Death Knight Template

[Eryx]

I was just looking over the Death Knight template, and... didn't they used to have the ability to cast a Fireball once or twice a day?

 

[DnDChick]

I was just looking over the Death Knight template, and... didn't they used to have the ability to cast a Fireball once or twice a day?

If youre referring to the Death Knight template in Mongoose Publishing's Necromancy book, that is a different monster with the same name as the DnD Death Knight from the Fiend Folio.

The original Death Knight was more demonic than undead, and could, indeed, cast 20th level fireballs.

Mongoose Publishing didnt have the rights to publish a conversion, so Scott and Matt Sprange (of MP) worked together to write up an undead knight called the Death Knight.

Same name, different monsters. The confusion you felt is pretty common, actually...

 

[Grazzt]

Erica hit it pretty much on the head. The original conversion I did was like the original version found in the 1e FF. You can find it in the Creature Crypt section of my site:

http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/template/death_knight.htm


The one in the converted monster area is listed (with permission of Mongoose Publishing) as the one that I did for Necromancy: Beyond the Grave. Matt wanted it less demonic and more undead, hence the change in powers and abilities.

 

[Jahx]

Dragon had a Death Knight Template a few months back. In it they have an ability to cast something like a jacked up unholy fireball.

 

[DnDChick]

Yup...that would be the official conversion of the original 1e death knight. The one we have on the site is the Mongoose Publishing undead version.

Again, ours is a different monster...no relation to the 1e Death Knight other than the name.

 

[Krishnath]

Might I add that both are very cool in an unholy kind of way

I'm planning on using both for my campaign, but I will wait until I'v acuired the Epic Level Handbook, which means, it will have to wait till the end of the summer.

 

[Magus Darkholme]

Personally, I prefer the undead version over the demonic one. I think the undead one has more of a "ringwraith" kinda feel to it.

 

[Krishnath]

Ah, but both types are undead. Only difference is that one type was created by an unholy pact between a demon lord (Demogorgon to be precise) and a mortal, whereas the other was created by mortal magics.