Red Knight, Grandmaster of the Lanceboard

The Avatar of Red Knight

Medium humanoid (avatar), lawful neutral

Armor Class: 27 (red plate)
Hit Points: 640 (40d12 + 380)
Speed: 50 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
30 (+10)	24 (+7)	29 (+9)	26 (+8)	28 (+9)	30 (+10)

Saving Throws: Str +19, Dex +16, Con +18, Int +17, Wis +18, Cha +19
Skills: Insight +19, Perception +19, Investigation +19
Damage Resistances: force; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from magical attacks
Damage Immunities: psychic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses: truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 28
Languages: all, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge: 31 (155,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +9

Traits

Innate Spellcasting. Red Knight’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 27, +19 to hit with spell attacks). She requires no components.

At will: counterspell, foresight, mind blank, wall of force
3/day each: forcecage, maze, teleport, time stop
1/day each: invulnerability, psychic scream, wish

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Red Knight fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. Red Knight has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Contingency Revealed (Mythic Trait; 1/Day). When the Red Knight is first reduced to 320 hit points or fewer, she reveals the battle has followed her reserve plan and regains 160 hit points. For 1 minute, she acts on initiative count 20 as well as her normal turn, taking one action on that extra turn.

Actions

Multiattack. Red Knight makes three Checkmate attacks. She can replace one attack with Forced Move (Recharge 5–6).

Checkmate. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 32 (4d10 + 10) slashing damage plus 27 (6d8) psychic damage. The target cannot take the same action on its next turn that it took on its previous turn.

Forced Move (Recharge 5–6). The Red Knight chooses up to four creatures within 120 feet. Each makes a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, she moves it up to its speed and it takes 36 (8d8) psychic damage; on a success, it takes half damage and does not move.

Reactions

Predicted Counter. When a creature the Red Knight can see declares an action, she moves up to 30 feet. If this makes the action impossible, the creature can choose a different action.

Legendary Actions

The avatar can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Knight’s Move. The Red Knight teleports up to 30 feet and makes one Checkmate attack.

Pin the Piece (Costs 2 Actions). One creature within 90 feet makes a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw or has speed 0 and cannot take reactions until the end of its next turn.

Commit the Reserve (Costs 2 Actions). Up to three allies can move up to their speeds or make one attack.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the avatar uses one lair action. It cannot use the same option two rounds in a row.

Shift the Board. Four 20-foot-square areas exchange positions, carrying creatures and objects with them.

Control the Center. A 30-foot-radius area becomes difficult terrain for hostile creatures; allies there gain half cover until next round.

Reveal the Feint. The next attack made by each hostile creature before next round has disadvantage.

Mythic Actions

The avatar can take 3 mythic actions per day, using one option at a time. It regains spent uses at dawn.

Calculated Stroke. The Red Knight makes one Checkmate attack with advantage.

Fork (Costs 2 Actions). Two creatures within 60 feet each make a DC 27 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) force damage and becoming restrained until the end of their next turns on a failure.

Checkmate (Costs 3 Actions). One creature within 120 feet makes a DC 27 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, it is stunned until the end of its next turn and takes 66 (12d10) psychic damage.

Introduction

Red Knight, Grandmaster of the Lanceboard, governs strategy, planning, tactics. Tempus raised her as the calculating face of war. Where Garagos revels in rage and Tempus judges martial worth, the Red Knight studies terrain, logistics, and the move that makes later victory inevitable.

Fighters, gamesters, monks, strategists, and tacticians study her doctrine. Her clergy preserves battle maps, runs war colleges, and teaches that preparation should save lives rather than merely polish a commander’s reputation.

The god sends an avatar when one maneuver can decide a campaign, when commanders ignore an avoidable cost, or when an enemy’s plan must be understood rather than overpowered. This is a killable vessel of divine will, not the god’s complete being, and its defeat changes the crisis without ending the faith behind it.

Physical Appearance

The Red Knight appears as a composed human woman in fitted crimson plate, with a dark bob of hair and a knight chess-piece crest fixed to her breastplate. She holds Checkmate, a straight longsword etched with a square grid.

Her gaze constantly measures distance and cover. She speaks without wasted movement, and the smallest shift of her blade can make veteran soldiers reposition before they understand why.

Roleplaying the Avatar

The Red Knight treats every exchange as part of a larger position. She asks for objectives, reserves, and acceptable losses before discussing heroics.

Ask “What happens two moves later?”
Move small objects into a tactical diagram while listening.
Praise an orderly retreat.
Never confuse bravery with usefulness.
When surprised, become more interested rather than angry.

Use in a Campaign

The Unwinnable Victory

The avatar proves the coming battle can be won only by sacrificing the city it is meant to save.

Checkmate in Seven

The Red Knight predicts seven crimes whose prevention would allow a hidden coup to succeed.

War College Schism

Two schools possess half of a defensive plan and refuse to cooperate.

The Living Lanceboard

Armies across the realm move like pieces under an unknown strategist, and the party’s journeys complete the pattern.

Lairs

Her lairs turn space into a solved problem. Lines of movement become visible, cover shifts to reward foresight, and impulsive action creates openings an enemy can exploit.

The Crimson War Room

Moving a piece on the central map changes a real unit outside.

The Lanceboard Keep

Rooms slide in a strict grid after every turn.

The Hall of Lost Campaigns

Each mural offers a tactic that failed for one overlooked reason.

The Reserve Vault

Doors open only when the party deliberately leaves a resource unused.

Shared References

Open a reference for its canonical description and related entries.