Thoth - Egyptian God of Wisdom 
Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: NC
Posts: 2,890
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Blackguard
The blackguard epitomizes evil. He is nothing short of a mortal fiend. The quintessential black knight, this villain carries a reputation of the foulest sort that is very well deserved. Consorting with demons and devils and serving dark deities, the blackguard is hated and feared by all. Some people call these villains anti-paladins due to their completely evil nature.
The blackguard has many options available to him--sending forth dark minions and servants to do his bidding, attacking with stealth and honorless guile, or straightforward smiting of the forces of good that stand in his way. Fighters, ex-paladins, rangers, monks, druids, and barbarians make for indomitable combat-oriented blackguards, while rogues and bardic blackguards are likely to stress the subtle aspects of their abilites and spells. Sorcerers, wizards, and clerics who become blackgurads are sometimes called diabolists and favor dealing with fiends even more than other blackguards do.
As NPC's, blackguards usually lead legions of undead, evil outsiders, or other monsters to conquer their own doomed demesne or expand their existing territory. Sometimes they serve more powerful evil characters as dark lieutenants. On occasion they operate alone as hired killers or wandering purveyors of ill, destruction, and chaos.
Hit Dice: d10
Requirements-
Alignment: Any evil
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Knowledge (religion): 2 ranks [this is a skill, can veto this out]
Hide: 5 ranks [another skill]
Feats: Cleave, Sunder
Special: The blackguard must have made peaceful contact with an evil outsider who was summoned by him or someone else to have contracted the taint of true evil.
Class Features-
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Detect Good: Lvl 1
Poison Use: Lvl 1
Dark Blessing: Lvl 2
Smite Good: Lvl 2
Spell Use: Lvl 2; Lvls 2-6: Lvl 1 spells once a day, Lvls 7-10: Lvl 1 spells twice a day; Lvls 4-8: Lvl 2 spells once a day, Lvls 9-10: Lvl 2 spells twice a day; Lvls 6-9: Lvl 3 spells once a day, Lvl 10: Lvl 3 spells twice a day; Lvls 8-10: Lvl 4 spells once a day
Command Undead: Lvl 3
Aura of Despair: Lvl 3
Sneak Attack +1d6: Lvl 4; +2d6: Lvl 7; +3d6: Lvl 10
Fiendish Servant: Lvl 5
Fallen Paladins-
Blackguards who posses levels of paladin (that is to say, are now ex-paladins) gain extra abilities the more levels of paladin they possess. Those who have tasted the light of goodness and justice and turned away make the foulest villians.
Extra Abilities-
Paladin Levels-
Lvl 1-2: Use Smite good twice per day, rather than ordinary once per day for regular blackguards.
Lvl 3-4: Lay on hands once per day equal to his Charisma bonus times his level. Can only cure himself or his fiendish servant.
Lvl 5-6: Sneak Attack damage increased +1d6
Lvl 7-8: Fiendish summoning. The caster level is double the blackguard's class level.
Lvl 9-10: Undead Companion. At 5th level of Blackguard, gains medium-size skeleton or zombie that cannot be turned or rebuked, and gains all special bonuses as a fiendish servant when the blackguard gains levels.
Lvl 11+: Favored of the dark deities. Immediately gains a blackguard level for each level of paladin he trades in.
Dwarven Defender
The defender is a sponsored champion of a dwarven cause, a dwarven aristocrat, a dwarven deity, or the dwarven way of life. As the name might imply, this character is a skilled combatant trained in the arts of defense. A line of dwarven defenders is a far better defense than a 10-foot-thick wall of stone, and much more dangerous.
Most dwarven defenders are fighters, paladins, rangers, or clerics, although ex-barbarians, sorcerers, wizards, and druids can certainly all benefit from the defensive capabilites of this prestige class. Rogues, bards, and monks usually depend too heavily on mobility to really use the abilities of the dwarven defender class to their fullest.
NPC dwarven defenders are usually soldiers in a dwarven citadel, segregated into their own units separate from regular warriors or fighters. Occasionally, a lone, wandering dwarven defender can be encountered on some mission, although he usually guards his words so closely that it's difficult to learn what his quest actually entails.
Hit Dice: d12
Requirements-
Alignment: Any lawful
Race: Dwarf
Base Attack Bonus: +7
Feats: Dodge, Endurance, Toughness
Class Features-
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Defensive Stance: Lvl 1: 1/day, Lvl 3: 2/day, Lvl 5: 3/day, Lvl 7: 4/day, Lvl 9: 5/day; gains these benefits: +2 Strength, +4 Constitution, +2 resistance bonus on all saves, +4 dodge bonus to AC
Defensive Awareness: Lvl 2 (Dex bonus to AC), Lvl 6 (can't be flanked, only by Rogue 4 levels higher), Lvl 10 (+1 vs. traps)
Damage Reduction: Lvl 6 (-3 damage), Lvl 10 (-6 damage); can reduce damage to 0, but not below 0 (gain HP)
Loremaster
Loremasters are spellcasters who concentrate on knowledge, valuing lore and secrets over gold. They uncover secrets that they then use to better themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Characters without at least one level of wizard, sorcerer, cleric, or druid gain little benefit to becoming a loremaster. Paladins, rangers, and bards might gain some benefit, but overall, it would be minor.
Loremasters sometimes gather in secluded cabals but are more likely to be located as an order attached to a university, a library, or some other source of information. They're likely to earn extra money as sages and information brokers, pouring their wages in their own research. A loremaster might also adopt a position as a wise one in a community, or even as its leader, drawing upon her knowledge to help others.
Hit Dice: d4
Requirements-
Spellcasting: Ability to cast seven different divinations, one of which must be 3rd level or higher.
Two Knowledge Skills (Any Type): 10 ranks in each [veto]
Feats: Any three metamagic or item creation feats, plus Skill Focus (Knowledge [any indivual Knowledge skill]).
Class Features-
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Spells per Day: +1 level of existing class every level of Loremaster
Secret: Lvl 1, Lvl 3, Lvl 5, Lvl 7, Lvl 9; One secret from the following:
Lvl+ Int Modifier=1: 4 ranks of a skill to skill which has no ranks
=2: +3 HP
=3: +1 Will saves
=4: +1 Fortitude saves
=5: +1 Reflex saves
=6: +1 to attack rolls
=7: +1 dodge bonus to AC
=8: Any one feat
=9: 1 bonus 1st-level spell
=10: 1 bonus 2nd-level spell
Lore: Lvl 2: Level+ Intelligience modifier to Lore
Bonus Languages: Lvl 4, Lvl 8
Greater Lore: Lvl 6: Identify magic items as an ability. Once per item examined.
True Lore: Lvl 10: Once per day, use affects of a Legend Lore spell or Analyze Dweomer spell as ability.
Shadowdancer
Operating in the border between light and darkness, shadowdancers are nimble artists of deception. They are mysterious and unknown, never completely trusted but always inducing wonder when met.
Rogues, bards, and monks make excellent shadowdancers, but fighters, barbarians, rangers, and paladins also find shadowdancer abilities allow them to strike at their opponents with surprise and skill. Wizard, sorcerer, cleric, and druid shadowdancers employ the defensive capabilities inherent in the prestige class to allow them to cast their spells from safety and move away quickly. Despite their link with shadows and trickery, shadowdancers are as often good as evil. They may use their incredible abilities as they wish.
Shadowdancers often work in troupes, never staying in one place too long. Some use their abilities to entertain. Others operate as thieves, using their abilities to infiltrate past defenses and dupe others. All shadowdancer troupes maintain an aura of mystery among the populace, who never know whether to think well or ill of them.
Hit Dice: d8
Requirements-
Move Silently: 8 ranks [veto]
Hide: 10 ranks [veto]
Perform: 5 ranks [veto]
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Combat Reflexes
Class Features-
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Hide in Plain Sight: Lvl 1: within 10 ft. of shadows, cannot hide in own shadows
Evasion: Lvl 2: Effect that normally allows to attempt Reflex saving throw, take no damage is successful saving throw, only wearing Light or no armor
Darkvision: Lvl 2: as if permanently under Darkvision spell
Uncanny Dodge: Lvl 2 (retain Dex Bonus to AC), Lvl 5 (can't be flanked, only by Rogues +4 levels higher), Lvl 10 (+1 vs. traps)
Shadow Illusion: Lvl 3: create visual illusions from surrounding shadows, once per day
Summon Shadow: Lvl 3, Lvl 6, Lvl 9: alignment matches that of shadowdancer; cannot be turned, rebuked, or cammanded by any third party; Shadow dismissal reduce 200 experience if unsuccessful Fortitude saving throw, 100 for successful
Shadow Jump: Lvl 4 (20 ft.), Lvl 6 (40 ft.), Lvl 8 (80 ft.), Lvl 10 (160 ft.): area with some shadow, once per day, jumps can be divided
Defensive roll: Lvl 5: successful Reflex saving throw reduces damage that would take HP to 0 by half; if denies Dex bonus to AC, cannot be performed
Slippery Mind: Lvl 7: chance to escape from controlling or compelling spells, use once, and if fails, one more time in the next round, if both unsuccessful continue affects from spell normally
Improved Evasion: Lvl 10: no damage on successful Reflex saving throws that allow for half damage, only half damage if unsuccessful
Well, that's the rest. FINALLY..
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