Dragon Knight

While not true gods, some dragons are mighty enough in magic and spirit to bestow blessings on chosen mortal servitors. Dragon knights are heralds who serve draconic powers, as well as dragonborn, kobolds, and other dragon-heirs whose chivalry hearkens back to the proud traditions of their draconic ancestors. Dragon knights in outward rebellion against their former masters are rare—after all, what master can compare to the almighty tyrant?

Dragon knights most often serve or descend from chromatic dragons. Essence dragons bestow these abilities only rarely and usually onto their own dragonborn; gem dragons see the utility of such blunt instruments on occasion; and of the metallics, gold and silver dragons—and the occasional capricious copper—are most likely to designate heralds to serve their ends at home and abroad.

Tenets of the Dragon Knight

Dragon knights hold similar tenets, reflecting the responsibility of holding almighty power.

• All Praise to the Liege. Everything good you have is due to your liege. There is no “birthright” or “work of your hand”—there is only dispensation from your liege.
• Command and Demand Respect. Demonstrate your superiority through both word and deed. Obey your superiors, and in turn accept nothing less from your inferiors.
• No Other Authority. Only the superiors in your faction may hold you accountable for actions done in service of your liege. All other “authorities” are rivals and pretenders.

Archetype School

Keeping in mind the powers of your draconic patron, add one school of magic from the following to your list of herald spells: acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, thunder. This choice, expressed as a damage type, is referred to below as “your element.”

Channel Divinity

At 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

Compel Lesser Dragon. As an action, you utter a word of draconic power. One creature with the dragon type you can see within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw . On a failure, the creature must obey your commands for the next 24 hours or until you use Compel Lesser Dragon again. This effect fails if the command is immediately harmful to it. True dragons (chromatic, essence, gem, and metallic dragons) gain an expertise die on this saving throw. Creatures with a CR equal to or greater than your herald level are immune to this effect.

Energy Weapon. As an action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with draconic energy. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (minimum 1) and its damage type changes to that of your element. The weapon emits bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light 10 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming damage resistances and immunities.

You can end this effect on your turn (no action required). If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious , this effect ends.

Drakken Emissary

Also at 3rd level, you learn to speak, read, write, and sign Draconic. You gain proficiency with Arcana and the dragons skill specialty. You also learn one cantrip from your archetype school. If your archetype school does not include a cantrip, you can instead choose from the cantrips of the other Dragon Knight archetype schools. If the cantrip does damage, its damage type changes to that of your element.

Aura of Draconic Protection

At 7th level, you and allies within 10 feet of you gain resistance to your element. If a creature already has resistance to that damage type, it gains immunity instead.

At 18th level, the range of this aura extends to 30 feet.

Dragon Ascending

At 15th level, you gain the ability to sprout a pair of dragon wings from your back, gaining a flying speed equal to your Speed. You can create or dismiss these wings as a bonus action. You can’t manifest these wings while wearing armor unless the armor is made to accommodate them (increasing the armor’s cost by 50%), and clothing not made to accommodate your wings may be destroyed when you manifest them.

Supreme Breath Weapon

At 20th level, you can tap into your draconic element to unleash unprecedented power. You gain a breath weapon that functions as per cone of cold , except it deals your element’s damage type instead of cold. This feature only freezes slain targets if the damage type remains cold. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest .