Carrion Knight

Class Group	Priest (Specialty Priest of Zalarrna)
Ability Requirement	Strength 12 Constitution 11 Wisdom 13 Charisma 14
Prime Requisite	Strength, Wisdom, Charisma
Races Allowed	High Half-Elf
Alignments Allowed	Lawful Evil
Weapons Allowed	All bludgeoning and slashing weapons
Armor Allowed	Any
Major Spheres	All, Combat, Law, Necromantic, War, Wards
Minor Spheres	Divination, Guardian, Healing, Protection, Charm
Magic Items	Same as clerics
Required Profs	Spiked Chain
Bonus Profs	Religion, Necrology, Tactics

Carrion Knight Abilities

• All undead under the Carrion Knight's control within a 30-foot radius gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls due to supernatural hunger. Intelligent undead instead gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls. This aura can be activated or deactivated at will and lasts indefinitely when active.
• The mere presence of a Carrion Knight inspires cruel discipline. Allies within 30 feet of the priest may reroll failed morale checks once and must take the second result. Intelligent undead under the priest's control never check morale while the priest is conscious.
  Additionally, the priest gains a +1 bonus to reaction rolls from intelligent undead and lawful evil NPCs.
• At 3rd level, once per day, the Carrion Knight may force a creature within 60 feet to make a saving throw vs. spells as a gesture and word calls out to their soul or spirit. On a failed save, the target suffers a surge of withering necromantic energy, dealing 1d6 damage per two levels of the priest (maximum 5d6) and prevents healing, magical or mundane, for 1d4 rounds. This power has no effect on the undead or constructs.
• At 5th level, the Carrion Knight may mark one living creature within 60 feet as prey. The target suffers +2 damage from all attacks made by undead creatures for 1 turn unless they succeed a saving throw vs. spells.
• At 7th level, the priest may animate one fresh humanoid corpse (dead for no more than 1 day) as a ghoul. The priest can have a number of ghouls created in this way at a time equal to their level as a Carrion Knight. The ghouls created this way are fanatically loyal unless dismissed or slain.
• At 10th level, twice per day, the Carrion Knight may step into a corpse or undead creature they control and teleport, coming out of another corpse or undead creature they control they can see within 120 feet of them, as if by dimension door. If they come out of an undead under their control, the priest gains a +2 bonus on his or her next attack roll.
• At 13th level, once per day, the Carrion Knight can cast the Command Monster spell targeting only undead.
• At 13th level, once per week, the Carrion Knight can issue a command to all undead that can hear him or her within 60 feet. Those controlled by the priest and those that are uncontrolled automatically follow the command. Those controlled by another creature force their controller, if their controller is within 60 feet of them, to make a saving throw vs. spells. On a failure, or if the controller is more than 60 feet away, the undead follow the command of the Carrion Knight.
• At 15th level, once per month, the Carrion Knight may perform a one-hour ritual over the remains of a dead human or demihuman that had 9 or more hit dice in life. If uninterrupted, the priest raises the corpse as a unique ghast champion permanently under the control of the Carrion Knight. This creature is unusually intelligent, retains the entirety of its past memories, and retains all past class abilities, though gains levels at only half the speed it used to.

Special Hindrances

• The Carrion Knight's connection to undeath causes a -2 penalty to reaction rolls from good-aligned individuals.
• Holy water burns slightly on contact, causing visible irritation (but no damage).
• Carrion Knights may never willingly relinquish command over undead once bound. Attempting to do so results in a loss of all granted powers until they perform an atonement ritual and reassert control over the same undead or one of greater power.