Knights are members of a subculture of formal martial traditions. Whether born among the nobility, raised in a keep or outpost, or reared in a Knightly Order, a knight has usually received rigorous martial training from a very young age. Many knights are also lords of some fiefdom, or have obligations to a liege or to the Knightly Order to which they belong.
Some, however, wander the world seeking adventure, righting wrongs, fulfilling an oath, honoring an obligation, pursuing a quest, living up to some valorous ideal, taking vengeance, or maybe just attaining glory, fame, prestige, or the like.
Such knights sometimes travel together in small bands, but many singly join with other adventurers and heroes. Depending upon their background, they might serve as an armored bulwark around which less martial allies rally or as a mailed vanguard who leads boldly from the front, but some knights hail from a more courtly origin and favor dueling or even social maneuvering.
When you enter this subclass, work with the DM to describe your coat of arms and its provenance. Legacy knights often inherit a coat of arms derived from their lineage, either directly or with minor personalization.
Those knighted and ennobled due to merit either have a coat of arms assigned to them by their liege or are granted the privilege of designing their own, typically with symbology noting the deeds or attributes which contributed to their elevation. Common knights belonging to an order generally bear the same coat of arms as their fellows, though some Knightly Orders allow embellishment to denote significant rank or personal accomplishments.
Generally speaking, knights are expected to display their coat of arms and to cultivate and protect the prestige associated to it. Almost all display it proudly upon one or more of their shield, tabard, clothing, banner, and jewelry such as signet rings, amulets, and badges.
Heraldry. Instruction on the design, display, and study of heraldic concerns is an important part of any knight-in-training's education. You recognize at a glance all broadly known coats of arms and associated heraldry and recall well known details such as which individuals or organizations each represents. Additionally, if you make an Intelligence check related to heraldry, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to the roll. If you are already proficient in the skill being used, you gain Advantage.
Inspire Valor. If you or an ally within 10 feet of you fail an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw while your coat of arms is displayed, you may choose to re-roll the die (no action required). Once you use this ability, you can't use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.
Knightly Virtues represent ways in which knights differentiate and distinguish themselves. When you enter this subclass, you gain one of the following Knightly Virtue options. Some Knightly Orders require all of their members to select the same initial Knightly Virtue, representing their particular doctrine and training. Otherwise, select the one you prefer:
*Courser. You excel at charging into battle astride a mighty steed or some more esoteric beast, pennants streaming.
*Courtier. You excel in the courtly arena, where a sharp mind and a sharper tongue are the weapons of choice.
*Dexter. You excel at agility and bladesmanship, ideal for lightly armored dueling.
*Lancer. You excel at wielding the fearsome lance, ideal for jousting and the rush of a heavy cavalry charge.
*Pursuant. You excel at pursuing singular threats upon the battlefield, ideal for eliminating leaders and champions.
*Questor. You excel at questing after a lofty goal, no matter what it costs you.
*Sinister. You excel at exploiting every edge you can, honor be damned.
*Valiant. You excel at inspiring others with your bravery, able to rally your allies to greater accomplishments.
*Vincere. You excel at tactical flexibility, able to adapt your fighting style to overcome any situation.
You gain your choice of one of the following options. You can use your chosen distinction a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, recovering all uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Determination. If you are not Incapacitated and would be Pushed or knocked Prone or both, you can expend a use of this feature to instead remain where you are and not become Prone.
Focus. When you take the Attack action on your turn and hit a target with a melee attack, you can expend a use of this feature to forgo one or more of the remaining attacks granted by your Extra Attack feature. For each remaining attack you forgo, you deal extra damage equal to the weapon's damage dice, and these additional damage dice are doubled if the triggering attack scored a Critical Hit.
Renown. When you make a Charisma check to influence one or more creatures, you can mention the renown of your deeds, lineage, or Order and then expend a use of this feature to gain Advantage.
Resolve. As a Bonus Action, you can expend a use of this feature to grant yourself or any ally within 10 feet that you can see Heroic Inspiration and Temporary Hit Points equal to your level plus your Proficiency Bonus.
You gain a second Knightly Virtue. Some Knightly Orders require all of their members to choose a specific option, representing their particular doctrine and training. Otherwise, select the one you prefer.
You gain a second Personal Distinction of your choice. Both of your distinctions share the same pool of uses.
You gain a third Knightly Virtue. Some Knightly Orders require all of their members to choose a specific option, representing their particular doctrine and training. Otherwise, select the one you prefer.
You gain Expertise with Animal Handling if you are proficient, otherwise you gain proficiency with Animal Handling.
Mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, and you have Advantage on tests made to avoid falling off or being involuntarily moved off your mount.
When you are mounted in combat, neither you or your mount suffer Opportunity Attacks when your mount moves. Additionally, if your mount is the target of a melee attack, you can use your Reaction to impose Disadvantage on the attack roll if you are armed with a melee weapon or a shield and are not Incapacitated.
You gain Expertise with an Intelligence or Charisma based skill you are proficient with, or proficiency with an Intelligence or Charisma based skill of your choice. You also either know an additional language, or gain a tool proficiency of your choice.
You can use your choice of Intelligence or Charisma for the attack and damage rolls of Finesse weapons.
You gain proficiency with Dexterity saving throws.
If you are not wearing Medium or Heavy Armor and are not encumbered, you gain Advantage on your Initiative rolls.
If you are not Incapacitated while wielding a Finesse weapon, and either you or an allied creature within your reach is hit by a weapon or unarmed attack made by an attacker that you can see, as a Reaction you may add your Proficiency Bonus to the target's AC against that attack.
In your hands, a lance deals 2d6 Piercing damage (instead of 1d10) and can utilize both the Graze and Topple weapon mastery properties simultaneously
If you are mounted, and you and your mount move at least 10 feet immediately before you make an attack with a lance, you score a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20 with your initial attack.
You gain Expertise with Athletics if you are proficient, otherwise you gain proficiency with Athletics.
Your Speed increases by 5 feet. If you are mounted, your mount's Speed also increases by 5 feet if you are guiding it.
When you roll Initiative, you may choose an opposing creature that you can see. For the remainder of the combat, the first time each turn you make an attack against that target with a weapon whose mastery property you can use, you can replace that mastery property with any other mastery property.
You gain proficiency with a skill, language, and tool of your choice.
While you are pursuing a mission, goal, or quest, you ignore the penalty of one level of Exhaustion, and gain the benefits of a Long Rest in half the usual time.
If you take damage that would reduce you to 0 Hit Points, you may instead choose to have 1 Hit Point and gain a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to your level plus your Wisdom bonus (minimum 1). Once you have used this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a Long Rest.
You gain Expertise with Perception if you are proficient, otherwise you gain proficiency with Perception.
Once per turn when you hit a Bloodied creature with a weapon attack, you may add your Intelligence or Charisma bonus (minimum 1) to the damage.
If you are not Incapacitated when a hostile creature within your reach rolls a 1 on an attack roll, you can take a Reaction to make one melee weapon attack against that creature with Advantage.
You gain Advantage on saving throws against the Frightened condition and to remove the condition from yourself. Additionally, other creatures have Disadvantage on attempts to Intimidate or coerce you via threats.
When you use your Second Wind feature, you can choose a number of allied creatures up to to your Proficiency Bonus that can see or hear you. Each one gains Temporary Hit Points equal to your fighter level, and the Frightened condition is removed from any of them that have it.
You gain an additional Fighting Style of your choice that you do not already know.
When you use your Action Surge, you can gain a Fighting Style you do not already know for the remainder of the combat.