Order of the Dark Knight

Blood Hunters of the Order of the Dark Knight embrace the terrible power of the darkness, transforming their weapons into abominations to slay the very beasts they emulate.

Dark Knights are not inherently morally dubious, but their power comes from dark sources such as the Shadowfell, the Lower Planes, and the Far Realms. If an order of Dark Knights should fall to darkness, it isn’t necessarily because of the power they wield…but it doesn’t mean it isn’t. Orders of Dark Knights often swear themselves to the protection of a certain land or nation, but some orders rove the world, seeking out and destroying evil.

Heavy Armor Proficiency

When you select this subclass at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.

Malignant Weapon

At 3rd level, your blood transmutes the weapons it’s used upon. When you use your Blood Maledict ability, you can choose one of the Malignancies from the list below and apply it to your weapon, lasting for the duration of the Blood Maledict. You can only have one Malignancy active at a time, and cannot change the active Malignancy until you use another Blood Maledict. You can apply two Malignancies at 10th level and three at 15th level. The malignancies can be the same or different, and can be distributed to multiple weapons that you’re wielding, not just the one your Blood Maledict is active on.

(Due to the technical limitations of D&D Beyond, you’ll need to apply some Malignancy traits to your weapons yourself)

Elongated

Melee Only

Your weapon grows to an ordinarily impractical length. Your malignant weapon’s range increases by 5 feet.

Enshadowed

The darkness envelops your weapon, making it stronger when it is unseen. While you are hidden from a creature, invisible, or in darkness, your malignant weapon attacks deal additional psychic damage to that creature equal to your proficiency bonus.

Hooked

Melee Only

Your weapon grows long, pointy hooks. Once per round when you hit a creature with your malignant weapon, you can hook them. You cannot attack another creature with this weapon, and can grapple them if they’re your size or smaller on a successful contested Athletics vs. Athletics/Acrobatics check. Your next attack with this weapon against the hooked creature will have advantage, but will end the hooking/grappling.

Hungry

Ranged or Thrown Only

When you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack using the malignant weapon/ammo, you can make the weapon/ammo bite onto the creature. The weapon/ammo deals 1d4 piercing damage to the creature it’s biting at the start of that creature’s turn. The creature can use its bonus action to remove the biting weapon/ammo.

You can only have one weapon/piece of ammo biting a creature at a time. When you have another weapon/ammo bite down on a creature, the previous biting weapon/ammo will lose this property.

The number of active biting weapons/ammo and piercing damage dealt increases to 2 and 2d4 at 10th level, and 3 and 3d4 at 15th level.

Serrated/Studded

Your weapon becomes deadlier when used in the most brutal ways. When you score a critical hit with your malignant weapon, you deal an additional damage die in addition to the normal critical damage bonus.

Spiky

Your weapon sprouts spikes all over it. When you miss an attack with your malignant weapon, you deal piercing damage equal to your proficiency bonus. Dealing damage this way does not apply effects such as Smite spells.

Tarry

Your weapon emits a black, tarlike substance. The first time in a round you hit a creature with your malignant weapon, you reduce their movement speed by 10 feet.

Whiplike

Melee Only

Your weapon becomes elastic and flexible. When you hit a creature with an attack using your malignant weapon, you can also deal damage equal to your proficiency bonus to an additional creature in a space adjacent to the creature, provided that creature is not being blocked by another creature or object (For example, if a creature is behind the main target, you cannot make them the second target).

Blood Aegis

At 7th level, you’ve learned to channel the power used to activate your Blood Maledict back into yourself. When you activate your Blood or amplify a Blood Curse, you gain temporary hit points equal to the damage you took in activating it + your Constitution modifier.

Brand of Nocturne

At 11th level, your Brand of Castigation distorts your target’s perception of you. You are invisible to the branded creature.

Blood Curse of Destined Death

At 15th level, you learn how to use your dark power to trap and bind creatures to your wrath. You learn the Blood Curse of Destined Death. This doesn’t count against your number of Blood Curses known.

Blood Curse of Destined Death. As a bonus action, choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. Upon using this ability and for the next minute, while within 60 feet of the creature, you can use your bonus action to teleport to an empty space within 5 feet of the creature, or the closest available space. This Blood Curse requires concentration like a spell.

Amplify. The first attack in a round that you make against the cursed creature has advantage.

Blood Curse of the Inescapable

As a bonus action, choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. Upon using this ability and for the next minute, while within 60 feet of the creature, you can use your bonus action to teleport to an empty space within 5 feet of the creature, or the closest available space. This Blood Curse requires concentration like a spell.

Amplify. The first attack in a round that you make against the cursed creature has advantage.

Master of Malignancies

At 18th level, your mastery over your dark powers has reached its pinnacle. Once per long rest when you use your Blood Maledict feature, you can apply all selected Malignancies to up to three weapons at once. You can also apply them to other creatures' weapons if they are within 5 feet of you. If you apply Malignancies to other creatures' weapons, those creature(s) gain temporary hit points from your Blood Aegis feature.