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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 121735" data-attributes="member: 172">Well, when I conceived it, it was to make lower level Death Knight villains playable, inspired by an old (2e) Dragon article:DEATH KNIGHT (template)The death knight is a thankfully rare form of undead. It is said that the mantle of the death knight is an enticement and a curse used by great powers of chaos and evil (demon princes and evil deities) in the corruption of bastions of virtue such as paladins, and rewards for their most trusted thanes.The death knight appears as a gaunt skeletal form – not unlike a lich – though such a creature is almost always clad in the armor it owned in life, save that the armor is almost always black, as if blasted and charred by some great heat. The eyes of the death knight gleam from within its helmed skull like glowing orange embers.CREATING A DEATH KNIGHT"Death Knight" is a template that can be added to any humanoid ex-paladin (fallen) or blackguard of at least 5th level (referred to hereafter as the "character"). The character's type changes to "undead." It uses all the character's statistics and abilities except as noted here.Hit Dice: Increase to d12Speed: Same as the character.AC: The death knight has +5 to its natural armor bonus.Special Attacks: A death knight retains all the character's special attacks and also gains those listed below. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 death knight's HD + death knight's Charisma modifier unless noted otherwise.Fear Aura (Su): A death knight continuously radiates fear in a 5-foot radius; anyone coming within this radius must make a Will save or be affected as though by fear as cast by a sorcerer of the death knight's level. Once a creature makes a saving throw versus this effect, they cannot be affected by it again for 24 hours.Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): A death knight with an intelligence or wisdom of 8 or better gains a number of spell like abilities, according to its hit dice or level. Abilities are cumulative. All abilities are as if cast by a sorcerer of level equal to the Death Knight's level/HD, and are usable once per day except as noted below.Level:        Abilities:5-6        Dispel magic (2/day)7-8        Fireball9-10        Wall of Ice11-12        Power Word Stun13-14        Power Word Blind15-16        Symbol (pain or fear only)17-18        Power Word Kill19+        Summon Monster IX (fiends only)Rebuke Undead: If the death knight could channel positive or negative energy in life (including as an ex-paladin), they have the ability to rebuke (and command) undead at the same level that they turned or rebuked undead in life.Special Qualities: A death knight retains all the character's special qualities and gains those listed below, and also gains the undead type (see page 6, Monster Manual).Detection (Su): A death knight can see invisibility and detect magic continuously.Darkvision (Ex): Range 60 feet.Turn Resistance (Ex): A death knight has +4 turn resistance.Spell Resistance (Ex): A death knight gains SR equal 12 + its level/HD. If the level check to penetrate this spell resistance fails by 10 or more, or a natural 1 is rolled on the dice for the check, the spell is turned as if affected by spell turning spell.Nightmare Steed: If the character has sufficient paladin level to have the special mount ability, or sufficient blackguard level to have the fiendish servant ability, the death knight may use the ability to call a nightmare instead.Saves: Same as the characterAbilities: A death knight gains a +4 to Strength and a +2 to Wisdom and Charisma, but being undead, has no Constitution score.Skills: Death knights gain a +8 racial bonus to Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the character.Feats: Same as the characterClimate/Terrain: Any land and undergroundOrganization: Solitary, Gang (2-5), or Retinue (1-2 Death Knights, plus 11-20 skeletons, zombies, ghouls, ghasts, or wights)Challenge Rating: Same as the character +2Treasure: NoneAlignment: Always chaotic evilAdvancement: By character classI was thinking about redoing it taking some of the LGJ's version of the template into account.</blockquote>

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