Blackguard

From AmiaWiki

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. A blackguard is an evil villain of the first order, equivalent in power to the righteous paladin, but devoted to the powers of darkness.

Game Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +6

Feats: Cleave

Alignment: Any Evil

Skills: Hide 5 ranks

Roleplaying a Blackgaurd

Optional Requirement: The blackguard must have made friendly contact with an evil outsider, summonded either by himself or someone else. This does not necessarily mandate some sort of oath or pact be made.

In addition, the Blackguard class is an acceptable alternative to the Divine Champion PrC for evil alignments; Due to the alignment restrictions for the Champion of Torm.

Amia Specific Changes

The Epic Fiend Summon has been Improved to be on par with other Amia Summons. In addition, the Blackgaurd may receive a "Book of Vile Rituals" which changes the creature to an improved version based on the Blackguard's Law-chaos alignment axis.

The Blackguard also receives a variety of abilities, that may be learned from an NPC tutor. These abilities are as follows:

Spell	Blackguard Levels Required	Wisdom Score Required	Description
Corrupt Weapon	1	11	The caster corrupts a melee weapon to strike true against good opponents, granting a +1 enhancement bonus and 2d6 negative energy damage vs. good.
Demon Flesh	1	11	The caster grows the thick, leather flesh of a demon, granting a +1 natural armor bonus to Armor Class for every five caster levels (at least +1, maximum +4).
Aura of Despair	3	-	Beginning at 3rd level, the blackguard radiates a malign aura that causes enemies within 10 feet to take a -2 penalty on all saving throws.
Veil of Shadow	3	12	Swirling wisps of darkness obscure the caster's form, granting a 20% concealment bonus.
Darkness	5	12	All creatures within the area of effect are shrouded in a haze of darkness which can only be pierced using Ultravision. The creator of the zone of Darkness is able to see as normal.
Deeper Darkness	6	13	This spell functions like Darkness, though the shadowy illumination lasts 1 turn per caster level.
Abyssal Might	7	13	The caster summons evil energy from the Abyss and is imbued with its might. The caster gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity. The caster's spell resistance improves by 2.
Unholy Sword	8	14	This spell transforms the caster's melee weapon into a powerful Unholy Avenger, a specially blessed weapon that, when wielded by a Blackguard, acts as a +5 unholy weapon that dispells on hit.