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supergoji18
2015-01-27, 10:30 AM
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The Blackguard:

Whereas the Paladin is a warrior devoted to justice and good, the Blackguard is the embodiment of evil most foul. Having formed a contract with dark powers, whether it is a Fiend, powerful Aberation or an evil god, Blackguards recieve mighty powers in exchange for their service or even their souls. Blackguards are often found leading large armies of evil creatures in bloody crusades against the forces of good, corrupting innocent, or spreading their patron's influence.
A Blackguard's power comes from its patron, similar to how a cleric's power comes from a deity. The patron does not need to sanction every use of its power, so most Blackguards don't need to worry about their powers failing. Because of this tie to a patron, a Blackguard will loose his powers if he is cut off from his patron. This can happen if the patron looses favor in his servant, if the Blackguard is forcibly severed from the power (whether by some sort of ritual or spell), or if the patron dies. If such an event occurs, the Blackguard must either find a new patron willing to take him in or must seek out other ways to feed his abilities.

Class Features:
HD: 1d10 per Blackguard level
HP at 1st level: 10 + Constitution Modifier
HP at higher levels: 1d10 (6) + Con modifier per Blackguard level after 1st.

Proficiencies:
Armory: all armor and shields
Weapons: all Simple and Martial
Tools: none
Saving Throws: Strength, Charisma
Skills: Choose 2 from Arcana, Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Persuasion, Religion
Proficiency Bonus by level: 1-4: +2, 5-8: +3, 9-12: +4, 13-16: +5, 17 and up: +6

Equipment:
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) a simple melee weapon or (b) a simple ranged weapon w/ ammunition
- (a) a Priest's pack or (b) a Scholar's pack
- Breastplate and a dark symbol (operates the same as a holy symbol)

Dark Bond:
A Blackguard is bound to its patron the way a cleric is to its deity. All of the Blackguard's powers are derived from it. As such, if you are cut off from your patron, you loose all class features except for Fighting Style, Extra Attack, and Ability Score Improvement. Additionally, you cannot advance any further in the Blackguard class. You can regain your abilities by finding a new patron or by finding some other power source for your abilities. If you succeed in the latter option, you regain your Blackguard abilities, but you still cannot advance further in the class. Finding a new patron will allow you to continue advancing, but attracting a new patron is difficult and many will require you to prove yourself to them before accepting you.

Dark Insight:
The Blackguard's dark power gives an innate awareness of the alignments of those around him. As an action, the Blackguard can choose to know the alignments of as many people around him as he likes, within a radius of 60 ft. Evil to a Blackguard registers as a pleasant sensation, while good registers as a burning feeling. Neutral registers as a bland taste which needs some seasoning very badly (and that seasoning is EVIL!). This ability can be used a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma Bonus, and uses replenish after a short or long rest.

Tainted Hands:
The taint in your soul is powerful enough to be converted into a touch weapon. You have a pool of damage that you can deal through touch equal to your Blackguard level x 5. As an action you can touch a creature and fill them with your evil taint.
At level 4, you may expend 20 HP of damage to cause a target to suffer one level of exhaustion. The target must make a Constitution save with a DC equal to your Spell Save DC. On a failed save, the target suffers one level of exhaustion. A successful save causes no exhaustion and makes the target immune to the effect for 24 hours.
Additionally, for every 20 points extra expended, the target will suffer an additional level of exhaustion. So at 20th level, a blackguard could cause a target to suffer 5 levels of exhaustion.
The pool replenishes after a long rest.

Fighting Style:
At 2nd level, you adopt a fighting style as your specialty. Choose one, and you pick the same twice (consult handbook for the benefits of each).
- Defense
- Dueling
- Archery
- Two Weapon Fighting

Spellcasting:
At 2nd level, your patron allows you to tap into its unholy power, granting you the capability to cast certain spells. The Blackguard's Spellcasting mechanics are similar to the Sorcerer's, gaining a small pool of spells it can cast spontaneously. Blackguards have spell slots up to level 5.
Spells known per level:
2 - 2
3 - 2
4 - 3
5 - 3
6 - 4
7 -4
8 -5
9 - 5
10 - 6
11 - 6
12 - 7
13 - 7
14 - 8
15 - 8
16 - 9
17 - 9
18 - 10
19 - 10
20 - 12

Spell Slots by Level

1st level spell slots:
2 - 2
3 to 4 - 3
5 and higher- 4
2nd level spell slots:
5 to 6 - 2
7 and higher - 3
3rd level spell slots:
9 to 10 - 2
11 and higher - 3
4th level spell slots:
13 to 14 - 1
15 to 16 - 2
17 and higher: 3
5th level spell slots:
17 to 18 - 1
19 and higher - 2

Spell list for Blackguards:

1st level: Bane, Charm Person, Command, Detect Magic, Divine Favor, False Life, Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wound, Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Wrathful Smite
2nd: Barkskin, Hold Person, Continual Flame, Darkness, Flame Blade, Suggestion,
3rd: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Elemental Weapon, Fear, Haste, Lightning Bolt, Vampiric Touch,
4th: Blight, Freedom of movement, Confusion, Locate Creature, Phantasm Killer, Stoneskin, Wall of Fire,
5th: Antilife Shell, Banishing Smite, Cloudkill, Commune, Contact Other Plane, Contagion, Destructive Wave, Dominate Person, Flame Strike, Gease, Hold Monster

Spellcasting Ability:
Charisma is your spellcasting ability. Use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. Your Spell Save DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma Modifier.

You can use a dark symbol as a spellcasting focus.

Hateful Smite:
At level 2, you are able to channel your patron's dark powers into your weapon, charging it with necrotic energy. You expend one spell slot to achieve this effect. The extra damage dealt by your weapon is equal to 2d6 + 1d6 per spell level above level 1, to a maximum total of 6d6. Damage increases by 1d6 if the target is good aligned.

Dark Mind:
At 3rd level, your patron has claimed you for itself, and it intends to keep it that way. Your patron gives you an advantage on saving throws against mind-affecting effects such as domination and fear.

Ability Score Improvement:
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase 2 ability scores of your choice by 1. You can't raise an ability past 20 with this feature.

Extra Attack:
Starting at 5th level, you can Attack twice instead of once when you take an action on your turn.

Dark Aura:
Starting at 6th level, your evil power begins to manifest as a physical aura. The darkness of it is enough to cause any creature to break their focus or even become weakened. Creatures within 10 ft of you suffer a disadvantage on any saving throws they make.

Frightful Aura:
Starting at 10th level, you can use your action to cause any creatures you want within 20 ft of you to flee in terror. The targets must make a Wisdom Save with a DC equal your spell save DC.

Improved Hateful Smite:
Your power has grown steadily under the guidance of your patron. Starting at 11th level, you can use your dark taint to weaken your opponent whenever you successfully hit them. Choose one of your target's ability scores. The target must make a saving throw using that ability, with a DC equal to your Blackguard level. On a failed saving throw, the target's ability drops to 3 if it is not already lower. A successful save will only decrease the ability by 1 point, and the target is immune to this effect for 24 hours.

Power of Undeath:
At 14th level, you gain the ability to raise a dead body as an undead under your command. To do this, you must touch the corpse and expend 20 points of damage from your damage pool. When a target becomes a zombie, use the zombie npc template in the DM Guide for the changes, with the exception that the Int score is set to 3. You cannot raise a creature with a challenge rating above 1, and you can have a maximum of 2 zombies.
At 17th level, the challenge rating raises to 2, and you can have a maximum of 4.
At 20th level, the challenge rating raises to 3, and you can have a maximum of 8.

A Darkness all your own:
Once you have reached level 20, the power of your patron has thoroughly corrupted you, down to your very soul. This corruption cannot be removed, it is forever a part of you. From now on, you count as either a fiend or an aberation (depending on your patron). Additionally, your transformation comes with its own dark power source. You can now retain your Blackguard powers even if your patron dies or abandons you. Finally, you become bound to a lower plane of your choice. When you die, you reform in that plane in 2d20 days, at full health and with all of your equipment. You can only die in this plane, and you cannot be raised.

Multi classing as Blackguard:
When a character wishes to multi class into a Blackguard, they must have a Strength and Charisma of at least 13 each. Additionally, characters may be required to make contact with a creature willing to make them a blackguard, though this may be left up to the DM's discretion.
When multi classing into Blackguard, you only gain the following proficiencies
- Light and Medium Armor
- Shields
- Simple and Martial weapons

Archetypes: selected at 3rd level

1. Blood KnightBlood Knight:
Blood Knights revel in bloodshed. Senseless slaughter and vandalism are how they get themselves warmed up in the morning. They are like painters, and they only work in red. Their love of wanton destruction makes them a natural fit for becoming a Blackguard, and oftentimes it is the powers of evil who seek these individuals out, not the other way around. Blood Knights may serve their patrons as weapons of mass destruction, or they may be allowed to sow evil of their own accord, using their newfound might as a way to enhance the slaughter.

Rampage
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to use Rage just as Barbarians do. You receive all of the same benefits, but they also apply while wearing heavy armor. You can only use this ability once before taking a long rest.
At 9th level, you gain an additional use of Rage, and again at 15th level.

Dark Body
At 7th level, you have proven your love of violence to your patron. So as to keep you healthy and always ready for a bloodbath, you are granted an immunity to all diseases and poisons.

Vicious Fury
At 13th level, you are a master when it comes to battle. As battles rage on, you become more and more attuned to the enemies you face and your attacks improve their effectiveness. For every 3 successful hits made in a combat, you add a +1 bonus to both Attack and Damage rolls. This effect lasts until either the end of the battle or after 5 minutes, whichever comes last.

Soul Rending
At 18th level, you gain a terrible power: the ability to strike a soul within its body. When you land a successful melee attack, the target must make a Wisdom save with a DC equal to your proficiency bonus + half your blackguard level. On a failed save, the targets soul is rent by the attack as well. When this happens, the link between the body and soul is damaged, and control is difficult to maintain over the body. Every time your target takes an action, it must now make a Wisdom save with a DC equal to spell save DC. On a failed save, the target fails to perform its action.
This power can be used a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma Bonus, and replenishes after a short or long rest.
2. Shadow of Evil
Shadow of Evil
Not all Blackguards are on the front lines in the war between good and evil. Some prefer to work from the shadows, uncovering secret plots and information, and reporting their findings to their dark masters. Shadows of Evil are masters of stealth and subterfuge, possessing abilities that make them perfect warriors to work from the shadows.

Muffled Movement
At 3rd level, your powers allow you to move as silently as the wind, regardless of your attire. You are like a shadow on the wall, silent and invisible. As such, you no longer have disadvantage on Stealth checks from wearing certain types of armor (plate, chain, etc.)

Improved Dark Insight:
At 7th level, you have honed your perceptiveness to supernatural levels. When you use your Dark Insight ability, you gain the following benefits:
- Radius increases to 120 ft.
- the duration of the effect lasts 1 minute long
- in addition to alignment, you also gain knowledge of their intentions, plots and plans, and of significant events in their lifetime.
- the above will give you advantage on Deception, Insight and Persuasion checks made when interacting with these characters.
- You also become aware of the locations of objects of magical power within the radius of your ability.
One possible use of this ability is to discover important secrets about enemy weaknesses or troop movements.

One with the Shadows:
At 13th level, the Shadow of Evil is more than just a fancy title. You can quite literally become one with the shadows, becoming completely invisible. To use this ability, you must be in contact with a shadow (your own doesn't count). You may use this power a number of times equal to 1 + your charisma modifier before taking a short or long rest.

Dread Shade:
Your success pleases your patron, and as such it rewards you with a mighty power. At 18th level, as an action you may summon either a shadow. You may summon a number of them equal to 1 + your charisma modifier. These creatures are completely under your control. They will remain with you until they either die, are dispelled, or you take a short or long rest.
You may use this power once before taking a short or long rest.
3. CorrupterCorrupter
Whether it be a demon, a devil, an eldritch abomination or a god, evil beings love to gain power. While all take a direct involvement in the spread of their influence, sometimes they delegate this process to their servants. Blackguards, already among the foremost of their followers, make excellent agents in the process of amassing power. While all Blackguard perform this duty in some way, Corrupters are the ones most wholly devoted to the task. Every action they make, every word they speak, and every life they take are all carefully calculated in such a way that it benefits their patron and hinders their enemies.

Dominating Force
To further the goal of spreading power, your patron empowers your domination spells and powers. At 3rd level, your target gains disadvantage for the saving throw for each of the following spells: Charm Person, Command, Suggestion, Confusion, and Dominate Person

Evil Intellect
As a Corrupter, a keen mind is needed to handle all the complex plotting and power play. Your patron will encourage the development of your mind by allowing your intelligence to enhance your abilities. At 7th level, you may add your Intelligence modifier to any rolls you make, including skill checks, saving throws, attack and damage rolls. You may do this 3 times before a short or long rest.

Subjugation
As much as Corrupters love spreading their master's influence, they also love to use their power to control others. At 13th level, you gain the ability to expend 50 points from their Damage Pool to dominate a humanoid. This humanoid must succeed a Wisdom Save with DC equal to your Spell Save DC. On a fail, the creature is completely dominated, and will follow your commands exactly as wanted. The effect lasts until you release them from your power or until a restoration spell or mind blank spell is cast on the humanoid.

Soul Mongering
You have proven yourself to your patron, and have earned the greatest of honors a Corrupter can possibly receive. At 18th level, you gain the ability to make deals for your patron. To achieve this, once per year you are able to cast the Wish spell. To use it, someone else must agree to make a deal with you in exchange for their soul. As always, if the person making the deal is not careful in their wording, you may twist it to do something that will benefit yourself. For example, a nobleman contacts you and says "I wish for the peasants to stop revolting!" You could twist this wish any number of ways because of how general it is, like by helping the peasants win their revolt and thus giving them no more reason to continue.
Your patron will inform you if he wants you to deal with a particular soul. You may use the Wish on someone that your patron has not instructed you to deal with, but if he does not approve of the wording of the wish it will fail. The Wish may also be used on yourself, but you must be extra careful with using it as your patron may make you pay for the potential loss of a soul, and could easily make it backfire on you.

How does this look for a 5e Blackguard? Anything I should add, take away, or fix? As a note, I may add archetypes later.

pibby
2015-01-27, 11:58 AM
How does one even multiclass a Blackguard if his spells go to 6th as opposed to 5th like his goody-two-shoes counterpart?

supergoji18
2015-01-27, 03:32 PM
How does one even multiclass a Blackguard if his spells go to 6th as opposed to 5th like his goody-two-shoes counterpart?

I shall change it then if it causes problems

Edit: changed

PotatoGolem
2015-01-28, 12:42 PM
First off, this is a super cool class, and it seems mostly balanced against the Paladin so far (although it needs archetypes). Two things jump out at me though:

1) Saves. Every other class has one good save and one bad save. This class has two bad saves. Maybe make it Wis/Cha like a paladin, or Con/Cha if you want to differentiate it a bit.

2) Dominate Person is way too strong of an ability to gain it at 4th level. It's a 5th level spell; even a primary caster can't use it till level 9, and a half-caster gets it at level 17. I like the idea of Tainted Hands having an alternate mode though. Maybe spend some amount of healing to inflict levels of exhaustion or the poisoned condition?

supergoji18
2015-01-28, 03:29 PM
First off, this is a super cool class, and it seems mostly balanced against the Paladin so far (although it needs archetypes). Two things jump out at me though:

1) Saves. Every other class has one good save and one bad save. This class has two bad saves. Maybe make it Wis/Cha like a paladin, or Con/Cha if you want to differentiate it a bit.

2) Dominate Person is way too strong of an ability to gain it at 4th level. It's a 5th level spell; even a primary caster can't use it till level 9, and a half-caster gets it at level 17. I like the idea of Tainted Hands having an alternate mode though. Maybe spend some amount of healing to inflict levels of exhaustion or the poisoned condition?

How about Strength + Wisdom?

Maybe if I increased the required amount to 50 points? That way the Blackguard can only start to use it at level 10.

And yes I will include archetypes eventually. I am also working out multiclassing requirements.

Leuku
2015-01-29, 01:50 AM
Maybe if I increased the required amount to 50 points? That way the Blackguard can only start to use it at level 10.

I feel that that is too long of a wait for a feature that is meant to be comparable to the Paladin. I really like Potato-Golem's "Exhaustion" recommendation.

20 points seem right to dole out Exhaustion. Every additional 20 points beyond the first adds another level of Exhaustion. Since the point pool caps out at 100, it will be impossible to automatically kill a creature with Exhaustion, which is a good thing.

Scaileanna
2015-01-29, 04:15 AM
Either there's a typo or I'm not understanding but for the improved hateful smite it says pick an a ability score and how much to lower it by but then it says if they fail the save that score drops to 3 so which part is right and also is this permanent or temporary

Also for the created zombie do you use the zombie ability scores from the monster manual or apply zombie ability score changes from the DM guide to whatever the target had?

supergoji18
2015-01-29, 08:20 AM
Either there's a typo or I'm not understanding but for the improved hateful smite it says pick an a ability score and how much to lower it by but then it says if they fail the save that score drops to 3 so which part is right and also is this permanent or temporary

Also for the created zombie do you use the zombie ability scores from the monster manual or apply zombie ability score changes from the DM guide to whatever the target had?

Typo, I will fix it now

I forgot to specify that part, but the way I intended for it to go was dependent on how long dead the corpse has been: if it is very old, decayed and humanoid, use the zombie in the monster manual. If not, use the DM guide for zombifying things

supergoji18
2015-02-01, 10:33 AM
Changed the domination effect to an exhaustion inducing effect for Tainted Hands.

Also, first archetype has been added.

Twelvetrees
2015-02-01, 09:09 PM
First off, this is cool. It's similar to Oathbreaker Paladins, but it's different enough to have its own place.

Tainted hands and frightful aura as well as Soul Rending should use spell save DC.

Dark insight, if directly balanced against the paladin's ability in core, should be limited to 1+Cha mod times per day.

Power of undeath is also really powerful if the creature retains it's prior stats. Fighting creatures near your challenge, then making them fight for you is a bit too powerful. It would probably be a good idea to limit it to the stats for zombies that already exist.

Soul Rending is a little bit powerful as a constant ability. Maybe limit it to a certain number of times per short rest/long rest?

That's all I've got for now. As I said earlier, this is cool.

supergoji18
2015-02-02, 12:51 PM
First off, this is cool. It's similar to Oathbreaker Paladins, but it's different enough to have its own place.

Tainted hands and frightful aura as well as Soul Rending should use spell save DC.

Dark insight, if directly balanced against the paladin's ability in core, should be limited to 1+Cha mod times per day.

Power of undeath is also really powerful if the creature retains it's prior stats. Fighting creatures near your challenge, then making them fight for you is a bit too powerful. It would probably be a good idea to limit it to the stats for zombies that already exist.

Soul Rending is a little bit powerful as a constant ability. Maybe limit it to a certain number of times per short rest/long rest?

That's all I've got for now. As I said earlier, this is cool.
Thanks :)

I want to keep Soul Rending with a low save DC because I feel it can be a bit too powerful. And yeah, I will probably take your suggestion and make it a type of daily.

How about limiting the challenge rating? Maybe to 2 or 3?

Twelvetrees
2015-02-02, 04:12 PM
Thanks :)

I want to keep Soul Rending with a low save DC because I feel it can be a bit too powerful. And yeah, I will probably take your suggestion and make it a type of daily.

How about limiting the challenge rating? Maybe to 2 or 3?

It's up to you, but with 5e trying to be simple to play, having to keep track of multiple CRs could be a little confusing. In terms of balance, it makes sense, it just doesn't necessarily mesh well.

Limiting CR would probably work, yes.

supergoji18
2015-02-04, 11:05 AM
It's up to you, but with 5e trying to be simple to play, having to keep track of multiple CRs could be a little confusing. In terms of balance, it makes sense, it just doesn't necessarily mesh well.

Limiting CR would probably work, yes.

Alright sounds good.

Ok, making changes now

supergoji18
2015-02-05, 10:03 PM
The second archetype is now up: the Shadow of Evil, which focuses on stealth and subterfuge in contrast to the Blood Knight's roaring rampages

ReturnOfTheKing
2015-02-14, 12:30 PM
Umm… isn't this basically the Oathbreaker Paladin meets the Warlock?

And Paladins aren't goody two-shoes anymore - now they're dedicated to an oath, which they can follow and still be evil.

supergoji18
2015-02-22, 03:30 PM
Umm… isn't this basically the Oathbreaker Paladin meets the Warlock?

And Paladins aren't goody two-shoes anymore - now they're dedicated to an oath, which they can follow and still be evil.

This is meant to be more of a "start out evil" version of the oath breaker, with more focus on the "empowered by evil beings" aspect rather than being a "I've fallen and I can't get up!" variant of paladin.

Besides, alternatives are always good to have, and I feel like this class has that more "evil" vibe to it.

And read the paladin section. Try, just try to tell me they aren't pushing for you to be good? Even the avenger class is anti-evil. Yes there is no alignment restriction anymore, but the virtues that one must uphold according to the oaths are all very much "good" types of virtues, and it is very hard to be evil while upholding them (how exactly can you "fight evil wherever it lies" when you yourself are evil?)

Also, 3rd and final archetype has been posted: The Corrupter

The_Pyromancer
2015-07-18, 01:15 PM
Wow, I like this idea. I do have a few suggestions:

Tainted Hands- Does this auto hit? Because if it does, that's fine. If it doesn't, I don't think it matches up to the core paladin's healing, as healing seems more powerful than damage.

Spells Known- This seems a bit restrictive, as core paladins can change spells known every day and get more spells anyways.

Hateful Smite- Seems a bit underpowered, because the core Divine Smite does 2d8 damage. Also, why not use Searing/Thunderous/Wrathful Smite from the spell list? Still deals 2d6, but often has another effect, like a push or a burning effect.

Improved Hateful Smite- Can this be used an unlimited number of times? That seems extremely good. Hit all your enemies and target strength. With a score of 3, they can hardly hit you, not to mention carry their own weapons. and armor.

One With the Shadows- Make it so you become visible once you move or attack something. Or maybe just attack something.

Dread Shade- What are the stats for a shadow?

Evil Intellect- Good idea, but this seems to make the Blackguard a LOT MAD. You need Strength and Con, Plus Charisma, and now Intelligence too? It doesn't have to be changed, it just seems like it wouldn't be utilized that often or to a great effect.

Subjugation- You should only be able to dominate one person at a time, otherwise this is a free army.


I really like these powers. They have some great flavors.