Blackguard by

<div class='cover-header'>Blackguard</div>

<div class='cover-footer'>Designed for Kai</div>

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# Blackguard

The blackguard is a warrior that wields dark power for their own gain. Though often selfish, they are not inherently evil, and can be heroes when they want to be.

Their abilities are similar enough to paladins of evil gods, that they are often confused with one another, which infuriates both sides.

##### Class Name
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |  1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 
|:---:|:---:|:---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| 1st | +2 | Dark Servant, Dark Hand | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Spellcasting, Dark Smite | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Dark Health, Shadow Weapon, Channel Divinity | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | — | — | — | — | 
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Aura of Domination | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Bone Armor | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Shadow Step | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Aura of the Fearless | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 
| 11th | +4 | Improved Dark Smite | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | ─ | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Withering Touch | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | Gaze of Death | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | ─ | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Aura Improvements | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | Shadow Lord Form | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |

</div>

## Class Features
As a Blackguard, you gain the following class features
#### Hit Points
___
- **Hit Dice:** 1d10 per Blackguard level
- **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 10 + Constitution modifier
- **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Blackguard level after 1st level

#### Proficiencies
___
- **Armor:** All armor, shields
- **Weapons:** All simple weapons, martial weapons.
- **Tools:** None

___
- **Saving Throws:** Strength, Constitution
- **Skills:** Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion and Religion.

#### 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) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
- (a) a priest's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
- Chain mail and an unholy symbol

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### Dark Servant
A spirit only you can see moves things at your will. Works like Unseen Servant spell, with an added ability. Dark servants can be told to annoy your enemies. As a reaction, you can have your dark servant give disadvantage to an enemy making a skill roll or ability check within 5ft of it. The dark servant isn't powerful enough to disrupt attack rolls or spellcasting.

### Dark Hand
There is a pool of dark power  within you that replenishes after you take a long rest. With this pool of dark power you can transfer up to your blackguard level x 3 hit points between you and other targets.

As an action, touch another creature. If the creature is unwilling it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your charisma modifier + your proficiency modifier). If they fail, you may try to drain their life essence from their body or transfer yours to them.

Upon touching an affected target you may transfer hit points between you. Either draining hit points from the subject and healing yourself by the same amount, or draining your hit points and healing the subject by the same amount. In both instances the limit is the maximum amount remaining in your pool.

If you are fully healed, you may use this power to gain temporary hit points. You cannot give another creature temporary hit points.

### Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

#### 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.

#### PROTECTION

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll.
Vou must be wielding a shield.

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

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### SPELLCASTING

By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of
spellcasting and end of this document for the blackguard spell list.

#### PREPARING AND CASTING SPELLS

The Blackguard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your 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 cure 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 prayer and meditation: at least I minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

The following spells are  considered to be always prepared and they don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain an oath spell that doesn't appear on the blackguard spell list, the spell is nonetheless a blackguard spell for you.

| BlackguardLevel| Spells |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  3rd  | command, hex  |
|  5th  | spiritual weapon, darkness |
|  9th  | bestow curse, fear |
|  13th  | Evard’s black tentacles, phantasmal killer |
|  17th  | dominate person, circle of death |

#### SPELLCASTING ABILITY

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your blackguard spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. 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.

<div style='margin-top:20px'></div>
 
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 <center> 
 
 **Spell Save DC** </font> = <font face='scalysans' size='2'> 8 + your proficiency bonus + 
 
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 <div style='margin-top:-8px'></div>
 
 <center> your chrisma modifier </center>
 
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 **Spell attack modifier** </font> = <font face='scalysans' size='2'> your proficiency bonus + 
 
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 <div style='margin-top:-8px'></div>
 
 <center> your chrisma modifier </center>
 
 </font>

#### SPELLCASTING FOCUS

You can use an unholy symbol (same as holy symbol found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your blackguard spells.

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### Dark Smite

Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one blackguard spell slot to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases
by 1d8 if the target is a celestial.

### Dark Health
By 3rd level, the unholy magic flowing through you makes you immune to disease.

### Shadow Weapon

At 3rd level you can manifest a weapon out of pure shadow as a bonus action. Another bonus action can be used to dismiss it. This shadow weapon acts exactly like a weapon of your choice, except it has no weight, is treated as magical and deals necrotic damage. If the shadow weapon takes the form of a weapon that fires projectiles, it creates its own projectiles. Thrown weapons and fired projectiles disappear at the start of your next turn.

### Channel Divinity

Your oath allows you to channel unholy energy to fuel magical effects. When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.

Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity twice between rests, and beginning at 18th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.

Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws.

When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your blackguard spell save DC.

You gain the following three Channel Divinity options.

**Terrifying Presence.** You can use your Channel Divinity to exude a terrifying presence. As an action, you force each creature of your choice that you can see with.in 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

**Guided Strike.** You can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses.

**Agony.** You can use your Channel Divinity to inflict excruciating pain upon your enemies. As a bonus action, you can force all creatures of your choice within 15 feet of you to make a constitution saving throw or be wracked with pain giving disadvantage to all their attack rolls, as well as all saving throws against your blackguard spells and abilities until the end of your next round. Constructs are immune to this effect.

At 18th level, the range of this ability increases to 30 feet.

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### Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th, you can increase one ability score of your 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.

### Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

### Aura of Domination
Starting at 6th level, you constantly emanate a menacing aura while you’re not incapacitated. The aura includes your space, extends 10 feet from you in every direction, and is blocked by total cover.

If a creature is frightened of you, its speed is reduced to 0 while in the aura, and that creature takes necrotic damage equal to half your blackguard level if it starts its turn there.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

### Bone Armor 
At 7th level you can create an armor made of bone. You are proficient in it and it acts like any medium or heavy armor of your choice. It can take the form of a different armor after completing a long rest. Alternatively you can spend 1 hour with an existing armor to add this feature to it as long as you are wearing it.

Your bone armor naturally wants to protect you and will grow bone spikes in order to retaliate when struck. Once per turn whenever a creature within 5 ft. of you hits you with a melee weapon attack, that creature takes piercing damage equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of 1) if you're not incapacitated.

### Shadow Step  
At 9th level, you have learned to jump from one shadow to another. While you are standing in an area that is either in darkness or dim light, as a bonus action, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see that is either in darkness or dim light. Shadow Step can be used a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum once). Spent uses are regained after a long rest.

### Aura of the Fearless
Starting at 10th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can't be frightened while you are conscious.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

### Improved Dark Smite

By 11th level, you are so suffused with unholy energy that all your melee weapon strikes carry an essence of your unholy power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 necrotic damage. If you also use your Dark Smite with an attack, you add this damage to the extra damage of your Dark Smite.

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### Withering Touch
At 14th level you gain the ability to touch an enemy and absorb some of their life force. As an action make a melee spell attack against a creature within your reach. On a hit, the target takes 5d6 + your charisma modifier necrotic damage, and you regain hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

The target is also cursed until the end of your next turn. Until the curse ends, whenever target makes a melee or ranged weapon attack, the damage is halved.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain spent uses after a long rest.

### Gaze of Death

At 15th level, you can stare into the eyes of an enemy and try to kill them with your will alone. As an action you choose a target within 30 feet of you that can see you. They must succeed on a charisma saving throw against your blackguard spell DC. Any creature with CR equal to or lower than your proficiency bonus or creatures that has 100 hit points or fewer that failed the saving throw is instantly dropped to 0 hit points. Creatures with CR higher than your proficiency bonus is stunned and frightened until the end of your next turn. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to your Gaze of Death for 24 hours. Constructs, undead and creatures that are blind are immune to this death effect. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

### Shadow Lord Form
At 20th level you can cover yourself in darkness and become a living shadow. As an action you transform for 1 minute into a wraith like creature and gain the following benefits:
- You gain resistance to all damage except radiant.
- Your base land speed increase by 10 feet.
- Your melee reach is increased by 5 feet.
- You regain 10 hit points at the start of each turn.
- You ignore all difficult terrain.
- Spells and attacks against you have disadvantage unless they deal radiant damage.
- When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.
- Your dark smite and improved dark smite abilities ignores targets' resistance or immunity to necrotic damage.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

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## Blackguard Spell List

##### 1st Level

- Bane, 
- Command, 
- Compelled Duel, 
- Detect Evil and Good, 
- Detect Magic, 
- Detect Poison and Disease, 
- Heroism, 
- Inflict Wounds, 
- Protection from Evil and Good, 
- Searing Smite, 
- Thunderous Smite, 
- Wrathful Smite

##### 2nd Level
- Branding Smite, 
- Find Steed, 
- Lesser Restoration, 
- Locate Object, 
- Magic Weapon, 
- Protection from Poison, 
- Spider Climb, 
- Zone of Truth

##### 3rd Level
- Bestow Curse, 
- Blinding Smite, 
- Crusader’s Mantle, 
- Dispel Magic, 
- Elemental Weapon, 
- Magic Circle, 
- Phantom Steed, 
- Remove Curse, 
- Speak with Dead, 
- Vampiric Touch

##### 4th Level
- Banishment, 
- Blight, 
- Death Ward, 
- Locate Creature, 
- Staggering Smite

##### 5th Level
- Banishing Smite, 
- Circle of Power, 
- Destructive Smite, 
- Dispel Evil and Good, 
- Geas, 
- Raise Dead

> ##### Credits
> [Idea & original document](https://www.enworld.org/threads/blackguard.367324/ "Blackguard") (Modified for home use) <br>
> [original image by Billy Christian](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/1ER9q "Sorin Markov") <br>
> Edited by [/u/waldorf6/](https://www.reddit.com/user/waldorf6/ "waldorf6")

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##### Epic Blackguard
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|:---:|:---:|:---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| 21st | +7 | Epic Boon, Improved Dark Health | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 22nd | +7 | Perfect Dark Smite | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 23rd | +7 | Epic Boon | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 24th | +7 | Aura Pressure| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 
| 25th | +8 | Epic Boon, Improved Dark Hand | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 26th | +8 | One with Shadow and Blood | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 27th | +8 | Epic Boon  | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 28th | +8 | Undeath to Death | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 29th | +9 | Epic Boon, Empowered Aura | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 30th | +9 | Limitless Smite   | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |

</div>

#### Epic Boon
At 21st level and every odd level thereafter, you gain the benefits of one Epic Boon. Alternatively, you can instead gain the benefits of a Feat or an Ability Score Improvement (As per the class ability gained at level 4).

#### Improved Dark Health
Starting at level 21, The dark energies flowing through your blood also prevents you from being poisoned.

#### Perfected Dark Smite
At level 22, the righteous energies contained within you have expanded and increased the strength of your Smites. Your Improved Dark Smite ability now inflicts 3d8 necrotic damage instead of the usual 1d8.

#### Aura Pressure
Starting at level 24, the enemies inside your aura radius makes their saving throws against your blackguard spells with disadvantage.

#### Improved Dark Hand
Starting at level 25, when you use dark hand to heal a creature, that creature also gains temporary hit points equal to the half of the healing they receive. If you use it to drain health from a creature, that creature has disadvantage on attack rolls until the start of your next turn.
Additionally, when you use dark hand to heal a creature and heal them beyond their maximum hit points, they receive the excess amount plus half of the amount healed as temporary hit points.

#### One with Shadow and Blood
Starting at 26th level, when you use Shadow Lord Form, you also create a replica of yourself made from your unholy blood.

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The Blood Lord Form has half your maximum hit points, your AC and statistics. It acts on your initiative and follows your mental commands (no action required). When you take damage from any source, the Blood Lord Form can use its reaction to redirect half of the damage (rounded down) to itself. The statistics of the Blood Lord Form are given at the end of this document.

#### Undeath to Death
At level 28, the presence of your auras disrupt the necrotic energies that animates the undead. Any undead creature with CR 6 or lower that when it enters your aura range for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must make a wisdom saving throw against your spell DC. Undead creatures of CR 2 or lower automatically fails their saving throw. If the creature fails the save, it is turned to gray ash.

Additionally any undead creature makes it’s saving throws and attack rolls with disadvantage while inside your aura. You gain 1d4 temporary hit points for each undead destroyed this way.

#### Empowered Aura
Starting at 29th level, your auras not only affect your enemies but empower you and your allies as well. All friendly creatures within your auras gain advantage on attack rolls and saving throws. They are also immune to all charm, fear, deafness and blindness effects while they are within your aura.

#### Limitless Smite
At level 30, you and everyone around you can feel the limitless power of your deity flowing through your soul and body. Your dark smite has no damage limit and deals 2d8 necrotic damage per spell slot expended.

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___
> ## Blood Lord Form
>*Medium, Same Alignment as the Blackguard*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** Blackguard's AC
> - **Hit Points** Half of Blackguard's maximum hit points
> - **Speed** Same speed as blackguard
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|- (-)|- (-)|- (-)|- (-)|- (-)|- (-)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Same as Blackguard
> - **Damage Immunities** bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage from nonmagical weapons
> - **Condition Immunities**  charmed, blinded, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
> - **Senses** Same as Blackguard
> - **Languages** none, but understands mental commands of the Blackguard
> ___
>
> ***Regeneration.*** The Blood Lord Form regains 10 hit points at the start of its turns as long as it has at least 1 hit point.
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The Blood Lord Form makes two Slash or Blood Shard attacks
>
> ***Slash.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* Blackguard's Strength modifier + Blackguard's Proficiency Bonus to hit, 10 ft. range, one target. 
>
>*Hit:* 2d12 + Blackguard's Strength Modifier slashing damage
>
> ***Blood Shard.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* Blackguard's Charisma modifier + Blackguard's Proficiency Bonus to hit, 60 ft. range, one target. 
>
>*Hit:* 2d10 + Blackguard's Charisma Modifier piercing damage
>
> ***Self Sacrifice.*** As an action, the Blood Lord form can sacrifice all its remaining hit points. The Blackguard regains same amount of sacrificed hit points.
>
>### Reactions
> ***Share Pain.*** As a reaction when the Blackguard takes damage, the Blood Lord Form can redirect half of the damage (rounded down) to itself instead.
>

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##### 6th Level
- Bones of the Earth
- Circle of Death
- Create Undead
- Eyebite
- Harm
- Mass Suggestion
- Planar Ally
- Soul Cage
- Summon Fiend

##### 7th level

- Crown of Stars
- Divine Word
- Finger of Death
- Power Word Pain
- Regenerate
- Sequester
- Simulacrum
- Temple of the Gods
- Tether Essence

##### 8th level

- Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
- Antipathy/Sympathy
- Clone
- Dominate Monster
- Glibness
- Holy Aura
- Illusory Dragon
- Maddening Darkness
- Power Word Stun

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