Paladin
Base Class: Paladin

Death Knights are paladins that use the powers of Life and Death to waylay their opponents and bolster their allies. While not able to field the kinds of armies that a Necromancer would, Death Knights commonly have a cohort of powerful undead as a retinue.

To take the Oath of the Death Knight is to embrace life, death, and the space between. Where most see undead as beings of evil, the Death Knight finds in them efficient, loyal soldiers that can be directed for good or evil. A Death Knight might use their power to put an end to a scheming necromancer who is raising a host of undead to conquer a city, to oppose a tyrant who oppresses the common people, or to protect a caravan of refugees.

Death Knights will wade into battle alongside their minions, employing magic to heal and buff their allies, sapping the life force from their enemies and animating them as new soldiers in their army as they fall.

Most Death Knights Lawful, holding to a strict code of honor they set upon themselves, or was set upon them by knightly order, even though their power may set them outside the laws of the region they find themselves in. Good and Evil Death Knights exist, but most adventuring Death Knights are of neutral alignment, pursuing their personal missions and interests above all else.

TENETS OF THE DEATH KNIGHT

The tenets of a Death Knight vary greatly dependent on Alignment. Below is an oath template that might be followed by a Lawful Neutral Death Knight. Your Death Knight might have more specific oaths in line with a particular knightly order. If that is the case, draft at least four tenets that outline:

  • The general mission or goal of your Death Knight
  • Use of necromancy
  • Personal demeanor
  • Alignment

Mastery. Life and Death are cosmic forces to be harnessed.

All Will Serve. Strike down those who oppose you. Raise them to fight in your army. Discarded remains, bones, and corpses are yours to reanimate. Do not defile those laid to rest.

Calm of the Dead. Embrace the calm of the dead, that you might better pursue your mission. Passion is the enemy of duty.

Second to One. Uphold the laws of man, except when they contradict your Tenets.

Death Knight Spells

A Death Knight paladin gains the following Death Knight spells at the paladin levels listed.

Paladin Level          Spells
3rd                            false life, inflict wounds, spare the dying, chill touchDeath Bolt
5th                            ray of enfeeblement, gentle repose
9th                            Life Through DeathDark Arbiter
13th                          blightImmortal Coil
17th                          contagionEnervating Strike

Channel Divinity

A Death Knight of 3rd level or higher gains the following three Channel Divinity options.

Control Undead. As an action, the paladin targets one undead creature they can see within 30-ft. The target must make a WIS saving throw against the Paladin's spellcasting DC. Undead with an intelligence score higher than 8 have advantage on the save. On a failed save, the target undead is enthralled by the paladin, obeying its commands indefinitely. If the target succeeds, it is immune to this effect. An undead whose challenge rating is equal to or greater than the paladin’s level, or who has an intelligence score of 12 or higher, is immune to this effect.

Create Undead. As an action, the paladin channels divine energy into a corpse or pile of bones of a medium or small sized creature they can see within 30-ft., raising a skeletal minion of corresponding size to serve the paladin indefinitely.

  • The skeleton raised uses the stats of the Skeleton except they have a Strength of 16 and gain 5 Maximum Hit Points per level of Paladin beyond 1st.
  • The skeleton raised will be of the same alignment as the Death Knight who raised it.
  • You can maintain control over one Skeleton Warrior for every four levels of Paladin, minimum 1.
  • For Turning purposes, the CR of these Skeletons is 1/4 of your levels in Paladin, rounded down.

On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command any undead under your control if the creature is within 60 feet of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what action the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete.

 

Necrotic Revivification

Starting at 3rd level, the Paladin gains the following Features:

All Will Serve. The Death Knight can use an Action to reanimate a number of medium or small humanoid corpses equal to or less than their Proficiency bonus. The corpses must be within 60-ft, within sight, and have been dealt dealt necrotic damage by the Death Knight. The reanimation completes at the start of the Death Knights next turn. The Skeletons raised persist indefinitely and you can maintain a maximum number of Skeletons equal to your level in Paladin.

The creatures raised by this effect use the standard stats of the Skeleton in the Monster Manual or Dungeon Master's guide, except the following:

  • Their alignment is the same as the alignment of the Death Knight who raised them.
  • They still bear the equipment that they had when they died.

If you are already at your Maximum skeleton limit, you can choose to replace any one of your Skeletons with a new one, causing the existing minion to immediately collapse into a heap of bones when the choice is made.

At Paladin level 3 you have 2 uses of this ability and gain another use at 7th, 15th and 20th level. All uses are refreshed on a Long Rest.

Necrotic Smite. When Divine Smite or Improved Divine Smite deal damage, the Paladin can choose to deal Necrotic damage instead of Radiant. When consuming spell slots with Divine Smite and taking this option, the bonus 1d8 damage is granted against Humanoids and Celestials instead of Undead and Fiends.

Marshal the Dead

Starting at 7th level, Any undead under the Death Knights control gain the following benefits:

  • Maximum hit points are increased by Paladin levels x 2.
  • Attack and damage rolls are increased by your proficiency bonus.

Undead Resilience

At 15th level, the death knight gains resistance to non-magical slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage. In addition, the Death Knight takes on some of the traits of the Undead:

  • You no longer age, and are immune to all aging effects
  • You no longer require sleep or food, and can achieve Long Rest by doing four hours of light activity.
  • Your hit point maximum cannot be reduced
  • You gain resistance to Necrotic Damage

 

Death Lord

At 20th level, the paladin can, as an action, surround himself or herself with an aura of death that lasts for 1 minute. Any creatures the paladin chooses which start their turn within the 30-ft. aura is afflicted with level 3 Exhaustion, granting disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls,  and saving throws and their movement speed is halved. If a creature thus afflicted leaves the aura, the exhaustion fades at 1 level per turn spent entirely outside the aura. Successful attacks against creatures effected by the aura deal an additional 3d8 + Charisma Modifier necrotic damage, healing the attacker for half, rounded down.

Creatures which are immune to exhaustion do not suffer from the exhaustion effects, but do suffer from the bonus necrotic damage.

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

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