Dark Knight (5e Class)

## **The Dark Knight**

Despite what the name suggests, Dark Knights are not always despicable in nature. Although they follow a path contrary to orthodox orders of Knights, they are still bound by a code of honor and walk a path of righteousness—whether or not that path is self-defined is another matter entirely.

They break away from tradition to distance themselves from the corrupting stigma of long-standing institution, and hold themselves to a standard above their fellow man. Though he calls no place home, a Dark Knight seeks to bring order wherever he goes.

## **Playing a Dark Knight**

As a Dark Knight, you have the potential to dish out tremendous amounts of damage; but with great power comes great responsibility. A front line fighter, most of your utility comes from your high amount of hitpoints and your ability to intentionally intercept attacks, as well as abilities that either cost HP to use or require critical health to activate. In order to make the most out of your abilities, you will have to keep a tenuous balance between staying alive, and being in the red. Needless to say, your relationship with your healer will be paramount.

## **Creating a Dark Knight**

### **Requirements**

**Alignment:** Any Lawful

**Starting Age:** Moderate

**Race:** As solitary creatures rarely have use for honor, a Dark Knight will most usually (but not always) come from a race with an integrated social structure, or that is highly urban in nature.

### **Class Features**

As a Dark Knight you gain the following class features.

Hit Points
**Hit Dice:** 1d12 per Dark Knight level

**Hit Points at 1st Level:** 12 + Constitution modifier

**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Dark Knight level after 1st

Proficiencies
**Armor:** Medium and Heavy Armor and shields

**Weapons:** Simple and Martial Weapons

**Tools:** One Gaming Set or Musical Instrument

**Saving Throws:** Constitution, Charisma

**Skills:** Choose 2 from Arcana, Athletics, History, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion.

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

* (*a*) Longsword & Shield or (*b*) Greatsword
* (*a*) a Gaming Set or (*b*) a Musical Instrument
* (*a*) Scale Mail or (*b*) Chain Mail
* 6d6 (21) gold

### **Table: The Dark Knight**

**NOTE:** () means it's for Redemption, [] for Neutrality, {} for Corruption, nothing means it's for all/is before the choice.

### **Spells and Whatnot**

#### **Code of Conduct**

At 1st level, you must decide on a code of conduct for your Knight to adhere to, which must include at least 2 of the following items: Never Strike an Unaware Foe, Never Accept Undue Aid in Battle, Always Accept a Foe's Surrender, Always Help Those in Need, Never Resort to Trickery, Always Accept an Issued Challenge, Always Fight Fairly, Always Tell the Truth, Never Use Poison.

If you include 4 items instead of 2, you can use your limited Dark Knight powers an additional 1 time per day. If you include 7, you can use them an additional 2 times per day. If you include all 9, you can use them an additional 3 times per day.

If you break any of the items on your Code of Conduct, you are unable to use any of your abilities as a Dark Knight until you visit town and are absolved by a priest of your chosen Deity.

#### **Dark Bane (Su)**

Beginning at 1st Level, as a swift action, you can choose to take 1d4 Necrotic damage and add an amount equal to the damage you took to your next hit or damage roll. If you have already taken damage this turn, you can use that amount for your bonus instead of taking Necrotic damage. You can only this power an amount of times equal to ½ your Dark Knight level + your Charisma Modifier per day (minimum 1).

#### **Intercept (Ex)**

Beginning at 1st Level, as an immediate action, you can choose to take a hit meant for an adjacent party member, or intentionally expose yourself to an enemy attack. You can only use this power after the attack has been declared, but before the hit has been rolled. If you take an attack for a teammate, the hit checks against your Armor Class. If you intentionally expose yourself to an enemy, the attack automatically succeeds. If you Intercept an attack for an ally while a creature is within striking distance of you, you provoke an attack of opportunity. You may only use this ability an amount of times equal to ½ of your Dark Knight level + your Constitution Modifier per day (minimum 1).

#### **Challenge (Ex)**

Beginning at 2nd Level, as a standard or move action, you may issue a challenge to one enemy. Unless that enemy damages you before the start of your next turn, your next attack on that enemy will deal (½ of your Dark Knight level)d6 additional damage. You can only use this power an amount of times equal to ½ of your Dark Knight level + your Charisma Modifier per day (minimum 1).

#### **Drain (Su)**

Beginning at 3rd Level, as a standard action, you may make an attack roll against an enemy in melee range using your Charisma Modifier instead of your Strength modifier. If you succeed, you deal 1d6 Necrotic damage and heal as many hit points to yourself. You may only use this power an amount of times equal to ½ of your Dark Knight level + your Charisma Modifier per day (minimum 1).

#### **Ability Score Increase**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

#### **Crossroads**

At 5th level, you must select a path on which to take. This path will govern (nearly) all of your skills, and is very important to choose wisely.

##### **The Path to Redemption**

Your heart is closer to the good side of things, and you believe what you are doing is truly the right path. Your class is now Fallen Paladin, and you take your spells from the Redemption List. You can no longer cast Dark Bane. Your Drain feature now does Radiant damage, and can be casted as a bonus action once per round.

##### **The Path of Neutrality**

You're in the middle of the road, neutral, the one who isn't too swayed by either decision. Your class stays Dark Knight, and you take your spells from the Neutrality List.

##### **The Path of Corruption**

You spit in the face of equality, justice, and goodwill. Your class is now Soul Knight, and you take your spells from the Corruption List. Your heart is stained as black as your armor, and you no longer spend health for spells. Instead, you spend souls, which you gather from anything dying within 30 ft. of you. You can no longer cast Dark Bane. You also do not follow the Code of Conduct any longer, in fact, it disgusts you. You begin with 2d5 Souls.

#### **Extra Attack**

Starting at 5th level you gain an extra attack.

#### **Redemption: Dark Mending**

Beginning at 6th level, you can now choose a target. You can either heal the target 1d6 Radiant, or damage a target 1d6 Necrotic Damage, with your Charisma modifier for both. You can use this 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier per day. If a target is good aligned, you heal twice as much. If a target is evil aligned, you hurt them twice as much.

#### **Neutrality: Improved Dark Bane**

When using ''Dark Bane'', once you're level 6, you can choose to take 1d8 Necrotic damage instead, and may expend additional per-day uses to move up a dice size. Additionally, if you have already taken damage this turn, add your proficiency bonus to the bonus provided by ''Dark Bane''. You can use this 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier per day.

#### **Corruption: Soul Bane**

Starting at 6th level, you can spend 1d4 Souls, to deal twice the number you spend in damage on your next attack, plus your Strength modifier. Additionally, if you have already taken damage this turn, or obtained a soul within the last 1 minute, add your proficiency bonus to the bonus provided by Soul Bane. You can use this 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier per day.

#### **Redemption: Forced Affinity**

Starting at 7th level, you can force an enemy's affinity to change to either Radiant, or Necrotic, giving them a weakness to the other element. You can use this 1/2 your level per day.

#### **Neutrality: Grenade of Darkness**

Beginning at 7th level, you can take 2d6 damage, plus your Charisma modifier, to fire off a projectile up to 15 feet away, exploding in a 5 ft. radius around the original target area, for the amount of damage you took. If this kills the original target, it deals 150% damage than normal to the surrounding area. You can use this 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier per day.

#### **Corruption: Soul Strike**

Starting at 7th level, you can spend 1/2 your current health in souls (e.g. 16 health = 8 souls), to double the amount of dice you roll for your next attack or spell. This also doubles your modifiers and/or profiency bonuses for the attack, if you have any. You can use this 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier per day.

#### **Redemption: Fallen Smite**

Beginning at 9th level, you may call upon aid of the Deity you worship. This spell will vary depending on the Deity. (List of all spells here later). You can use this 1/2 your level per day. If you have offered a gift to your Deity, in a church, the same day, you have twice the normal uses per day for that day.

#### **Neutrality: Improved Drain**

This spell replaces Drain. Starting at 9th level, you may make an attack roll against any creature within 10 feet instead of 5 using your Charisma modifier instead of your strength modifier. If you succeed, you instead deal 1d10 Necrotic Damage + your Charisma modifier, and heal for as many hit points.

#### **Corruption: Vampiric Essence**

Starting at 9th level, you may passively spend 4 souls per attack, to heal for half of the damage that you deal. This applies to any and all attacks/skills, but the souls must be spent at the beginning of your turn, before the attack occurs.

#### **Redemption: Pray For Your Sins**

Starting at 10th level, you may kneel down and pray for your sins to be repent. Roll 1d7, and the number is the Deadly Sin in alphabetical order, with the first being Envy and the last being Wrath. You may only use this once per day. The only exception is if you have more than 2 obligations on your Code of Conduct.

#### **Neutrality: Temporary Zombification**

Starting at 10th level, you may temporarily turn yourself into a member of the Undead, for 1 minutes 30 seconds. While you are undead, you cannot die, no matter how low your health gets, all sources of Radiant harm you, and all sources of Necrotic (aside from self-damaging spells) heal you. If your health gets below negative your max hp, (e.g. if you have 25 max hp and hit -25), then you can never cast this spell ever again, unless it is somehow restored by a *wish* spell or similar. Can be casted once per day. The only exception is if you have more than 2 obligations on your Code of Conduct.

#### **Corruption: Reaper's Chain**

Starting at 10th level, you may spend 2d10 souls to summon an unbreakable 15 ft. long chain. This chain can attach any two creatures together, or any creature with a size of Large or smaller to an object. The chain will never break, unless the one who summoned it dies, or dispels it. You can only have one chain at a time, increasing to 2 and then later 3, at level 15 and 20, respectively.

#### **Redemption: Improved Intercept**

Beginning at 11th level, when taking a hit for an ally, you add your proficiency bonus to your armor class for the purpose of taking that attack. Additionally, your *Intercept* no longer provokes attacks of opportunity.

#### **Neutrality: Improved Challenge**

Starting at 11th level, the dice for rolling bonus damage from your ''Challenge'' moves up to d10. Additionally, any target of your ''Challenge'' that is a lower level than your level must make a Charisma check of DC(Your Level + 10). If the target fails this check, they immediately surrender or flee.

#### **Corruption: Soul Dice**

Starting at 11th level, at the cost of 1d15 souls, you can roll a 30-sided die, to cast a random spell from the Soul Dice List. (the list will be added soon). You can use this 1/2 your level + your Strength modifier per day.

.

#### **Redemption: Improved Dark Mending**

Starting at 13th level, this spell replaces Dark Mending. Choose a target. You can either heal the target 1d10 Radiant, or harm them for 1d10 Necrotic.

.

#### **Neutrality: Improved Grenade of Darkness**

Starting at 13th level, you can take 3d6 damage, plus your Charisma modifier, to fire off a projectile up to 15 feet away, exploding in a 5 ft. radius around the original target area, for twice amount of damage you took. If this kills the original target, it deals 200% damage than normal to the surrounding area. This spell replaces Grenade of Darkness.

.

#### **Corruption: Improved Soul's Bane**

Starting at 13th level, this spell replaces Soul's Bane. You can spend 1d10 Souls, to deal twice the number you spend in damage on your next attack, plus your Strength modifier times 150%. Additionally, if you have already taken damage this turn, or obtained a soul within the last 1 minute, add your proficiency bonus to the bonus provided by Soul Bane.

.

#### **ALL: Charm Blade**

Starting at 14th level, no matter which path you have, add your Charisma modifier to all attacks and features. If a feature or attack already added it, add it a second time.

.

#### **Redemption: Angelic Radiance**

At 15th level, your race becomes Angelic [insert race here] (e.g. Angelic Dragonborn). You resist Radiant damage, and take 50% more damage from Necrotic damage, and 25% increased healing. Your eyes can be lit on fire, as a free action, giving yourself 20 ft. of Darkvision.

.

#### **Neutrality: The Middle Road**

At 15th level, your ability score caps increase from 20 to 24, and you receive +4 to two scores of your choice.

.

#### **Corruption: Demonic Darkness**

At 15th level, your race becomes Demonic [insert race here] (e.g. Demonic Dragonborn). You resist Necrotic damage, take 50% more damage from Radiant damage, and are classified as undead. You no longer need to breathe, or eat, although you do still need to sleep. Your eyes are permanently replaced by green balls of fire, giving yourself 20 ft. of Darkvision, and detecting how close an enemy is to death.

.

#### **Redemption: Angel's Flight**

At 17th level, you sprout golden angelic wings, giving you a flight speed of 30 ft. They can be hidden as a swift action. If they are removed, either from damage or otherwise, they will regenerate after 1d5 days. Alternatively, they can be regenerated by any spells that would regenerate limbs or body parts, such as *restoration.*

.

#### **Neutrality: Waves of Shadow**

At 17th level, you can ride the darkness itself, giving yourself +2 dexterity in darkness, 30 ft. of flight in darkness, and 30 ft. of Darkvision.

.

#### **Corruption: Tormentor's Wings**

At 17th level, you can create wings made out of the souls of your fallen foes, giving you a flight speed of 30 ft., at the cost of 5 souls per 30 minutes.

.

#### **Neutrality: Duskwave**

At 18th level, your ''Dark Bane'' ability is replaced by ''Duskwave'', and is affected by all class features that name ''Dark Bane''. As a swift action, you may choose to take 1d20 Necrotic damage and add an amount equal to the damage you took to your next attack roll. An attack augmented by ''Duskwave'' can take the form of a 15 foot burst centered on the Dark Knight or a point up to 20 feet away, a 30 foot wide cone, a 50 foot line, or an attack on a single creature. The Dark Knight rolls to hit every enemy within the area of effect of ''Duskwave'' using his Dark Knight level and amount of Necrotic damage taken as modifiers, and heals himself for an amount equal half the damage done. When using ''Duskwave'', the amount of Necrotic damage taken as well as the Dark Knight's level are also used as damage modifiers.

.

#### **Redemption: Daywave**

Daywave is mostly the same as Duskwave, except for Necrotic damage is replaced with Radiant damage x 2 (e.g. if you roll a 10, your angelic modifier decreases it to 5, but it still adds 10 damage to the attack).

.

#### **Corruption: Nightwave**

Nightwave is mostly the same as Duskwave, except for Necrotic damage is replaced with Souls x 2. (e.g. if you roll a 10 you spend 20 souls for 10 damage).

.

#### **Redemption: As They Will**

At 20th level, you have become a redeemed paladin, and your deity not only accepts you, they approve of you. Once per day, you may channel their divine energy, to unleash a very powerful spell. This amount can never be increased from once per day.

.

#### **Neutrality: Total Eclipse**

At 20th level, you have become a true master of the dark powers within you. Abilities that normally heal for half the damage done now heal for all damage done, and those that heal for full damage done now heal for twice the damage done. When using ''Duskwave'', you can choose the targets within its area of effect that it does and does not affect.

.

#### **Corruption: Enslave Soul**

At 20th level, you are no longer even considered a person anymore. You are a supreme catalyst of destruction, eager to bend the wills of others for your own gain. For the cost of 50 souls, force the opponent to make a DC 20 Wisdom check. If they fail, you gain total control of them for 5 minutes. Some creatures are immune to this effect, such as things too mindless to be controlled (e.g. Crawling Claw), or beings too powerful to control (e.g. deities.).