Gnorman
2016-03-15, 05:14 AM
The Blackguard (E6)
Designer's Notes:
This is my attempt at turning the Blackguard into a viable base class in an E6 environment. A reckless melee opponent focusing on debuffing and fear, the Blackguard also eventually receives the benefit of a fiendish servant, making it the other "pet class" besides the Ranger. Nevertheless, the Blackguard plays very differently. While she doesn't want to be the focus of her opponent's attention (no tanking abilities), she is incentivized to wade into melee and cause as much havoc as possible. Outside of combat, she's competent as the party face and can even intimidate her way to the top of the local hierarchy, suffering comparatively fewer penalties for doing so. Her ability to ignore size penalties means that a pixie blackguard can somehow be just as intimidating, if not more so, than an orc. It's not a bug; it's a feature.
As far as archetypes go, they end up falling into three categories: offensive/debuffer (Ravager), defensive/summoner (Bone Knight), and utility/casting (Hexblade). I thought about some kind of Curse ability for the Hexblade, but with all the debuffing auras, it seems redundant. Perhaps a way to include distant foes in her aura?
Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Alignment: Any, though good Blackguards are rare and likely don't stay that way for long.
HD: d10
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive
Skill Points: 4 + Int per level (4x at 1st)
Level
BAB
Saves
Special
Fort
Ref
Will
1st
+1
+2
+0
+2
Archetype Power (Lesser), Fearmonger, Intimidating Presence
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+3
Dark Blessing, Punishing Strike (double)
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+3
Archetype Power (Moderate), Aura of Despair
4th
+4
+4
+1
+4
Bonus Feat, Vampiric Strike
5th
+5
+4
+1
+4
Fiendish Servant, Punishing Strike (triple)
6th
+6/+1
+5
+2
+5
Archetype Power (Greater), Abject Terror, Pinnacle of Cruelty
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Blackguard is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields (including tower shields).
Archetype Power: At 1st level, the Blackguard chooses an archetype from the list below. Once made, the choice is final. Each archetype offers the Blackguard a different set of abilities at levels 1, 3, and 6, as noted below.
Punishing Strike: If the Blackguard strikes an opponent in melee who is either shaken, frightened, or panicked, the Blackguard's weapon damage is doubled (but not any additional damage, such as that provided by Power Attack or the Blackguard's Strength bonus). At 5th level, this ability triples weapon damage. This ability only applies to attacks made on the Blackguard's own turn.
Intimidating Presence: The Blackguard may add her Strength modifier to all Intimidate attempts, and does not take a penalty for being smaller than her target. She may also demoralize an opponent as a swift action. Finally, targets of her intimidation attempts do not have their attitudes shifted towards unfriendly or hostile after she leaves their presence; they revert to neutral
Fearmonger: Opponents within 10' of the Blackguard take a -4 penalty on all saving throws to resist fear. The Blackguard becomes immune to fear herself.
At 5th level, opponents within this aura who are normally immune to fear lose their immunity, although they do not receive a -4 penalty to saving throws to resist fear.
Dark Blessing: The Blackguard adds her Charisma modifier (if positive) to all saving throws.
Punishing Strike: If the Blackguard strikes an opponent in melee who is either shaken, frightened, or panicked, the Blackguard's weapon damage is doubled (but not any additional damage, such as that provided by Power Attack or the Blackguard's Strength bonus). At 5th level, this ability triples weapon damage.
Aura of Despair: As the blackguard ability (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/blackguard.htm#auraofDespair) of the same name.
Bonus Feat: The Blackguard selects a single bonus feat and gain its benefits. She must still meet its prerequisites, and it must be drawn from feats noted as fighter feats. Once per day, the Blackguard may spend five minutes in meditation to change this bonus feat to any other fighter feat that she qualifies for. For the purposes of this ability, treat the Blackguard as if she had a fighter level equal to her class level.
Vampiric Strike: Once per encounter, when the Blackguard deals damage with her Punishing Strike, she may choose to be healed for a number of hit points equal to half the damage she dealt. This can take her above her maximum hit point total, with any excess stored as temporary hit points.
Fiendish Servant: The Blackguard now commands the services of a fell creature. Treat this as the familiar ability of the wizard/sorcerer, though the Blackguard's choice of servant is less limited. The Blackguard may choose any fiendish animal, fiendish vermin, evil outsider, or corporeal undead creature whose hit dice do not exceed 6 (4 if an outsider), whose CR does not exceed 3, and whose size does not exceed Large. The Blackguard's servant may not use any summoning, calling, or teleportation abilities, nor may it create spawn. If her servant is killed, the Blackguard may replace it, in a ritual that costs 100gp and takes 8 hours.
Abject Terror: The Blackguard now exudes an aura of fear. Any opponent who comes within 10' of the Blackguard must make a Will save (DC = 10 + half the Blackguard's level + the Blackguard's Charisma modifier) or become frightened. Even if the opponent successfully saves against the fear effect, he becomes shaken.
Pinnacle of Cruelty: Once per day, the Blackguard may make use of one of the following abilities.
Bloodthirst: For the remainder of the encounter, the Blackguard may make use of her Vampiric Strike ability with no limitation. The temporary hit points provided by it do not stack, however; only the highest total applies. Activating this ability is a swift action.
Demonic Pact: The Blackguard channels profane power into her fiendish servant. The fiendish servant transforms into any other creature of its same type, up to a hit dice total of 8 (6 if an outsider), a CR total of 5, and a size of Huge. Its hit points double, now being equal to the Blackguard's total. If the servant is undead, it may temporarily assume the form of an incorporeal undead creature. While this ability is active, the Blackguard may choose to have any amount of damage dealt to her fiendish servant dealt to her instead, or vice-versa. This ability lasts until the end of the encounter, at which point the servant reverts back to its normal, lesser form. Activating this ability is a standard action.
Ravenous Madness: All opponents within range of the Blackguard's auras, and who are frightened or worse, must make a Will save (DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the Blackguard's level + the Blackguard's Charisma modifier) or go mad. If they fail the save, they spend the remainder of the encounter gibbering incoherently, or attacking the nearest creature (50% chance of either). Activating this ability is a swift action.
Archetypes:
Bone Knight
Lesser Archetype Power: A bone knight may rebuke undead as a cleric of her class level. In addition, a bone knight may command any number of undead whose hit dice do not exceed four times her class level.
Moderate Archetype Power: A bone knight gains a number of immunities inherent to undead. She becomes immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, fatigue, exhaustion, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, and death from massive damage.
Greater Archetype Power: A number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier, a bone knight may use Animate Dead as a spell-like ability, but targeting only a single corpse. Whatever undead creature results from this ability counts against her HD cap for rebuke undead. In addition, she gains DR X/bludgeoning, where X is equal to half her armor bonus.
Hexblade
Lesser Archetype Power: A hexblade's auras are more powerful, extending out to 30' instead of 10'. This applies to her Fearmonger, Aura of Despair, and Abject Terror abilities.
Moderate Archetype Power: A hexblade gains the ability to cast a limited number of arcane spells, drawn from the Warlock list. She may cast a number of spells per day as noted in the table below. She does not need to prepare these spells in advance, and is treated as if she knows all the spells on the Warlock list. Her spellcasting attribute is Charisma. She gains bonus spells for having a high Charisma, and must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the level of the spell in question to cast it. The DC of a hexblade's spells are equal to 10 + 1/2 her level + Charisma modifier. She may also ignore any arcane spell failure caused by light armor, medium armor, or shields (except tower shields).
Greater Archetype Power: A hexblade now knows and may cast spells from the Sorcerer's list.
Level
Spells Per Day
0
1
2
1st
-
-
-
2nd
-
-
-
3rd
3
1
-
4th
3
2
0
5th
3
3
1
6th
3
3
2
Ravager
Lesser Archetype Power: A ravager can sacrifice her life force to increase her attacks. As a swift action, she can deal herself any amount of damage, up to her hit point total. For every five hit points she sacrifices in this way, she gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, up to a maximum of +4. This bonus lasts for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier.
Moderate Archetype Power: Any time an opponent suffering from a fear effect caused by a ravager takes damage, from any source, he takes additional damage equal to the ravager's Charisma modifier. This additional damage is of the same type as the original damage.
Greater Archetype Power: Any opponent damaged by a ravager's Punishing Strike must make a Fortitude save (with the DC being 10 + 1/2 the ravager's class level + the ravager's Charisma modifier) or become fatigued. In addition, when using her Vampiric Strike ability, a ravager is healed for the full amount of damage dealt.
Spell Lists:
Sorcerer Spell List:
0: Acid Splash, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Flare, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1: Alarm, Burning Hands, Endure Elements, Enlarge Person, Entropic Shield, Floating Disk, Grease, Jump, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Magic Weapon, Mount, Produce Flame, Reduce Person, Shield, Shocking Grasp, True Strike
2: Acid Arrow, Bear's Endurance, Bull's Strength, Continual Flame, Eagle's Splendor, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Glitterdust, Levitate, Protection from Arrows, Pyrotechnics, Resist Energy, Rope Trick, Scorching Ray
3: Daylight, Dispel Magic, Explosive Runes, Fireball, Flame Arrow, Fly, Haste, Heroism, Magic Weapon (Greater), Keen Edge, Lightning Bolt, Phantom Steed, Protection from Energy, Sleet Storm, Slow, Tiny Hut
Warlock Spell List:
0: Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Inflict Minor Wounds, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Touch of Fatigue
1: Bane, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Command, Deathwatch, Detect Undead, Disguise Self, Doom, Entropic Shield, Inflict Light Wounds, Protection from Alignment, Ray of Enfeeblement, Summon Monster I
2: Blindness/Deafness, Command Undead, Darkness, Darkvision, Death Knell, Desecrate, False Life, Ghoul Touch, Inflict Moderate Wounds, Spectral Hand, Scare, Spider Climb, Summon Monster II, Summon Swarm, Touch of Idiocy, Undetectable Alignment, Web
3: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Contagion, Crushing Despair, Deeper Darkness, Dispel Magic, Halt Undead, Inflict Serious Wounds, Magic Circle Against Alignment, Poison, Ray of Exhaustion, Remove Curse, Speak with Dead, Stinking Cloud, Summon Monster III, Vampiric Touch
Changelog:
3/15/16: Class originally posted.
3/18/16: Blood Pact changed to Pinnacle of Cruelty; additional options added. Removed Abject Terror's ability to increase fear effects by a step; led to ridiculous fear stacking. Pushed Fearmonger's immunity-removing ability to level 5. Increased usage of Bone Knight's Animate Dead SLA. Removed Hexblade's ability to cast in heavy armor.
Designer's Notes:
This is my attempt at turning the Blackguard into a viable base class in an E6 environment. A reckless melee opponent focusing on debuffing and fear, the Blackguard also eventually receives the benefit of a fiendish servant, making it the other "pet class" besides the Ranger. Nevertheless, the Blackguard plays very differently. While she doesn't want to be the focus of her opponent's attention (no tanking abilities), she is incentivized to wade into melee and cause as much havoc as possible. Outside of combat, she's competent as the party face and can even intimidate her way to the top of the local hierarchy, suffering comparatively fewer penalties for doing so. Her ability to ignore size penalties means that a pixie blackguard can somehow be just as intimidating, if not more so, than an orc. It's not a bug; it's a feature.
As far as archetypes go, they end up falling into three categories: offensive/debuffer (Ravager), defensive/summoner (Bone Knight), and utility/casting (Hexblade). I thought about some kind of Curse ability for the Hexblade, but with all the debuffing auras, it seems redundant. Perhaps a way to include distant foes in her aura?
Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Alignment: Any, though good Blackguards are rare and likely don't stay that way for long.
HD: d10
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive
Skill Points: 4 + Int per level (4x at 1st)
Level
BAB
Saves
Special
Fort
Ref
Will
1st
+1
+2
+0
+2
Archetype Power (Lesser), Fearmonger, Intimidating Presence
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+3
Dark Blessing, Punishing Strike (double)
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+3
Archetype Power (Moderate), Aura of Despair
4th
+4
+4
+1
+4
Bonus Feat, Vampiric Strike
5th
+5
+4
+1
+4
Fiendish Servant, Punishing Strike (triple)
6th
+6/+1
+5
+2
+5
Archetype Power (Greater), Abject Terror, Pinnacle of Cruelty
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Blackguard is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields (including tower shields).
Archetype Power: At 1st level, the Blackguard chooses an archetype from the list below. Once made, the choice is final. Each archetype offers the Blackguard a different set of abilities at levels 1, 3, and 6, as noted below.
Punishing Strike: If the Blackguard strikes an opponent in melee who is either shaken, frightened, or panicked, the Blackguard's weapon damage is doubled (but not any additional damage, such as that provided by Power Attack or the Blackguard's Strength bonus). At 5th level, this ability triples weapon damage. This ability only applies to attacks made on the Blackguard's own turn.
Intimidating Presence: The Blackguard may add her Strength modifier to all Intimidate attempts, and does not take a penalty for being smaller than her target. She may also demoralize an opponent as a swift action. Finally, targets of her intimidation attempts do not have their attitudes shifted towards unfriendly or hostile after she leaves their presence; they revert to neutral
Fearmonger: Opponents within 10' of the Blackguard take a -4 penalty on all saving throws to resist fear. The Blackguard becomes immune to fear herself.
At 5th level, opponents within this aura who are normally immune to fear lose their immunity, although they do not receive a -4 penalty to saving throws to resist fear.
Dark Blessing: The Blackguard adds her Charisma modifier (if positive) to all saving throws.
Punishing Strike: If the Blackguard strikes an opponent in melee who is either shaken, frightened, or panicked, the Blackguard's weapon damage is doubled (but not any additional damage, such as that provided by Power Attack or the Blackguard's Strength bonus). At 5th level, this ability triples weapon damage.
Aura of Despair: As the blackguard ability (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/blackguard.htm#auraofDespair) of the same name.
Bonus Feat: The Blackguard selects a single bonus feat and gain its benefits. She must still meet its prerequisites, and it must be drawn from feats noted as fighter feats. Once per day, the Blackguard may spend five minutes in meditation to change this bonus feat to any other fighter feat that she qualifies for. For the purposes of this ability, treat the Blackguard as if she had a fighter level equal to her class level.
Vampiric Strike: Once per encounter, when the Blackguard deals damage with her Punishing Strike, she may choose to be healed for a number of hit points equal to half the damage she dealt. This can take her above her maximum hit point total, with any excess stored as temporary hit points.
Fiendish Servant: The Blackguard now commands the services of a fell creature. Treat this as the familiar ability of the wizard/sorcerer, though the Blackguard's choice of servant is less limited. The Blackguard may choose any fiendish animal, fiendish vermin, evil outsider, or corporeal undead creature whose hit dice do not exceed 6 (4 if an outsider), whose CR does not exceed 3, and whose size does not exceed Large. The Blackguard's servant may not use any summoning, calling, or teleportation abilities, nor may it create spawn. If her servant is killed, the Blackguard may replace it, in a ritual that costs 100gp and takes 8 hours.
Abject Terror: The Blackguard now exudes an aura of fear. Any opponent who comes within 10' of the Blackguard must make a Will save (DC = 10 + half the Blackguard's level + the Blackguard's Charisma modifier) or become frightened. Even if the opponent successfully saves against the fear effect, he becomes shaken.
Pinnacle of Cruelty: Once per day, the Blackguard may make use of one of the following abilities.
Bloodthirst: For the remainder of the encounter, the Blackguard may make use of her Vampiric Strike ability with no limitation. The temporary hit points provided by it do not stack, however; only the highest total applies. Activating this ability is a swift action.
Demonic Pact: The Blackguard channels profane power into her fiendish servant. The fiendish servant transforms into any other creature of its same type, up to a hit dice total of 8 (6 if an outsider), a CR total of 5, and a size of Huge. Its hit points double, now being equal to the Blackguard's total. If the servant is undead, it may temporarily assume the form of an incorporeal undead creature. While this ability is active, the Blackguard may choose to have any amount of damage dealt to her fiendish servant dealt to her instead, or vice-versa. This ability lasts until the end of the encounter, at which point the servant reverts back to its normal, lesser form. Activating this ability is a standard action.
Ravenous Madness: All opponents within range of the Blackguard's auras, and who are frightened or worse, must make a Will save (DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the Blackguard's level + the Blackguard's Charisma modifier) or go mad. If they fail the save, they spend the remainder of the encounter gibbering incoherently, or attacking the nearest creature (50% chance of either). Activating this ability is a swift action.
Archetypes:
Bone Knight
Lesser Archetype Power: A bone knight may rebuke undead as a cleric of her class level. In addition, a bone knight may command any number of undead whose hit dice do not exceed four times her class level.
Moderate Archetype Power: A bone knight gains a number of immunities inherent to undead. She becomes immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, fatigue, exhaustion, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, and death from massive damage.
Greater Archetype Power: A number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier, a bone knight may use Animate Dead as a spell-like ability, but targeting only a single corpse. Whatever undead creature results from this ability counts against her HD cap for rebuke undead. In addition, she gains DR X/bludgeoning, where X is equal to half her armor bonus.
Hexblade
Lesser Archetype Power: A hexblade's auras are more powerful, extending out to 30' instead of 10'. This applies to her Fearmonger, Aura of Despair, and Abject Terror abilities.
Moderate Archetype Power: A hexblade gains the ability to cast a limited number of arcane spells, drawn from the Warlock list. She may cast a number of spells per day as noted in the table below. She does not need to prepare these spells in advance, and is treated as if she knows all the spells on the Warlock list. Her spellcasting attribute is Charisma. She gains bonus spells for having a high Charisma, and must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the level of the spell in question to cast it. The DC of a hexblade's spells are equal to 10 + 1/2 her level + Charisma modifier. She may also ignore any arcane spell failure caused by light armor, medium armor, or shields (except tower shields).
Greater Archetype Power: A hexblade now knows and may cast spells from the Sorcerer's list.
Level
Spells Per Day
0
1
2
1st
-
-
-
2nd
-
-
-
3rd
3
1
-
4th
3
2
0
5th
3
3
1
6th
3
3
2
Ravager
Lesser Archetype Power: A ravager can sacrifice her life force to increase her attacks. As a swift action, she can deal herself any amount of damage, up to her hit point total. For every five hit points she sacrifices in this way, she gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, up to a maximum of +4. This bonus lasts for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier.
Moderate Archetype Power: Any time an opponent suffering from a fear effect caused by a ravager takes damage, from any source, he takes additional damage equal to the ravager's Charisma modifier. This additional damage is of the same type as the original damage.
Greater Archetype Power: Any opponent damaged by a ravager's Punishing Strike must make a Fortitude save (with the DC being 10 + 1/2 the ravager's class level + the ravager's Charisma modifier) or become fatigued. In addition, when using her Vampiric Strike ability, a ravager is healed for the full amount of damage dealt.
Spell Lists:
Sorcerer Spell List:
0: Acid Splash, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Flare, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1: Alarm, Burning Hands, Endure Elements, Enlarge Person, Entropic Shield, Floating Disk, Grease, Jump, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Magic Weapon, Mount, Produce Flame, Reduce Person, Shield, Shocking Grasp, True Strike
2: Acid Arrow, Bear's Endurance, Bull's Strength, Continual Flame, Eagle's Splendor, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Glitterdust, Levitate, Protection from Arrows, Pyrotechnics, Resist Energy, Rope Trick, Scorching Ray
3: Daylight, Dispel Magic, Explosive Runes, Fireball, Flame Arrow, Fly, Haste, Heroism, Magic Weapon (Greater), Keen Edge, Lightning Bolt, Phantom Steed, Protection from Energy, Sleet Storm, Slow, Tiny Hut
Warlock Spell List:
0: Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Inflict Minor Wounds, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Touch of Fatigue
1: Bane, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Command, Deathwatch, Detect Undead, Disguise Self, Doom, Entropic Shield, Inflict Light Wounds, Protection from Alignment, Ray of Enfeeblement, Summon Monster I
2: Blindness/Deafness, Command Undead, Darkness, Darkvision, Death Knell, Desecrate, False Life, Ghoul Touch, Inflict Moderate Wounds, Spectral Hand, Scare, Spider Climb, Summon Monster II, Summon Swarm, Touch of Idiocy, Undetectable Alignment, Web
3: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Contagion, Crushing Despair, Deeper Darkness, Dispel Magic, Halt Undead, Inflict Serious Wounds, Magic Circle Against Alignment, Poison, Ray of Exhaustion, Remove Curse, Speak with Dead, Stinking Cloud, Summon Monster III, Vampiric Touch
Changelog:
3/15/16: Class originally posted.
3/18/16: Blood Pact changed to Pinnacle of Cruelty; additional options added. Removed Abject Terror's ability to increase fear effects by a step; led to ridiculous fear stacking. Pushed Fearmonger's immunity-removing ability to level 5. Increased usage of Bone Knight's Animate Dead SLA. Removed Hexblade's ability to cast in heavy armor.