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Death Knight

Medium undead, chaotic evil

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• Armor Class 20 (plate, shield)
• Hit Points 180 (19d8 + 95)
• Speed 30ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	11 (+0)	20 (+5)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)	18 (+4)

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• Saving Throws: Str +9, Dex +4, Con +15, Int +5,
  Wis +13, Cha +14
• Damage Immunities: cold, necrotic, poison
• Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
• Senses darkvision 120ft., passive perception 13
• Languages Abyssal, Common
• Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)

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Eldritch Sight: The death knight can see magical auras, invisible objects and creature, and into the ethereal plane, each with a range of 60ft.

Marshal Undead: Unless the death knight is incapacitated, it and undead creatures of its choice within 60 feet of it have advantage on saving throws against features that turn undead.

Profane Aura: The death knight, and allies within 30ft of it, gain a bonus to all saving throws equal to the death knight's Charisma modifier (included above).

Rejuvenation: When an unredeemed death knight is destroyed, it's remains, armour, and weapons turn to ashes. It gains a new body and possessions in 1d10 days, regaining all of its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears in its lair. Divine Intervention or a Wish can prevent this rejuvenation.

Spell Reflection: The death knight has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magic.

If the death knight rolls a 19 or 20 to save against a spell that targets it (not an area of effect), the spell is reflected and targets the caster instead of the death knight, using the caster's own save DC and attack bonus.

Spellcasting: The death knight is a 19th-level spell caster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It can never use these spells for healing or the removal of harmful conditions from living creatures. It has the following paladin spells prepared:

1st-level (4 slots): Command, Compelled Duel, Searing    Smite
2nd-level (3 slots): Hold Person, Magic Weapon
3rd-level (3 slots): Dispel Magic, Elemental Weapon
4th-level (3 slots): Banishment, Staggering Smite
5th-level (2 slots): Destructive Wave (Necrotic)

Actions

Multiattack: The death knight uses its frightful presence and makes three longsword attacks. It can use its command undead in place of one or two longsword attacks.

Longsword: Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5ft., one target.Hit: 9 (1d8+5) slashing damage, or 10 (1d10+5) slashing damage if used with two hands, plus 18 (4d8) necrotic damage.

Frightful Presence: Creatures within 5ft of the death knight must make a Charisma save (DC 18) or become frightened of the death knight for one minute. A new save is allowed at the end of a frightened creatures turn to end the effect, only if the death knight is no longer within sight of the creature.

Abyssal Blast (1/day): The death knight hurls a magical ball of fire that explodes at a point it can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature in a 20-foot radius sphere centered on that point must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. The sphere spreads around corners. A creature takes 35 (10d6) fire damage and 35 (10d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Heretical Utterance (1/day): The death knight speaks a single word laced with dark power. A creature of the death knight's choice within 60ft is killed if it has fewer than 100 hit points, or blinded if it has fewer than 200 hit points. A blinded creature can make a DC 18 Constitution save at the end of each of its turns to end the effect.

Summon Demons (1/Day): The death knight chooses what to summon and attempts a summoning. It has a 75% chance to summon 1d4 Vrocks, 1d3 hezrous, 1d2 glabrezu, or 1 nalfeshnee.

A summoned demon appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of the death knight, acts as an ally of the death knight, and can't summon other demons. It remains for 1 hour, until it or the death knight dies, or until the death knight dismisses it as an action.

Command Undead: The death knight chooses an undead ally within 60ft. That undead can use its reaction to move up to half its speed and make a single attack against a target of the death knight's choosing. The undead can add the death knight's Charisma bonus (+4) to hit and damage with this attack, and to AC against opportunity attacks provoked by this movement.

Reactions

Riposte: The death knight adds 6 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the knight must see the attacker and be using a melee weapon. If this causes the attack to miss, the death knight can also make one longsword attack against the attacker.

Legendary Death Knights

A deathknight is usually the chief lieutenant of an even greater master. However some are legendary creatures in their own right, with the legendary trait and actions outlined below.

Legendary death knights have a CR of 18, or 19 if encountered in their lair.

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Legendary Resistance (3/day) When the death knight fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

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Legendary Actions

The death knight can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The death knight regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Attack: The death knight makes a longsword attack.
• Command Undead: The death knight uses its command undead.
• Death Coil: A crackling beam of purple energy arcs towards a creature that the death knight can see within 60ft, dealing 13 (3d8) necrotic damage and pulling the creature 30ft closer to the death knight. A DC 18 strength saving throw halves the damage and the distance pulled.
• Soul Syphon (2 actions): A crackling beam of green energy targets up to three creatures that the death knight can see within 60ft, dealing 13 (3d8) necrotic damage to each with a DC 18 Wisdom save for half. The death knight and all undead allies within 10ft of it gain healing equal to the amount of damage dealt.

A Death Knight's Lair

A death knight usually rules a dark demesne, with an ominous keep or ruined castle at its centre.

A death knight encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 18, or 19 if it is also a legendary creature.

Regional Effects

The region within 5 miles of a death knight's lair is cursed, with one or more of the following effects:

• During the day, the region is deathly silent and devoid of all life. However at night the region is infested with tiny harmless undead bats, rats, snakes, lizards, and spiders that appear skeletal or decayed.
• Healing for living creatures within the area is always the minimum amount possible.
• Humanoids and steeds that die in the region will rise as skeletons or spectres at the stroke of midnight, and travel to the death knight's keep to serve in its armies.

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If the death knight is permanently destroyed, these effects fade over the course of 3d10 days.

Lair Traits

A death knight's fortress might have any or all of the following effects in place.

• The entire lair is filled with magical Darkness. Undead with darkvision can see through this darkness.
• The death knight can choose to see through the eyes of a willing undead in its lair, using the death knights own senses and eldritch sight trait. While doing so, it is blind to its own surroundings.
• Up to four Symbols of fear or pain may be placed to guard key items and doorways. The death knight can replace these symbols once triggered, using a special ritual that takes 10 minutes.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the death knight can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the death knight can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• The death knight innately casts Wall of Ice or Wall of Fire, causing the wall to appear in any location of the its choice within the lair. This effect requires no material components or concentration, and uses the death knight's spellcasting DC. When the death knight uses this action, any previous wall created with this action ends.
• The death knight summons 1d4+2 spectres, which rise from the ground in the form of ghostly skeletal warriors allied with the knight. They act on initiative count 10 and remain for one hour or until destroyed.
• The death knight's voice booms as if it was an earthquake rumbling from deep underground, delivering a message of up to 13 words and sending a tremor through the entire lair. All creatures other than the death knight and its allies must make a DC 18 Dexterity save or fall prone.