Eldritch Knight (5e Class)

Eldritch Knight

Might & Magic

The eldritch knight combines the martial mastery of the fighter with the the gift for magic and willpower to use it of the sorcerer in one package. Only a very rare few are able to do so but they are greatly respected for their ability to simultaneously walk opposite paths.

Creating an Eldritch Knight

Quick Build

You can make an Eldritch Knight quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the Soldier background.

Class Features

As a Eldritch Knight you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Eldritch Knight level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Eldritch Knight level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: all armor, shields
Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose any three

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, longbow, and 20 arrows
• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Table: The Eldritch Knight

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Spellblade	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	Spell Slots	Slot Level
1st	+2	1d4	Fighting Style, Spellblade, Spellcasting	4	2	2	1st
2nd	+2	1d4	War Magic	4	3	2	1st
3rd	+2	1d4	Archetype	4	4	2	1st
4th	+2	1d4	Ability Score Improvement	4	5	2	1st
5th	+3	1d6	Extra Attack	5	6	3	2nd
6th	+3	1d6	Archetype Feature	5	7	3	2nd
7th	+3	1d6	Eldritch Strike	5	8	3	2nd
8th	+3	1d6	Ability Score Improvement	5	9	3	2nd
9th	+4	1d6	Extra Elements, Arcane Teleportation	5	10	4	3rd
10th	+4	1d6	Archetype Feature	6	10	4	3rd
11th	+4	1d8	Extra Attack (2)	6	11	4	3rd
12th	+4	1d8	Ability Score Improvement	6	11	4	3rd
13th	+5	1d8	—	6	12	5	4th
14th	+5	1d8	Archetype Feature	6	12	5	4th
15th	+5	1d8	Blink	6	13	5	4th
16th	+5	1d8	Ability Score Improvement	6	13	5	4th
17th	+6	1d10	—	6	14	6	5th
18th	+6	1d10	Improved War Magic	6	14	6	5th
19th	+6	1d10	Ability Score Improvement	6	15	6	5th
20th	+6	1d10	Archetype Feature, Extra Attack (3)	6	15	6	5th

Fighting Style

You adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Spellblade

You know a ritual that creates a magical bond between yourself and one melee weapon and imbues it with an element of your choosing: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short or long rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond. Whenever you hit with a weapon attack using that weapon you deal an extra 1d4 of damage of the chosen element. The amount of this damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Spellblade column of the Eldritch Knight table. Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can’t be disarmed of that weapon unless you are incapacitated. If it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand. You can have up to three bonded weapons, and can summon any or all of them as a bonus action.

Spellcasting

An event in your past, or in the life of a parent or ancestor, left an indelible mark on you, infusing you with arcane magic. This font of magic, whatever its origin, fuels your spells.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know four cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. You learn additional sorcerer cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Eldritch Knight table.

Spell Slots

The Eldritch Knight table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your sorcerer spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.

For example, when you are 5th level, you have three 3rd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell thunderwave, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 3rd-level spell.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the sorcerer spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Eldritch Knight table shows when you learn more sorcerer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the sorcerer spells you know and replace it with another spell from the sorcerer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your sorcerer spells, since the power of your magic relies on your ability to project your will into the world. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a sorcerer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a spellblade as a spellcasting focus for your sorcerer spells.

War Magic

Beginning at 2nd level, when you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.

Eldritch Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your approach to combining swordplay with magic. Choose Swordmaster, Guardian, or Magus, all detailed at the end of the class description. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 20th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.

Arcane Charge

At 5th level, you gain the ability to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see when you cast a Eldritch Knight spell that requires spell slots. You can teleport before or after the additional action.

Eldritch Strike

At 7th level, you learn how to make your weapon strikes undercut a creature's resistance to your spells. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, that creature has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes against a spell you cast before the end of your next turn.

Extra Elements

Starting at 9th level, the damage types you can imbue into a weapon with your spellblade feature expands to include force, necrotic, psychic, and radiant damage.

Blink

Starting at 15th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the attack’s damage to 0 and teleport up to 30 feet to any unoccupied space you can see.

Improved War Magic

Starting at 18th level, when you use your action to cast a spell, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.

Swordmaster

The swordmaster focuses on might, performing amazing feats of swordplay that are sure to impress.

Improved Critical

Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Experienced Combat

At 6th level, you can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.

Piercing Blade

Starting at 10th level, damage you deal with your spellblade feature bypasses damage resistance.

Superior Critical

Starting at 14th level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18–20.

God of Swords

At 20th level, the damage of your spellblade feature increases to 4d8 instead of 4d6. Additionally, your mastery of weapons means you can use your action to whirl your weapon in a circle. When you do so, each creature within 10 feet of you (15 feet if you are wielding a reach weapon) must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier), taking your weapon’s damage plus the damage of your spellblade feature on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Guardian

The Guardian focuses on defense, learning how to form a bond with armor in the same way that other eldritch knights bond with weapons, creating the ultimate protection.

Magical Aegis

Starting when you take this archetype at 3rd level, you learn a ritual that creates a magical bond between yourself and one suit of armor and imbues it with an element of your choosing: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short or long rest. The suit of armor must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the armor and forge the bond. That suit of armor becomes a magical suit of armor granting you a +1 bonus to AC while you wear it and resistance to the chosen damage type. Once you have bonded a suit of armor to yourself, as long as it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon it on to yourself as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly onto you without the usual donning time. You can have only one suit of bonded armor at a time; if you bond to a new suit you lose your bond with your old suit.

The AC bonus provided by this feature increases by 1 at 10th level, to +2.

Aura of Protection

Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.

Greater Magical Aegis

Starting at 14th level, armor that you imbue with your magical aegis feature provides immunity to the damage type, instead of simply resistance.

Ultimate Magical Aegis

At 20th level you reach the pinnacle of magical protection. Any time you are targeted by a magic missile spell, a line spell, or a spell that requires a ranged attack roll while you are wearing armor imbued with your magical aegis feature, roll a d4. On a 1 to 3, you are unaffected. On a 4, you are unaffected, and the effect is reflected back at the caster as though it originated you, turning the caster into the target.

Magus

The magus focuses on magic, studying the mystic Arts until they are a match for any wizard.

Spell Lore

Beginning when you take this archetype at 3rd level, you gain one extra spell slot. You gain another spell slot at 10th level (two extra spell slots) and 18th level (three extra spell slots).

Empowered Magic

Beginning at 6th level, you can add your Charisma modifier to one damage roll of any sorcerer spell you cast.

Expanded Spell Knowledge

Once you reach 14th level, your knowledge of magic deepens. Your number of spells known increases by 5.

Greater Spell Lore

At 20th level you gain mastery over two powerful spells and can cast them with little effort. Choose two 4th-level or lower spells from the sorcerers spell list as your signature spells. These spells can be cast innately at will, without expending a spell slot or any components.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the eldritch knight class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength 13 or higher, Charisma 13 or higher

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the eldritch knight class, you gain the following proficiencies: simple weapons, martial weapons, all armor, shields

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