Purple Dragon Knight, Revised
Purple Dragon Knights are warriors who hail from the kingdom of Cormyr. Pledged to protect the crown, they take the fight against evil beyond the kingdom's borders. They are tasked with wandering the land as knights errant, relying on their judgment, bravery, and fidelity to guide them in defeating evildoers.
A Purple Dragon Knight inspires greatness in others by committing brave deeds in battle. The mere presence of a knight in a hamlet is enough to cause some orcs and bandits to seek easier prey. A lone knight is a skilled warrior, but a knight leading a band of allies can transform even the most poorly equipped militia into a ferocious war band.
A knight prefers to lead through deeds, not words. As a knight spearheads an attack, the knight's actions can awaken reserves of courage and conviction in allies that they never suspected they had.
Restriction: Knighthood
Purple Dragon Knights are tied to a specific order of Cormyrean knighthood.
Banneret serves as the generic name for this archetype if you use it in other campaign settings or to model warlords other than the Purple Dragon Knights.
Battlefield Commander
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn how to command your allies on the battlefield.
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo making one of the attacks granted by that action and command a creature within 60 feet of you to attack instead. The chosen creature can use its reaction to make one melee or ranged weapon attack, or cast a cantrip with a casting time of one action, provided that it can see or hear you.
You can use this feature three times, and regain all uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.
Royal Envoy
A Purple Dragon Knight serves as an envoy of the Cormyrean crown. Knights of high standing are expected to conduct themselves with grace.
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, or Performance.
Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Persuasion. You receive this benefit regardless of the skill proficiency you gain from this feature.
Rallying Cry
When you reach 7th level, you learn how to inspire your allies to fight on past their injuries.
As a bonus action, you can cause a creature within 60 feet of you to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your Charisma modifier, provided that the creature can see or hear you. You can also target unconscious creatures with this ability.
You can use this feature three times, and regain all uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.
Inspiring Presence
When you reach 10th level in this class, your very presence on the battlefield inspired courage in the hearts of your allies. You and allied creatures within 10 feet of you gain a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier to saving throws against being frightened or charmed. Creatures other than yourself must be able to see or hear you to gain this benefit.
Bulwark
Beginning at 15th level, you can extend the benefit of your Indomitable feature to an ally. When a creature within 60 feet of you other than yourself fails a saving throw, you can use your reaction and expend one use of your Indomitable feature to allow them to reroll the saving throw, provided they can see or hear you. Once the creature has rerolled the saving throw, they must use the new roll.
Unfalling Legion
When you reach 18th level in this class, your words are so inspiring they can bring people back from the brink of death. When you or a creature within 60 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can use your reaction to cause them to drop to 1 hit point instead.
Once a creature has benefitted from this feature, they cannot do so again until they finish a long rest.
Credits
- Purple Dragon Knight, Revised by /u/Enraric
- Aryel, Knight of Windgrace art by Grzegorz Rutkowski