The Blackguard Blackguards, also referred to by some as the anti-paladin, are quintessential black knights, carrying a reputation of the foulest sort. Be it by taking the foulest request, consorting with demons and devils, or dabbling in necromancy, blackguards are hated and feared by all. The most infamous blackguards lead legions of undead, evil outsiders or other monsters to conquer under their own guide. While most blackguards can be considered of the foulest nature, occasionally a tragic soul will become one, not out of the pursuit of chaos, but as a means of survival, or a means to take justice in its own hands to smite a powerful foe. Creating a Blackguard As you make your Blackguard character, spend some time thinking about your background. What led you to seek such dark prowess? Were you a power hungry villain, or was it just a cruel twist of fate? A blackguard is mostly 'evil by the nature of his dark prowess, but some tend to be more tragic, accepting the darkness as a means to an end. Quick Build You can make a Blackguard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength or Dexterity. Second, take the Outsider, or Criminal background. Class Features As a Blackguard, you gain the following class features: Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per Blackguard level

1d10 per Blackguard level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier

10 + Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Blackguard Level after 1st. Proficiencies Armor: All armors, shields

All armors, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma

Constitution, Charisma Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Intimidation, Perception, Religion Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) Any two martial weapons or (b) One martial weapon and a shield

(a) 5 javelins or (b) one simple melee weapon

(a) a dungeoneer’s or (b) an explorer’s pack

(a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus

Chain Mail Blackguard’s Starting Wealth Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment here and in your background, and buy 5d4 × 10 gp worth of equipment from chapter 5 in the Player’s Handbook. Multiclassing Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Blackguard class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength 13

Charisma 13 Proficiencies When you multiclass into the Blackguard class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons.

The Blackguard Level Proficiency Bonus Features Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st +2 Cursed Soul, Shadow Sense — — — — — — 2nd +2 Fightning Style, Netherblast, Spellcasting 2 — — — — — 3rd +2 Dark Covenant 3 3 — — — — 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 3 — — — — 5th +3 Extra Attack 4 4 2 — — — 6th +3 Aura of Despair 4 4 2 — — — 7th +3 Dark Covenant Feature 5 4 3 — — — 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 — — — 9th +4 ─ 6 4 3 2 — — 10th +4 Aura of Torment, Dark Soul Improvement 6 4 3 2 — — 11th +4 Improved Nether Blast 7 4 3 3 — — 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 7 4 3 3 — — 13th +5 - 8 4 3 3 1 — 14th +5 Toxic Touch 8 4 3 3 1 — 15th +5 Dark Covenant Feature 9 4 3 3 2 — 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 9 4 3 3 2 — 17th +6 — 10 4 4 3 3 1 18th +6 Aura Improvements 10 4 4 3 3 1 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 11 4 4 3 3 2 20th +6 Dark Covenant Feature 11 4 4 3 3 2

Cursed Soul Starting at 1st level, your soul becomes cursed, and dark energy flows through it. You are resistant to necrotic damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against spells or effects that would curse you. At 10th level, you become immune to necrotic damage, and spells or effects that would curse you, do not affect you. Shadow Sense Also at 1st level, your senses in the dark become far sharper than normal. You add your Charisma modifier to your initiative rolls whenever your in dimlight or darkness. In addition, you can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 60 feet. 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.

Two -Weapon Fighting: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Nether Blast At 2nd level, you release the dark magic within you, releasing a wave of darkness to decimate your foes. You gain a new attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack is a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. You are proficient with it, and you add your Charisma modifier to its attack and damage rolls. Its damage is necrotic, and its damage die is 1d8. If the attack hits, you can spend a spell slot to increase the necrotic damage dealt by this attack, dealing an additional 1d8 necrotic damage for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell slot level higher than 1st. When you gain the Extra Attack feature, this special attack can be used for any of the attacks you make as part of the Attack action. Spellcasting By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on magic from the forces of the dark. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 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 your 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 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 corruption that infects your very being. 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 spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your blackguard spells.

Dark Covenant When you reach 3rd level, you enter into a contract with dark force that binds you as a blackguard forever. Up to this time you have been dabbling with the dark forces, but now this darkness demands your eternal servitude. Now you choose the covenant of the Blood Hound, Executioner’s, Hellknight’s or the Shadow Monarch, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level. Those features include covenant spells and the Abysmal Channel feature. Covenant Spells Each covenant has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the covenants description. Once you gain access to a covenant spell, you always have it prepared. Covenant spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain a covenant spell that doesn’t appear on the blackguard spell list, the spell is nonetheless a blackguard spell for you. Abysmal Channel Your covenant allows you to receive a momentary boost of dark energy that you can use to fuel magical effects. Each Abysmal Channel option provided by your covenant explains how to use it. When you use your Abysmal Channel, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Abysmal Channel. Some Abysmal Channel effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your blackguard spell save DC. Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, 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 Despair Starting at 6th level, whenever a cursed hostile creature within 10 feet of you makes a saving throw, the creature receives a penalty to its saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum penalty of -1). You cannot apply this penalty if you are incapacitated. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet. Aura of Torment Starting at 10th level, cursed hostile creatures within 10 feet of you are considered vulnerable to necrotic damage. A creature that’s immune or resistant to necrotic damage is unaffected by this feature. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet. Improved Nether Blast By 11th level, your soul is so corrupted by dark energies, that all your weapon strikes carry dark power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 necrotic damage. In addition, whenever you hit a cursed creature with your Nether Blast attack, you deal an additional 1d8 necrotic damage. Dark Tribute Beginning at 14th level, you are able to sacrifice your life energy to channel your dark powers further. As an action, you can take 3d10 necrotic damage to regain a use of your Abysmal Channel feature. This damage cannot be lessened by means, and it bypasses resistances and immunities. You got a limited number of uses of this feature equal to your Constitution modifier. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Blood Hound Covenant Blackguards under the covenant of the Blood Hounds, are mercenaries that have resorted to the use of dark magic to achieve their goals, and more often than not, taking jobs that specialize on tracking down powerful creatures and humanoids in hiding. Blood Hounds are relentless when seeking their targets, and will not stop until they have found their target, and murdered them in cold blood. Unlike assassin’s who hide in the shadows and try to take down their targets stealthfuly, a Blood Hound will chase its target out in the open until the ends of the earth, taking down anything that gets in its way. Covenant Spells You gain covenant spells at the blackguard levels listed: Covenant Spells Level Spells 3rd Hunter’s Mark, Zephyr Strike 6th Hold Person, Invisibility 9th Conjure Barrage, Haste 13th Freedom of Movement, Greater Invisibility 17th Conjure Volley, Hold Monster Abysmal Channel When you take this covenant at 3rd level, you gain the following two Abysmal Channel options: Bloodied Edge As a bonus action, you can imbue a weapon that you are holding, with dark energy that drains the life force out of its victims, using your Abysmal Channel. For 1 minute, whenever you hit a creature with an attack with that weapon, you deal additional necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier, and then you instantly regain a number of hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt by this feature. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration. You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends. Predator's Curse As a bonus action, you can spend one use of your Abysmal Channel, to target one creature within 120 feet of you that you can see. That creature is cursed by this feature for 1 hour. While the creature is under the effects of this curse, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier at the start of each it’s turns, and if it dies while under the effects of this curse, you gain a number of temporary hit points, equal to your Blackguard level. A remove curse spell can end this effect early. Shadow Parry At 7th level, you are able to rebuke those that attempt to attack you. Whenever a creature makes a melee attack against you, you can as a reaction, make a melee weapon attack against the target, if it’s within your reach. If the attack hits, the creature’s attack misses you. You can use this feature twice. You must then finish a short or a long rest before you can use it again. Detect Cursed Creatures Starting at 15th level, your cursed enemies can never hope to escape you. You aware of the location of any creature under your curses, as long as it’s in the same plane of existence. If the creature is not in the same plane of existence as you, you know it’s not in your plane of existence. In addition, should a creature under your curses be invisible, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it. Blood Starved At 20th level, you are able to sacrifice your life force to dramatically boost your dark powers. You can use this feature as a bonus action on your turn, and for 1 minute, you gain the following features: At the end of each of your turns, you take necrotic damage equal to your Blackguard level. This damage cannot be lessened by any means, and bypasses resistance and immunities.

You have advantage on Constitution saving throws.

You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Constitution modifier.

Your melee attacks deal an additional 2d10 necrotic damage on a hit, and each time you deal necrotic damage with an attack or spell, you regain a number of hit points equal to half damage dealt rounded down. You can end this feature early willingly by spending an action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Hellknight Covenant Blackguards who pledge a covenant with the gods of Hell become Hellknights. The Hellknights much like their devil masters, have a unique focus on the promulgation of law. They are interested in the foundation and stringent maintenance of order at all costs. Regardless of their severity, Hellknights are not inherently evil; they are wholly unconcerned with morality. A Hellknight replaces emotion with discipline, and it’s not interested in methods: only the end results. Should a Hellknight honor their devil master’s will, they will become a Nazurgon in the afterlife. Covenant Spells You gain covenant spells at the blackguard levels listed: Covenant Spells Level Spells 3rd Burning Hands, Hellish Rebuke 6th Flame Blade, Suggestion 9th Fireball, Spirit Guardians 13th Fire Shield, Wall of Fire 17th Immolation, Infernal Calling Abysmal Channel When you take this covenant at 3rd level, you gain the following two Abysmal Channel options: Cursed by Hellfire As a bonus action, you put curse on a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you, rendering them weak to your flames. For 1 minute, a creature cursed by this feature is considered vulnerable to fire damage. A remove curse spell can end this effect early. Hellfire Armor As bonus action, if you are wearing heavy armor, you are able to coat your armor with hellfire for 1 minute, using your Abysmal Channel. While under the effects of this feature, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Charisma modifier and gain resistance to fire damage. This effect ends early if you are incapacitated. You can also dismiss the hellfire at any time you choose (no action required). Devil's Guise At 7th level, you are able to enchant your words with the dark magic of devils. Whenever you cast the Suggestion spell and target humanoid, if the activity sudgested to the creature is evil in nature, for example such as stealing an object, or falsely accusing someone for a crime, that creature has disadvantage on the saving throw agaisnt the spell. You got a limited number of uses of this feature, which equals your Charisma modifier. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest. Hopeless Struggle At 15th level, you are able to hinder the attacks of those foolish enough to oppose you: Whenever a cursed creature forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to have your curse halt its progress, granting you advantage against that saving throw.

If a cursed creature makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to have it receive a penalty to its attack roll, equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of -1). Devil’s Aspect At 20th level, the fury of the nine hells embraces you, giving you the form of a devil, granting you wings and enhancing your attacks. You can assume this transformation as an action during your turn, and for 1 minute, you gain the following features: You gain flying speed equal to your base speed.

While you are under the effects of your Hellfire Armor feature while in this form, you are resistant to all damage.

You gain a bonus to your melee attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier, and you deal additional fire damage with your melee attacks equal to your Charisma modifier.

You can have your Nether Blast attack deal fire damage instead of necrotic damage.

Fire damage from your attacks or spells bypass resistance. You can dismiss this transformation by using an action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Shadow Monarch Covenant Blackguards who delve into necromancy, and forge a covenant with the forces of Shadowfell, becoming Shadow Monarch. These blackguards relish on tormenting souls and experimenting with them, using them as their minions to achieve their goals. Some go as far as resorting to becoming undead themselves, essentially turning into death knights. Covenant Spells You gain covenant spells at the blackguard levels listed: Covenant Spells Level Spells 3rd Ray of Sickness, Unseen Servant 6th Phantasmal Force, Shadow Blade 9th Animate Dead, Hunger of Hadar 13th Shadow of Moil, Sickening Radiance 17th Danse Macabre, Negative Energy Flood Abysmal Channel When you take this covenant at 3rd level, you gain the following two Abysmal Channel options: Rising Shadow Using your Abysmal Channel, you can as an action, target a number of corpses equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). Shadows rise from each corpse and the corpses immediately turn into ash. The shadow shares your initiative, and it obeys your commands as best as it is able and if given no command, it attempts to defend himself. The shadow persist for 1 hour, after which it disappears. Statistics for the shadow are in the Monster Manual. Touch of Greater Shadows As a bonus action, you can use your Abysmal Channel to curse a creature you touch, for 1 minute. A remove curse spell can end this effect early. If a creature dies while cursed by this feature, the creature rises up as a shadow at the start of your next turn. The shadow shares your initiative, and it obeys your commands as best as it is able and if given no command, it attempts to defend himself. The shadow persist for 1 hour, after which it disappears. Statistics for the shadow are in the Monster Manual. The curse that rose this shadow makes it far stronger than a normal shadow. When conjured, the shadow gains an amount of temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier x 10, and has bonus to its attack rolls, AC and saving throws, equal to your Charisma modifier. Death’s Advocate At 7th level, you use the necrotic energy gained from the torment of the undead to better defend yourself, gaining a bonus +1 to your AC and Saving Throws for each undead creature within 30 feet of you, that’s under your command. Anguish of the Dead At 15th level, whenever a cursed creature dies within 30 feet from you, you can as a reaction, force each creature of your choice within 20 feet of the corpse to make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equals your spell save DC). On a fail save, creatures take necrotic damage equal to half your Blackguard level rounded down, as necrotic energy explodes from the corpse. Aura of the Shadow Lord At 20th level, an aura of shadows with a radius of 30 feet surrounds you, and your skin becomes pale, almost as if you have become undead. You can activate this aura as an action during your turn, and for 1 minute, you gain the following features: The aura reduces any bright light in a 30-foot radius around you to dim light.

You and allied creatures within the aura are draped in deeper shadow. Creatures that rely on sight have disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures draped in this shadow, and creatures draped in this shadow have resistance to radiant damage.

While the aura lasts, you can use a bonus action to cause the shadows in the aura to attack one creature within it. Make a melee spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the target takes necrotic damage equal to 3d10 +.your Charisma modifier.

Attacks made by undead under your command bypasses resistance to damage, so long as they are within the aura. You can dismiss this aura as part of any other action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.