©2008 Blizzard Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Artist Credit: Glenn Rane

Death Knight

A human clad in full plate hefts his greatsword in his hands, runes glowing along its edge. He cleaves through wave after wave of undead, ending the insult that is their unnatural existence.

An elf brandishes her twin blades, drawing on the power held in their runes. In a flash of steel and blood, she buries the swords in the orc's gut, avenging the caravan he'd massacred.

Raising his skull-faced axe high, the tiefling calls on his death magic. Blood rushes forth from the orifices of the enemies before him, flying through the air and into the hungering maw of his weapon.

Whether the faithful clergy of a god of death, the survivor of a near-death experience, or simply one who stumbled upon a tome of forbidden knowledge, all death knights command the chilling grasp of the grave. Some protect the delicate cycle of life and death. Others use their terrible powers to further their own goals. All are equally, and rightfully, feared by the masses.

Death and Reverence

Death knights can be beholden to several different causes. A majority swear to defend the cycle of life and death, imposing themselves between those who would seek to end thousands of lives before their time. Many abhor the undead, seeking to eradicate the hideous mockery they make of both death and life. A few call upon their grim power in order to perpetuate death at any cost, or simply to claim more and more power for themselves. Despite these differences, all death knights share in their reverence of death's majesty.

Although some devote themselves to the service of a god, death knights can draw their power other sources as well. Epiphanies, study, pacts, and worship all lead to the well of power from which a death knight draws their strength.

Death knights engage foes up-close, empowering their weapons by carefully inscribing runes of power upon them. They draw on the power stored within these runes in order to produce devastating displays of deadly force.

Grim Outcasts

Adventuring is almost a necessity for a death knight. Due to the nature of their abilities, the majority of mortals look down upon their chosen path, fearing the reminder that their lives are finite. This leads to most death knights casting out, away from society. They may keep to the outskirts, watching for any threats to the place they once called home, or travel the countryside, providing aid from the shadows. Those that choose to remain in towns and cities are forced to either hide their abilities, or earn the trust of the citizens.

Death knights have no qualms about traveling with a party, and in fact, often welcome the chance to be social feel like part of a group. Regardless of their motivations in serving death, the value of a team is readily apparent to most death knights, some even going so far as to staunchly defend their teammates with their own lives.

Creating a Death Knight

As you create your death knight character, think about why you developed such a deep bond with death, and how you learned to command your powers. Perhaps you've sworn yourself to a deity, vowing to uphold their laws and enact their will, in exchange for a taste of their power. Maybe you are the survivor of a village that was massacred by the undead, pledging to bring true death to any who would use unnatural means avoid it, and finding your power manifesting from your desires. It could be that you view death as the only lasting peace, order in the face of life's chaos, drawing strength from your pure devotion.

As steadfast servants of death in one form or another, death knights are often of a lawful alignment. Most serve a personal code, defining their beliefs about the relationship between life and death. Others vehemently follow the word of their deity, carrying out every action in their name. A few even

believe that they have to follow a strict code as written out in ancient texts, in order to maintain control over their deathly powers.

Quick Build

You can make a death knight quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the hermit background.

Class Features

As a death knight, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per death knight level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your

Constitution modifier per death knight level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None

Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, History, Insight,

Intimidation, Survival, and Religion

Equipment

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

• (a) chain mail or (b) studded leather and five javelins
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an exploerer's pack
• Two martial melee weapons

Runes

Your connection with death allows you to tap into an ancient source of power. Your access to this power is represented by runes inscribed upon your weapon. Inscribing runes on a weapon binds it to you, transforming it into a rune weapon. You perform the inscription over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You may only have two rune weapons at a time. If you perform the 1-hour ritual on a third weapon, you must choose one of your other two weapons to cease being a rune weapon. Your death knight level determines the number of runes you can inscribe, as shown on in the Runes column of the Death Knight table.

You can expend the energy within these runes to fuel various powerful attacks with your rune weapon. You regain all expended runes when you finish a long rest. You learn another way to regain expended runes at a higher level. You can never have more runes than shown on the table for your level.

Runic Strikes

Runic strikes augment your melee weapon attacks, empowering them with deadly might. You may use any combination of different runic strikes on an attack.

You start knowing one strike: Death Strike. You learn an additional strike at 7th, and 14th levels.

Some of your runic strikes and other class features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Death Strike

You imbue your attack with necrotic energy, siphoning vitality from your enemy.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend any number of runes to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. You gain temporary hit points equal to half of the total damage dealt. The extra damage is 1d8 per rune expended.

Wraith Walk

You know how to become semi-corporeal, freeing yourself from bonds. As a bonus action on your turn, you may remove the restrained and grappled conditions from yourself, and move up to 15 feet. This movement is unaffected by difficult terrain. Your speed can't be reduced, nor can you be grappled or restrained until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 13th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Runic Power

At 2nd level, you learn to harness some of the excess energy released from the expenditure of your runes. Whenever you expend a number of runes, you generate runic power equal to the number of runes expended. You use this energy to fuel certain abilities, or to replenish expended runes. Your pool of runic power empties when you finish a long rest.

Replenishing Runes. You can regain the use of expended runes by spending runic power as a bonus action on your turn. The Replenishing Runes table shows the cost of replenishing different numbers of runes.

Replenishing Runes

Number of Runes	Runic Power Cost
1	2
2	4
3	6
4	8
5	10
6	12
7	14
8	16

Expending Runes for Runic Power. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend one or more runes and gain runic power equal to twice the number of runes expended this way.

Death Grip

Also at 2nd level, you gain the ability to manifest the cold hand of death. As a bonus action on your turn, you can grab a creature you can see within 30 feet with a spectral hand and make a grapple check against that creature. If the check succeeds, you pull the creature up to 30 feet towards you in a straight line.

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

Aspect of Death

When you reach 3rd level, you come to embody one of the aspects of death: the Aspect of Blood, the Aspect of Cold, or the Aspect of Disease, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your aspect grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, 14th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

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.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Runeforging

By 6th level, your mastery over your runic grows. You can use the power contained within them to imbue your rune weapons with more deathly power.

As a bonus action on your turn, you may expend one rune and choose one of your rune weapons. The weapon gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, and is treated as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. This bonus lasts until you finish a long rest.

Starting at 10th level, the bonus to attack and damage rolls increases to +2. At 15th level, the bonus increases to +3.

Runeforging your weapon also confers additional benefits based on your aspect:

Blood: You gain a +1 bonus to AC while holding your rune

     weapon. This bonus increases with the attack and

     damage bonus conferred by this feature.

Cold: You may choose both of your rune weapons instead

     of one when using this feature.

Disease: You gain a +1 bonus to the saving throw DCs of

     your death knight features while holding your rune

     weapon. This bonus increases with the attack and

     damage bonus conferred by this feature.

Asphyxiate

Beginning at 9th level, you can restrict your opponents breathing, stifling their attempts at casting spells. When another creature you can see within 30 feet attempts to cast a spell, you may use your reaction to attempt to silence it. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature's spell fails and has no effect.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest.

Empower Rune Weapon

At 20th level, you can tap into a hidden well of power, replenishing your expended runes. As a bonus action, you can channel the well of power through your rune weapons, replenishing all expended runes. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Aspects of Death

No matter the cause attributed to their calling as Death knights, all draw their power directly from the universal force of death. It comes in many forms though, each colored by the circumstances surrounding how a life extinguished. As their training continues and their powers grow, a death knight inevtiably discovers a facet of death upon which to focus.

Aspect of Blood

The Aspect of Blood represents the violent, vicious, and bloody deaths. Death knights who embody this aspect draw from the endless bloodshed of countless wars, using blood to bolster their own vitality.

Blood Boil

Beginning at 3rd level, you can manipulate the blood of your enemies. As an action, you can spend 1 runic power and choose any number of creatures within 5 feet of you. Each must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 1d4 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. You regain 1 hit point for each failed save.

Aspects of Death

The aspect of death that you embody has a visible effect on both you and your abilities.

Aspect of Blood. Your eyes might glow red, and blood may never seem to dry on your blade or armor. Death grip may manifest as a hand made of a blood mist. Runeforging might create a blood simulacrum of your weapon that floats beside, parrying your enemies attacks. Maybe when you asphyxiate a creature, you constrict the blood vessels in their neck, draining color from their face.

Aspect of Cold. Your skin could be cold to the touch, or your irises might be the palest shade of blue. Rime may coat your weapons, or a frozen fog could envelop you as you wraith walk. Perhaps your enemy feels as if they're breathing in knives when you use your asphyxiate.

Aspect of Disease. The runes on your weapon might glow a sickly green or yellow, while insects buzz ceaselessly around it. Using death grip may call forth a hand comprised of putrid miasma. Maybe death strike causes your weapon to drip with rot, and your asphyxiate brings about a fit of painful coughing.

You can spend additional runic power when using this feature. The range increases by 5 feet, the damage increases by 1d4, and the hit points regained for each failed save increases by 1 for each runic power spent beyond the first.

Marrowrend

By 7th level, you've learned to fortify yourself with your enemies life force.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend any number of runes in increments of two, to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. You gain resistance to all damage except psychic damage for a number of rounds equal to twice your Constitution modifier. The extra damage is 2d4 per two runes expended.

Consumption

Starting at 11th level, you gain the ability to nourish yourself with the blood of your foes.

As an action, you can spend 3 runic power to draw blood from your enemies. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature suffers necrotic damage equal to 4d6 plus your Constitution modifier on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. For each creature damaged by this feature, you regain a number of hit points equal to half your death knight level (rounded down) plus your Constitution modifier.

You can choose to spend 6 runic power instead, increasing the range of the cone to 30 feet, and the damage to 8d6 plus your Constitution modifier.

Heart Strike

At 14th level, you can imbue your attack with necrotic energy, poisoning the blood of your enemy.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend any number of runes to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. Caustic blood leaps from the first creature to another creature within 5 feet that you can see, dealing necrotic damage equal to half of the extra damage from this strike. The extra damage is 1d10 per rune expended.

Vampiric Blood

At 18th level, you master the manipulation of blood. While under the effects of your Marrowrend feature, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, and you regain double the hit points from any class feature that would cause you to regain hit points.

As an action, you may spend 4 runic power awaken your blood. Your melee weapon attacks deal an additional 1d10 necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to half of your hit point maximum (rounded down). This effect lasts for one minute, at which point the temporary hit points are lost.

Aspect of Cold

The Aspect of Cold represents the relentless, inevitability of death. Death knights who embody this aspect draw from the numerous lives snuffed out in the dead of night, shattering their foes with frigid attacks.

Howling Blast

Beginning at 3rd level, you can hinder your enemies advance. As an action, you can spend 1 runic power to freeze the ground. Choose a point within 30 feet. The ground in a 15-foot square centered on that point becomes covered in a deep frost, and turns into difficult terrain until the start of your next turn.

When the frost appears, each creature standing in its area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 1d6 + 1 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

You can spend additional runic power when using this feature. The the damage increases by 1d6 + 1 for each runic power spent beyond the first.

Obliterate

By 7th level, you've learned to lash out with brutality, crushing your foes as you strike with both of your weapons.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend any number of runes in increments of two, to deal cold damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. You also strike with your other rune weapon, dealing its weapon damage as well as any modifiers that would apply while engaging in two-weapon fighting. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw, or be knocked prone on a failed save. The extra damage is 2d10 per two runes expended.

Remorseless Winter

Starting at 11th level, you gain the ability to call forth a relentless blizzard, wrapping yourself in it and punishing those who would draw near.

As an action, you can spend 3 runic power to surround yourself with the storm. The blizzard whirls around you in a 10-foot sphere, lasting a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier. A creature that ends its turn in this area takes cold damage equal to half your death knight level, plus your Constitution modifier.

You can choose to spend 6 runic power instead, increasing the duration to be equal to twice your Constitution modifier, and the damage to be equal to your death knight level plus your Constitution modifier.

Frost Strike

At 14th level, you can imbue your attacks with bitter cold, impaling your enemies with blades of ice.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend any number of runes to deal cold damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. You also strike with your other rune weapon, dealing its weapon damage as well as any modifiers that would apply while engaging in two-weapon fighting. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw, suffering cold damage equal to your death knight level on a failed save. The extra damage is 2d6 per rune expended.

Obliteration

At 18th level, you learn to operate at peak efficiency in biting cold. When you use your remorseless winter feature, you increase the weapon damage dice of your rune weapons by one level for the duration (a d6 would become a d8, a d8 would become a d10, and so on).

As an action, you may spend 4 runic power to become a killing machine. The extra damage of your Obliterate feature becomes 2d10 per rune expended, and the attack and damage bonuses of your runeforging feature are doubled. This effect lasts for one minute.

Aspect of Disease

The Aspect of Disease represents the deaths brought on by rot, infection, and pestilence. Death knights who embody this aspect draw from the foul plagues that consume lives without number, fueling their necrotic might.

Outbreak

Beginning at 3rd level, you can cultivate the spread of a malignant disease. As an action, you can spend 1 runic power and choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Constitution saving throw, suffering 1d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Each creature within 5 feet of the target, other than you, that hasn't taken damage from this ability this turn must make a Constitution saving throw, suffering 1d6 necrotic damage on a failed save. Repeat this for each creature that takes damage from this ability.

You can spend additional runic power when using this feature. The damage increases by 1d6 for each runic power spent beyond the first.

Festering Strike

By 7th level, you've learned to channel a virulent plague through your weapon.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend any number of runes in increments of two, to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The creature, and one additional creature within 5 ft of the first, must make a Constitution saving throw, suffering 2d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The extra damage is 2d10 per two runes expended.

Ebon Fever

Starting at 11th level, you become a herald of pestilence, spreading illness and decay where you please.

As an action, you can spend 3 runic power to inflict the masses with an ebon fever. Choose a number of creatures up to your Constitution modifier within 30 feet of you that you can see. Each must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature suffers 6d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. When you roll a 1 on a damage die for this ability, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

You can choose to spend 6 runic power instead, increasing the damage to 12d6, and the number of targets to twice your Constitution modifier. In addition, when you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for this ability, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Scourge Strike

At 14th level, you can imbue your attack with necrotic energy, crippling your foe with vile contagions.

When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend any number of runes to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The creature is then afflicted with a disease of your choice from the list below, based on the number of runes expended. You afflict the creature with a disease of your choice from any of the ones listed below, based on the number of runes expended. See the Contagion spell on page 227 of The Player's Handbook for descriptions of the diseases.

The disease lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier. At the end of each of the creature's turns, it must make a Constitution saving throw, ending the disease on a success. The extra damage is 1d10 per rune expended

Replenishing Runes

Runes					Disease Options
1					Blinding Sickness
2					Filth Fever, Mindfire, Seizure
3					Slimy Doom, Flesh Rot

Defile

At 18th level, your diseases become more foridable and contagious. Your diseases caused by your scourge strike feature now last a number of rounds equal to twice your Constitution modifier, and are ended only after two succesful saves.

As an action, you may spend 4 runic power to become a paragon of contagion. When you use your scourge strike feature, you may choose a number of creatures equal to your constitution modifier within 10 feet of the target. Each must make a Constitution saving throw, suffering the extra damage from the feature on a failed save, or half as much on a succesful one. On a failed save, they are also afflicted with the same disease chosen for the first target. This effect lasts for one minute.

©2007 Blizzard Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Artist Credit: Mark Gibboons