The Knight

A warrior in shining armour rides atop a silver stallion. A hero charging to the rescue, or the rumbling of heavy cavalry tearing through enemy lines. For many in their darkest hour, there are those who listen and pray for the sound of galloping hooves.

In their most simplistic form, a knight is simply a mounted soldier - yet countless stories have been told of legendary knights who have fought against monsters, rescued princesses from towers, and saved the day against all odds. Knights are, after all, a heavily-armoured and extremely mobile force, perfect for turning the odds in desperate situations. All across the land, knights have earned their renown with their speed and prowess in battle.

There are many who style themselves as 'knights', but those with actual rank are few and far between. Most knights are nobleborn, the most trusted retainers of kings, and the best of them belong to a tradition of Chivalric Orders. Some knightly titles are ceremonial or full of pomp, but at its heart theirs is a martial rank.

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular 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.

• Jousting. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with a lance, and when you attack a creature using a lance its movement speed is halved until the start of your next turn.
• Archery. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
• Blind Fighting. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
• Defence. While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
• Duelling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
• Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
• Interception. When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.
• Protection. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
• Superior Technique. You learn one manoeuvre of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype. If a manoeuvre you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the manoeuvre’s effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice.) You gain one superiority die, which is a d6 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your manoeuvres. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
• Thrown Weapon Fighting. You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
• Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Rallying Cry

From 1st level, you do not flinch away from battle, instead you bolster your allies ready for the fight. As a bonus action, all friendly creatures within 30 feet of you who can hear you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier plus your knight level.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Trained Cavalry

Starting at 2nd level, you obtain a loyal steed, bonded to you and trained to be ridden into battle. The steed is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. You can determine the type of animal, for example a pony, a camel, an elk, or a mastiff. Whatever animal you choose, your steed uses the ‘Young Steed’ stat block.

The steed may be either provided as part of your starting equipment, or acquired and trained through other means (see Bond of the Rider below).

Young Steed

Medium beast, unaligned

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• Armor Class 11 (unarmoured)
• Hit Points 5 + five times your knight level (the steed has number of hit dice (d8s) equal to your knight level)
• Speed 40 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	12 (+1)	13 (+1)	8 (-1)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)

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• Senses passive Perception 12
• Languages understands the languages you speak
• Challenge –

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Saddle-trained. The steed’s special training allows it to act as a mount for creatures of Medium size.

Trained Charge. If the steed moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then either it or its rider hits that target with an attack on the same turn, then the rider can use their bonus action to command the steed to make an additional trample attack.

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Actions

Trample. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 2 bludgeoning damage.

Bond of the Rider

Also at level 2, you manifest a special bond with your steed. As a bonus action, you can heal your steed for 1d10 plus your knight level.

You can use this feature twice, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

In addition, if your steed is reduced to 0 hp yet doesn’t die outright, it becomes unconscious but automatically stabilised. Your steed does not need to make death saving throws so long as you are alive, as your shared bond sustains it.

Saddle-Ready

Starting at 3rd level, you have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount. If you fall off your mount and descend no more than 10 feet, you can land on your feet if you’re not incapacitated.

Chivalric Order

When you reach 3rd level, you join an Chivalric Order, swearing your vows to a doctrine and following a tradition of knights. In return, your Order refines your fighting style and teaches you new techniques.

The Order you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 13th, and 17th level.

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.

Experienced Cavalry

Your steed grows and advances as you do. At 5th level, the ‘Young Steed’ stat block is replaced by the ‘Mature Steed’ stat block, and your steed now uses your own proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. Your steed’s attacks also count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

In addition, your steed gains one of the following features, reflecting the way you have reared it:

• Heavy Stampede. You’ve taught your steed to be fierce. When your steed uses its Trample attack against a creature, the target must pass a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your steed’s Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be knocked prone.
• Nimble Evasion. You’ve trained your steed to weave swiftly out of danger. When you make a melee attack against a creature, your steed’s movement does not provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn, regardless whether you hit or not.

Charge Together

You lead from the front, paving the way for your allies to follow.

Starting at 6th level, when you move at least 20 feet straight and attack a target, then during their next turn any allies within 30 feet of your starting position have their movement speed increased by 10 feet, so long as they end their turns closer to the target than where they started.

Unstoppable Rider

At 9th level, whenever an effect or saving throw would dismount you from your steed, you can choose to succeed the saving throw and ignore the effect.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Master Cavalry

At 10th level, the ‘Mature Steed’ stat block is replaced by the ‘Veteran Steed’ stat block. From its advanced training, your steed gains one of the following features:

• Responsive. You’ve trained your steed to react. While mounted, you cannot be surprised and you have advantage on initiative rolls.
• Hardy. You’ve conditioned your steed for endurance. Your steed gains proficiency in Constitution saving throws, and its hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your knight level.

Shared Resolve

Beginning at 11th level, both you and your steed are immune to the charmed or frightened conditions while mounted.

Steady Reins

Beginning at 14th level, if you are mounted and either you or your steed are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, then both you or your steed will instead take no damage on a success, and only half damage on a failure.

Heroic Cavalry

Your steed becomes the greatest of mounts, even manifesting supernatural abilities. At 15th level, the ‘Veteran Steed’ stat block is replaced by the ‘Glorious Steed’ stat block.

In addition, your steed gains one of the following features:

• Glorious Wings. Your steed gains a flying speed equal to its walking speed.
• Fiery Charge. Your steed burns with radiance. While mounted during each of your turns, your steed leaves a trail of fire behind it as it moves. This trail of fire lasts until the start of your next turn. A creature that starts its turn in or attempts to cross through the trail of the fire suffers 1d6 fire damage.

Knightly Vigil

A knight’s place is on the battlefield, tearing through foes and allowing none to escape. Starting at 18th level, when you are mounted you can take two reactions every turn instead of one.

Bonded for Life

The bond between you and your steed runs deep, allowing you to share vitality between one another. At 20th level, as a reaction to taking damage, you can reduce your steed’s hit points by a certain amount (to a minimum of 0), and you regain an equal number of hit points. Alternatively, you can reduce your own hit points and heal your steed the same amount.

Chivalric Orders

Knights follow traditions set by their forebearers. The choice of the Chivalric Order defines the knight.

Knights not belonging to an Order are considered to be knight-errants. After pledging yourself to an Order, you become a lauded knight - vowed and sworn. Each Order carries its own traditions and purpose, which its knights are obliged to carry and follow. A Chivalric Order also teaches its own martial disciplines to its followers.

Your Chivalric Order grants additional class features at 3rd, 7th, 13th and 17th level.

Order of the Dragon

Knights and dragons have long had a complicated relationship.

Many knights have been famous dragonslayers, the bane of dragons across the land. Yet there are also those knights who fought besides dragons, vowed to protect dragonkind.

According to lore, the Order of the Dragon was founded by a wise ancient gold dragon, who shared the secrets of its power with a handful of trusted warriors. The Order of the Dragon was charged not to merely protect dragons, but to preserve balance between the two races. Knights of this Order are tasked with hunting down anyone - be they mortal or dragon - who threatens peace.

Many evil dragons have met their demise at the end of a lance wielded by a noble knight clad in scales.

Dragonheart

Beginning at 13th level, you can channel the fearsome presence of dragons, causing those around you to become awestruck or frightened. As an action while mounted, you can exude an aura of awe or fear (your choice) to a distance of 30 feet. Each hostile creature within range must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be either charmed (if you chose awe) or frightened (if you chose fear) until the end of your turn.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Glorious Dragon

At level 17, you’ve become the embodiment of a dragon’s grace and might. Your steed gains both the Glorious Wings and the Fiery Charge granted by the Level 15 feature Heroic Cavalry. You can also change the damage dealt by Fiery Charge to match the damage type of your draconic essence.

In addition, if you or your steed fails a saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Order of the Black

Of all the foes and fiends that roam the realms, few are more feared than the dreaded Black Knights.

Knights belonging to the Order of the Black are those who maybe been corrupted by an evil power, or enticed by greed or hate. Perhaps they pursue some dark ambition, maybe they have been scarred by a dark wound - or maybe they simply care for none but themselves. Whatever the reason, Black Knights learn to harness the darkness - their force of will manifests into an innate form of necromancy. They develop abilities that many would consider heretical.

The Black Knight rides armoured in shadows, atop of a skeletal steed, leaving only corpses and undead in their wake.

Dread Army

Starting at 7th level, When you reduce a creature to 0 hp on your turn, you can use a special reaction to seize its dying essence and bind it into servitude. You immediately reanimate the creature’s corpse, as if using the spell Animate Dead.

A zombie or skeleton that is raised this way will persist for 24 hours, and then disintegrate into nothing. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, when you, your steed, or any undead creature under your control make an attack roll against a frightened creature, they have advantage of the attack.

Speak, and the Dead Answer

From 13th level, even ghosts bend before your presence. As an action, you can touch a corpse and command it to answer you. The corpse takes on a semblance of life, as if you had cast the spell Speak with Dead.

You also have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks made to force the corpse to answer your questions truthfully.

Dark Tidings

From 17th level, the galloping hooves of your steed causes the world to turn cold and your enemies to tremble. You ride upon the embodiment of necromantic darkness.

Your steed gains the following features:

• Aura of the Dullahan. An aura of cold surrounds you. While mounted and in combat, a 10-foot radius cloud of mist follows you, and the area is considered lightly obscured. Creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws to resist being frightened.
• Nightmare Wail. With a bonus action, you can command your steed to unleash a wail of focused necrotic energy as an action. All creatures within a 30-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw against DC equal to 12 + your proficiency bonus; taking 8d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. This damage ignores resistances and immunities, and cannot be reduced in any way. Once your steed uses this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.