Oath of the Death Knight

The Oath of The Death Knight Binds a paladin to the servitude of a powerful necrotic force, such as a Lich, Vampire, or even The Raven Queen herself. Death Knights are often the highest tier warriors in their masters arsenal, and are bound to their servitude by a ritual that either turned the paladin with a curse of undeath. or raised them from the dead. Often Death Knights are raised dead paladins, that were in a past life enemies of their master, but have now been raised with no memory of their former self as a mockery of their previous deeds. The motives of many Death Nights is to spread and promote the influence of their master, and instill fear into their enemies. Often Death Knights are sent on important errands for their master, common examples being: Dealing with powerful rival necromancers, dealing with powerful threats to their master's seat of power, sending demands to rulers, and collecting powerful magical artifacts. 

 

TENETS OF DEVOTION

Though the exact words and strictures of the Oath of The Death Knight vary, paladins of this oath share these tenets.

All Fear Death. Instill fear of imminent demise into the weak and powerful of the world, those who rule over the living must always bow to those who rule over death, for death comes for us all.

Death Unending: Those who accept death will live forever, for death is the only inevitability.

Vanquish The Holy: Those who hide behind the power of immortal beings must be taught the harsh truth, none are safe from deaths withering gaze.

Oath of the Death Knight Base Ability Changes

Upon choosing the Oath of the Death Knight:

Spellcasting
You can cast prepared paladin spells using CHA as your spellcasting modifier. You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus. Unlike other Oaths Death Knights may only prepare spells on Death Knight spell list.

Channel Vileness
Channel Divinity becomes Channel Vileness.

Unholy Mending
Lay on Hands becomes Unholy Mending.  The Death Knight is able to heal 5 hit points per Paladin Level.  This healing can only be applied to the Death Knight and his undead minions.

Frost Strike:
Divine Smite becomes Frost Strike which replaces the radiant damage with frost damage.  No additional damage is done to Fiends or Undead.

Undead Resilience:
Divine Health becomes Undead Resilience.  By 3rd level, the taint of undeath, makes you immune to disease.

Aura of Undead Resilience:
Aura of Protection becomes Aura of Undead Resilience.  Starting at 6th level, whenever you or an ally within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Aura of Fearlessness:
Aura of Courage becomes Aura of Fearlessness.  Starting at 10th level, you and allies within 10 feet of you can’t be frightened while you are conscious.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Improved Frost Strike:
Improved Divine Smite becomes Improved Frost Strike.  By 11th level, you are so suffused with undeath that all your melee weapon strikes drain even more warmth from your foes. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 cold damage.

Antimagic Shell:
Cleansing Touch becomes Antimagic Shell.  Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to end one spell on yourself or on one willing creature that you touch.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Aura Improvements:
At 18th level, the range of your auras increase to 30 feet.

Channel Vileness

An Oath of the Death Knight paladin of 3rd level or higher gains the following two Channel Vileness options.

Control Undead. As an action, the paladin targets one undead creature he or she can see within 30 feet of him or her. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target must obey the paladin’s commands for the next 24 hours, or until the paladin uses this Channel Divinity option again. An undead whose challenge rating is equal to or greater than the paladin’s level is immune to this effect.

Dreadful Aspect. As an action, the paladin channels the darkest emotions and focuses them into a burst of magical menace. Each creature of the paladin’s choice within 30 feet of the paladin must make a Wisdom saving throw if it can see the paladin. On a failed save, the target is frightened of the paladin for 1 minute. If a creature frightened by this effect ends its turn more than 30 feet away from the paladin, it can attempt another Wisdom saving throw to end the effect on it.

Death Knight Spells

An Oath of the Death Knight paladin loses previously gained oath spells and instead gains the following Oath of the Death Knight spells at the paladin levels listed.

PALADIN LEVEL	SPELLS
3rd	false life, inflict wounds
5th	ray of enfeeblement, blindness/deafness
9th	animate dead, vampiric touch
13th	blight, death ward
17th	contagion, raise dead

Profanities & Rune Weapon Bond

At level 3, when you choose to take on the mantle of Death Knight, you learn profanities. When you activate a profanity, a dark colored aura surrounds you imbuing you with the specific profanities bonus. Changing a Profanity requires a ritual that may only occur during long rests. At level three you can only benefit from one profanity at a time, two at level 5, three at level 12, and four at level 18.

You can perform a 1 hour ritual to create a magical bond between yourself and one weapon. Once completed, you can't be disarmed of the weapon unless you are incapacitated, and you can summon it as a bonus action to your hand (if it's on the same plane of existence). You can have up to two bonded weapons. As a conduit of your power, this weapon can be used as a holy symbol for casting spells.

Curse Of The Damned

As a bonus action you can force creature of your choice within 20 feet to make a constitution saving throw or be at disadvantage on attack rolls made against you. Once successfully used you cannot use this ability again until a long rest.

Death's Advance

You may cast Feather Fall on self at will.

Death's Grip

You may cast Death's Grip Cantrip

Soulreaver

The weapon you hold becomes bathed in the essence of your aura . The weapon must be a bound weapon(see above). On a successful melee attack add an additional 1d4 of necrotic damage. This increases to 1d6 at level 6, and 1d8 at level 10.

Terrorize

If a creature moves to within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction and the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute. The DC is equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. Whether successful or not, a creature cannot be targeted by this ability again until you finish a long rest. Only one creature can be frightened at any time during combat using this ability.

Unholy Fortitude

You may cast False Life on self at Will.

Aura of Hate

Starting at 7th level, the paladin, as well any fiends and undead within 10 feet of the paladin, gains a bonus to melee weapon damage rolls equal to the paladin’s Charisma modifier (minimum of +1). A creature can benefit from this feature from only one paladin at a time.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Animate the Weak

At 7th Level you gain the ability to Animate and Control low level undead four times per long rest.  If corpse is long dead it becomes a skeleton, if it has died within the last 2 weeks roll a 1D6.  1-5 the corpse animates into a zombie.  A roll of 6 results in the corpse animating as a ghoul.  This can only be done to corpses that have not all ready been animated.

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 psychic 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.