Quick Links
Within the realm ofDungeons & Dragons, battles are often fought with no lack of martial prowess or arcane wonder. While most adventurers tread separate paths of magic or physical feats, however, the Eldritch Knight wields with great skill and harmony.
RELATED:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Battle Smith Artificer
With a limited yet potent selection of spells, the Eldritch Knight unlocks hidden potential in the fighter’s already-versatile arsenal. In the heat of battle, they can often be found safeguarding their allies while casting upon foes with great destructive force. If you may’t choose between playing a caster or a martial, the Eldritch Knight is an excellent way that you can wield both sword and spell in captivating synergy.
Eldritch Knight Features Overview
The archetypal Eldritch Knight combines the martial mastery common to all fighters with a careful study of magic.
Spellcasting
Spellcastingis, obviously, the Eldritch Knight’s bread and butter. This is a complicated feature that stands uniquely differentfrom the other spellcasters.
The Eldritch Knight’sSpellcasting Tableis as follows, and details exactlyhow many cantrips, spells and spell slotsyou get at each level.
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
2
3
-
4
5th
6th
7th
5
8th
6
9th
10th
7
11th
8
12th
13th
9
14th
10
15th
16th
11
17th
18th
19th
12
1
20th
13
Cantrips
Firstly, you get to pick anytwo cantripsfrom the Wizard spell list—which is massive. Still, what works for asquishy caster in the backlinewon’t necessarily work foryou and your trusty blade.
Suggestions on which spells work bestfor the Eldritch Knight can be found in the next section.
Spells Known of first Level and Higher
The spell slots of the Eldritch Knight work much like normal—coming back on a long rest, like that ofmost casters'.
At third level, your Eldritch Knight gets their subclass, unlocking access tothree spellsright off the bat. Out of these, onlyonecan be fromany school of magic, while the other two must be chosen from theAbjuration or Evocation schools.
At the eighth, 14th, and 20th levels, you will again be able to pickone spellfromany school of magic.All other spellsgained outside these specific levelsmuststill come exclusively from theAbjuration or Evocation schools of magic.
It should be clear by now that thevast majority of your spellswill need to beeither Abjuration or Evocation, meaning that when you get to pick spells thataren’t,you should do so carefully.
Spellcasting Ability
Interestingly enough,Intelligence—a stat that not many fighters tend to focus on—is your spellcasting ability. This means that your Eldritch Knight will be significantly moremulti-attribute dependentthan other fighters of different subclasses.
The build that this guide suggestsdoesn’t require youto have an overwhelmingly high Intelligence modifier to deal damage, but it will stillaffect some saving-throw spells, meaning that Intelligence probablyshouldn’t be your dumpstathere.
Essentially, this lets you summon your weapon back to you whenever you want, and you can’t ever get it stolen out of your hand.
This is some good flavor, but it probably won’t see too much use in the standard campaign—unless it’s in an urban setting where your party has to attend lots of formal events unarmed, for example. Still, it does open the opportunity to throw your weapon and call it back into your hand, which is pretty cool.
There is no definition of theweight, size or nature of the weaponin this feature, meaning that you could technicallybondwith and teleport some pretty outlandish “weapons”. Be sure to check with your DM first, however, tomake sure that it’s the right tablefor shenanigans like that.
War Magic
Don’t be fooled by theapparent loss of a weapon attackwith this feature. When combined with cantrips likeBooming BladeorGreen Flame Blade, it unlocks tactical advantages and unique battle strategies, sometimes easily surpassing the damage from the extra attack of other fighter subclasses. This is great, and can skyrocket your damage, as well as on-field utility.
Eldritch Strike
One of the weaknesses of the Eldritch Knight is theirlower spell-save DCs, as Intelligence likely won’t be your highest score. This grants you, essentially,a free disadvantagethat automatically gets imposed onany enemy you hit—and, hopefully, you’re hitting a lot of them by tenth level. This can also lead to tons ofinteresting combosinvolving AOE saving-throw spells, Action Surge, and your four attacks over two rounds.
Arcane Charge
This feature offerssignificant mobility, granting you the ability to position yourself strategically. Whether it’s getting out of harm’s way tounleash a powerful area-of-effect spellor closing in on avulnerable target in the backline, this feature providesinvaluable optionsfor a melee fighter.
Improved War Magic
More attacks, more spells, more combos, more damage—there’s nothing not to like about this great feature. This alsosynergizes with the weapon-attack-imposed disadvantagewith Eldritch Strike, making your next spell even easier to hit.
Recommended Spells
To go over each spell is not within the scope of this guide, unfortunately—but here is a general line of reasoning that you should consider when choosing spells for Eldritch Knight.
As an Eldritch Knight, your spell selection is crucial due to the limited options outside ofAbjuration and Evocation schools.
Withonly four spellsin your arsenal from levels 3 to 20 that can be outside those two schools,choose wiselyto make the most impact. You may want to focus onheavy-hitting damage, survival, and combat utility spellsto be effective—leaving exploration utility spells like identify, air bubble, detect magic, and comprehend languages toother spellcasters with more versatility.
Below are a few recommended spells to consider, but remember to tailor your choices to suit yourplaystyle and party needs.
Best Ability Scores For Eldritch Knight Fighters
As mentioned before, Eldritch Knights are quiteMulti-Attribute Dependent. The ability scores that they are most dependent on are:
Intelligence
On the other hand, ability scores that won’t do much for an Eldritch Knight are:
Charisma
This section outlines an optimal approach to building a Monk’s ability scores for peak performance, but remember,it’s just a guide! Feel free to diverge from it.Designing a character with imperfections or unique quirkscan often be more fun and rewarding.
Best Species For Eldritch Knight Fighters
If your Dungeon Master doesn’t useCustom Lineagesat your table (which allows you to choose your own ability scores), consider a Species that boosts both yourIntelligenceandStrength/Dexterity:
Benefit
Duergar
Great innate spellscomplement the fighter’s abilities. Dwarven Resilience and Psionic Fortitude provideexcellent frontliner support.
Custom-made for astrength-based fighter, with features that greatly enhancedurabilityandstrength-based abilities.
Half-Orc
Savage Attacks and Relentless Endurance make for aresilient and hard-hitting fighter.
Ability to teleport providesexcellent mobility, anddamage resistance benefits frontliners.
Human (Variant)
Versatile Ability Score Increases, and theadditional starting Featis always fantastic to have.
Shifter (Longtooth / Beasthide)
Additional HP/ACandadditional damagerespectively, both advantageous for an Eldritch Knight.
However, if your Dungeon Master allows forCustom Lineage, a lot of other options become much more viable:
Dwarf (Mountain)
Two +2 ability score increasesare excellent for Fighters, allowing room for more feats. .
Gnome (Forest)
Extra Intelligence, along withGnome Cunninggranting advantage on saving throws, boosts your spellcasting and resilience.
Elf (High)
Bonus wizard cantripusing Intelligence modifier adds versatility to spell options.Trance and Fey Ancestryprovide strong advantages.
Hobgoblin
“Fortune of the Many” provides insurance againsttough saving throws, complementing the Fighter’s abilities, and “Help” action can aid allies in combat, making you a valuable support on the battlefield.
Kobold
Easy access to Advantagefrom “Pack Tactics” enhances accuracy, while “Draconic Sorcery” adds to the Eldritch Knight’s spellcasting versatility
Githyanki
Extra proficiency in a tool or skilladds versatility, andfree racial spells with Intelligence castingare great options for a magical Fighter.
Best Feats For Eldritch Knight Fighters
Here are somesuitable feats for the Eldritch Fighterthat encompass a diverse range of character themes.
Remember that your fighter will getvastly more Ability Score Increases(and thereby, Feats) than other classes!
Elemental Adept
If multiple damage spells of thesame elemental typeare taken—which is likely for a frontliner—this feat greatly boosts damage.
Fey Touched
Intelligence increase, free Misty Step, and access to two extra spells,expanding mobility and casting options.
Offers greatdefensive capabilities, allowing for improved protection and versatility.
Enhancescontrol and defense, making you a potent defender.
War Caster
Strongest feat for a melee caster, allows spellcasting with a shield and weapon equipped and offersflexibility in casting.
