In undeath, some death knights find a special affinity for the blood and bone of the living. They carve into their enemies, sustaining themselves with deadly sanguine strikes, while using the bloody, shattered remains of the dead to fortify their own defenses. These crimson-soaked knights bend the very rules of mortality to control the frontlines of the battlefield.

Blood Presence Spells

Death Knight Level - Spells

3rd - Command, Death Grip

5th - Blood Boil, Hold Person

9th - Life Transference, Slow

13th - Aura of Purity, Locate Creature

17th - Death Chain, Dominate Person

Dark Command

When you choose this presence at 3rd level, you gain the ability to influence other creatures. When you damage a creature through your Runic Power feature, that creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than you until the end of your next turn.

Blood Shield

Starting at 3rd level, you learn to weave your vile magic into a protective barrier. When you cast a death knight spell of 1st level or higher, you can simultaneously use the spell's dark essence to create a blood shield on yourself that lasts until you finish a long rest. The shield has hit points equal to twice your death knight level + your Charisma modifier. Whenever you take damage, the shield takes the damage instead. If this damage reduces the shield to 0 hit points, you take any remaining damage.

While the blood shield has 0 hit points, it can't absorb damage, but its magic remains. Whenever you cast a death knight spell of 1st level or higher, the shield regains a number of hit points equal to twice the level of the spell. Also, whenever you deal damage with a weapon or cantrip, the shield gains hit points equal to your charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Once you create a blood shield, you can't create it again until you finish a long rest.

Bone Storm

Beginning at 7th level, you can use your action to summon a whirlwind of jagged bones around you. The storm has a 20-foot radius and is centered on you. It moves with you, and lasts an amount of rounds equal to your charisma modifier (minimum of one) or until you are incapacitated or die. When a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes magical piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your death knight level, and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and suffers no other effects.

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

Heart Strike

At 11th level, your dark power bolsters your attacks. Whenever you deal damage for the first time in a round, the creature takes an extra 1d8 weapon damage. In addition, damage dealt by your rune strike ignores resistance to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage and treats immunity as resistances.

Purgatory

Starting at 15th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead and have your blood shield's hit points replenished to twice your death knight level.

Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Dancing Rune Weapon

At 20th level, are able to summon a spectral copy of your rune weapon, which dances menacingly in your space. The dancing rune weapon lasts for 1 minute, and is identical to your rune weapon. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

At the beginning of each of your turns, you can command your dancing rune weapon to act in one of the following ways until the start of your next turn (no action required).

Defensively : You gain the benefits of the Dodge action. In addition, you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn, except your turn. You can use this special reaction when a creature you can see makes an attack against a target other than you that is within 10 feet of you, imposing disadvantage on the attack roll.

Offensively : When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may make one additional attack with the dancing rune weapon as part of the same action. In addition, you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn, except your turn. You can use this special reaction only to make an opportunity attack with your dancing rune weapon, and you can't use it on the same turn that you take your normal reaction.