Death Knight

A death knight is a mighty Undead warrior created by malevolent forces. They are most commonly created from evil Humanoids who in life had been Paladins that betrayed their oaths.

Description

A death knight appeared similar to how it appeared in life, but it has a decayed body with rotting flesh and pinpoints of light in place of eyes. A death knight often wore fine clothing and armor, especially capes, as a mark of importance. A death knight strikes fear into the hearts of weaker creatures. The demeanor of a death knight is so terrifying that even braveheart halflings have been known to become frightened.
A death knight's deep, chilling voice seems to echo from the depths of a bottomless cavern. A death knight typically prefers to converse in the language it spoke in its former life, even if it has learned other languages.

Society

A death knight often rides a Nightmare into battle and has a variety of undead servants, such as Skeletons, Wights, and Zombies. More powerful death knights have more servants.

Notable Death Knights

• Zarryl Galarina, the first death knight and a fallen paladin, turned to worshipping Krivun.

5th Edition

Creating a Death Knight

"Death knight" is a tempalte that can be added to any evil Humanoid creature of 6th level or higher (referred to hereafter as the "character"). The character's type changes to Undead. It uses all the character's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: All the character's current and future Hit Dice become d12s.
Speed: Speed is unchanged.
AC: The death knight has a +5 bonus to Natural Armor, but tends to wear armor instead.
Attacks: Death knights usually fight with martial weapons, but if disarmed they will use a touch attack.
Damage: The Death Knight's touch attack uses negative energy. On a successful hit, the death knight deals negative energy damage equal to 1d8 + his or her Charisma modifier to living creatures, healing Undead creatures as normal. Characters with natural weapons can use their natural weaponry or use the touch attack, as they prefer.
Special Attacks: A death knight retains all the character's special attacks and gains those described below.
Multiattack. The Death Knight can make two attacks with its weapon or with its touch attack. If the Death Knight has 16 or more Hit Dice, it can instead make three such attacks.
Pit-Pound Blast (Recharge 5-6): Dexterity Saving Throw: DC (8 + the Death Knight's Proficiency Bonus + the Death Knight's Charisma modifier), each creature in a 20-foot radius Sphere centered on a point the Death Knight can see within 120 feet. Failure: 35 (10d6) Fire damage plus 35 (10d6) Necrotic damage. Success: Half damage.
Spellcasting. A death knight can cast any spells it could while alive, unless alignment restrictions prohibit the casting of a particular spell.
Special Traits: A death knight retains all the character's special qualities and traits and gains those described below.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the death knight fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Supernatural Resistance. The death knight ahs Advantage on saving throws against spells, psionic powers, and other supernatural effects.
Marshal Undead. Undead creatures of the death knight's choice (excluding itself) within 60 feet of it have Advantage on attack rolls and saving throws while the death knight is not Incapacitated.
Turn Immunity: A death knight cannot be turned. It can be banished with Divine Word, however, just as if it were an evil outsider. (The banished death knight returns to the plane of the evil god it serves).
Undead Followers: A Death knight attracts lesser undead creatures that happen to exist in a 200-mile radius. It may have up to twice its level in Hit Dice of followers. The followers arrive monthly in the following increments: 1d6 ghouls, 1d4 ghasts, 1d12 medium skeletons, 1d4 wights, or 1d8 medium zombies. These creatures remain in the service of the death knight until destroyed or dismissed. These creatures are in addition to any undead creatures the Death Knight may be able to command or rebuke in other methods.
Undead Restoration. If the death knight is destroyed before it atones for its evil, it gains a new body in 1d10 days, reviving with all its Hit Points. The new body appears in a location significant to the death knight.
Wretched Strikes. All weapon attacks the death knight makes other than its touch attack deal an additional 13 (3d8) negative energy damage if it chooses.
Parry (Reaction). Trigger: The death knight is hit by a melee attack roll while holding a weapon. Response: The death knight adds 6 to its AC against that attack, possibly causing it to miss.
Legendary Actions. Death Knights are legendary creatures. Any death knight with 12 or more Hit Dice gains 1 Legendary action, then gains an additional Legendary action at 16 and 20 Hit Dice, to a maximum of 3 Legendary Actions. Additionally, it gains the following options.
Dread Authority. The Death knight casts Command without expending a spell slot. The Death knight can't use this action again until the start of its next turn.
Fell Word. Constitution Saving Throw: DC (8 + the Death Knight's Proficiency Bonus + the Death Knight's Charisma modifier), one creature the death knight can see within 120 feet. Failure: 17 (5d6) Necrotic damage, and the target's Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to the damage take. Failure or Success: The death knight can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Lunge. The death knight moves up to half its speed, then it makes one attack with a weapon or its touch attack.
Abilities: A Death Knight gains +4 to Strength (To a maximum of 22) and +2 to both Wisdom and Charisma (To a maximum of 22). Being undead, it has no Constitution score.
Challenge Rating: Same as character +3.

Death Knight Characters

A death knight PC's effective character level is equal to the creature's character level +5; thus a 7th-level Paladin 5/3rd-level Fighter 5 death knight has an effective level of 15 and is the equivalent of a 15th-level character.