Raith Knights

### History

During the War of the Sword, the Raith Knights were specialized light cavalry that used phantom steeds to reach the critical point in a battle, then a combination of spellcasting and martial prowess to win the day. Part of Vardendwall’s famed Knights Arcane, the Raith Knight  prided themselves on their ability to ride hard and reach strategic points in the battle before the enemy could — or to rescue Varden units in danger of being overwhelmed by the enemy.

### Knights Arcane

Specialized military group headed by Lord Captain Jean-Luc Bouchard and loyal to the crown. They are one of Vardenwall's strongest and most capable units.

As a Raith Knight, you are among Vardenwall’s most elite soldiers. You can get to places that traditional cavalry can’t reach — and you can get there before your enemy has a chance to react. And once you’ve arrived, you can outcast what you can’t outfight and outfight what you can’t outcast. That’s the strategic maxim drilled into every Raith Knight: Throw your strength against your enemy’s weakness, and you’ll carry the day for Vardenwall.

#### The Code of Conduct

Raith Knights are no traditional wizards. They use magic in order to retrieve persons or items for the Warden, or take over strategic locations long before allies and enemies arrive. It is imperative for their duties that they are quick and effective. The Raith Knights always consider the demands of a mission and prepare their spells in order to evade capture, do the job efficiently, and ideally survive the process, because failure often means death. Captivity is not an option for them, and it is expected that no one will come after a captive Raith Knight to stage a rescue — if one is captured, they have no recourse but escape on their own and report their failure back to Vardenwall.

### Raith Knight Spellboook

Raith Knight receive extensive training, both physical and magical, but focus particularly on a set of spells that are considered of paramount importance. Each receives a spellbook that includes those spells, and it is considered a violation of their code of conduct to lose that spellbook or fail to prepare as many of those spells as the Raith Knight is able to, especially Phantom Steed.

**Raith Knight Favored Spells**

*Expeditious Retreat, Misty Step, Phantom Steed, Dimension Door, Mislead*

#### Raith Training

When you adopt this tradition at 2nd level, you become proficient to the following: light armor, a one-handed melee weapon of your choice, and your choice of either Acrobatics or Athletics.

Also at this level the Raith Knights have already learned to master the Phantom Steed spell more than any other spell. The Phantom Steed spell is copied to your spellbook and you can cast it once without using a wizard spell slot. You do not need to memorise it in order to use this ability. You can use this ability again after you finish a long rest.

#### Aspect of the Raith

Starting at 2nd level, the Raith Knight can take on a gray, semi-insubstantial appearance that allows him to move like a shadow. You activate Aspect of the Raith as a bonus action and it lasts for as long as you concentrate on it, up to 1 minute. While in that state, your movement does not provoke Opportunity Attacks. Additionally, you hover just above the ground, ignoring difficult terrain and other impediments that don’t extend more than a few inches above the ground. You do not exert weight on the surface under you, so you can move across fragile or liquid surfaces.

Using this feature in the same turn that you cast Phantom Steed allows the steed to benefit from its effects for the duration of the spell, but only while you're mounted on it.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

#### Alacrity of the Raith

Starting at 6th level, your extensive physical training begins to synergize fully with the arcane aspects of your powers. Whenever you cast one of the Raith Knight favored spells, or use Aspect of the Raith or Countenance of the Raith, and for one minute after that, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Additionally, you can cast Phantom Steed as if its casting time was 1 action.

#### Countenance of the Raith

Beginning at 10th level, when you are attacked by a creature within 60 feet of you that you can see, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll, as you take a ghostly pallor, dark mist surrounds you, your eyes shed a baleful red glow, smoky tendrils slither at the shadows around you, and you exhude an ominous feeling of dread.

If the attack misses and the attacker is not immune to being frightened, your first attack against that attacker during your next turn has advantage. You can expend a spell slot when using this action to add an additional 1d8 of force damage per level of the slot expended. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

#### Blade of the Raith

Starting at 14th level, you can extend the nature of the misty arcane shadows of the Raith into your blade, turning it gray and partially insubstantial, allowing it to swing cleanly through armor while still rending flesh. As an action, choose a target within 5 feet of you. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw against your wizard spell save DC. If it fails, you make a melee weapon attack against it as part of the same action; this attack hits automatically, and deals force damage instead of the normal damage type of the weapon — any bonus effects retain their normal type.

You can expend a spell slot when using this action to add an additional 1d8 of force damage per level of the slot expended.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

### Combat

While most Raith Knights are accomplished equestrians, few fight from the backs of their phantom steeds. While faster than conventional horses, phantom steeds are too fragile to handle the rigors of a cavalry charge. You’re likely to use your phantom steed to get to the battle, then dismount and use spells or swordplay to defeat the enemy (which is why you’re called a knight).

Because you fight reasonably well in melee, you’re more likely than most arcane spellcasters to cast protective and attack-enhancing spells on yourself before battle.

**Advancement:** When you volunteered for Raith Knight  training, you made an unusual choice. You diverted a career in the arcane arts to learn the soldier’s craft as well. Few arcanists have the physical attributes to make good soldiers, so you’re already a breed apart. And when you consider the elite missions that the Raith Knights undertake, you’ve had plenty of chances to earn promotions and decorations in the Vardenwall military. Even though peace prevails across Varden at the moment, The Warden’s realm still faces many dangers.

**Daily Life:** Knight's on active duty mostly patrol Vardenwall's borders, arriving at trouble spots before conventional troops can even get out of the barracks. They otherwise live typically austere military lives, stealing time with their spellbooks and to brush up on their arcane skills whenever they can.

**Organization:** At the height of the War of the Sword, the Raith Knight's were able to field two heavy cavalry companies for the Knights Arcane — nearly 400 knight Raith in all. Now only a single company of 150 knight phantoms remain. Captain Jean-Luc Bouchard now commands the Raith Knights, and his staff is responsible for keeping them well trained and in fighting shape..