Carrion Knight

Zalarrna is the Archdevil of plague-ridden warfare and disciplined undead legions. Once a general beneath Krivun, Zalarrna has since carved out his own dominion—one built not on subtle necromancy or singularly powerful undead, but on the endless march of obedient corpses. His faithful, known as Carrion Knights, are terrifying figures on the battlefield: clad in rusted armor and surrounded by ghouls, they command undead not only through fear, but through infernal charisma and relentless drive.   Carrion Knights are obsessed with military precision, loyalty, and decay. They lead their minions with a general’s eye and the hunger of the grave, manifesting divine power through brutal discipline. They see no difference between man and corpse but usefulness: that which fights and serves may continue, whether it draws breath or not. Their gifts come with burdens, as the stench of undeath clings to them eternally, and their control over their legions must never falter.

Restriction: Race

Only High Half-Elves can become Carrion Knights.

Domain Spells

1st-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   You gain the following spells at the listed cleric levels as domain spells.

Cleric Level	Domain Spells
1st	Cause Wounds, Command
3rd	Ray of Enfeeblement, Spiritual Weapon
5th	Animate Dead, Bestow Curse
7th	Blight, Phantasmal Killer
9th	Cloudkill, Danse Macabre

Bonus Proficiencies

1st-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   You gain proficiency with heavy armor and spiked chains.

Carrion Aura

1st-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   You exude an aura of infernal hunger. While you are conscious, all undead you control within 30 feet gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls. If the undead is intelligent has an Intelligence score, it instead gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls. This aura can be activated or suppressed as a bonus action and remains active indefinitely.  

Aura of Discipline

1st-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   Your presence reinforced order and cruelty. While you are conscious, living creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against the Charmed or Frightened condition. Creatures that benefit from this feature and fail such a saving throw take 2d6 necrotic damage. Undead creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against any effect that would turn them.  

Channel Divinity: Raise the Rotted

2nd-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   You can use your Channel Divinity to raise temporary undead soldiers in Zalarrna’s name. As an action, choose up to five corpses or piles of bones you can see within 30 feet of you. Each becomes either a zombie (if it was a corpse) or skeleton (if it was a pile of bones) for 1 minute. They obey your verbal commands as per the Animate Dead spell and collapse back to corpses or bones at the end of the duration or if reduced to 0 hit points.  

Withering Word

3rd-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   You can unleash a necromantic curse upon a creature you can see within 60 feet as an action. A living creature you target with this must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC, taking 4d6 negative energy damage and being unable to regain hit points for 1 minute on a failure, or half as much damage and no additional effect on a success. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.  

Mark of the Damned

5th-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   You can mark a target for your undead minions. As a bonus action, choose a creature you can see within 60 feet. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier from all attacks made by undead under your control. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Cleric Power Reservoir, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.  

Tide of Corpses

6th-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   The number of undead you can reassert control over with Animate Dead and similar spells doubles.  

Divine Strike

8th-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   You gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with negative energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 negative energy damage. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8. This damage cannot heal Undead creatures.  

Corpse Step

9th-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   As a bonus action, you may teleport from one corpse or undead under your control that you touch to another you can see within 120 feet When you appear, your next attack roll before the end of your turn has advantage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Cleric Power Reservoir, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.  

Command the Legions

13th-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   Once per long rest, you may cast Command targeting any number of undead within 60 feet of you. You do not need to maintain concentration on this casting, and affected undead follow your command for up to 1 minute. Undead you control and uncontrolled, unintelligent undead automatically fail their saving throw against this spell. Undead controlled by another creature make their saving throw as normal.  

Champion of the Grave Host

15th-Level Cleric (Carrion Knight Domain) Feature   Once per month, you may perform a one-hour ritual over the corpse of a Humanoid or Monstrous Humanoid with at least 9 Hit Dice. If the ritual is uninterrupted, the corpse rises as a ghast under your control. This creature retains its memories and class abilities from life. You may only have one such champion at a time.  

Carrion Knight Restrictions

The path of a Carrion Knight is paved in blood and bone, and all Carrion Knights must abide by the following restrictions or risk joining the fallen on the path:

• A Carrion Knight must be Lawful Evil in alignment. Straying from this alignment causes them to lose their powers until they regain it and seek Atonement from a senior priest or paladin of Zalarrna.
• A Carrion Knight is allowed only to use blunt or bladed weapons—those that deal bludgeoning or slashing damage.
• A Carrion Knight that knowingly commits a good act permanently loses all powers as a Carrion Knight and can never again return to the path, unless such an act is plotted with priests of his or her faith to further the goals of Zalarrna.
• If a Carrion Knight commits an evil act under mundane or supernatural duress or force, they must undertake a holy quest before receiving Atonement from a senior priest or paladin of Zalarrna. Until this quest is completed, the Carrion Knight does not gain the benefits of his or her Carrion Knight features.
• Holy water that touches the skin of a Carrion Knight bubbles and hisses, causing visible irritation on contact, but does not deal damage (While the Carrion Knight is not Undead).
• The Carrion Knight can never willingly relinquish control of undead once bound. Doing so causes a loss of all Carrion Knight features until they reassert control over the undead or an undead of equal or greater Challenge Rating and seek Atonement from a senior priest or paladin of Zalarrna.