Oath of the Death Knight

You swear the Oath of the Death Knight and fully embrace your fall into darkness.

• Dark Pact Magic You gain access to the warlock spell list. You may prepare spells from the warlock spell list as though they were paladin spells.
• Steed of the Damned You can cast find steed at will, without expending a spell slot or material components. The summoned creature is always undead or fiend (your choice). You can summon a warhorse skeleton using the spell, it is always undead.
• Tongue of the Lower Planes You learn Infernal and Abyssal.
• Aura of the Grave You have advantage on Charisma checks made against undead or fiends.
• Unholy Reflexes You gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws.
• Defy the Grave You have advantage on death saving throws. If you succeed on three death saving throws, you automatically regain consciousness and regain hit points equal to twice your paladin level.
• Blade of Defiance While wielding a melee weapon, when a creature you can see makes a melee attack against you, you can use your reaction to gain +6 to your AC against that attack until the start of your next turn.
• Ward of the Eternal Dead Undead with Intelligence 7 or lower will not willingly attack you. All other undead have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
• Voice of Domination You can cast command at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.
• Necrotic Transmutation
  • When you cast a spell that would restore hit points, use your Lay on Hands, or use any other magical effect that would restore hit points, you can instead force each target to make a Constitution saving throw (DC = your paladin spell save DC). On a failure, they take necrotic damage equal to the hit points the spell would have restored. Undead regain that many hit points instead.
  • When you cast a spell or use magic that deals damage, you can change its damage type to fire or necrotic. Any radiant damage you deal becomes necrotic damage instead.
• Dread Blade When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage. This increases to 2d8 at 7th level, 3d8 at 15th level, and 4d8 at 20th level.

• Your creature type changes to undead (unless you are a construct).
• Any magic you use or spell you cast cannot grant temporary hit points or restore hit points to any creature except undead and cannot bring back creatures to life except through reanimation into undead through spells and effects like animate dead.
• You no longer age, cannot be aged magically, and cannot die from old age.
• You no longer need to sleep, eat, drink, or breathe. When you take a long rest, you only need 4 hours and remain fully awake and aware during that time.
• You are immune to exhaustion and the effects of magical sleep.
• You are immune to necrotic damage. If you would take necrotic damage, you regain hit points equal to the damage you would have taken instead.

Hellfire Orb (1/Long Rest) You can hurl a magical orb of hellfire as an action. Choose a point you can see within 150 feet of you. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw against your paladin spell save DC. A creature takes 10d8 fire damage and 10d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. The fire ignites flammable objects in the area that aren’t being worn or carried. If a humanoid is reduced to 0 hit points by this effect, it rises as a skeleton under your permanent control at the start of your next turn. Any humanoid corpses in the area (already dead) also rise as skeletons under your permanent control. These skeletons remain under your control until destroyed.

Additional Spells (1–3/Long Rest)

• You can cast power word kill once per long rest (no spell slot required).
• You can cast create undead as a 9th-level spell three times per long rest (no spell slot required). The duration of the spell is doubled.
• You can cast banishment as a 6th-level spell once per long rest (no spell slot required).

Legendary Resistance (3/Long Rest) If you fail a saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead.

Legendary Actions You can take 3 legendary actions per round, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. You regain all expended legendary actions at the start of your turn.

• Implacable Maneuver (Costs 1 Action): You move up to your full speed without provoking opportunity attacks. If a creature is within 5 feet of you at any point during this movement, you can force it to make a Strength saving throw against your paladin spell save DC or be knocked prone.
• Weapon Attack (Costs 2 Actions): You make one weapon attack.
• Cast a Spell (Costs 3 Actions): You cast a paladin spell (no spell slot required).

Undead Restoration If you die before you have atoned for your evil acts, you gain a new body in 1d10 days. You revive with all your hit points in a location of significance to you (such as your former stronghold, a site of a great victory, or a place tied to your oath). Your equipment appears with you.