Death knight

Depiction of a death knight, by Conceptopolis from *D&D: Monster Manual*, p. 47.

## Biological Information

### **Abilities**

* Magic Resistance
* Marshal Undead
* Spellcasting (paladin)
* Hellfire Orb
* Parry

## Sociocultural Information

### **Planes**

* Material Plane (Exandria)
* Shadowfell

### **Locations**

* Wildemount
* Thar Amphala

### **Language**

Abyssal, Common

A **death knight** is an undead warrior created by a powerful being. Usually they were living humanoids who were evil in life.

## **Appearance**

Death knights typically appear as skeletal warriors clad in plate armor and, in place of their eyes, malevolent lights burn.

The death knight who fought alongside Vecna was not quite goliath-sized, but thick and massive. He was clad in jagged, dark metal armor, and his longsword emanated a dark energy.

## **Abilities**

* **Multiattack:** The death knight can make three attacks with its weapon.
* **Hellfire Orb:** Once a day, the death knight can hurl a crackling sphere of darkness that explodes at a point it can see, dealing fire and necrotic damage (half damage with a successful Dexterity saving throw).
* **Spellcasting:** The death knight can cast the following paladin spells:
	+ **4th level:** *banishment*, *staggering smite*

## **Known death knights**

* Vox Machina faced a death knight who served Vecna on more than one occasion. Matthew Mercer later revealed this death knight to be the undead servant of Vecna who offered Delilah Briarwood a way to save her husband.
* **Pentrakath** is a death knight who lives in a cave in the Dreemoth Ravine

## **History**

### **"Race to the Tower" (1x102)**

While attempting to stop the newly reborn Vecna, Vox Machina made their way to the top of the Tower of Entropis, where they encountered Vecna, along with Delilah Briarwood and a death knight. The fight that ensued went badly for Vox Machina, with little damage being done to either Vecna or the death knight. At one point, the death knight *Banished* Grog Strongjaw to the Shadowfell, though Grog's companions managed to break the death knight's concentration, returning Grog to the Material Plane.

### **"The Final Ascent" (1x113) and "Vecna, the Ascended" (1x114)**

Arkhan claimed that his party was attacked weeks earlier by the Remnants, led by the death knight and Delilah Briarwood, followed up by Vecna himself. The death knight incinerated the elf ranger Vander, who Arkhan thought of as a brother, and cut the still-beating heart out of their goliath companion. When Arkhan and Vox Machina approached the top of Entropis, the death knight faced them, and Arkhan decided to take on the death knight alone (with the benefit of *haste*), saying he would hold the death knight off, and he urged Vox Machina to go straight for Vecna. Deep into the battle with Vecna, they saw that Arkhan had emerged from the fight heavily wounded, but he held the death knight's helmet as a trophy.

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 See *D&D: Monster Manual*, 5th ed., p. 47.
2. ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) at 2:33:18.
3. ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) at 2:50:45.
4. ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) at 3:30:02.
5. ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) at 2:37:43.
6. ↑ See "The Final Ascent" (1x113) at 4:50:27.
7. ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) at 3:20:26.
8. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 138. See also p. 145.
9. ↑ See "The Final Ascent" (1x113) at 1:09:28.
10. ↑ See "The Final Ascent" (1x113) at 4:50:27.
11. ↑ See "Vecna, the Ascended" (1x114) at 3:33:49.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Depiction of a death knight, by Conceptopolis from *D&D: Monster Manual*, p. 47. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.