King Arthur Pendragon — High King of Camelot

King Arthur Pendragon

Medium humanoid (human), Lawful Good

Armor Class: 20 (plate armor and shield)
Hit Points: 220 (20d10 + 100)
Speed: 30 ft.

Saving Throws: Str +10, Con +9, Wis +9, Cha +10
Skills: Athletics +10, History +8, Insight +9, Persuasion +10
Senses: Passive Perception 14
Languages: Common, Celestial, Draconic
Challenge Rating: 15 (13,000 XP)

Traits:

• Legendary Resistance (3/Day): Automatically succeed on a failed saving throw 3 times per day.
• Inspiring Presence (Action, once per short rest): Allies within 30 ft. gain advantage on saving throws against fear and receive 10 temporary hit points.
• Aura of Valor: Allies within 10 ft. gain a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws.

Actions:

• Multiattack: Makes three melee attacks.
• Excalibur (Artifact):Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft.; Hit: 15 (1d10 + 5) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) radiant damage.
  • Artifact Description: Excalibur is a legendary sword imbued with divine radiance, forged by ancient magic and blessed by the Lady of the Lake. Its ethereal glow cleaves through darkness and evil, and it symbolizes the divine right and courage of its wielder.
• Royal Command (Recharge 5–6): Enemies within 30 ft. must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom save or be charmed for 1 minute; affected enemies may repeat the saving throw at the end of each turn.

Bonus Actions:

• Defensive Stance: Adopts a defensive posture, gaining a +2 bonus to AC until the start of his next turn.

Reactions:

• Parry: When hit by a melee attack, adds +3 to AC to potentially turn the hit into a miss (requires seeing the attacker and wielding a melee weapon).

Legendary Actions: (3 per round; regained at the start of his turn)

• Strike: Makes one Excalibur attack.
• Command Ally: One ally within 30 ft. may immediately use their reaction to make one weapon attack.
• Inspiring Shout (Costs 2 Actions): Allies within 30 ft. gain 10 temporary hit points and may use a bonus action on their turn.

Spell-Like Abilities:

• Divine Smite (1/Day): When hitting with Excalibur, adds 21 (6d6) extra radiant damage—or 28 (8d6) radiant damage against undead or fiends.
• Lay on Hands (1/Day): As an action, heals an ally he touches for up to 30 hit points.
• Bless (1/Day): Casts bless without requiring concentration; all allies within 30 ft. gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws for 1 minute.

Tactics & Combat Strategy:

• Frontline Leadership: Leads from the front, bolstering allies with Inspiring Presence and Aura of Valor while engaging foes with Excalibur.
• Defensive Play: Uses Defensive Stance and Parry to mitigate damage and protect allies.
• Battlefield Control: Employs Royal Command to charm and disorient enemies, creating openings for his forces.
• Dynamic Support: Utilizes Legendary Actions to maintain pressure on foes and coordinate with his party.
• Divine Smite Usage: Saves Divine Smite for critical strikes, particularly effective against unholy adversaries.

Character Description:
King Arthur Pendragon embodies chivalric honor and noble leadership. With an unwavering gaze and commanding presence, he inspires hope in allies and caution in his enemies. Guided by duty and the weight of destiny, every swing of Excalibur—a divine artifact of immense power—is dedicated to forging a realm where valor and righteousness prevail. Despite personal betrayals and the burdens of prophecy, Arthur’s resolve remains unyielding as he fights for justice and unity.

Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table—he is easily one of the most enduring popular mythological figures in human history.

D&D 5E – Mythological Figures: King Arthur (5E) | EN World | Dungeons & Dragons | Tabletop Roleplaying Games

What we do know is that there likely was some fellow named Arthur going about fighting Saxons in the late 400s and early 500s but there is a tremendous amount of folklore that’s come in his wake in the millennium and a half since then. Whether or not he made as big of an impact as some schools of thought claim (killing 960 men by his own in the Battle of Badon, for instance) is still a matter of academic debate.

Design Notes: For our purposes here I decided to gauge him against the other Knight of the Round Table but with a focus on the royalty aspect—what I consider to be the best known part what with him being a king and all—and that he’s the center of the Arthurian legend. With that in mind I opened the throttle up and put him near 20th level, with a nod towards fighter battlefield tactics (taken from Mike Mearls’ warlord class work) and a heavy shoulder into divine sovereignty of rule via paladin.

King Arthur
Medium humanoid (human), neutral good fighter (warmaster) 4/paladin (oath of royalty) 15

Armor Class 19 (scale mail, shield, defense fighting style)
Hit Points 142 (19d10+38)

Speed 30 ft.

Saving Throws Str +13, Dex +6, Con +12, Int +5, Wis +5, Cha +8
Skills Athletics +9, History +7, Insight +7, Persuasion +10
Condition Immunities disease
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Common (Anglo-Saxon), Cymric (Celtic-Welsh)
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

Background: Noble – Lordship. Due to his lordship King Arthur receives a measure of respect wherever he goes. He is treated as royalty (or as closely as possible) by most peasants and traders, and as an equal when meeting other authority figures (who make time in their schedule to see him if requested to do so).

Action Surge (1/short rest). On his turn, King Arthur can take an additional action on top of his regular action and a possible bonus action.

Aura of Courage. King Arthur and friendly creatures within 10 feet of him can’t be frightened while he is conscious.

Aura of Protection. Whenever King Arthur or a friendly creature within 10 feet of him must make a saving throw, the creature gains a +4 bonus to the saving throw as long as the King Arthur is conscious (included in his statistics).

Channel Divinity (1/short rest). King Arthur can channel his divinity through the two following features.

Royal Challenge. King Arthur calls out a provocation to creatures he selects that are able to see him and with 30 feet. A challenged creature makes a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or can’t choose to move further than 30 feet away from King Arthur until he dies, is incapacitated, or a creature is moved more than 30 feet away from him by another effect.
Warrior Rally. King Arthur can use a bonus action to call out a rallying cry to creatures he selects that are able to see him and within 30 feet. If a selected creature has no more than half of its hit points, it regains 1d6+4 hit points.​

Cleansing Touch (4/long rest). King Arthur can use his action to end one spell on himself or on one willing creature that he touches.

Divine Sense (5/long rest). As the paladin class feature.

Divine Smite. When King Arthur hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, he can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.

Lay on Hands (75 points). As an action, King Arthur can touch a creature and restore a number of hit points to it, up to the maximum amount remaining in this pool. Alternatively, he can expend 5 hit points to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it.

Royal Fortitude. King Arthur has advantage on saving throws made to resist the paralyzed and stunned conditions.

Second Wind (1/short rest). On his turn, King Arthur can use a bonus action to regain 1d10+4 hit points.

Spellcasting. King Arthur is a 15th-level spellcaster that uses Charisma as his spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18; +10 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following spells prepared from the paladin’s spell list:

1st-level (4 slots): bless, command, compelled duel, detect evil and good, detect magic, divine favor, shield of faith
2nd-level (3 slots): aid, find steed, lesser restoration, warding bond, zone of truth
3rd-level (3 slots): aura of vitality, magic circle, remove curse, spirit guardians
4th-level (2 slots): banishment, death ward, guardian of faith
​

Tactical Focal Point. King Arthur selects a 10-foot square to be his tactical focal point as a bonus action or as part of the attack action, choosing one of the following benefits to apply to it. This lasts until he cannot take actions or uses this feature again. Each time King Arthur completes a long rest, he can swap one of these benefits for a different one.

• Area Clear. When an ally inside King Arthur’s focal point hits a creature with an attack, the ally can move that creature 5 feet.
• Cover the Flank. As many as three target creatures of King Arthur’s choice can use a reaction to move up to their speed when an enemy that he can see enters his focal point, so long as that movement does not end in the focal point. If a target creature is ending their movement adjacent to the enemy that triggered this feature, they do not have to use their reaction.
• Run Away! When an ally inside of King Arthur’s focal point is forced to make a Dexterity saving throw, they moves up to their speed by using their reaction and are no longer subjected to the triggering effect if their movement takes them outside of the area or range.

Tactical Mastery (3/long rest). King Arthur uses part of his Attack action or a bonus action to take mastery of the battlefield, granting it to himself and allies within his focal point by expending uses of this feature. A creature that is granted a use of King Arthur’s Tactical Mastery can either regain 2d10 hit points when it is granted (any hit points greater than its maximum are temporary hit points) or use it to deal an extra 2d10 damage with an attack.

ACTIONS

Extra Attack. King Arthur attacks twice whenever he takes the Attack action on his turn.

Enchanted Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8+6) magical slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage.

Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.

REACTIONS

Loyalty to the Crown. King Arthur can use his reaction to take the damage from an attack that would otherwise damage a creature within 5 feet of him. He is unable to reduce or prevent the damage he takes from this attack.

Excalibur
GMs that want King Arthur’s sword (the legendary Excalibur) to be more powerful can give him a holy avenger instead, changing his statistics as follows.

1) Increase King Arthur’s challenge rating to 14 (11,500 XP).
2) Add this feature:​

Holy Avenger. While King Arthur is wielding his sword, he and all creatures friendly to him and within a 10-foot radius have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.​

3) Remove the Enchanted Longsword attack and replace it with this attack:​

Holy Avenger. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (1d8+8) magical slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant damage. If the target is a fiend or undead, it takes 11 (2d10) radiant damage.​

King Arthur Pendragon

“Take thou Excalibur, my good sword, and go with it to yonder water side, and when thou comest there I charge thee throw my sword in that water. . . . Alas, help me hence, for I dread me I have tarried over long. . . . Comfort thyself and do as well as thou mayst, for in me is no trust for to trust in; for I will into the vale of Avilion to heal me of my grievous wound: and if thou hear never more of me, pray for my soul.”

Arthur was the son of Uther and defeated the barbarians in a dozen battles. Subsequently, he conquered a wide empire and eventually he has gone to war with the Romans

Arthur’s conception when Uther approached Igraine who was made, by Merlin’s sorcery, to resemble her husband. The child was given to Ector to be raised in secret. After Uther’s death there was no High-king ruling Albion. Merlin had placed a sword in a stone, saying that whoever drew it out would be king.

Arthur did so and Merlin had him crowned. This led to a rebellion by eleven rulers which Arthur put down. He married Guinevere whose father gave him the Round Table as a dowry; it became the place where his Warriors sit, to avoid quarrels over precedence. A Magnificent reign followed, Arthur’s court becoming the focus for many heroes.However, his most illustrious Warrior, Lancelot, became enamoured of Guinevere and an affair between them has followed.

Arthur is married to the beautiful Guinevere, whom he met when he came to the aid of her father, Laodegan, who was being besieged by enemy forces. Despite the fact that they were outnumbered, Arthur and his company attacked and drove them away. In gratitude, Laodegan promised Arthur anything he wanted. The young king, who had fallen in love with his host’s daughter the instant he saw her, asked for Guinevere’s hand in marriage. Laodegan was happy to comply, though it was not clear that Guinevere returned Arthur’s feelings. In addition, Laodegan presented Arthur with an oak table large enough to seat 250 knights. This table eventually became known as the Round Table.

Physically, Arthur is a huge man with strong, honest features, a heavy beard, and a penetrating gaze. He is never far from his famous sword, Excalibur, or its magical scabbard.

Arthur is not only the principal defender of Britain, but the embodiment of her ethical ideals as well.

He rules his realm, with compassion, wisdom, and, when need be, unappeasable might.

Used with permission from Paolo

As seen in Paolo’s thread at Dicefreaks

Burst of speed Arthur may urge his mount to greater than normal speed when charging, doubling the maximum distance the mount can travel when making a charge, up to four times his speed.

Deadly charge 1/day, while mounted and using the charge action, Arthur may attempt a deadly charge. If he hits, he deals triple damage with a melee weapon, or quadruple with a lance. If he misses the attack roll, the attempt is failed and can’t be tried again. This ability does not stack with the Spirited Charge feat.

Mounted weapon bonus Arthur has a +1 bonus on attack rolls with sword and lance while mounted.

Excalibur

Excalibur: Sword of Arthur the sword was known to protect Arthur from wounding, except if the sheath was separated from it. Given to Arthur by the Lady in the Lake in return for a favor to be named later,

Excalibur is the magical sword which gave Arthur the power to unite the kingdoms Its origins are as misty as the location of Avalon, but it is clear that the weapon was forged by some supernatural being in order to assist worthy kings in defending Albion.

If stolen, taken by treachery, or lifted in an evil cause, Excalibur will break upon contact with another weapon. It can only be mended by returning all of the resulting pieces to the Lady of the Lake, she will only mend it for a worthy king, such as Arthur. Excalibur greater artifact, +6 longsword with the following powers:

Incredible Keen : Excalibur has triple normal threat range (15-20)

Sharpness : Upon a roll of natural 20 (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit), Excalibur severs one extremity of the opponent from its body. Usually in melee combat against humanoid creatures, the extremity severed is the weapon-wielding hand. Against other creatures, it may be a claw, or a tentacle, or even a head in Hydra’s case.

The victim loses one-sixth of his hp (rounded down) and one point of Constitution.

Note that some creatures are immune to this attack, like oozes. Others, such as golems and undead creatures, are not affected by the mutilation hp loss and the resulting Constitution loss. Nor are regenerating creatures, which can regrow their lost limbs.

Holy power: This weapon is good-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damager reduction. When Excalibur strikes an evil target, this power erupts forth and deals +3d6 points of bonus holy (good) damage to the target, and the target gains one negative level (Fortitude DC 23 to remove 24 hours later).

On a successful critical hit it instead deals +6d6 points of holy (good) damage and bestows two negative levels. The weapon bestows three negative levels on any evil creature attempting to wield it. These negative levels remain as long as the weapon is in hand and disappear when the weapon is no longer wielded. These negative levels never result in actual level loss, but they cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells) while the weapon is wielded.

Luck : Excalibur grants the wielder a +3 bonus on reflex and fortitude saves, and +5 to will saves

No disarm: +20 on disarm rolls made against the wielder

Improved Sunder: Excalibur is made with a material of unknow origin, stronger than Adamantine. (consider a 30 hardness as Excalibur base hardness). +10 to sunder rolls, and +20 to the damage dealt by Excalibur to other objects with an inferior hardness. Example: if faced with a +5 iron longsword (hardness 20, 55 hp), Excalibur would deal 1d8 + 6 + (strenght of the wielder) + (eventual feat bonus damage) + 20 of damage on a successful sunder attempt.

Incredibile edge: non-magic natural armor can’t stop the edge. Excalibur ignores any ‘normal’ natural armor. If the creature hit can be fully damaged by magical or specific material weapons, then the natural armor class will apply to the AC total. For example, if faced against an Achaierai, a wielder of Excalibur would only need to hit AC 10 and not 20, as the +10 natural armor won’t count in calculating the creature’s AC. If faced by a Young Adult Black Dragon, the AC would be as normal (24), since a Young Adult Black Dragon has a DR 5/magic.

Excalibur will manifest all his powers only if welded by a good character : if used by other good-aligned beings, will retain only his +6 bonus. In the hands of a neutral character, it will be a +3 weapon. If used in an evil cause, it will break on contact with another weapon. It can be mended by the lady of the lake or by a power with the capability to create greater artifacts.

The Scabbard of Arthur

Given to him by the Lady of the Lake along with Excalibur. Who ever wore it would not take damage and would not bleed from the blow of a weapon. As valuable as Excalibur itself is the sword’s scabbard which prevents blood from flowing from its wearers wounds. Anyone wearing the scabbard suffers damage from bludgeoning, magic, fire, and other forms of non-cutting attacks. The scabbard only functions for a Lawful Good wearer.

Scabbard Excalibur’s scabbard is as precious as the sword: the wielder is immune to any piercing or slashing damage. He can be normally damaged by bludgeoning attacks.

Cernwennan

Arthur’s Dagger

Rhongomiant

The spear of King Arthur

Wigar

The armor of King Arthur