Death Knight

Dressed in armor streaked with blood, a human swings his Greatsword with precise fury, using his attacks to keep his enemies occupied. As he does so, the allies around him watch as his wounds seem to heal even as the enemy falls.

Standing tall against the oncoming horde, a High Elf embraces the icy resolve within to steel her veins and ignore the attacks of her enemies. Freezing her twin shortswords with the power of the frozen north, her attacks break through their armor with reckless abandon.

A lonely Dwarf gazes over the battlefield, remembering a time when he was alive enough to relish the battle. No longer the same Dwarf, he takes the power of Death and uses it for his own ends.

Playing the Death Knight

It is important to note that while you have been resurrected, for gameplay purposes, you are still a humanoid of your chosen race. At your DM’s discretion, you may play as an undead character instead..

Quick Build

You can build a Death Knight quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the Soldier or Noble background.

Class Features

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Death Knight Level

Hit points at 1st level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

Hit points at higher levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Death Knight level after first.

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor; Shields

Weapons: Simple and Martial weapons

Tools: none

Saving Throws: Strength; Wisdom

Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, and Survival.

Multiclass: Light/Medium Armor and shields; Simple and Martial weapons; Death Knights require a score of 13 Strength and 13 Wisdom.

Equipment

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

• (a) a Greatsword or (b) two Shortswords
• (a) two Handaxes or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a Dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an Explorer’s Pack
• Chain Mail

Deathly Awareness:

Your knowledge of Death gives you heightened awareness of other creatures of Death. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track Undead and Fiends, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.

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 more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Rune Weapon:

At 2nd level, you can draw on the dread magic of the grave to inscribe your weapon with deathly Runes. These Runes may be used for additional effects described in this class description. You must spend one hour inscribing your weapon, which may be completed during a short rest. You may inscribe up to two weapons, and you cannot be disarmed of your Rune Weapons while you are conscious. If you inscribe a third weapon, you must choose one of your previous two weapons from which to remove the Runes.

You have 4 total Runes, and you gain Runes as indicated in the Class Table. You recover all expended Runes when you finish a short or long rest. If an ability that uses a Rune requires a saving throw, the saving throw DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. No Rune features require a spell attack roll.

Rune Strike:

Beginning at 2nd level, when you hit an enemy with a weapon attack, you may expend a Rune to add an additional effect to the attack, as listed below.

Grim Oath:

At 3rd level you mimic the Oath you took in your former life as a Paladin. Though you can choose to follow the same Tenets, you are not bound by your Paladin Oath any longer, and may do as you please. Choose a Grim Oath that you follow exclusively.

You may choose the Oath of the Undying, Oath of the North, or Oath of the Plague, all detailed at the end of this class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level.

Lingering Radiance:

At 3rd level, the small spark of radiance from your former life manifests. You are immune to disease.

Ability Score Improvement:

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack:

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Aura of Dread:

At 6th level, your presence hangs heavily on
your enemies. Whenever an enemy within
10 feet must make a saving throw, it takes a penalty on the throw equal to 1 + half your Wisdom modifier, rounded down. This Aura does not stack with itself or similar effects (such as the Bane spell). At 18th level, this Aura increases to 30 feet.

Dreadful Visage:

Upon reaching 6th level, your connection to Death allows you to temporarily alter your body slightly. As an action, choose one of the following options. The effect lasts for one hour, or until you use another action to end it.

Relentless Advance:

At 9th level, you become as relentless as Death itself. Your speed increases by 10 feet. Additionally, non-magical difficult terrain does not reduce your speed.

Pull of the Grave:

At 10th level, your power over the forces of Death increase. As an action, you may spend 1 Rune to cause a target within 30 feet of you that you can see to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the target is pulled up to 30 feet towards you. If the target is pulled within melee range of you, you may make one weapon attack against it as a bonus action.

Speak with Undead:

By 11th level, your knowledge of the inner workings of Death allows you to communicate with the dead. You may expend 1 Rune to cast the Speak with Dead spell. However, you may also target any undead creature using this spell.

Magic Barrier:

At 13th level, you can harness the power of death to protect yourself against offensive magic. As a reaction when a spell is cast that targets you or an area you’re in, you may spend 1 Rune to create a barrier around yourself, granting you resistance to the damage dealt by spells until the beginning of your next turn.

Raise Dead:

At 14th level, your connection with death allows you to expend power to help others return from Death. You may spend 4 Runes to cast the Raise Dead spell without requiring material components. You may do this only once per long rest.

Death’s Endurance:

By 17th level, your connection to Death empowers you, giving you the ability to trudge onward when others would fall. You are immune to Exhaustion. Additionally, when you are the victim of a critical hit, you may use your reaction to turn it into a normal hit. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier, and regain spent uses upon completing a long rest.

Grim Oaths:

Chill Aura:

At 7th level, allies within 10 feet of you gain resistance to Cold damage. Additionally, enemies that enter the Aura or start their turn within its area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, they are considered to be in difficult terrain while within your aura for the next 24 hours. On a successful save, they are not considered to be in difficult terrain and cannot be affected by this aura for 24 hours. At 18th level, the Aura increases to 30 feet.

Icy Resolve:

At 7th level, you gain control over the Cold. Your weapons deal Cold damage, and your weapon attacks and Icy Blast ignore resistance and immunity to Cold damage.

Frozen Touch:

At 9th level, the frost infused in your body absorbs heat around you. Your skin is always cold to the touch, and you may use a bonus action to drain the heat out of small amounts of liquid, such as a keg of ale, or a glass of water. You cannot use this feature on large bodies of water such as rivers and lakes

Improved Icy Resolve:

At 15th level, you master the Cold, and are more capable of channeling its power. When you make a weapon attack with your Rune Weapon or Icy Blast, you gain a +1 bonus to all damage die rolled for the attack.

Pillar of Frozen Might:

At 20th level, your command of the chill touch of death is so powerful you can shrug off that which would cause others to falter. As a bonus action, you can fortify yourself with the power of Frost for 1 minute. For the next minute, all of your attacks and saving throws are made with advantage, and you are immune to the Stunned, Frightened, and Grappled conditions. You must finish a long rest before you may use this feature again.

Oath of the Plague

The Death Knights who swear this Oath have all but given up on life. Empowered by Death itself, they embrace that power and use it against their enemies. Though they embrace Death, they are not inherently evil. They understand that death is a natural part of life, and recognize the opportunity given them with their resurrection.