Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per blackguard level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Blackguard level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: : light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: none

• Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
• Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Deception, Persuasion, Religion and Stealth.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a simple weapon and a arcane focus
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• (a) chain mail or (b) breastplate, crossbow and 20 bolts

Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment.

Fell Sense

The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a pleasant surprise, and powerful good stinks suspiciously of weakness to you. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The blackguard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your blackguard spells. To cast one of your blackguard spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

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, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level blackguard, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd-level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell inflict wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of blackguard spells requires time spent in meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your blackguard spells, since their power derives from the strength of your greatest desires. 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 a arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your blackguard spells.

Traitor

Traitors are blackguards who come from a heel turn in their past. Relying on deceit and subterfuge, they use many underhanded tactics and will collide with any sorts of entities to horde as much safety and power as they can.

Extra Proficiency

Starting at 1st level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor and the Religion skill if you are not already proficient in it.

Absorb Soul

At 2rd level, your mastery over unholy magic increases. You gain the following changes to your Absorb Life:

• Your pool points increase to 5 x your blackguard level.

• When you reduce the hitpoints of a humanoid or medium or smaller beast to 0 with Absorb Life, you may choose for them to rise as a zombie or skeleton following the rules of the animate dead spell (beasts transformed into skeletons cannot wield weapons, and use the zombie's slam move). The amount of undead you can control from this ability equals your Charisma modifier.

• You may expend 10 points of your Absorb Life to attempt to control an undead creature. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target must obey the blackguard's commands for the next 24 hours, or until the blackguard uses this ability again. An undead whose challenge rating is equal to or greater than the blackguard's level is immune to this effect.

Dead Zone

At 7th level, your dark powers have matured to effect the ones around you. When you use your Aura of Despair ability, you and all undead within its range gain a bonus to melee weapon damage rolls equal to the blackguard's Charisma modifier (minimum of +1) until the end of the blackguard's next turn. A creature can benefit from this feature from only one blackguard at a time. Additionally, all enemies effected by Aura of Despair lose resistance to necrotic damage if they have it.

Boon of the Unliving

At 15th level, you become more like the dead you walk with.

You gain resistance to necrotic and poison damage.

You can hold your breath indefinitely, and you don't require food, water, or sleep, although you still require rest to reduce exhaustion and still benefit from finishing short and long rests.

In addition, you age at a slower rate. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you are immune to being magically aged.

Angel of Death

At 20th level, your power culminates into an powerful form. As an action, you become an angel of death for 1 minute and gain the following benefits:

• You sprout black wings and gain a flight speed equal to your walk speed.

• Enemies that end their turn within 30 feet of you take necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier, and you gain hit points equal to the damage done.

• If you start your turn within 30 feet of a corpse of a humanoid or medium or smaller beast you can choose for it to rise as a ghoul following the rules of create undead

Extra Proficiency

Starting at 1st level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor and the Intimidation skill if you are not already proficient in it.

Usurper's Law

Starting at 2nd level, you gain the following benefits:

• Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack you can use your bonus action to expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to magically rebuke the creature as part of your attack. The creature takes 2d8 psychic damage for a 1st level spell slot and an additional 1d8 for each higher level of slot used. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is frightened or charmed by you to a maximum of 6d8.

• If you speak to a humanoid for at least 1 minute you can attempt to verbally berate them into submission. If the target can understand you, they must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you. While charmed in this way, the creature is afraid of disappointing you. It will speak highly of you and it hinders anyone who opposes you, although it avoids violence unless it was already inclined to fight on your behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if you attack it, or if it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies. If a target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to charm it. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Tyrant's Daunt

Starting at 7th level, whenever you use Aura of Despair, each creature within its range must make a wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute. They may repeat the save at the end of each of their turns to end the affect. Your aura of despair gains a passive effect: Any creature frightened by you within the aura's range has its speed reduced to 0 and takes psychic damage equal to half your paladin level if it starts its turn there.

Scornful Rebuke

Starting at 15th level, those who dare to strike you are psychically punished for their audacity. Whenever a creature hits you with an attack, that creature takes psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) if you're not incapacitated.

Invincible Tyrant

At 20th level, you gain the ability to harness extraordinary martial prowess. As an action, you can magically become an avatar of tyranny, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You have resistance to all damage.

• When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.

• Your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Bonus Proficiency

Starting at 1st level you gain proficiency in the Arcana skill if you are not already proficient in it.

Raze Life

At 2nd level, you learn to channel your life-stealing power into something more fiendish.

As an action, you can choose a point within 20 feet of you. All creatures within 5 feet of that point must make a Dexterity savings throw against your spell save DC or take an amount of fire damage equal to an amount up to the maximum amount of points remaining in your Absorb Life pool. On a successful save, creatures take half damage. When you reduce a creature to 0 hitpoints with this ability, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + half your blackguard level.

Hellscapre

Starting at 7th level, the fires of the hells meld with your despair. Whenever you use Aura of Despair, you and all fiends have +2 AC until the end of the blackguard's next turn. A creature can benefit from this feature from only one blackguard at a time. Additonally, any creatures of your choice effected by Aura of Despair lose resistance to fire damage if they have it, and creatures with immunity to gain resistance to fire damage instead.

Fiend's Defense

By 15th level, your contact to the planes have effected your being. You are resistant to fire damage. You gain a darkvison of 60 feet if you do not already, and are able to see in magical darkness. Whenever you have temporary hit points, you are immune to fire damage, increase your movement speed by 10 feet, and may use your bonus action to take the Disengage action.

Hell's Knight

At 20th level, your bond to fiendish is so powerful you can use it to transform yourself into a hellspawn. As an action, you take on a hellish form for 1 minute and gain the following benefits:

• At the start of each of the your turns, each creature within 10 feet of you takes 3d6 fire damage, and flammable objects in the aura that aren't being worn or carried ignite. A creature that touches you or hits you with a melee attack takes an additional 3d6 fire damage.
• At the start of your turn you can choose a corpse of a creature that died within the last minute to rip out it's soul and summon a dretch (MM p60) that remains under your control until this feature ends.
• You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

1st Level

• Bane
• Cause Fear
• Command
• Compelled Duel
• Detect Evil and Good
• Detect Magic
• Detect Poison and Disease
• False Life
• Fog Cloud
• Arms of Hadar
• Shield of Faith
• Thunderous Smite
• Wrathful Smite
• Armor of Agathys

2nd Level

• Darkness
• Branding Smite
• Find Steed
• Locate Object
• Phantasmal Force
• Protection from Poison
• Zone of Truth
• Magic Weapon

3rd Level

• Vampiric Touch
• Blinding Smite
• Speak with Dead
• Crusader's Mantle
• Dispel Magic
• Protection from Energy
• Elemental Weapon
• Magic Circle
• Remove Curse
• Hunger of Hadar

4th Level

• Evard's Black Tentacles
• Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound
• Banishment
• Death Ward
• Find Greater Steed
• Locate Creature
• Staggering Smite

5th Level

• Banishing Smite
• Circle of Power
• Destructive Wave (Necrotic Only)
• Dispel Evil and Good
• Geas
• Unholy Weapon*
• Raise Dead

Unholy Weapon

5th-level evocation

• Casting Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You imbue a weapon you touch with unholy power. Until the spell ends, the weapon dims all light in 30 feet to dim light. In addition, weapon attacks made with it deal an extra 2d8 necrotic damage on a hit. If the weapon isn't already a magic weapon, it becomes one for the duration.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can dismiss this spell and cause the weapon to emit a burst of darkness. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d8 necrotic damage, and its eyes are assaulted by darkness, blinding it for 1 minute. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and isn't blinded. At the end of each of its turns, a blinded creature can make a Constitution saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.