New Base Class: 3rd Generation Death Knight

Description: A new group of Death Knights, the Death Knights of Acherus, were raised by the Lich King to garrison the Necropolis of Acherus: The Ebon Hold to ultimately be used to assault Light's Hope Chapel and destroying the Argent Dawn. These Death Knights were inevitably freed from the Lich King's control during the Battle of Light's Hope Chapel. Darion Mograine thrust the corrupted Ashbringer into Tirion Fordring, thus cleansing it and allowing Tirion to strike a blow to Arthas. This strike weakened his control over the Death Knights of Acherus, the betrayal to Mograine and his knights also helped in this outcome.

Under the name of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, the Death Knights of Acherus lead by Darion Mograine, set themselves upon the Scourge, vowing revenge and pledging their allegiance to Tirion and the newly formed Argent Crusade.

Races: Any race is capable of becoming a Death Knight of the Ebon Blade. One must simply be raised into undeath by their necromancers, or other means. The process isn't as complex as it was with previous Death Knight generations.

Alignment: Death Knights, being undead, aren't typically of good alignments and may tend to fall under Chaotic, or Evil Alignments. Especially considering the fact that these Death Knights must inflict pain upon others on a daily basis or suffer immense aches and pains.

Affiliation: Knights of the Ebon Blade, chiefly, but the Death Knights are generally welcomed, to an extent, within their former faction's lands.

Abilities: Strength is the most important ability for a Death knight, many of it's abilities are based on Strength. Intellect determines their spellcasting potential. Strength and Stamina are generally more important because they tend to fight up close and personal, preferring to inflict direct pain upon their enemies.

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills-- The Death Knights class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Sta), Craft (Int), Craft (trade skill) (Int), Climb (Str), Knowledge (military tactics) (Int), Jump (Str), Ride (Agi), Swim (Str), Bluff (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha)

Class Features{:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Death Knights are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (Heavy, medium and light), but not with shields.

Unholy Strike-Twice per day, a death knight may attempt an unholy strike with one normal melee attack. He must declare his intent to use unholy strike before he makes his attack roll. If he hits, he deals 1d6 extra points of damage, +1 additional point of damage per death knight level+his strength bonus. His weapon is considered evil aligned for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. If the death knight misses with his unholy strike, the strike has no effect but is still used up for the day. At 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th levels the death knight may use unholy strike one additional time per day.

Runeblade-When an individual is raised as a Death Knight, the Ebon Blade grants them a magic weapon, usually a sword: A Runeblade. The death knight can choose the sword's type (Such as scimitar, longsword, or greatsword), and every so often death knights wield a different type of runed weapon. The runeblade is a magic weapon that can be emblazoned with different runes as the death knight grows in power. Note that, in the hands of anyone but the death knight, the runeblade functions as a simple +1 sword (or other appropriate weapon). Note also that the runeblade can gain additional magical enhancements the normal way.

Important: Runes can only be emplazoned at a runeforge, which are located at Acherus: The Ebon Hold as well as The Shadow Vault. Also, if a death knight is not in possession of their runeblade they lose all ability to cast.

Lichbane: Adds 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. In addition, it also deals an extra 1d10 points of fire damage on a successful critical hit.(Does not stack with Flaming Burst) Razorice: Adds 1d6 points of cold damage on a successful hit. In addition, it also deals an estra 1d10 points of cold damage on a successful critical hit.(Does not stack with Icy Burst) Spellshattering: If the weapon is in hand when its owner is affected by any enchantment, transformation or curse, the weapon automatically casts a break enchantment spell against the effect. This ability functions once per hour. The wielder can suppress this ability if he wishes the spell to affect him.(Does not stack with Magic Defense) Cinderglacier: When the wielder casts a spell, the damage it deals increases by 10%(round down). Thus, an arcane missile is not improved (since each missle deals less than 10 points of damage), but a frost nova that deals 36 points of damage gains a +3 points of bonus damage.(Does not stack with Spell Power) Swordshattering: The wielder gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and Agility.(Does not stack with Of the Tiger) Nerubian Carapace: Allows the wielder to transfer some or all of the weapon's enhancement bonus to his AC as a bonus that stacks with all others. As a free action, the wielder chooses how to allocate the weapon's enhancement bonus at the start of his turn before using the weapon, and the effect to AC lasts until his next turn. (Does not stack with Defending) Stoneskin Gargoyle: The wielder gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and Stamina. (Does not stack with Of the Boar) Fallen Crusader: Activates on a 15-20. The wielder regains 3d8 points and a +8 bonus to Strength for 1 round. This strength bonus applies to the current attack, dealing additional damage. (Does not stack with Crusader enchantment)

Undead Minions- At 2nd level, the death knight may raise a force of undead to serve as his personal combatents; this ability functions as either animate dead or create dead. The death knight may use his animate dead ability twice per day or his create undead ability once per day (but he cannot use both in the same day). At any given time, the total hit dice of the undead the death knight has created or animated must be equal to or less than his Strength modifier +twice his death knight level.

Alabaster Skin- At 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level, the death knight's skin hardens and grows pale, resembling marble or alabaster. (His hair also develops streaks of white, and some death knights' hair goes completely white as they progress in power.) He gains a +1 bonus to his Natural AC.

Dark Grace- At 3rd level, the death knight gains a bonus equal to his strength modifier on all saving throws.

Death Coil- At 4th level, the death knight can use death coil as a spell-like ability once per day. His caster level is equal to his death knight level and the save DC is 13 + his strength modifier. At 6th level, he can use it twice per day. At 8th level, the death knight can instead use greater death coil and use the ability three times per day. The save DC increases to 14 + the death knights Strength modifier. This ability can be used an additional one time per day at 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th levels. The save DC also increases by +1 (At 10th level it would be 15 + his strength modifier, at 12th level it would be 16 + his strength modifier, and so on).

Death Pact- At 5th level, the death knight can use death pact as a spell-like ability once per day. The DC is 15 + the death knight's Strength modifier. At 10th level the death knight can use this ability at will, and three times per day he can increase its range to 30 feet. If he does so, the save DC increases by +5.

Undying- At 7th level, the death knight becomes immune to all death spells and magical death effects. In addition, he is treated as an undead creature for the purposes of spells and special abilities. (Positive energy damages him and negative energy heals him, for example.) However, he does not gain any other undead traits, such as immunity to critical hits.

Death Gate- At 11th level, the death knight is able to summon a dark gate of negative energy that allows them to travel to a sanctuary location that you have designated. This ability can only be used once per day and it is a full round action to cast.

Death and Decay- At 19th level, the death knight can use death and decay as a spell like ability once per day.

Presences: Beginning at 3rd level, a death knight gains a presence. Their necromantic energies manifest around their bodies in a tangible field that affects only themselves. At 3rd level a death knight gains Blood Presence, at 6th level they gain Frost Presence and at 9th level they gain Unholy Presence. A death knight may only have one presence active at a time. It is a standard action to activate a presence. Each presence can be activated one time per day, which that limit increases with every three levels after 3rd level. Presences last for 1 minute per death knight level.

Blood Presence- The death knight receives a +5 bonus to their Stamina and a +5 Armor bonus to their AC.

Frost Presence- The death knight receives a +5 bonus to their Strength score.

Unholy Presence- The death knight receives an extra attack during their attack turn and their base land speed increases by 10.