Martial Archetype
The Shadow Knight
The Shadow Knight is a warrior who infuses themselves with eldritch power, often gained through pacts forged with powerful entities, ancient rituals, or any number of occult methods. They channel this power into bringing misfortune to their enemies and imbuing their strikes with dark power.
Baleful Curse
Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to place a baleful curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits:
- Whenever the cursed target makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, it must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from the check, attack roll, or saving throw.
- Your attacks against the target score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
- If the target dies, you regain hit points equal to your fighter level + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).
You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
Touch of Death
Also at 3rd level, once per turn when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can choose to deal an additional 1d8 necrotic damage. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn. If the creature is undead, it also has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn. This damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Save DC
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
Dark Dealings
Starting at 7th level, you gain an eldritch invocation of your choice from among those available to the warlock class. If the invocation has a prerequisite, you can choose that invocation only if you meet the prerequisites. When you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you meet the prerequisites for. Charisma is your modifier for any invocation that requires it.
Aura of Misfortune
Starting at 10th level, as an action, you can create an aura of misfortune around yourself. For 1 minute, any creature within 10 feet of you that attacks you must roll a d6 and subtract the number rolled from the attack roll.
Eldritch Consumption
At 15th level, you can spend an action to dispel one spell affecting a creature or object that you can see within 30 feet of you. An unwilling creature can make a Charisma saving throw against your Touch of Death save DC. The maximum spell you can end in this way is half your fighter level, rounded down. When you successfully end a spell, you regain hit points equal to 5 times the level of the spell you ended.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Master of Ill Fate
Starting at 18th level, you can spread your Baleful Curse from a slain creature to another creature. When the creature cursed by your Baleful Curse dies, you can apply the curse to a different creature you can see within 30 feet of you, provided you aren't incapacitated.
"Bait" by Jakub Rozalskiz
Art Credit