Fighter:
Death Knight
Indulging in evil acts is seem by some as abhorrent and others as a necessity of dire circumstances, but to you it is as valid a means to power and glory as any other. Death knights are warriors who gain power and magic through vile rituals and promises of evil to dark deities.
Evil knows no honor, so Death knights are not bound to their deity like clerics, but gain power through their acts. It's not uncommon for death knights to use their powers to establish themselves as tyrants or cultists.
Death Knight Features
| Fighter Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Spellcasting, Vile runes |
| 7th | Unholy Magic |
| 10th | Sacrificial Magic |
| 15th | Evil Aegis |
| 18th | Improved unholy magic |
Spellcasting
When you reach 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells.
Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. You learn an additional cleric cantrip of your choice at 10th level.
Spell Slots. The Death Knight Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Shield of faith and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Shield of faith using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level cleric spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the abjuration and necromancy spells on the cleric spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Death Knight Spellcasting table shows when you learn more cleric spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be an abjuration or necromancy spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the cleric spells you know with another spell of your choice from the cleric spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an abjuration or necromancy spell, unless you're replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school of magic.
Spellcasting Focus. You can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus for your death knight spells.
Death Knight Spellcasting
| Fighter Level | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4th | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5th | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 6th | 3 | 4 | 3 | ─ | ─ | ─ |
| 7th | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 8th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 9th | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | ─ | ─ |
| 11th | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | ─ | ─ |
| 12th | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | ─ | ─ |
| 13th | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ─ |
| 14th | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ─ |
| 15th | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ─ |
| 16th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ─ |
| 17th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ─ |
| 18th | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ─ |
| 19th | 4 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20th | 4 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your cleric spells, since you learn your spells through study and memorization. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a cleric spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Vile runes
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to create runes of vile power, and using that energy to fuel magical effects. You know two such runes: Apostasy and Blasphemy.
When you use your Vile runes, you choose which effect to create. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Vile runes again.
Some Vile runes effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your Death knight spell save DC.
Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Vile runes twice between rests, and beginning at 18th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.
Vile rune: Apostasy
You petition your deity to provide you with new forms of profanity. You can cast a cleric spell of level less than or equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) without expending a spell slot.
Vile rune: Blasphemy
As an action, you present your unholy symbol and speak an incantation, channeling the power of undeath through you. You gain the following benefits for 1 minute:
- Horrifying Visage. When you score a critical hit against a creature, it must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or be frightened till the end of its next turn.
- Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
Unholy Magic
Beginning at 7th level, when you reduce a creature of size medium or larger to 0 hit points, you can expend a bonus action to raise the creature as an undead under your control. It has the statistics of a Zombie, except it retains its original size and appearance. You can command this creature as per animate dead. The zombie reverts to being a corpse when you use this feature again.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier, and regain expended uses on a short or long rest.
Sacrificial Magic
At 10th level, your fallen enemies fuel your magic. When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with a weapon attack, you can use a reaction to cast a cantrip you know at a creature within range.
When you reach 13th level in this class, you can cast a 1st level spell instead. This increases to a 2nd level spell at 17th level.
Evil Aegis
At 15th level, you add your wisdom modifier to all saving throws.
Improved Unholy Magic
Starting at 18th level, when you use unholy magic to create undead, it uses the stats of a greater zombie, instead of a zombie.
