D&D Lore: Death Knight - Tales of the Tormented and Unholy

[@VABrowncoat]

Amazing! Love the DK you created. The 5E version is a step down from earlier versions. Definitely going to use it.

[@Giles29]

An interesting idea that I had was introducing an NPC paladin type in the party's early adventures who becomes sort of a rival of theirs, and ends up having the Joker's "one bad day" - after which they are killed and rise as a Death Knight and begin to do as Death Knights do. Might make it a little poignant for the party as they know the person the Death Knight used to be and like Obi-Wan Kenobi, must deal with the monster that their friend has become.

[@thesteerfamily4236]

I had an NPC villain planned for my group, who had ties to the party. Kinda. Long story. Anyway, she was a fallen paladin of Sune who became a death knight of Orcus. To hide her hideous face from her wife, she would 'harvest' the faces of beautiful maids and wear them like a mask. And she wore the ruins of a wedding gown over her charred armor, complete with a veil. She was pretty gnarly.

[@Giles29]

@@thesteerfamily4236 "What was that you were singing dear?" "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

[@Marcus-ki1en]

The sneaky thing about the Rise of the Fallen is that it can slowly sap the party of their resources on their way to (or from) the citadel. Not all at once, but slow and steady drain. Great work.

[@grumpfrog8602]

I haven't thought of it until now, but death knights really are the Darth Vader of the undead

[@RichesandLiches]

100%!

[@mcgoo721]

Thinking about reflavoring one and adjusting its stat block a bit so it can pair nicely with a mummy lord. The mummy needs some front line bulk and i could see it having a death knight-ish commander under its service.

[@kylemac8672]

KZbin algorithm sent me here. Looks like a very promising channel you have here

[@RichesandLiches]

Thank you for the kind words... I hope you know how encouraging these types of comments are after an all nighter editing... really makes it worth it. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment!

[@oldmanandrew]

That necromantic tether feature is terrifying.

[@destonlee2838]

I often nerf the DK by replacing some listed core abilities with magic items replicating those functions, but they are cursed or turn to mugglemetal outside the crypt. This allows an amuse buoche to lower level parties.

[@anon_laughing_man]

Lord Soth FTW.

[@RichesandLiches]

Agreed... Lord Soth does not get enough run. He is on my iconic lore - people list so we will get to him for sure!

[@daleortt4874]

Great video as always. I would love to take a trip down memory lane with a video about Lord Soth. Keep it up Rich, this channel is fantastic!

[@ximkai8794]

I have a death knight i love to use. When he was a man he sold his soul to the BBEG to resurrect his love. He shackles himself under the BBEG control, yet his love comes back as a zombie. I use him to pester the party regularly raising undead armies to slow them down. But he resents his station, and should the players learn of him and engage with him, they can convince him to break his magical bonds and he sacrifices himself to save the party as they flee the BBEG.

[@johnshearer4792]

You need to complete the triumphorant and do the Mummy Lord next .

[@aaronmcpherson1297]

im looking at the video right now, but i thought id take a break and sea the seeee lich as well as a dk im currently on vol 4 of liches, so much in a day lol its great ofc all thanks to Riches and Liches!

[@duanebradway1627]

A solidly developed Death Knight is always a good reoccurring boss that can make for narrow escapes and story evolution for the players.

[@Shakkarz]

riches and liches i supremely enjoy your stories man.

[@RichesandLiches]

Super kind words thank you sooo much. This community has been amazing.

[@braveherogreenleaf6256]

2:00 *INTRO TO HAMMERFALL'S NATURAL HIGH AGGRESSIVELY PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND* Great video Rich, almost as good as your lecture on blue dragons.

[@chrisragner3882]

You gave me a great idea here for my fallen elven empire! Sweet! Love it! Wicked idea you have for a Death Knight. I am thinking of a fallen Oath of the Ancients Elven Paladin Lord. His appearance is as fair as he is foul of heart. His eyes turn solid black when his necrotic malice comes forth. As the Winter Eladrin, frost forms wherever he or icy black steed step. His portion of the kingdom was swallowed up into the Realm of Shadow. The darkness is wreathed in choking vines and distorted remnants of a once lavish woodland realm where banshees are his town criers! Something like that. Keep them coming Rich!!!

[@heathharris2545]

Where do you get your art? It's all fantastic.

[@Manwendlil]

"Harness your hate, make it useful!"

[@blueperry5409]

Soth and strahd were both created by the same author, Tracy hickman.

[@JacobEddleman]

Years ago in an old campaign My level 15 paladin was turned into a death knight against his will. I moved over to the dm's side of the table and started fighting everyone of my party. I killed a few of their PC's and they teleported out. Who did this to my character? None other than asarack the legendary lich. He was a bit pissed at what we did to his tomb.

[@wizardgreen6154]

All hail the great Lord Soth, the black knight of the rose!

[@torrancerichter1469]

I have had a death knight with an intelligent sword that had dancing and vorpal, was for a max level campaign.

[@Jimmy-p9n]

My first was in the TSR dragonlance books of long ago. Could imagine a lich with his deathknight bodyguard(s).

[@carterdahl9654]

I'm using a death knight in my current game. Her name is Sel, she is the body guard for a rakshasa crime lord in Neverwinter who is fighting off incursions from the Far Realm. She also has the abilities of the echo knight from Explorer's Guide to Wildmount, combine this with legendary actions, resistances, and is stacked with magic items and she is an absolute force of nature.

[@pierrehurley]

I hope you go over the DEMI-Lich some day as well. love all that you do stuffs fantastic

[@RichesandLiches]

It is in the queue. Thanks!

[@arcaniswithertree4284]

Awesome. I love the Lord that you give out and all Homebrew tweaks

[@nbnation2725]

Well worth staying up for.

[@RichesandLiches]

Thank you for the kind words... I really do take them to heart and it makes me want to get better with each video.

[@paulgensch7007]

For some reason, I always picture the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow a Death Knight. 😅

[@redfaux74]

I would totally agree with that. He could carry his own head and use it as a thrown weapon. Thin but strong blood vessels come out of the neck, grapple and hold you to make deep bites possible. Causes zombie rot curse? Or vomit up some acidic chunks. Cough up rot grubs? Long bloody tentacle tongue? Spider limbs come out the neck. Black snake body comes out the neck. You think he missed but he's been attached to your backpack for the last 2 miles of your maddening flight. Looking at you smiling.

[@julemoorlag4748]

you're videos are really great, thank you!

[@RichesandLiches]

Thank you so much for the kind words... they mean more than most realize... especially when I am up editing after midnight on a work night :)

[@Swamp_Ave]

Making this one of my cosic campaign main villains

[@jamesmyung9777]

Hi there, in case no one mentioned it, no word on Lord Kargoth the first Death Knight? Overall a most entertaining video, thank you so much for uploading it cheers!

[@majinsole8554]

Death Knight just sounds so bad ass. ~_~

[@TenchiBushi]

Lord Soth please.

[@aaronmcpherson1297]

mm what about Drow wizards or Priestess of you know what lol its 8 legged freaky in bed, and oh ofc brings her own sheets of white, that is very comfy !!! could always just venture into the underdark as whole segment with so many things, for so many things inhabit the underdark :P

[@franklinrichards8851]

That allows made me ask how is it that the alig. of the Death Knight seems to go to CE if the person they came from is LG?

[@drifter427]

Been waiting for this one!

[@RichesandLiches]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@zimattack9994]

The death kinght is my 3rd favorite undead surpassed only by the lich at number 2 and the slaymate at number 1 Also bring it back to the lich have a sword phylactory corrupt the wielder into a death kinght Ow this would work great for two lover one a paladin the other a wizard and have them share a phylactory Also if you use music in your games look up naxxramas theme

[@RichesandLiches]

What a great suggestion! I had forgotten all about the Slaymate from 3.5 - I do not think I have seen an official release since then. A perfect homebrew and in the queue, thanks Zim!

[@NickPowers117]

Working my way through the playlist

[@experimentalgroup9473]

Lord Soth brought you here. He is THE death knight.

[@lescobrandon1011]

Nazgul

[@setelliott9683]

Yea Soth episode

[@michaelbowes6277]

Great work time and again. I am engaged.

[@KingFergus]

If you'd like to read a great book about Lord Soth pick up Knight of the Black Rose.

[@RichesandLiches]

I have read it! Excellent!

[@redfaux74]

I love the part where Soth gets perturbed with the ghost, grabs him by the neck with one hand.... ... and breaks it. And it stays that way thru the entirety of the book.

[@ashb8036]

So I think I support on patr|redacted|. KZbin doesn’t like that word when I post it. But I absolutely despise twitter(X). I’ve never really got into discord but I guess I spot by. I think I was one of the first 500 or close to it. I do accidentally click the wrong buttons so who knows if I’ve rejoined 5 times. Hmm, appears that I’m rambling. Great video as always. Maybe I’ve already commented?

[@RichesandLiches]

I cannot thank you enough... especially those first 500... and each of you were so kind and supportive which is so important at the start. In fact, I had to reach almost 10k subs before I got my first troll :) I have some big plans in 2024 and... thost first 500 have not been forgotten and they are noted!

[@ashb8036]

@@RichesandLiches but did I make the cut coach? Jk

[@LordNerfherder]

Good descriptions. You could tone down some of the reiterations, and your flavorful descriptions shows enough to not need to include telling us what it means. Paint us the picture and let us deduce what it tells us. That would make them 110%.

[@RichesandLiches]

I want to take in all constructive feedback to improve the channel so I am very interested in some clarifications on your comments (and thank you for taking the time to provide them). Perhaps you and I could chat in discord or over email sometime as I am not 100% clear on thoughts. Please reach out if you are interested and thanks again.

[@redfaux74]

I don't hear much repetition at all. That's why it is high on my list. He's quirky but that's to be expected with any nerd who plays this game. The direct, intense adjectives hit bullseye every video.

[@markcraig4036]

What about a corrupt version of custos? Custos is when a knight's weapon is imbued with a planar being of LG alignment. It grants a variety of powers. Mabye call it unholy custos. Paladins handbook

[@tooslow4065]

death knights are chaotic evil. so how and why would they serve devils?

[@RichesandLiches]

Every monster must have an alignment by rule but that is not to say that every monster must ONLY be that alignment. In fact alignment may be a thing of the past in near future. To directly answer your question... I The How: if for example - Asmodeus - decides he wants to corrupt a mortal paladin and create a death knight... why would you think he could not? Just because the monster manual says they are - generally - CE and speak abyssal? The Why: Because an Arch Devil says so... Paladin/Death Knight would not have all that much say in the matter :) I do get your point and i am certain there are those that would agree to this strick adherence, but as a 20+ year fan of homebrew who highlights homebrew in all my videos, I personally will not be bound by that constraint. Awesome comment though and i appreciate you taking the time to leave it! Thank you for listening

[@anon_laughing_man]

Lord Soth was NE.

[@tooslow4065]

@@anon_laughing_man not when he was created he wasn't.

[@redfaux74]

Any evil being will serve another evil being for great power, wealth, to fulfill their lusts.

[@DJBVWA]

I've always used LE DKs... but I still run 3e :D

[@JosephKofman]

In the Lore it specifically that all deathknights are skeletal as their flesh was consumed by baalfire as part of the dark ritual of their creation so no the can't just look like whatever Make it some other kind of dark undead monster but it is most definitely not a deathknight

[@RichesandLiches]

Fair point. I will look more into that and what my script had for adjustment. Thanks for watching and taking the time to provide feedback!

[@redfaux74]

Skeletal in no way implies NO flesh. Any Necromancer could research a spell to give undead more muscle as a vampiric bonus for strength the more they consume life energies. It could be an additional curse to consume blood, flesh to regain the additional strength daily or weekly.

[@DJBVWA]

Arthas (2nd best known Death Knight after Soth) would disagree. Lore is what the DM makes of it.

[@Andrew0McLemore]

Sooo, Darth Vader is a death knight?

[@blackwolfe638]

Where are you from?

[@RichesandLiches]

I am located in the midwest. :)

[@dzang6250]

Aight KZbin sent me here, but why does the video have three intros in it

[@RichesandLiches]

Early video in channel's history, have learned much. You might check the newer videos, this will get a remaster at some point. Thanks for the feedback.

[@blackwolfe638]

Sorry. No to the twitter. #Felonmusk

[@RichesandLiches]

Cannot argue with there to be honest... :)

[@edgeldine3499]

Great work and I enjoy the videos overall... but how you pronounce some of the names and words... sorry its nitpicky but it annoys me.

[@mindyalexander3357]

I'm playing Diablo 2 while listening. Thank you for the corpse explosion