Blackguard: How much better is it?

[Xuldarinar]

I know there isn't an official update to the blackguard in pathfinder, but given the changes that occur between 3.5 and pathfinder with skills and how certain class features work (such as smite good), how much better is the blackguard?

[T.G. Oskar]

To be honest, the Antipaladin is pretty much the same as a Blackguard but as a full class and already adapted to Pathfinder, so you might want to look there.

To resume: they still get Charisma to all saving throws, their version of the Mark (Disclaimer: I refuse to call it a smite) is worse (most enemies you'll face are evil or neutral, unless you're on an evil campaign), they get a Touch of Corruption that deals a good bit of damage and you can stack rider effects (Cruelties) on top of it (only one, but think of it as a Vampiric Touch spell that can daze or stun an opponent with a scaling save DC); Channel Negative Energy is a solid AoE damage effect, Aura of Cowardice allows you to impose fear effects on creatures immune to it; Fiendish Servant is WAY too good as you can end up summoning a friggin' Glabrezu (remember, the demon that grants wishes?); Aura of Depravity nets you DR 5/good (which is as good as DR 5/-) which eventually doubles, and the spells include some good debuffs and personal buffs.

Even shorter: if you plan to play a character who loves debuffing its opponents, the Antipaladin is boss. Certainly better than their Blackguard counterpart in 3.5, but they lack Sneak Attack. Too bad they lack an archetype that replaces their mark for Sneak Attack...

[Xuldarinar]

To be honest, the Antipaladin is pretty much the same as a Blackguard but as a full class and already adapted to Pathfinder, so you might want to look there.

To resume: they still get Charisma to all saving throws, their version of the Mark (Disclaimer: I refuse to call it a smite) is worse (most enemies you'll face are evil or neutral, unless you're on an evil campaign), they get a Touch of Corruption that deals a good bit of damage and you can stack rider effects (Cruelties) on top of it (only one, but think of it as a Vampiric Touch spell that can daze or stun an opponent with a scaling save DC); Channel Negative Energy is a solid AoE damage effect, Aura of Cowardice allows you to impose fear effects on creatures immune to it; Fiendish Servant is WAY too good as you can end up summoning a friggin' Glabrezu (remember, the demon that grants wishes?); Aura of Depravity nets you DR 5/good (which is as good as DR 5/-) which eventually doubles, and the spells include some good debuffs and personal buffs.

Even shorter: if you plan to play a character who loves debuffing its opponents, the Antipaladin is boss. Certainly better than their Blackguard counterpart in 3.5, but they lack Sneak Attack. Too bad they lack an archetype that replaces their mark for Sneak Attack...

I disagree. I'd actually compare the pathfinder antipaladin to the paladin of slaughter or the anti-paladin from dragon magazine more than I'd compare it to the blackguard, both of which are full classes and have codes of conduct and alignment restrictions. Blackguards are not bound to a code of conduct, nor any particular alignment after they become blackguards, though they must have been on friendly terms with malign entities at some point in time, and they themselves must have been evil.

With the changes to how things work, the blackguard's skill list and skill requirements would change, smite good would take on the antipaladin's smite good mechanics (a massive improvement), arguably they would cast from Cha, Command Undead would take on the feat's mechanics with effectiveness and uses based on effective cleric level, spells would use pathfinder versions instead of 3.5 versions, and lay on hands would take on pathfinder's mechanics.