The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype

Written and Designed by Sam McGurran

Edited by Sam McGurran & Courtney Fitzpatrick
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The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 2

Contents
Blood Knight Martial Archetype
Blood Knight Backgrounds
Crimson Squire
Pariah
Magic Items
Agony
Bloodstone Band
Devil’s Snare
Blood Knight NPCs
Ser Conn Torran
Rowan Creed
Ser Talis Reever
A Blood Knight as a Villain
Blood Knight Strategy
Blood Knight NPC Stat Block
Crimson Squire NPC Stat Block
Other Titles by Sam McGurran
About the Author

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 3

Blood Knight Martial Archetype
The archetypal Blood Knight is a fighter who combines their martial training with supernatural abilities.
These knights are outcasts who cannot live a normal life among their people, but still wish to do their
part in protecting those who cast them out. Most are members of the Order of the Crimson Rose, but
there are those brothers and sisters who fall from their noble path and use their training for cruelty and
pain. Blood Knights count such creatures as vampires, lycanthropes and fey amongst their number, but
anyone who finds themselves outcast and willing to fight can find a place among them.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 4

Monstrous Visage
3rd level Blood Knight feature
You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill, if you already have this proficiency you may choose another
skill instead.

Supernatural Power
3rd level Blood Knight feature
You harbor a wellspring of supernatural energy within yourself. This energy is represented by your
Supernatural Energy dice, which are each a d6. You have a number of these dice equal to twice your
proficiency bonus, and they fuel various supernatural powers you have, which are detailed below.

Some of your powers expend the Supernatural Energy die they use, as specified in a power’s description,
and you can’t use a power if it requires you to use a die when your dice are all expended. You regain all
your expended Supernatural Energy dice when you finish a long rest. In addition, as a bonus action, you
can regain one expended Supernatural Energy die, but you can’t do so again until you finish a short or
long rest.

When you reach certain levels in this class, the size of your Supernatural Energy dice increases: at 5th
level (d8), 11th level (d10), and 17th level (d12). The powers below use your Supernatural Energy dice.

Heightened Abilities. When you make a Dexterity, Strength or Wisdom ability check you may roll one
Supernatural Energy die and add the result to the roll.
Regenerative Blood. When you are hit with an attack you may use your reaction to expend one
Supernatural Energy die, roll the die and regain hit points equal to the number rolled plus your Wisdom
modifier (minimum of 1), as you tap into your supernatural blood.
Savage Assault. Once on each of your turns, immediately after you hit a target within 30 feet of you
with an attack and deal damage to it with a weapon, you can expend one Supernatural Energy die, rolling
it and dealing force damage to the target equal to the number rolled plus your Wisdom modifier.

Blood Warrior
7th level Blood Knight feature
You have mastered new ways to use your supernatural abilities, detailed below.

Inhuman Reflexes. Once on each of your turns, immediately after you miss a target within 30 feet of
you with an attack, you can expend one Supernatural Energy die to repeat the roll, rolling it and adding the
result to the attack roll.
Miraculous Movement. As a bonus action, you may take the Dash action. If you do, you may choose
to sacrifice the bonus movement to instead gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed until the end
of the current turn. Once you take this bonus action, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long
rest, unless you expend a Supernatural Energy die to take it again.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 5

Acclimated to Horror
10th level Blood Knight feature
You are immune to the Frightened condition and friendly creatures within 30ft have advantage on saving
throws to avoid being Frightened.

Creature of the Night

15th level Blood Knight feature
You gain blindsight up to 30ft and when you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, you can roll one of
the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 6

Preternatural Predator
18th level Blood Knight feature
Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points you regain a Supernatural Energy die.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 7

Blood Knight Backgrounds
Below are two examples of backgrounds for characters with monstrous origins or connections to the
Order of the Crimson Rose.

Crimson Squire
You were a servant of the Order of the Crimson Rose, serving the knights and in times of need, standing
alongside the other squires as an auxiliary
force.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, History

Languages: Infernal, Sylvan
Equipment: A spear, a monster hunter’s pack
and 30sp.

Feature: Mythical Fame

Those who see you clad in your crimson
armour recall the stories of the Blood Knights
and their crusade against darkness. Common
people fear you but churches and nobles will
offer you food and shelter should you invoke
the name of the order.

Pariah
You are marked by darkness and abandoned
by your people. You can call no place home
and survival is a struggle in a world that rejects
you.

Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit
Languages: Choose one from Abyssal,
Infernal or Sylvan.
Equipment: A set of common clothes, a simple
disguise kit and an explorer’s pack.

Feature: Marked as Other

Unless you can hide it, you stand out as
different. To many, this makes you an outcast,
but to others who’ve abandoned or been exiled
by their communities, you can find camaraderie
and friendship.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 8

d8 Mark

1 You were bitten by a vampire and now your pale skin and strange eyes arouse suspicion.

2 You have fey blood, inheriting unnatural beauty beautiful and an alien cast to your features.

3 You were once possessed by a spirit or fiend and the experience has left you with tremors and
a habit of talking to yourself.

4 You were savaged by a lycanthrope and your scars attract stares and murmurs of discontent.

5 Your soul was returned from the dead but your body still resembles a corpse.

6 You are a child of multiple races and your mixed features attract unwanted attention.

7 Your bloodline has been blessed or cursed by a supernatural power, leaving physical signs
such as scales or gills.

8 Your planar heritage is plain for all to see and it makes people uneasy.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 9

Magic Items
Blood Knights often enhance their capabilities with dark relics and enchanted arms. A few notable
examples are listed below.

Agony
Weapon(longsword), very rare, (requires attunement)
Agony was wielded by a former grandmaster of the Order of the Crimson Rose. It is
a cruciform sword with a silver blade and a ruby jewel set in the hilt. The blade is
engraved with the phrase “Sine Sanguine”.

You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.

When you attack a creature with this magic weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll,
you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt.

You gain Blindsight up to 60ft.

Bloodstone Band
Wondrous Item, rare, (requires
attunement)
When attuned to this item you may use your
own life to fuel your abilities. As a bonus
action, you may expend one Hit Die to
recover one Supernatural Energy die. If you
do, take one Hit Die worth of damage. This
damage cannot be reduced in any way.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 10

Devil’s Snare
Wondrous Item, rare
While holding the Devil’s Snare, you can use an action to cast Hold Monster. This variation of the spell
also affects undead and creatures of evil alignment have disadvantage on the initial saving throw against
this spell.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 11

Blood Knight NPCs
There are many strange and noble warriors who could be called Blood Knights, just as there are those
few who twist that martial discipline to serve their own ends.

Ser Conn Torran

Medium Humanoid(human,
shapechanger), Lawful Neutral
Conn(he/him) is one of three Knight-Captains of
the Crimson Roses. Each of the three regiments
have their own history and traditions, but Conn is
obsessed with following the laws of the order. A
zealot he may be, but nonetheless, the world is a
safer place for many due to the skill and valour of
this werewolf knight.

Rowan Creed
Medium Humanoid(dhampir), Neutral Good
Rowan Creed(she/her) uses her powers in the shadows of tall
buildings and dark alleyways. She hunts the things that hunt the
citizens who despise her. She belongs to no order but in her
heart, she lives by a code that lends her steely resolve and
drives her to protect the innocent from darkness.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 12

Ser Talis Reever
Medium Fey, Lawful Evil
Talis(they/them) was a former knight of the
Crimson Rose who sought to turn the knights to
a darker purpose. They sought to convince their
fellow knights that they should wholly embrace
their primal nature and treat others as their prey.
For this, they were expelled from the order, but
since then rumours have spread of a new order
of Blood Knights, the Order of Talon and Claw.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 13

A Blood Knight as a Villain
Blood Knights are most likely to be encountered as villains in one of two ways; as fallen knights who
have succumbed to their primal urges, embracing their vampirism, lycanthropy or other curses; or as
arrogant zealots who view the party or their allies as monsters. In the former case, it may be more
suitable to use a lycanthrope, vampire or fey stat block to represent these knights, for the latter, see the
stat block below.

Blood Knight Strategy

Minions. The Blood Knight is a force to be reckoned with all on its own but if they are stalking the party
they may choose to bring along a few Crimson Squires to assist. These warriors will seek to confront
the characters with the highest HP and AC and are willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause.

Prepared. If the Blood Knight is prepared for the party or even stalking them they will have an ambush
site prepared. Their hunter’s instincts will encourage them to avoid an open confrontation and to try and
gain a Surprise round. They may deploy alchemical smoke to hide their location or use the Darkness
spell.

Surprised. If caught off guard a Blood Knight will quickly assess the situation. They will focus first on
survival and consider retreat. If they wish to test their enemy or believe they can win, they will continue to
fight. Indeed a Blood Knight who thinks they can win will not back down even if it results in their death.

Tactics. A Blood Knight who encounters the party will seek to use their martial prowess and supernatural
abilities to remove the most vulnerable members of the party first, before engaging with the party’s
tougher combatants. This may mean focusing on an exposed rogue, or getting into melee with the wizard
or sorcerer. As soon as they do, they will use their multiattack and Action Surge ability to deal as much
damage as possible

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 14

Blood Knight NPC Stat Block
Medium humanoid (any race), any Lawful alignment

Armor Class 20(plate and shield)

Hit Points 229 (27d8+108)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

20 (+5)16 (+3)18 (+4)12 (+1)18 (+4)12 (+1)

Saving Throws Str +9, Dex +7, Con +8

Skills Athletics +9, Intimidation +5, Perception +8, Stealth +7
Senses Blindsight 30ft, Passive Perception 18
Languages any two languages
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

Supernatural Speed. As a bonus action the blood knight may take the Dash action, or gain a fly speed of
30ft until the end of their turn.

Limited Regeneration. The blood knight regains 1d10+4 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1
hit point but fewer hit points than half its hit point maximum.

Savage. Once per round, when the blood knight hits with a melee weapon it deals an additional 1d10+4
force damage.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The blood knight makes two weapon attacks.

Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8+5) slashing damage.

Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 150/600 ft, one target. Hit: 7(1d8+3) piercing damage.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The blood 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 blood knight
regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Weapon Attack. The blood knight makes a weapon attack.

Reposition. The blood knight may move or fly up to their movement.

Frighten Foe (Costs 2 Actions). The blood knight targets one enemy it can see within 30 feet of it. If the
target can see and hear it, the target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened
until the end of blood knight’s next turn.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 15

Crimson Squire NPC Stat Block
Medium humanoid (any race), any Lawful alignment

Armor Class 18(plate)

Hit Points 60(8d8+24)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

16 (+3)13 (+1)16 (+3)11 (+0)13 (+1)10 (+0)

Saving Throws Str +5, Dex +3, Con +5

Skills Athletics +5,Perception +3
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages any two languages
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Brave. The crimson squire has advantage on saving

throws against being frightened.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The crimson squire makes two weapon

attacks.

Pike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one

target. Hit: 8 (1d10+3) slashing damage.

Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range

100/400 it, one target. Hit: 6(1d10+1) piercing damage.

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 16

Other Titles by Sam McGurran
The Midnight Collection
● The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype
● The Circle Mage: A Wizard Arcane Tradition
● The Macabre Surgeon: An Artificer Specialist
● The Way of the Fanatic: A Monastic Tradition

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 17

The Wyld Hunt Collection
● The Shaman: A Barbarian Primal Path

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 18

About the Author
Sam McGurran is a writer and game designer based in
Glasgow, Scotland. He has written and designed 5e
content published by Splinterverse and Verse Online, as
well as his publications on the DM’s Guild. He
maintains a five-star rating on Fiverr where he can be
found for commissions.

For collaborations or professional services, email

samwritesrpgs@gmail.com.

“I used to read in pursuit of escape, now I write in

pursuit of the epic.”

The Blood Knight: A Fighter Martial Archetype 19