How do you play your dark knights, Veeky Forums?

>not playing as the knight of aesthetics
>hawaiian patterned shirt/armor
>bright, vibrant pastel colors
>wears helmet that looks like a roman bust
>checker board pattern shield

My fighter got his full plate off the dead of an army with access to "dark iron." He also tends to be pretty brutal. If it werent for the gaudy gold cape with his personal insignia on it people would attack him on sight.
My point being I made a necromantic eldritch knight with no intention of having him be a dark knight and circumstances made me do it anyway. Months later he got a +1 weapon that, when we rolled for traits off the table, looked like a demonic sword of pain and hatred. He's chaotic good, and a gold dragonborn to boot, but he looks so evil npcs shy away from him.

Sickly or weak knights who need to learn the dark arts to keep up. Sometimes just really unlucky bastards who wound up with cursed swords or tricked into devil pacts.

Played ether as full go melodramatic, poet warriors who like skulls and monologue when no one is around. Or as sad but optimistic every-men who would rather bloodshed, sorcery and general spookyness but is naturally pulled into the pot anyway.

youtube.com/watch?v=XCxL3-Fl7bM
Song very related to both styles

I don't always play D&D, but when I do, and when I play a 'dark knight', it's probably a cleric of Hextor. Knight aesthetic, strong devotion to harsh justice, not the slightest amount of give nor mercy. Use of fear to dissuade crime, utter brutality at the drop of a hat, really doubling down on the whole 'tyranny' thing.

Usually I go with an old man who was a knight but turned into a dark knight because he was discharged thanks to his barbaric methods.

Also I liked Gafgarion's armor.

Exemplars of the purest form of love

This is How I Dark Knight

Also neat, and applies to how I Dark Knight as well.

Good man.

I actually just make them a good knight that wants to stay out of the spotlight. No one needs to know who saved that village, or what happened to the small enemy contingent that tried to flank through a pass, or who got the cat out of the tree.

In a party context it makes the character more of a guide. As an old guy who's been around the block enough, he's not the one who needs the growth and achievement, he's just facilitating and helping the others become heroes. That's his perspective at least, which is bound to change as he himself gets challenged, obviously.

EMO

AS

HELL

No, seriously. Actually calling yourself a dark knight takes a certain level of angst, and they fall into two categories: The poseur, and the guy who no longer has any fucks to give.

>Fuck son
>Calm down

>Actually calling yourself a dark knight
Pretty sure it's other people who call you a dark knight. Because you fit the title.

You could do worse than basing your Dark Knight off Elric.

Like a paladin or cleric except with an evil or chaotic god. That and replacing healing with necromancy.

It's all about the job, if they're getting paid they do what they're told. Doesn't matter if it's defending a town or sacking it.
They don't particularly care which they're doing but once they're bought they stay bought until the job is done.

...

Most Notable one played previously was a way of the Wicked Campaign.

>>Player1: Brad the Bariabarian, Negative INT/WIS with several a penchant for mixing up words.
>>Player2: Cad the Witch, Negative WIS and always seems to have a plan
>>Me: Screw it, Dadd the Anti-Paladin, Negative INT/WIS, Seemingly the Nicest and most Cheerful person you would meet on the surface, yet underneath Amoral, Corrupt and Simply wants Chaos for fun.

Long story short, all 3 were incredibly inept at Evil to the point of Heroics, and so earned the title "The 3 Stooges of Evil". Still one of the games i recall fondly for the escapades that ensued

It's amazing how often this is a proper answer to questions on this board

I play my Tazmanian Dank Tank like I play Paladin; standing still and eating damage while spamming mediocre magics as my primary attack. I'm pretty sure the sword is just for decoration.

I'll two-handed fighter like I was Guts though...

Black Ops Paladin named after a apocryphal section of his church that does all of the dirty work the other knights can't do.

Maximum weeb, maximum edge

I really like the Dark Warrior aesthetic in pretty much every game ever since Everquest. I usually play them in games as normal guys who use taboo methods to get shit done, who is willing to do terrible things for the greater good.

All of my knight characters are good-aligned, and the oathbreakers\dark knights\death knights\whateveredgyname knights are just people that use dark magic\void\le demons to do compliment their fighting style (instead of using holy powers). Also fashion.

Essentially a paladin mixed with a witch hunter or an inquisitor.

The same way I play chaotic/evil monks. Political cloak and daggery, intimidation and a fine combination of chemical and biological warfare in form of toxins and disease.

The Dark Knight in the game I'm currently running squarely falls into the second category. He's a nice guy all around, but at the same time not afraid of bisecting a bitch if he/she stands in the way of what's right.

He certainly isn't the edgiest character in the party by any means. That'd be the Dragoon.

>K***ht

Like your typical pro wrestling heel. Always trying to create a situation where they have the advantage. Downright cowardly when presented with fair terms. Dangerous when backed into a corner and, of course, they all love to revel in their success.

youtube.com/watch?v=7C0xkSpGINY

Overworked 9 to 5 middle management that just wants to spend some time with their kids but took the first job that came to them after knight school and ended up coordinating minions for some dark lord in the middle of bumfuck nowhere.

>edgy dragoons
go on...

I've gone about it a couple different ways.

>The technique of invoking the power of darkness is a holy art, but one that demands a devoted spirit and unbreakable will to wield it instead of being wielded by it. To walk in the world's dark places will corrupt the colorless sort of shining knights in an instant, but someone who's already witnessed the abyss within need not fear even the darkest of nights.

>Essentially a Kamen Rider. This one doesn't have a fun explanation, but the whole "uses the bad guys' powers against them" deal really appeals to me.

>The knighthood of a civilization built by a magus who bound demons to his will and used their power to turn their land into paradise. Each knight and demon and bound together as a pair of soul-sharers. The fiends abide by the old laws they swore to obey and give their power freely and willingly, but should the knight drown in their own power and abandon their oaths of service, the demon could influence them freely.

Snarky like a Death Knight.