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Demonic Knight ‘Death knight’

Demonic Knight 'Death knight'
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The Demonic Knight looms as a 6-foot-tall humanoid encased in ominous black iron half-plate armor, etched with infernal runes that glimmer faintly with a crimson hue. Its helmet, a dull black visage devoid of any openings, radiates an aura of dread, as though peering into its void-like face could sap one’s courage. A black iron longsword rests at its side, its blade subtly pulsing as if alive with chaotic energy. Capes, tattered banners, or wicked spikes often adorn their armor, signifying their station or personal victories in the name of their master. Their presence is accompanied by the acrid stench of brimstone and decay.

Behavior

Cold, calculating, and unwavering, a Demonic Knight is the embodiment of discipline in the chaotic ranks of demonic hordes. While many demons revel in destruction for its own sake, the Demonic Knight operates with grim purpose and a soldier’s efficiency. They exude an aura of fear that can paralyze weaker foes, but they remain eerily silent, speaking only when necessary or to issue commands. They neither sleep nor eat, existing solely to serve their master’s will.

Habitat

Demonic Knights hail from the roiling depths of the Abyss, often found prowling the planes of their dark overlords or haunting the shadowed halls of massive infernal citadels. On the Material Plane, they appear in desolate battlefields, cursed ruins, or areas thick with planar rifts. Wherever they walk, the air grows colder, shadows deepen, and the land itself seems to recoil from their presence.

Modus Operandi

They are meticulous in their approach, studying their enemies and striking where it hurts most. Their breath of unlife weakens foes, sapping their strength and turning the fallen into loyal shadow demons that bolster their ranks. In battle, they are relentless, leading from the front with devastating melee strikes and summoning powerful demons to overwhelm adversaries or stage tactical retreats. On missions, they carry out orders with fanatical precision, whether to eliminate a specific target, sow discord, or gather fresh victims for their master’s dark plans. They prefer to weaken opponents’ resolve through fear and attrition before delivering the killing blow.

Motivation

Driven by an unbreakable loyalty to their Abyssal master—rumored to be Orcus or another archdemon—the Demonic Knight exists to spread chaos and death. Their ultimate goal is to corrupt the Material Plane, destroy the forces of good, and gather souls for their master’s insidious designs. Yet behind their loyalty lies a dark ambition: some whisper that the most powerful among them harbor the secret desire to rise above their servitude, carving out dominions of their own within the Abyss.


  • Demonic Knight 5e
  • Demonic Knight Pathfinder
Demonic Knight 'Death knight'
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Medium fiend (chaotic evil), extraplanar


Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 150 (12d10 + 84)
Speed 40 ft.


STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
20 (+5)16 (+3)22 (+6)16 (+3)18 (+4)20 (+5)

Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +11, Wis +9, Cha +10
Skills Intimidation +15, Perception +14, Athletics +10, Insight +9
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, necrotic
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 24
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal
Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)


TRAITS

  • Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the Demonic Knight fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
  • Aura of Dread. Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the Demonic Knight must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, it is immune to this Demonic Knight’s Aura of Dread for the next 24 hours.
  • Abyssal Resilience. The Demonic Knight has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  • Unholy Fortitude. The Demonic Knight regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point remaining.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The Demonic Knight makes three attacks: two with its Demonblade and one with its Infernal Smash.
  • Demonblade (Longsword). Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d8 + 5) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The blade is infused with dark magic, and any creature hit must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or suffer disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes.
  • Infernal Smash. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and the target is knocked prone.
  • Breath of Unlife (Recharge 5-6). The Demonic Knight exhales a blast of necrotic energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Creatures reduced to 0 hit points by this attack are turned into shadow demons under the control of the Demonic Knight. These shadow demons remain under its control for 24 hours, at which point they die. This attack deals double damage to creatures that are already undead.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS

The Demonic Knight can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Demonic Knight regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

  • Demonblade Strike. The Demonic Knight makes one attack with its Demonblade.
  • Summon Abyssal Minions (Costs 2 Actions). The Demonic Knight summons 2d4 shadow demons within 60 feet. These minions act immediately after the Demonic Knight’s turn.
  • Unholy Charge (Costs 2 Actions). The Demonic Knight charges toward a creature within 40 feet, making a Demonblade attack against any creature it passes. The Demonic Knight can move through difficult terrain without expending extra movement.

REACTIONS

  • Abyssal Retaliation (Recharge 5-6). When the Demonic Knight takes damage from a creature within 60 feet, it can use its reaction to retaliate with dark, unholy energy. The attacker must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or take 26 (5d10) necrotic damage. On a successful save, the attacker takes half as much damage. If the creature fails the saving throw, it also gains one level of exhaustion as the dark energy corrodes its body and mind.

SPELLS

The Demonic Knight casts the following spells, requiring no material components. It can cast each spell at will, unless stated otherwise.

  • At will: Detect Magic, Darkness, Fear, Magic Missile (3rd level), Counterspell
  • 1/day each: Dominate Person, Fireball (5th level), Plane Shift

TACTICS

  • Opening Attack: The Demonic Knight begins combat by utilizing its Breath of Unlife, attempting to weaken enemies with its necrotic blast. It aims to reduce the number of foes quickly and turn them into loyal shadow demons under its control.
  • Engagement Strategy: The Demonic Knight will then move forward, using its Unholy Charge to close the gap with enemies and unleash its devastating Infernal Smash to knock foes prone. This allows it to easily follow up with a Demonblade attack. It will prioritize targets that pose a significant threat, such as spellcasters or leaders.
  • Minion Control: The Demonic Knight regularly summons lesser demons using Summon Abyssal Minions to harry foes and provide tactical advantages, especially if it feels outnumbered or needs to occupy the battlefield. These minions act as distractions or serve as additional threats to weaken enemies’ defenses.
  • Hit-and-Run Tactics: If outnumbered or forced into a defensive position, the Demonic Knight uses its Legendary Actions to engage and disengage rapidly, positioning itself for the next round of devastating attacks. It will typically use Demonblade Strike and Unholy Charge to deal with ranged threats or spellcasters.
  • Survival Instinct: The Demonic Knight will use Legendary Resistance to ensure it avoids harmful effects that would incapacitate or debilitate it, such as spells or abilities that force saving throws it knows it cannot win. It will use Abyssal Retaliation if an attacker gets too close, punishing any who dare strike it with necrotic energy and possibly exhausting them.

ENVIRONMENT

The Demonic Knight is typically found in the Abyss, a chaotic and horrific plane filled with ever-shifting, nightmarish landscapes. The very ground beneath it is scarred and twisted, with jagged rock formations and volcanic fissures. Pools of molten, bubbling liquid glow ominously, and the air is thick with the acrid scent of sulfur.

In its home plane, it may be found in the dark citadels or ruins of ancient Abyssal fortresses, places steeped in chaos and malice. The atmosphere is oppressive, a constant feeling of dread hanging in the air, and the horizon is often obscured by dark, swirling clouds of smoke and ash.


MOTIVATION

The Demonic Knight serves a demon lord of the Abyss, usually one with ambitions of expansion, such as Orcus, the Prince of the Undead, or Baphomet, the Horned King. It is not simply a soldier, but a harbinger of ruin, sent to corrupt, conquer, and enslave. It revels in destruction, chaos, and the corruption of mortal souls, using its terrifying powers to bring others to ruin.

The Demonic Knight may be sent to the Material Plane or other realms to recruit souls for its lord, destroy those who stand against the Abyssal forces, or corrupt righteous and just individuals to spread the influence of chaos and darkness. It is a master of fear and manipulation, breaking its enemies’ will before dealing the final, crushing blow.

Demonic Knight

This creature appears as a man-sized humanoid dressed in black iron armor. Its head is completely hidden behind a dull black helm.

Any humanoid slain by a demonic knight’s breath of unlife becomes a shadow demon in 2d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the demonic knight that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.

The demonic knight “known by some as a death knight” is rumored to be the creation of the great demon prince Orcus, the Prince of the Undead. Some sages doubt the validity of such a claim, since the demonic knights are not undead. Though no link has been proven, however, it is known that three of the most powerful demonic knights (Baruliis, Caines, and Arrunes) make their home on the same plane of the Abyss as the Prince of the Undead within the shadows of his great citadel.

The true origins of the  demonic knight lay hidden deep in the stinking pits of the Abyss, and those  brave few who have dared search for these secrets have never returned. The demonic knights serve their master (whoever it may be) with unswerving loyalty. They never question their orders and never question their superior. They are often sent to the Material Plane to recruit new bodies for their master’s next plot or deception, or to punish those that have offended their lord. On some occasions, they are simply sent to another plane to corrupt and slay those that are just and good (to the delight of their master).

A demonic knight appears as a 6-foot tall humanoid dressed in black iron half-plate armor. Its head is completely hidden beneath a helmet that it never removes. A black iron longsword is slung at its hip. Some demonic knights don capes and other decorations as a badge of station. It is unknown exactly how many demonic knights exist, but  they are believed to number no more than nine.

A demonic knight attacks using its longsword (or fists, if unarmed). Against powerful opponents, it attempts to use its breath of unlife to weaken its foes before slaying them. If melee goes against the demonic knight, it summons demons to aid it or cover its escape.


Demonic Knight  CR 12
XP 19,200  

CE Medium outsider (chaotic, evil, extraplanar)

Init +1;

Senses darkvision 60 ft.;

Perception +26 Aura fear (30 ft., DC 18)
DEFENSE
AC 31, touch 14, flat-footed 31 (+8 armor, +9 natural, +4 profane)

hp 94 (9d10+45)

Fort +11, Ref +4, Will +10

DR 10 cold iron or magic; SR 23
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft. (30 ft. base)  

Melee +1 anarchic longsword +17/+12 (1d8+7/19–20) or 2 slams +15 (1d6+6)

Special Attacks breath of unlife, create spawn,

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th)

At will – detect magic, see invisibility, wall of ice (DC 18)

2/day – dispel magic 1/day – fireball (DC 17), symbol of pain (DC 19), symbol of fear (DC 20), summon (level 9, 1d4 shadow demons, 1 vrock or marilith, 2 glabrezus or hezrous 50%)
STATISTICS
Strength 22, Dexterity 13, Constitution 20, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 18, Charisma 18

Base Atk +9; CMB +15; CMD 30

Feats Alertness, Blind-Fight, Cleave, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword) Skills Bluff +16, Climb +12, Diplomacy +16, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (planes) +16, Perception +26, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +13, Stealth +7, Survival +16;

Racial Modifiers +8 Perception

Languages Abyssal,

Common Gear masterwork half-plate, +1 anarchic longsword
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Breath of Unlife (Su)   Once every 1d4 rounds, the demonic knight can exhale a blast of negative energy in a 10-foot cone. Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save or take 2d4 points of Strength damage. A creature reduced to Strength 0 by a demonic knight dies. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Create Spawn (Su) Any humanoid slain by a demonic knight’s breath of unlife becomes a shadow demon in 2d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the demonic knight that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
ECOLOGY
Environment any (Abyss)
Organization solitary or troupe (demonic knight plus 2-4 shadow demons)
Treasure standard

Section 15: Copyright Notice – Tome of Horrors Complete

Demonic Knight from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author Scott Greene.

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