Knight of Malignant Pestilence

To become a Knight of Malignant pestilence, a warrior must willingly embrace the vile and repugnant forces that underlie decay and disease. It is a path fraught with peril, as the practitioner intentionally corrupts their very essence to embody the grotesque aspects of nature's cycle. The transformation begins with a dark communion with forbidden powers, where the fighter seeks the favor of noxious entities that revel in the desolation of life.

As the Knight of Malignant pestilence  progresses, their body and soul undergo a nightmarish metamorphosis. Pustules and lesions manifest on their flesh, emitting a putrid stench that repels the senses. The warrior willingly sacrifices physical purity for the unholy power coursing through their veins, becoming a living conduit of pestilence.

The transformation is not solely physical; the Knight gains an intimate understanding of the noxious arts, weaving disease into their every strike. They master the art of inflicting wounds that fester and spread, leaving their foes in a state of perpetual decay. The warrior becomes an icon of revulsion, feared and shunned by those who witness the grotesque spectacle of their blighted power.

To walk the path of a Knight of Malignant pestilence, one is to willingly relinquish the norms of societal acceptance, embracing a form of martial prowess that is as unsettling as it is deadly. The warrior learns to revel in the horror their presence evokes, turning their own repulsiveness into a weapon that leaves opponents paralyzed with fear.

Only those with a stomach for the macabre and a willingness to embrace the abhorrent aspects of existence can endure the journey to become a Knight of Malignant pestilence. It is a path traveled by those who seek power at any cost, heedless of the price their own humanity may pay for wielding such malignant might.

Rancid Strikes

At 1st level, your weapon attacks become conduits for contagion. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can choose to infect it. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or take an additional 1d6 poison damage and be poisoned until the start of your next turn. If they fail the saving throw, pustules burst forth, dealing additional damage equal to your Constitution modifier, and an awful stench fills the air, imposing disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.

Pustule Burst

At 7th level, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, the target is covered in corrosive pustules. It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or take additional poison damage equal to your fighter level and be poisoned until it finishes a short or long rest. If they fail the saving throw, a vile explosion occurs, affecting all creatures within 5 feet, dealing half the additional damage. Additionally, the pustules spawn parasitic larvae that infest the target. At the start of each of the target's turns, it takes additional poison damage equal to your Constitution modifier. The larvae can be removed with a successful Wisdom (Medicine) check made by a creature within 5 feet of the target, using your saving throw DC.

Effluvial Bile

At 10th level, you gain the ability to project a disgusting manifestation of your inner blight. As an action, you can expel a stream of corrosive vomit in a 15-foot line. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or take 4d8 poison damage and be poisoned until the end of its next turn. On a failed save, the affected area becomes slick with putrescent bile, any creature that starts its turn in the area must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or contract a vile disease that imposes disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. The disease can be cured with a Lesser Restoration spell or similar magic.

You can only use this ability once per long rest.

Pestilent Infestation

At 15th level, your Rancid Strikes deal additional necrotic damage equal to your fighter level. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, your choice) or take additional necrotic damage equal to your fighter level and be poisoned until it finishes a short or long rest. On a failed save, a festering wound opens, dealing 1d6 necrotic damage to the target at the start of each of its turns.

Blighted Ascension

At 18th level, you ascend to the pinnacle of blight, becoming an avatar of unstoppable decay. Your Rancid Strikes now deal maximum poison damage, and enemies within 10 feet of you have vulnerability to poison damage. Additionally, once per long rest, when you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can use your reaction to unleash a burst of noxious energy. Creatures within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or take 10d8 poison damage, or half as much damage on a success, and be poisoned until the start of their next turn. On a failed save, the area becomes tainted, imposing disadvantage on saving throws against poison for one minute.