Blackguard (5e Class)
Blackguard
A blackguard epitomizes evil. They are nothing short of a mortal fiend, a black knight with the foulest sort of reputation. Many refer to blackguards as anti-paladins due to their completely evil nature. They are equivalent in power to the righteous paladin, but devote themselves to the powers of darkness. Blackguards consort with demons and devils and serve dark deities and have the power to send forth dark minions and servants to do their biddings, attacking with stealth and honourless guile, or straightforward smiting of the forces of good that stand in their way.
The Antipaladin
Although it is a rare occurrence, paladins do sometimes stray from the path of righteousness. Most of these wayward holy warriors seek out redemption and forgiveness for their misdeeds, regaining their powers through piety, charity, and powerful magic. Yet there are others, the dark and disturbed few, who turn actively to evil, courting the dark powers they once railed against in order to take vengeance on their former brothers. It’s said that those who climb the farthest have the farthest to fall, and antipaladins are living proof of this fact, their pride and hatred blinding them to the glory of their forsaken patrons.
Antipaladins become the antithesis of their former selves. They make pacts with fiends, take the lives of the innocent, and put nothing ahead of their personal power and wealth. Champions of evil, they often lead armies of evil creatures and work with other villains to bring ruin to the holy and tyranny to the weak. Not surprisingly, paladins stop at nothing to put an end to such nefarious antiheroes.
Creating a Blackguard
- Quick Build
You can make a blackguard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength or Dexterity should be your highest ability score, depending on whether you are going to focus on face to face combat or going to be stealthy and use foul tactics. Your next highest score should be Charisma. Second, choose the charlatan background.
Class Features
As a Blackguard you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Blackguard level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Blackguard level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Thieves' tools
Saving Throws: Strength or Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose four from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Religion, Stealth, or Sleight of Hand
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) chain mail or (b) leather armor, crossbow and 20 bolts
- (a) martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) scholar’s pack or (b) dungeoneer's pack
- Any simple weapon, and an arcane focus
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Souls | Foul Tactics | Features | —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |||||
| 1st | +2 | - | - | Dark Blessing, Unholy Pact, Phantoms Weapon | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | 2 | - | Soul Harvest, Expertise | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | 3 | - | Aura of Despair, Path of the Unholy | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | 4 | 1d6 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | 5 | 1d6 | Auxiliary Attacks | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | 6 | 1d6 | Dark Minion | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | 7 | 1d6 | Path of the Unholy | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | 8 | 2d6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | 9 | 2d6 | Expertise | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | 10 | 2d6 | — | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | 11 | 2d6 | Path of the Unholy, Auxiliary Attack | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | 12 | 3d6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | 13 | 3d6 | Dark Minion | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | 14 | 3d6 | Demonic Flight | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | 15 | 4d6 | Path of the Unholy | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | 16 | 4d6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | 17 | 4d6 | Auxiliary Attack | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | 18 | 5d6 | Path of the Unholy | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | 19 | 5d6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | 20 | 6d6 | Demonic Resistance | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Dark Blessing
At 1st level, you gain the blessing of the unholy. You gain resistance to necrotic damage and your maximum life cannot be reduced. You can also speak to fiends and undead as if you can speak their languages and your proficiency bonus is doubled when interacting with fiends and other creatures of the evil alignment.
Unholy Pact
Throughout your life, you have consorted with all sorts of demons, devils and dark deities. At 1st level you strike a bargain with one of these beings allowing you to draw out unholy magic directly from the lower planes of existence.
- Unholy Defense
Your relationship with demons had granted you the ability to absorb devastating blows even when not wearing armor. You gain unarmored defense which is equal to your Charisma modifier + Dexterity Modifier + 10.
- Spell slots
The Blackguard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of your spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.
- Preparing spells
You prepare the list of Blackguard spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the Blackguard spell list. When you do so, choose a number of Blackguard spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your Blackguard level (Minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new spell list of Blackguard spells require time spent in prayer; at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
- Spellcasting ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your Blackguard spells, so you use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Blackguard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC= 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier= your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
- Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your Blackguard spells.
- Blackguard Spell list
As a Blackguard, you can cast the spells listed under the Conjuration and Necromancy schools.
Phantoms Weapon
At 1st level, you learn a ritual that creates an unholy bond between you and your weapons. This ritual is performed over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, and to conclude the ritual you touch the weapon with your arcane focus. During this 1 hour ritual the weapon loses its original form taking the shape of a demonic looking version of what it once was, and when the arcane focus makes contact with the weapon, it is absorbed into the weapon. You can break the bond at any time but when you do, the weapon disintegrates into ashes with the arcane focus. If the weapon is magical then the weapon is undamaged and returns to its original form with the arcane focus next to it. You gain the following benefits with this weapon.
- The phantomised weapon can’t be disarmed unless you are incapacitated. As a bonus action you can dismiss the weapon into an extradimensional space or make it reappear in your hand
- If you make a unholy bond with a magical weapon, it gains additional necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
- The weapon becomes an arcane focus for you.
Soul Harvest
From: Legend of Cryptid Beginning at 2nd level, you can tap into the unholy magic fueling within you. This well within you is formed by the souls you have harvested over the years. You start with no souls, but can store up to 2 at 2nd level, and gain more as you reach higher levels, as shown in the Souls column of the Blackguard table. You can never have more Souls than shown in the table for your level. As an action, you can gain a soul by stabbing and holding your phantom weapon in a slain creature for 1 minute which then the weapon will absorb for you.
You can only absorb the souls of other humanoids excluding; constructs, fiends, undead, creatures that are 2 sizes or more than you, or from a body where the soul has already left. Once a soul is expended the soul is set free.
You can use these souls to regain expended spell slots. You can do this as a bonus action on your turn. The Soul Exchange table shows the costs of creating a spell slot at a given level. You can create spell slots no higher in level than 5th.
| Slot | Souls |
|---|---|
| 1st | 2 |
| 2nd | 3 |
| 3rd | 4 |
| 4th | 5 |
| 5th | 6 |
Expertise
Starting at 2nd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. You proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability checks you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies. At 9th level you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.
Aura of Despair
Starting at 3rd level, you begin to release an aura around you making those close to you feel despair. All non-friendly creatures within 15 feet of you have disadvantage on saving throws and when frightened, the effect lasts twice as long. You learn the fear spell and it is always prepared. This spell doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
Path of the Unholy
At 3rd level, you choose the path that you walk as a Blackguard. Choose Shadoweaver, or Dreadknight, both detailed at the end of the class description. The pathway you choose grant you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 9th, 15th, and 18th level.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of you choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Foul Tactics
At 4th level, you learn to exploit a foe’s distraction and land honourless hits. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage on a creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it and that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. The damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Foul Tactics column of the Blackguard table.
Auxiliary Attacks
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action with a weapon on your turn. At 11th level you can attack three times instead. At 17th level you can choose to make a cast a spell action and make one weapon attack as a bonus action on your turn instead of attacking three times.
Dark Minion
At 6th level, you can expend souls to summon a fiend, which appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. The summoned fiends challenge rating must be equal to or less than half the amount of souls you have expended to use this feature. There can only be one fiend summoned at one time and the fiend disappears when it drops to 0 hit points. The fiend is obedient to you at all times. In combat it rolls its own initiative. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue it. If you don’t issue any commands to the fiend, it defends itself from hostile creatures but otherwise takes no actions. If you use this feature again while another fiend is summoned, the first one unsummons itself. At 13th level you can have up to two fiends summoned at a time.
Demonic Flight
At 11th level, you grow a pair of demonic wings from your back, gaining a fly speed equal to your current movement speed. You can dismiss and create these wings as a bonus action on your turn, and they last until you dismiss them. You cannot manifest your wings while wearing armor unless the armor is made to accommodate them, and clothing that aren’t made to accommodate your wings might be destroyed when you manifest them.
Demonic Skin
You gain resistance to one type of nonmagical damage type at 12th level, another at 14th level and the third at 16th level.
Demonic Resistance
Once you reach 20th level you gain unnatural resilience to the effects of magic. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical abilities.
Shadoweaver
Additional spells that are added to your prepared spell list as you reach the levels. These spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | dissonant whispers, ray of sickness |
| 5 | darkness, pass without trace |
| 9 | haste, phantom steed |
| 13 | blight, polymorph |
| 17 | contagion, hallow |
- Soul Eat
Starting at 3rd level, when you are within 10 feet of a dead creature and it's your turn, you can spend one round absorbing the soul of a creature by sucking its soul into your mouth instead of using your weapon. You must hold concentration for that entire round for this to work.
- Night Walk
From 7th level, when you are in dim light or darkness, you can use your bonus action to teleport to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness within 60 feet of you. You then have advantage on your first attack you make before the end of the turn.
- Phantom Eye
At 11th level, you can see in normal and magical darkness as if it where bright light, as well as sense the life force of creatures within 30 feet of you. Furthermore you can see into the ethereal plane up to 30 feet.
- Serve to Die
Starting at 15th level, you can spend 5 souls to recreate the effects of the finger of death. Once you cast this you cannot cast it again until you finish a long rest.
- Devour
Beginning at 18th level, you can try to absorb the life force from those around you. As an action you can draw on your grim power to draw the life forces out of creatures within 30 feet of you. Each creature of your choice within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, and take 12d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful save. Every creature killed by this feature regains your expended souls as if they had their souls absorbed by you. Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Dreadknight
Additional spells that are added to your prepared spell list as you reach the levels. These spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | arms of hadar, hex |
| 5 | crown of madness, ray of enfeeblement |
| 9 | bestow curse, hunger of hadar |
| 13 | arcane eye, phantasmal killer |
| 17 | antilife shell, hold monster |
- Blood Thirst
At 3rd level, when you kill a creature, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your Blackguard level (minimum of 1).
- Reckless Attack
Starting at 7th level, you can throw aside any thought or defense to make a reckless attack. When you make an attack you can decide if it’s going to be reckless or not before rolling. If you do, you have advantage on melee attack rolls during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until the start of your next turn.
- Battle Roar
From 11th level, you can make a bonus action to let out a terrifying roar forcing all hostiles within 30 feet of you to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on their next attack roll against you.
- Counterstrike
Beginning at 15th level, when a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack at that creature with advantage.
- Demonic Aura
Starting at 18th level, as a bonus action you can spend 7 souls to make an unholy aura of black mist around you. For 1 minute, at the start of your turn each creature within 5 feet of you takes 2d6 cold and 2d6 necrotic damage, and if a creature touches you or hits you with a melee attack, it takes 2d6 cold and 2d6 necrotic damage.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the blackguard class, you must meet these prerequisites: Evil Alignment and The character must have made peaceful contact with an evil outsider who was summoned by him or someone else.
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the blackguard class, you gain the following proficiencies: All Simple and Martial Weapons, All types of Armor, and with Shields
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