how to become a dark knight

There are many warriors in both real-life history and fictional settings who adorn themselves in jet black armor and refer to themselves as dark knights. The title has a little more meaning in the Final Fantasy series, as there are Dark Knights who can expend their own hit points in order to deal more damage against their foes. It's possible to create the Dark Knight job from the Final Fantasy series as a fighter archetype in Dungeons & Dragons.

The version of the Dark Knight we have created uses a mixture of abilities that the job has had throughout the Final Fantasy series. The gimmick of the Dark Knight is spending hit points in order to gain temporary power boosts. They'll quickly become friends with the healers of the group and will likely be seen chugging healing potions between battle.

The Dark Knight Job In D&D

Dark Knight Features

The Dark Knight is an archetype for the fighter class, which means that it can be selected at level three. Several of the Dark Knight class features involve spending hit points. If the Dark Knight lacks the hit points to spend on an effect, then it cannot be used. The Dark Knight cannot spend temporary hit points to power their abilities. The Dark Knight gains the following features -

Level Three: Soul Eater -The Dark Knight gives of their own soul to empower their weapon with a crackling black flame. When the Dark Knight strikes an enemy, they can spend ten hit points in order to add 2d6 necrotic damage to their attack. The Dark Knight can spend additional hit points to add more damage dice, depending on their fighter level (3d6 for 20 hit points at level six, 4d6 for 30 hit points at level nine, etc.)

Level Seven: Dark Wave -The Dark Knight causes their Soul Eater ability swarm out of their enemy and strike nearby foes. Instead of using the necrotic damage of Soul Eater to harm the enemy they have just struck, they can use it against any other foe within 30ft. They can spread multiple damage dice across several foes.

Level Ten: Proof of Courage -The Dark Knight can spend some of their life force to protect their body from harm. A Dark Knight can use their reaction to spend 30 hit points. If they do, they protect themselves from one of the following conditions until their next turn – Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, or Poisoned. If they are already inflicted with one of these conditions when Proof of Courage is used, then it's removed.

Level Thirteen: Charon -The Dark Knight has become so adept at honing their life force that they can refine it into an unstoppable blade. A Dark Knight can spend 30 hit points when performing an attack. If they do, then they ignore the resistances (but not immunities) of the enemy they are attacking until the start of their next turn. This can be used in conjunction with Soul Eater (but not Dark Wave), assuming they have the hit points to spend.

Level Fifteen: Dark Blade -The Dark Knight can implant a small drop of their life force into a weapon, causing to explode in an inferno of black energy. Once per day, the Dark Knight can cast Banishing Smite, with the difference being that the spell deals necrotic damage instead of force.

The Soul Givers

via.FinalFantasyWikia

It's a proven fact in the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse that souls exist, to the point where they can be struck by certain kinds of attacks. It's only natural that a passionate warrior would learn how to harness this energy within their body, even at the cost of their own health. The powers of a Dark Knight are not easily discovered and they are even harder to master. It's likely that the character underwent great personal tragedy in order to use the powers of a Dark Knight for the first time, which caused them to carve off a piece of their spirit and bring it into the real world.

The other thing that players need to consider is motive. What causes a person to master an art that involves damaging their soul in order to become stronger? Despite the name, there is no reason why a L/N/C Good character couldn't become a Dark Knight. It's possible they have a certain enemy in mind that they want to destroy, or seek revenge upon, so they sought out forbidden arts in order to become stronger. A person could still love and care for others while having no regard for their own safety. The same could also be true of Neutral characters. Evil characters simply have no regard for their own soul, so they would see it as a disposable resource on the path to power.

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