.