3.5 Blackguard gutted?

[hong]

I'm glad they got rid of the fallen paladin abilities. It was always silly anyway. Why should paladins make for better champions of evil? I mean since the object of the game is to become ever increasingly more powerful; why wouldn't all paladins go the blackguard route?

Going over to the Dark Side often means becoming an NPC.

 

[Wormwood]

Hopefully we can extrapolate that extra smites are also in store for the Paladin as well.

Not that Cure Disease isn't a really useful ability at high levels...

 

[kingpaul]

Hopefully we can extrapolate that extra smites are also in store for the Paladin as well.

Not that Cure Disease isn't a really useful ability at high levels...

::chuckle::

I like how Monte redid the Paladin in his Book of Hallowed Might; have you seen that?

 

[Renaissance Man]

So to recap 3.5 changes:

Added Eagle's Splendor to spell list

Added 2 additional smites.

Added a description of the aura one could detect with a detect evil spell.

... added Power Attack as a prereq.

Added Hide to the skill list.

 

[Technik4]

Damn. I noticed Hide as a class skill when I went over them but forgot to post it. Power attack has always been a pre-req, as without power attack you cannot cleave. It is more clarified now though.

Technik

 

[Gez]

The Fallen Paladin Blackguard abilities were just to compensate mechanically for the loss of the paladin abilities. As a champion of Eeeevil, he regained in another form what being no more a champion of goooooood took from him.

A fighter, or a rogue, or anything, becoming a blackguard would have kept his class abilities, and didn't needed to compensate.

Mechanically, that's because fallen paladins got the shaft, and the in-game reason is the same as for a cleric of Heironeous losing all his powers, and gaining them back in a slightly different form when becoming a cleric of Hextor.

 

[Henry]

I'm speculating they streamlined that point, and made it simply that becoming a blackguard allows you to trade in your ex-paladin levels one-for-one.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I'm glad they got rid of the fallen paladin abilities. It was always silly anyway. Why should paladins make for better champions of evil? I mean since the object of the game is to become ever increasingly more powerful; why wouldn't all paladins go the blackguard route? Moreover, why bother to become a blackguard if you are not a paladin as you become a second rate blackguard. How cool is that?

Fallen heroes always make for very interesting villains. The possibility of such a fallen hero's redemption also makes for a good story. Both are good for RPGs.

 

[Remathilis]

if you notice, they didn't mention the Fiendish Servant (which is sill on the chart), so they might have cut that chart for sake of room.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Personally, I think a blackguard who wasn't a paladin before will be underpowered. IT isn't a big deal, however, unless you really like githyanki (like myself)

I wish the sneak attack had disappeared.