Ninja_Prawn
2015-05-05, 04:56 PM
I'm a long time lurker, first time poster, so... hello, Playground!
So I just had an idea pop into my head for making Blackguards / Antipaladins without spellcasting... What I'm going for here is a terrifying black knight that crushes its foes through force of arms, rather than someone who 'channels divinity' and smites things left and right like a Vengeance or Oathbreaker Paladin. Thus I decided to build on the Fighter chassis, and offer to you this archetype:
Nothing short of mortal fiends, Blackguards are quintessential black knights, carrying a reputation of the foulest sort. Consorting with demons and devils while serving dark deities, blackguards are hated and feared by all.
FIENDISH INFLUENCE
At 3rd level, your fiendish masters imbue you with their dark power, granting you the ability to see in the dark and a supernatural resistance to mind-altering effects. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and can see normally in darkness, both magical and non-magical, to a distance of 60 feet.
CRUEL BEYOND MEASURE
Also at 3rd level, you begin to revel in death and destruction. Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain advantage on your next attack roll. This advantage is lost if it is not used within 1 minute.
FOUL REPUTATION
By 7th level, your deeds have become infamous and your name is whispered in darkened alleys and dingy taverns across the land. Your appearance heralds pain and misery – and your enemies know this. You gain proficiency in the Intimidate skill. Furthermore, you may apply double your proficiency bonus and never have disadvantage whenever you attempt to intimidate a humanoid.
IMPROVED CRITICAL
By 10th level, you have learned to exploit your foes’ weaknesses to deliver savage blows. Your weapons attacks now score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
WITHERING SMITE
Starting at 15th level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can draw upon your masters’ power to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8, which increases to 3d8 if the target is a celestial. You may not use this ability again until you finish a long rest.
LIFEDRINKER
At 18th level, you gain the ability to draw vigour from the suffering of your enemies. Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier. This ability does not work against undead or constructs.
My questions to you are: a) is this balanced and b) does it look like it would be fun to play? All suggestions are welcome!
So I just had an idea pop into my head for making Blackguards / Antipaladins without spellcasting... What I'm going for here is a terrifying black knight that crushes its foes through force of arms, rather than someone who 'channels divinity' and smites things left and right like a Vengeance or Oathbreaker Paladin. Thus I decided to build on the Fighter chassis, and offer to you this archetype:
Nothing short of mortal fiends, Blackguards are quintessential black knights, carrying a reputation of the foulest sort. Consorting with demons and devils while serving dark deities, blackguards are hated and feared by all.
FIENDISH INFLUENCE
At 3rd level, your fiendish masters imbue you with their dark power, granting you the ability to see in the dark and a supernatural resistance to mind-altering effects. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and can see normally in darkness, both magical and non-magical, to a distance of 60 feet.
CRUEL BEYOND MEASURE
Also at 3rd level, you begin to revel in death and destruction. Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you gain advantage on your next attack roll. This advantage is lost if it is not used within 1 minute.
FOUL REPUTATION
By 7th level, your deeds have become infamous and your name is whispered in darkened alleys and dingy taverns across the land. Your appearance heralds pain and misery – and your enemies know this. You gain proficiency in the Intimidate skill. Furthermore, you may apply double your proficiency bonus and never have disadvantage whenever you attempt to intimidate a humanoid.
IMPROVED CRITICAL
By 10th level, you have learned to exploit your foes’ weaknesses to deliver savage blows. Your weapons attacks now score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
WITHERING SMITE
Starting at 15th level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can draw upon your masters’ power to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8, which increases to 3d8 if the target is a celestial. You may not use this ability again until you finish a long rest.
LIFEDRINKER
At 18th level, you gain the ability to draw vigour from the suffering of your enemies. Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier. This ability does not work against undead or constructs.
My questions to you are: a) is this balanced and b) does it look like it would be fun to play? All suggestions are welcome!