Forbidden Magic

Since the early days of arcane magic, evil creatures have created especially evil types of spells, trying to break the laws of death, bring chaos to the world and terrify other creatures. Of course, there were those who fought against these creatures, preventing spells such as these to spread across the multiverse. However, some of these spells escaped from destruction, and received the name of forbidden magic. Nowadays, exceptionally powerful evil creatures still create forbidden magic spells, and even if this type of magic is prohibited on many places in the multiverse, some other creatures still manage to put their hands on it.

Unholy knights are those who combine forbidden magic with weapon fighting techniques. By searching and studying forbidden magic, they are able to use this type of magic via their unholy symbols, which are trinkets, such as rings or necklaces, infused with forbidden magic, making them fearful enemies. They are also able to use other types of arcane magic that aren't usually prohibited, since these can be useful for them to better study forbidden magic, but these are not their focus.

Enemy of the Sacred

It's logical that those who use forbidden magic tend to be hunted by good creatures, and so is the case with unholy knights. It is common to see clerics and paladins, especially those who serve good-aligned deities, hunting unholy knights, and unholy knights usually kill paladins and clerics at first glance. This is a war that will only end when at least one of the sides is extinguished, that is, when either good or evil no longer exists.

This explains why unholy knights receive such a name, and why they are so hated by common people. Taverns close their doors when one of them comes close, people run to their houses when they see one of them, and even the worst assassins treat them worse than anything else.

Quick Build

You can make an unholy knight quickly by following these

suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence or Constitution. Second, choose the sage background.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per unholy knight level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per unholy knight level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: All armor, shields
• Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: none

• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) an explorer's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack
• Chain mail and an unholy symbol

Death Affinity

You know how to quicken the death of those who are already ready to die and how to take advantage of that. When fighting with a creature that is below half its hit point maximum, your melee weapon attacks deal extra 1d4 necrotic damage. The extra damage becomes a 1d6 at 8th level and becomes a 1d8 at 18th level. Furthermore, if the creature is below a quarter of its hit point maximum, you also gain advantage on your first melee attack roll against it.

Drain soul

You have learned how to drain essence from the soul of those you kill. Whenever you kill an enemy that isn't a construct or undead, you can use your bonus action to gain temporary hit points equal to twice your unholy knight level + your Intelligence modifier. If you do so, the soul isn't destroyed unless you want to. If you use this feature, you can only use it again after completing a long rest.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Spellcasting

By 2nd level, you have learned how to cast spells using your knowledge about forbidden magic.

Order Spells

Each order has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the order description. Once you gain access to an order spell, you always have it prepared. Order spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain an order spell that doesn’t appear on the unholy knight spell list, the spell is nonetheless an unholy knight spell for you.

Crimson Order Spells

Bone Protection

Starting at 3rd level, you coat parts of yourself with bones. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d4 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage. Additionally, when you take damage, you can use your reaction to immediately deal piercing damage equal to your Constitution modifier to the attacker.

Drain Life

When you reach 6th level, you gain the ability to absorb the blood you spill from your enemies, healing yourself. Once on your turn, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you may regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your Constitution modifier. You can use this ability only once, recharging with a short or long rest.

Unnatural Resistance

Beginning at 15th level, your skill in using blood turns you resistant to poison damage and immune to diseases.

Supreme Regeneration

At 20th, you can use your mastery in blood to regenerate yourself while in battle. As an action, you can turn immune to

all damage types and to all conditions until the start of your next turn. If you do so, until that time, your speed is reduced to zero, you can't take any action gained from effects such as action surge or haste, you can't take any bonus action or reaction, you automatically succeed on all saving throws except for Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and you can't concentrate on spells. However, at the start of your next turn, you regain 50 hit points and deal 5d6 necrotic damage to all creatures within 10 feet of you, as an explosion of profane energy is created from you. Once you use this ability, it can't be used again until you finish a long rest.

Cursed Order Spells

Forbidden magic Control

You have learned a way to better control the spells you cast, so that they don't affect your allies. Starting at 3rd level, whenever you cast an unholy knight area of effect spell, you can choose you and up to a number of allies equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) to not be affected by it.

Profane Casting

Upon reaching 6th level, you can use the magic that affects your enemies to weaken them. If you hit a spell attack on a creature or if a creature fails a saving throw against one of your unholy knight spells, your first melee weapon attack against it until the end of your next turn deals an extra necrotic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1).

Spell Resistance

Starting at 15th level, your greater understanding of magic makes it easier for you to avoid being affected by it. You have advantage on saving throws against spells.

Cursed Warrior

At 20th level, as an action, you can curse yourself with forbidden magic, increasing your ability to cast spells temporarily for one minute. During that time, any unholy knight spell that requires an action to be cast can be cast as a bonus action instead. However, when the one minute ends, you are unable to move for the next turn, as your body recovers from the stress caused by the curse.

Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Spell Descriptions

The spells are presented by level, in alphabetical order.

Bone Weapon

3rd-level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M (a bone)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You create a weapon made out of bones. The weapon can be of any type, deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage on a hit, and is considered magical. Once the spell ends, the weapon is destroyed.

Blood Shot

3rd-level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 feet
• Components: V, S, M (a drop of blood)
• Duration: Instantaneous

A small sphere of blood is created at the palm of your hand, and then it is thrown at extremely high speed against a creature you can see within range. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d8 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.

Hemorrhage

3rd-level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous

You touch a creature and attempt to draw the blood out of its veins. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d8 necrotic damage and is knocked prone due to rapid blood loss. On a successful save, a creature takes half damage and is not knocked prone.

Deadman's Disease

4th-level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Up to three days or until dispelled

You touch a creature, infecting it with a potent and lethal disease. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw or be diseased. While diseased, the creature is poisoned, and black bubbles start appearing at the skin of the creature. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each day, ending the disease on a success. The creature has advantage if a medical kit is used to help it.

If the creature fails three times on the saving throw, it automatically dies, and if another creature touches its body before at least two days have passed since its death, that creature also must make a Constitution saving throw or also be diseased, potentially spreading the disease. The disease is considered magical.

Infest Ground

4th-level abjuration

• Casting Time: 1 hour
• Range: Self (100-foot radius)
• Components: V, S, M (a pinch of graveyard dirt)
• Duration: 100 years

By using forbidden magic, you start cursing a piece of land with a 60-foot radius, turning it impossible to live on until the curse is dispelled. While the curse is active, every plant within the area starts dying and every creature that is born within the area dies automatically. A creature takes 1d10 poison damage when it enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there.

Soul Flame

4th-level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: self
• Components: V, S
• Duration: 10 minutes

You create a small, but strong flame from your soul, making it appear at the palm of your hand. You immediately take 1d8 necrotic damage when you cast this spell. The flame remains there for the duration and harms neither you nor your equipment. It sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. When you cast this spell, or as an action on a later turn, you can hurl the flame at a creature within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 4d8 fire damage + 2d8 necrotic damage and is ignited for two rounds. While ignited, the target takes 1d8 fire damage at the start of its turns. The flame is considered magical and can't be put out, but disappears after 10 minutes have passed or after two rounds have passed if the flame was hurled at a creature.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, both the initial fire damage and the necrotic damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 4th.

Bloodlust

5th-level enchantment

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S
• Duration: 30 minutes

This spell only works on good and neutral-aligned humanoids. You touch a humanoid, turning it in a killing machine, hungry for blood. The humanoid must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, until the spell ends, every time it sees a creature other than you and your allies, it does its best to try to kill that creature, focusing primarily on good and neutral-aligned humanoids. When the spell ends, the creature doesn't remember what it did while the spell was active.

Create Profane Monstrosity

5th-level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 feet
• Components: V, S, M (a ruby worth at least 150 gp, which is consumed by the spell)
• Duration: 1 minute

You can cast this spell only at night. Choose up to five corpses of Medium or Small humanoids within range. The corpses are mold together, creating a profane monstrosity (The DM has game statistics for this creature.)

As a bonus action on each of your turns, you can mentally command the creature you animated with this spell if the creature is within 120 feet of you. 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.

The creature is under your control for 24 hours, after which it stops obeying any command you have given it. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must cast this spell on the creature before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of the spell reasserts your control over one creature you have animated with this spell, rather than animating a new one. You can have only one monstrosity under your control at a time.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 7th-level spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over two monstrosities, and you can have up to two monstrosities under your control at a time. When you cast this spell using a 9th-level spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over three monstrosities, and you can have up to three monstrosities under your control at a time.