Death Knight (5e Paladin Archetype)

## **Death Knight**

When a paladin falls from grace and chooses to embrace the dark powers that lie within the depths of the world, they become what is known as a death knight. Death Knights are committed to pleasing their dark masters and empowering themselves with both martial and magical prowess.

**Tenets of The Death Knight**

Death Knight tenets are mostly based around the idea of proving yourself to your new dark deity after your death and subsequent resurrection.

***Validate Yourself.*** In your previous life, you faithfully served your god with all your power, but now you must prove yourself once again. Your new deity expects loyalty and competence from you.

***Be Cautious.*** Many are not fond of undead creatures, and you must do everything in your power to keep your true identity hidden from them. You've already died once, to do so again would be an embarrassment.

***The Living are Beneath.*** Those ge not yet entered death or undeath are living joyfully. You have already experienced death, and must put yourself before those who still enjoy the warmth of life.

### **Oath Spells**

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

### **Channel Divinity**

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

**Doomblade.** As a bonus action, you brandish your holy symbol and shout a command word, forming a black greatsword in your hands, made of dark energy, for 1 minute. Only you can wield this weapon, and it deals 3d6 necrotic damage instead of 2d6 slashing damage. When you let go of the weapon, it disappears, but you can bring it back to your hands as a bonus action. If you are attuned to at least one magic melee weapon, you can choose for your doomblade to take on the properties of one magic melee weapon you are attuned to of your choice.

**Hellfire Orb.** As an action, you thrust your holy symbol forwards, and fire a sphere of black and red flames towards a point within 120 feet of yourself that you can see. Creatures within 20 feet of the point must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d6 fire damage and necrotic damage equal to your paladin level on a failed saving throw, or half on a success.

### **Aura of the Damned**

Starting at 7th level, you and allied creatures within 10 feet of you have resistance to necrotic and radiant damage. At 18th level, the range increases to 30 feet.

### **Reaper's Duel**

Beginning at 15th level, dark energies taint your smites to prevent creatures from fleeing. When you expend a spell slot to use your Divine Smite feature on a creature, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed saving throw, the creature cannot willingly move more than half of its movement speed away from you, until the end of its next turn.

### **Avatar of Death**

At 20th level, as an action, you channel forth the reaper itself to become an icon of doom, for 1 minute. During the duration, you gain the following benefits:

* Your gain the benefits of your Doomblade Channel Divinity option.

* You are immune to necrotic and poison damage, and cannot be poisoned.

* When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you restore hit points equal to the creature's number of hit dice.

After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so again.