The Hellknight
The Hellknights are a collection of knightly orders with a unique focus on the promulgation of law. They are interested less in the social goodness and charity typical of paladins, but rather in the foundation and stringent maintenance of order at all costs. In their iron-handed exaction of law, Hellknights emulate the organized and effective armies of Hell. They are not concerned with morality or methods, only results. If people cannot be trusted to obey the law out of their own senses of civility and social righteousness, Hellknights provide the need to obey out of fear of a master's stern hand. Regardless of their severity, Hellknights are not an inherently evil group; they are wholly unconcerned with morality. Although there are numerous evil members—particularly among their upper echelons—the majority of the orders are impartial arbiters and enforcers of order and justice. They see the study of Hell’s tenets and even the summoning of devils as tools meant to intimidate and strengthen the individual resolve of the orders’ members. Hellknights are taught to replace emotion with steely discipline, and are not interested in methods: only the end results matter.
The Measure and The Chain
The law and order the Hellknights live by and seek to impose are not the laws of any one nation. Rather, they are a set of strict philosophies known as the Measure and the Chain.
The Measure: A massive codex of duties, laws, and crimes, the Measure serves as a guide to a strict, ordered society. Based upon centuries of legal codes, as well as passages from the strictures of Hell itself, this body of laws extols justness rather than justice.
The Chain: This philosophy encourages discipline through trial, whether such tests involve memorizing and meditating upon the Measure or exposing oneself to stress and pain that threaten to break the weak. At its more philosophical level, the Chain concerns itself with three virtues: order, discipline, and mercilessness.
Devil's Blood
Hellknights gain thier knighthood after imbibing a special concoction of devil's blood, changing thier bodies into a terrifying fusion of the mortal and infernal. They train with summoned devils, the signifers of their orders coaxing the ingenuity of diabolical tactics from infernal tongues, while the rank and file members spar against the very denizens of Hell—making nearly any future conflict a far less daunting prospect. They learn that sacrifices must often be made for the greater good, obey draconian regimens of military conduct, commit to encyclopaedic memorization of the laws of their orders and local governing bodies, and undergo constant drills to train their bodies and minds.
The Hellknight
| Level | Features | Disciplines Known |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Axiomatic Sense, Requisition | - |
| 2nd | Discern Lies, Disciplines | 1 |
| 3rd | Force of Will, Lawbringer | 2 |
| 4th | Aura of Law, The Blood and The Chain | 2 |
| 5th | Infernal Armor, Hell's Knight | 3 |
Class Features
As a Hellknight, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per Hellknight level.
- Hit Points per Level: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Helllknight level.
Proficiencies
- Saving Throws: None
- Skills: None
Equipment
You start with the Hellknight requisition that you choose below.
Prerequisites
In order to advance as a Hellknight, you must meet the following prerequisites (in addition to the multiclassing prerequisites for your existing class):
- Constitution 13. Hellknights need strong bodily fortitude to withstand the devil's blood and it's effects.
- Proficiency in the Intimidation skill. No self-respecting Hellknight will tutor one who doesn't both fight and act fearsome.
- Proficiency in the Religion skill. The Hellknights require that one must have good knowledge of fiends.
- Character Level 5th. Hellknighthood requires you to have enough skill to slay powerful fiends. As such you must be a 5th-level character before you can gain levels in the Hellknight prestige class.
- Complete a special task. You must slay a fiend of CR 4 or higher and this act must be witnessed by a Hellknight who is both willing to tutor you, and able to prepare a devil's blood concoction for you. You cannot gain more levels in this prestige class than your tutor has. You might need to seek out and prove your worth to more seasoned Hellknights in order to reach 5th level in this prestige class.
Axiomatic Sense
Much like a paladin's divine sensing ability, a Hellknight's infernal blood allows you to sense out beings of disorder. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any aberration, fiend, or fey within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (Aberrations, fiends, or fey) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Hellknight level. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Requisition
At 1st level, your Hellknight tutor presents you with your choice of one Hellknight requisition. Regardless of the choice you make, your requisition gives you +1 AC while you wear it. If you ever lose your requisition, you can replace it with 500gp and a weeks worth of work. Only you are proficient with this custom made requisition. Your choices are the following.
- Hellknight Plate. This plate armor does not give you disadvantage on stealth checks.
- Hellknight Mail. While wearing this half-plate, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take from non-magical weapons is reduced by 3.
- Hellknight Leathers. While wearing this studded leather armor, you have advantage on Stealth checks.
- Hellknight Bracers. While wearing these bracers, your movement speed increases by 10 feet. These bracers do not count as armor.
Discern Lies
At 2nd level, the infernal blood you've imbibed has begun to affect your mind and has heightened you awareness to lies. You gain advantage on Insight checks to determine whether a creature is lying. Additionally you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
Disciplines
At 2nd level, you gain one discipline of your choice. When you gain certain Hellknight levels, you gain additional disciplines of your choice, as shown in the Disciplines Known column of the Hellknight table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the disciplines you know and replace it with another discipline that you could learn at that level. Also at 2nd level you choose your Hellknight order, this order allows you certain disciplines that you wouldn't otherwise be able to choose, the order's and their tenets are listed at the end of this document.
Force of Will
At 3rd level, the infernal blood has turned your mind into iron. You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws made against any spells or abilities used by Aberrations, Fey, and Fiends.
Lawbringer
At 3rd level, you have mastered the laws of The Measure and you have a vast knowledge of the laws of the lands. You gain advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma based checks pertaining to law, lawkeepers, and criminals. Additionally, learn Infernal if you do not already know it.
Aura of Law
At 4th level, you radiate an aura of lawfulness that causes lawful beings innately trust you even if it's against their best interests. Devils, Modrons, and other lawful creatures that would be indifferent toward you instead are friendly to you. If they would be hostile they are instead indifferent. A creature is only effected by this feature the first time they see you.
The Blood and The Chain
At 4th level, you have become a paragon of The Chain and you can refresh your mind by reciting its virtues. At the end of a long rest, you can choose to increase one ability score of your ability score by by 2 or increase two ability scores of you choice by 1. At the end of of each subsequent long rest, you can alter this choice, reducing the scores you previously increased and improving different scores. (If you chose to increase two abilities, you can opt to alter only one of those choices.)
Infernal Armor
At 5th level, you have mastered the use of your Hellknight requisition and you gain an additional benefits while wearing it. Choose on of the following features of your choice.
- Resilience Against Cold: You have immunity to cold damage and magical effects that would reduce your movement. In addition, you and everything you wear and carry are unharmed by cold temperatures.
- Resilience Against Fire: You have immunity to fire damage. In addition, you and everything you wear and carry are unharmed by hot temperatures.
- Resilience Against Poison: You have immunity to poison damage, the poisoned condition, and disease.
Hell's Knight
At 5th level, you have fully completed the physical and mental changes necessary for full Hellknighthood. As an action, you can detect the distance and direction of the closest Aberration, Fiend, or Fey within 1 mile of you.
Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Disciplines
If a discipline has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the discipline at the same tine that you meet it's prerequisites. When applicable, that DC to resist a discipline's effect is the following.
Discipline Save DC
Brand
Prerequisite: Order of the Pyre
You mark a subject and state some behavior on the part of the subject that will activate the mark. When activated, the mark curses the subject. Typically, you designate some sort of undesirable behavior that activates the mark, but you can pick any act you please. The effect of the mark is identical with the effect of bestow curse. This ability takes 10 minutes to cast and involves writing on the target, you can cast it only on a creature that is willing or restrained. Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Call Armor
As a bonus action, you can cause your armor, weapon, and/or shield to instantly appear on your body. Alternatively, you can dismiss it as a bonus action, causing it to vanish. Where the gear appears from or vanishes to can be anywhere the you designate, but it must be a place that you have seen on the same plane of existence where you are, or be in an extradimensional space that you control, such as a bag of holding. You can attune this ability to a a set of armor, a shield, and/or a weapon over the course of a long rest, but you can only have one set of armor attuned to this discipline at a time.
Censor
Prerequisite: Order of the Rack
When you attack a creature, you can strike the creature mute. The struck creature must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or lose the ability to speak or cast spells for a number of rounds equal to your Hellknight level. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Command
You may cast command once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Dispel Chaos
You may cast dispel magic once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Fearsomeness
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one attack with an attempt to demoralize one humanoid you can see within 30 feet of you that can see and hear you. Make a Intimidation check contested by the target's Insight. If your check succeeds, the target is frightened until the end of your next turn. If your check fails, the target can't be frightened by you in this way for 1 hour.
Mental Intrusion
You may cast Rary's Telepathic Bond at will, without expending a spell slot.
Onslaught
Prerequisite: Order of the Nail
You may dash as a bonus action. Additionally, if you move at least 30 feet in a straight line toward a target then hit it with a melee weapon attack on the same turn, you can make the target make a Strength saving throw. If it fails, it is pushed 10 feet back or knocked prone (Your choice).
Pentamic Faith
Prerequisite: Order of the God Claw only
Choose a Cleric domain. You can use that domain's 2nd level Channel Divinity feature once per short or long rest. Your Hellknight level counts as cleric levels for the purpose of this feature.
Shackle
Prerequisite: Order of the Chain
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can attempt to shackle it with infernal power. It must make a Wisdom saving throw you have it's movement reduced to zero for a number of rounds equal to your Hellknight level. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Shadow Step
You may cast misty step once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Smite Chaos
When you hit a Aberration, Fey, or Fiend with a weapon attack, you deal an additional 1d8 radiant damage.
Summon Devil
Prerequisite: 5th Level Hellknight, Order of the Gate
You can summon a being of hell to assist you. You may cast Infernal Calling once without expending a spell slot. This spell doesn't require any material components of you and the devil's attitude is friendly instead of hostile. This devil is uneffected by your 4th level Lawbringer feature. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Trace
As an action, you can study a single personal belonging of a creature for 1 minute, after which you knows the general direction of the creature’s current location as long as it is within 1 mile of you and on the same plane. You also learn the direction the creature is currently moving, if any. This effect lasts for 10 minutes per Hellknight level. An object can be used as the focus for this ability only once. For the purposes of this ability, a “personal belonging” is any object a creature owned or carried with it for more than a week. If the target is under the effects of nondetection or a similar spell or effect, or is on a different plane, this ability gives no result.
Tracker
You can summon a creature to aid you, either in battle or to track an enemy. You may cast conjure animals once without expending a spell slot. Once you use this feature you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Versatile Intimidation
You can use Intimidate to reproduce the effects of another Charisma-based skill. Choose one of the following: Deception, Persuasion or Performance. Each time you wish to use that skill, you can attempt an Intimidate roll and treat it as if it were a roll of the desired type. At 5th level, you can choose an additional skill from the list above and use Intimidate to reproduce its effects.
Vigilance
Prerequisite: Order of the Scourge
As an action, you can see through up to 5 feet of stone, wood, or similar barriers as if they didn’t exist. Metal and denser barriers block this effect. This ability to see through solid objects lasts as long as you concentrate, as per a spell. Once you stop or lose concentration, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
Wrack
As an action, you can strike with your weapon and cause a creature to suffer incredible pain. Make an attack roll, if the attack hits, the creature must succeed at a Wisdom saving throw or become stunned until the end of your next turn. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Hellknight Orders
There are numerous orders of Hellknights, but seven major orders are the best known. These allied groups share the same fanaticism for realizing their vision of law, but their methods vary. The members of most orders are heavily armored fugitive hunters and gangcrushing juggernauts. Others are maskwearing spellcasters called signifers who use magic to smite criminals and coerce confessions.
The Hellknights
“Society cannot survive mercy.”
Girded in menacing armor, the Hellknights seek to stamp out chaos across the realm. These merciless champions of order adhere to their own severe code of laws.
The Order of the Chain.
“All lift themselves upon the backs of others.”
These Hellknights serve as wardens and trackers devoted to hunting down the enemies of society and locking away dangerous criminals.
The Order of the Gate.
“Judgment in the face of depravity.”
Dominated by spellcasting signifers who employ magic in surveillance, manipulation, and execution, this order is known for predicting crimes and creating magical innovations.
The Order of the Godclaw.
“Righteousness by obedience.”
Crusaders in the service of a lawful deities, these Hellknights bring order wherever it is needed, usually by force. Their unusual faith is understood by few.
The Order of the Nail.
“Savagery must be quelled in the land, home, and mind.”
These knights at the vanguard of civilization bring order to frontier settlements and stamp out those who impede society’s march.
The Order of the Pyre
“Reason’s flame consumes the shadow of corruption.”
With spell and blade, this order seeks out superstition and witchcraft and destroys any chaotic cults that threaten the minds and souls of law-abiding citizens.
The Order of the Rack.
“The venoms of the mind poison the body.”
These Hellknights root out and quell subversive knowledge and destructive ideas they believe capable of impeding order’s march.
The Order of the Scourge.
“Without culpability, chaos reigns.”
Using their vast wealth and resources, these armored sleuths work— sometimes under cover —to take down corrupt politicians, thieves’ guilds, and bastions of organized crime.
Art Credit
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Path of the Hellknight Cover Illustraition by: Nikola Matkovic
Minor Hellknight Orders
The vast majority of Hellknights encountered throughout the realm belong to one of the seven major Hellknight orders. However, a minority of Hellknights belong to other, lesser orders. Lesser Hellknight orders usually consist of only a few dozen members.
The Order of the Coil.
“To counter the poisons of the soul.”
These fringe, vengeance-seeking knights viciously destroy whole societies and protect colonialists using hit-and-run tactics as well as their tightly honed ability to fight in the wilderness. (Counts as Order of the Pyre for Disciplines)
Order of the Crux.
“There is only vengeance.”
This band of executed false Hellknights has returned from the grave and begun waylaying travelers and conscripting the corpses into their mysterious, but undoubtedly heinous, cause. (Counts as Order of the Godclaw for Disciplines)
Order of the Glyph.
“Truth for the deserving.”
These knowledge-hoarding false Hellknights are a secret order that dutifully serves noble houses in its vigilant guardianship of secrets, including its true history. (Counts as Order of the Rack for Disciplines)
Order of the Pike.
“The greatest foes refuse to hide.”
Armed with immense knowledge about monsters and tactics to defeat them, these famed beast-hunters are willing to go to any lengths to defend innocents— even if it costs them their lives. (Counts as Order of the Nail for Disciplines)
Order of the Scar.
“Every flame from shadows guard.”
These peerless bodyguards and assassin-hunters are renowned for ferreting out trained killers and providing foolproof protection to those with targets on their backs. (Counts as Order of the Scourge for Disciplines)
Order of the Torrent.
“Breathe deeply before the plunge."
These diligent Hellknights are experts skilled at negotiating, recovering the kidnapped, and tracking down and punishing abductors who believe themselves unassailable. (Counts as Order of the Gate for Disciplines)
Order of the Wall
“A wall has no need of gates.”
Peerless protective nationalists, these knights are guardians of borders who are dedicated to thwarting smugglers and often incidentally impede travelers and refugees. (Counts as Order of the Chain for Disciplines)