airwalkrr
Adventurer
I'm sure this has been done before. But in the event it hasn't or others haven't seen it before, here it is. The idea is that I am trying to reduce the number of prestige classes without reducing the potential number of character concepts. Tell me what you think. Attached below at word versions that include the tables. They are probably prettier to look at. Note I use a variant skill system (details of which can be found here). Just use the DMG class skills and skill points per level if you want to use the core rules for skills.
ASSASSIN
Alignment: Any evil.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills
The assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Alertness (Wis), Athletics (Str), Chicanery (Int), Disable Device (Int), Influence (Cha), Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: 4.
Additional Skill Points: 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the assassin class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Assassins are proficient with basic weapons plus any two of the following: bows (shortbow only), claw weapons, crossbows, light blades, maces and clubs, and slings and thrown weapons. Assassins are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Sneak Attack: This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 every other level (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th). If an assassin gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage do not stack. The assassin uses the higher bonus.
Death Attack: If an assassin studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (assassin’s choice). While studying the victim, the assassin can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the assassin or recognize the assassin as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the assassin’s class level + the assassin’s Int modifier) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the assassin. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the assassin has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.
If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the assassin does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.
Poison Use: Assassins are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.
Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an assassin gains the ability to cast a number of arcane spells. To cast a spell, an assassin must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so an assassin with an Intelligence of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Assassin bonus spells are based on Intelligence, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the assassin’s Intelligence bonus. When the assassin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.
The assassin’s spell list appears below. An assassin casts spells just as a bard does.
Upon reaching 6th level, at every even-numbered level after that (8th and 10th), an assassin can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level assassin spell the assassin can cast. An assassin may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for that level.
Save Bonus against Poison: The assassin gains a natural saving throw bonus to all poisons gained at 3rd level that increases by +1 for every three additional levels the assassin gains.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, an assassin retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (He still loses any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.)
If a character gains uncanny dodge from a second class it has no affect on this ability.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 10th level, an assassin can no longer be flanked, since he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the assassin. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the assassin can flank him (and thus sneak attack him).
If a character gains uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class it has no effect on this ability. The assassin uses the highest level from those classes to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Special Abilities: On attaining 12th level, and at every four levels thereafter (16th and 20th), an assassin gains a special ability of his choice from among the following options.
Crippling Strike (Ex): An assassin with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that his blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of his sneak attacks also takes 2 points of Strength damage. Ability points lost to damage return on their own at the rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability.
Defensive Roll (Ex): The assassin can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than he otherwise would. Once per day, when he would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the assassin can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the assassin must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, he takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, he takes full damage. He must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute his defensive roll—if he is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, he can’t use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): An assassin can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, an assassin can hide himself from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind.
He cannot, however, hide in his own shadow.
Opportunist (Ex): Once per round, the assassin can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as the assassin’s attack of opportunity for that round. Even an assassin with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.
Skill Mastery: The assassin becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that he can use them reliably even under adverse conditions.
Upon gaining this ability, he selects two skills. When making a skill check with one of these skills, he may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so. An assassin may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for it to apply to each time.
Slippery Mind (Ex): This ability represents the assassin’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel him. If an assassin with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails his saving throw, he can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. He gets only this one extra chance to succeed on
his saving throw.
Feat: An assassin may gain a bonus feat in place of a special ability.
Assassin Spell List
Assassins choose their spells from the following list:
1st Level: disguise self, detect poison, feather fall, ghost sound, jump, obscuring mist, sleep, true strike.
2nd Level: alter self, cat’s grace, darkness, fox’s cunning, illusory script, invisibility, pass without trace, spider climb, undetectable alignment.
3rd Level: deep slumber, deeper darkness, false life, magic circle against good, misdirection, nondetection.
4th Level: clairaudience/clairvoyance, dimension door, freedom of movement, glibness, greater invisibility, locate creature, modify memory, poison.
BLACKGUARD
Alignment: Any evil.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills
The blackguard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Influence (Cha), Lore (religion only) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Stealth (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: 2.
Additional Skill Points: 10th and 20th.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the blackguard class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Paladins are proficient with basic weapons plus any three other weapon groups. Paladins are proficient with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).
Aura of Evil (Ex): The power of a blackguard’s aura of evil (see the detect evil spell) is equal to his class level plus his cleric level, if any.
Detect Good (Sp): At will, a blackguard can use detect good as a spell-like ability, duplicating the effect of the detect good spell.
Poison Use: Blackguards are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.
Smite Good (Su): Once a day, a blackguard may attempt to smite good with one normal melee attack.
He adds his Charisma modifier (if positive) to his attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per class level. If a blackguard accidentally smites a creature that is not good, the smite has no effect but it is still used up for that day.
At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the blackguard may smite good one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: The Blackguard, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.
Dark Blessing (Su): At 2nd level, a blackguard applies his Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws.
Aura of Despair (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, the blackguard radiates a malign aura that causes enemies within 10 feet of him to take a –2 penalty on all saving throws.
Command Undead (Su): When a blackguard reaches 3rd level, he gains the supernatural ability to command and rebuke undead. He commands undead as would a cleric of two levels lower.
Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a blackguard has the ability to cast a small number of divine spells. To cast a blackguard spell, a blackguard must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so a blackguard with a Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells.
Blackguard bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the blackguard’s Wisdom modifier. When the blackguard gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Wisdom score for that spell level. The blackguard’s spell list appears below. A blackguard has access to any spell on the list and can freely choose which to prepare, just as a cleric. A blackguard prepares and casts spells just as a cleric does (though a blackguard cannot spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells).
Sneak Attack: This ability, gained at 3rd level, is like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage increases by +1d6 every third level beyond 3rd (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th). If a blackguard gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage do not stack. The blackguard uses the higher bonus.
Blackguard Spell List
Blackguards choose their spells from the following list:
1st Level: cause fear, corrupt weapon, cure light wounds, doom, inflict light wounds, magic weapon, summon monster I*.
2nd Level: bull’s strength, cure moderate wounds, darkness, death knell, eagle’s splendor, inflict moderate wounds, shatter, summon monster II*.
3rd Level: contagion, cure serious wounds, deeper darkness, inflict serious wounds, protection from elements, summon monster III*.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, freedom of movement, inflict critical wounds, poison, summon monster IV*.
* Evil creatures only.
Corrupt Weapon
Blackguards have access to a special spell, corrupt weapon, which is the opposing counterpart of the paladin spell bless weapon. Instead of improving a weapon’s effectiveness against evil foes corrupt weapon makes a weapon more effective against good foes.
The Blackguard’s Fiendish Servant
Upon or after reaching 5th level, a blackguard can call a fiendish bat, cat, dire rat, horse, pony, raven, or toad to serve him. The blackguard’s servant further gains HD and special abilities based on the blackguard’s character level (see the table below).
A blackguard may have only one fiendish servant at a time.
Should the blackguard’s servant die, he may call for another one after a year and a day. The new fiendish servant has all the accumulated abilities due a servant of the blackguard’s current level.
Character Level: The character level of the blackguard (his blackguard level plus his original class level).
Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Extra Hit Dice improve the servant’s base attack and base save bonuses, as normal.
Natural Armor Adj.: This is an improvement to the servant’s existing natural armor bonus.
Str Adj.: Add this figure to the servant’s Strength score.
Int: The servant’s Intelligence score. (A fiendish servant is smarter than normal animals of its kind.)
The abilities mentioned in the “Special” column of the accompanying table are described below.
Empathic Link (Su): The blackguard has an empathic link with his servant out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The blackguard cannot see through the servant’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of the empathic link between the servant and the blackguard, the blackguard has the same connection to a place or an item that the servant does.
Improved Evasion (Ex): If the servant is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage on a successful saving throw and only half damage on a failed saving throw. Improved evasion is an extraordinary ability.
Share Saving Throws: For each of its saving throws, the servant uses either its own base save bonus or the blackguard’s, whichever is higher. The servant applies its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn’t share any other bonuses on saves that the blackguard might have.
Share Spells: At the blackguard’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his servant. The servant must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the servant if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the servant again even if the servant returns to the blackguard before the duration expires. Additionally, the blackguard may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his servant (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A blackguard and his servant can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the servant’s type (magical beast).
Speak with Blackguard (Ex): If the blackguard’s character level is 8th or higher, the blackguard and servant can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.
Blood Bond (Ex): If the blackguard’s character level is 11th or higher, the servant gains a +2 bonus on all attack rolls, checks, and saves if it witnesses the blackguard being threatened or harmed.
This bonus lasts as long as the threat is immediate and apparent.
Spell Resistance (Ex): If the blackguard’s character level is 15th or higher, the servant gains spell resistance equal to the blackguard’s level + 5. To affect the servant with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the servant’s spell resistance.
ASSASSIN
Alignment: Any evil.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills
The assassin’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Alertness (Wis), Athletics (Str), Chicanery (Int), Disable Device (Int), Influence (Cha), Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: 4.
Additional Skill Points: 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the assassin class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Assassins are proficient with basic weapons plus any two of the following: bows (shortbow only), claw weapons, crossbows, light blades, maces and clubs, and slings and thrown weapons. Assassins are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Sneak Attack: This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 every other level (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th). If an assassin gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage do not stack. The assassin uses the higher bonus.
Death Attack: If an assassin studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (assassin’s choice). While studying the victim, the assassin can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the assassin or recognize the assassin as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the assassin’s class level + the assassin’s Int modifier) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the assassin. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the assassin has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.
If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the assassin does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.
Poison Use: Assassins are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.
Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an assassin gains the ability to cast a number of arcane spells. To cast a spell, an assassin must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so an assassin with an Intelligence of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Assassin bonus spells are based on Intelligence, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the assassin’s Intelligence bonus. When the assassin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.
The assassin’s spell list appears below. An assassin casts spells just as a bard does.
Upon reaching 6th level, at every even-numbered level after that (8th and 10th), an assassin can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level assassin spell the assassin can cast. An assassin may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for that level.
Save Bonus against Poison: The assassin gains a natural saving throw bonus to all poisons gained at 3rd level that increases by +1 for every three additional levels the assassin gains.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, an assassin retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (He still loses any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.)
If a character gains uncanny dodge from a second class it has no affect on this ability.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 10th level, an assassin can no longer be flanked, since he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the assassin. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the assassin can flank him (and thus sneak attack him).
If a character gains uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class it has no effect on this ability. The assassin uses the highest level from those classes to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Special Abilities: On attaining 12th level, and at every four levels thereafter (16th and 20th), an assassin gains a special ability of his choice from among the following options.
Crippling Strike (Ex): An assassin with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that his blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of his sneak attacks also takes 2 points of Strength damage. Ability points lost to damage return on their own at the rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability.
Defensive Roll (Ex): The assassin can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than he otherwise would. Once per day, when he would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the assassin can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the assassin must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, he takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, he takes full damage. He must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute his defensive roll—if he is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, he can’t use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): An assassin can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, an assassin can hide himself from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind.
He cannot, however, hide in his own shadow.
Opportunist (Ex): Once per round, the assassin can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as the assassin’s attack of opportunity for that round. Even an assassin with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.
Skill Mastery: The assassin becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that he can use them reliably even under adverse conditions.
Upon gaining this ability, he selects two skills. When making a skill check with one of these skills, he may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so. An assassin may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for it to apply to each time.
Slippery Mind (Ex): This ability represents the assassin’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel him. If an assassin with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails his saving throw, he can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. He gets only this one extra chance to succeed on
his saving throw.
Feat: An assassin may gain a bonus feat in place of a special ability.
Assassin Spell List
Assassins choose their spells from the following list:
1st Level: disguise self, detect poison, feather fall, ghost sound, jump, obscuring mist, sleep, true strike.
2nd Level: alter self, cat’s grace, darkness, fox’s cunning, illusory script, invisibility, pass without trace, spider climb, undetectable alignment.
3rd Level: deep slumber, deeper darkness, false life, magic circle against good, misdirection, nondetection.
4th Level: clairaudience/clairvoyance, dimension door, freedom of movement, glibness, greater invisibility, locate creature, modify memory, poison.
BLACKGUARD
Alignment: Any evil.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills
The blackguard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Influence (Cha), Lore (religion only) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Stealth (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: 2.
Additional Skill Points: 10th and 20th.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the blackguard class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Paladins are proficient with basic weapons plus any three other weapon groups. Paladins are proficient with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).
Aura of Evil (Ex): The power of a blackguard’s aura of evil (see the detect evil spell) is equal to his class level plus his cleric level, if any.
Detect Good (Sp): At will, a blackguard can use detect good as a spell-like ability, duplicating the effect of the detect good spell.
Poison Use: Blackguards are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.
Smite Good (Su): Once a day, a blackguard may attempt to smite good with one normal melee attack.
He adds his Charisma modifier (if positive) to his attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per class level. If a blackguard accidentally smites a creature that is not good, the smite has no effect but it is still used up for that day.
At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the blackguard may smite good one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: The Blackguard, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.
Dark Blessing (Su): At 2nd level, a blackguard applies his Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws.
Aura of Despair (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, the blackguard radiates a malign aura that causes enemies within 10 feet of him to take a –2 penalty on all saving throws.
Command Undead (Su): When a blackguard reaches 3rd level, he gains the supernatural ability to command and rebuke undead. He commands undead as would a cleric of two levels lower.
Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a blackguard has the ability to cast a small number of divine spells. To cast a blackguard spell, a blackguard must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so a blackguard with a Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells.
Blackguard bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the blackguard’s Wisdom modifier. When the blackguard gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Wisdom score for that spell level. The blackguard’s spell list appears below. A blackguard has access to any spell on the list and can freely choose which to prepare, just as a cleric. A blackguard prepares and casts spells just as a cleric does (though a blackguard cannot spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells).
Sneak Attack: This ability, gained at 3rd level, is like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage increases by +1d6 every third level beyond 3rd (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th). If a blackguard gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage do not stack. The blackguard uses the higher bonus.
Blackguard Spell List
Blackguards choose their spells from the following list:
1st Level: cause fear, corrupt weapon, cure light wounds, doom, inflict light wounds, magic weapon, summon monster I*.
2nd Level: bull’s strength, cure moderate wounds, darkness, death knell, eagle’s splendor, inflict moderate wounds, shatter, summon monster II*.
3rd Level: contagion, cure serious wounds, deeper darkness, inflict serious wounds, protection from elements, summon monster III*.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, freedom of movement, inflict critical wounds, poison, summon monster IV*.
* Evil creatures only.
Corrupt Weapon
Blackguards have access to a special spell, corrupt weapon, which is the opposing counterpart of the paladin spell bless weapon. Instead of improving a weapon’s effectiveness against evil foes corrupt weapon makes a weapon more effective against good foes.
The Blackguard’s Fiendish Servant
Upon or after reaching 5th level, a blackguard can call a fiendish bat, cat, dire rat, horse, pony, raven, or toad to serve him. The blackguard’s servant further gains HD and special abilities based on the blackguard’s character level (see the table below).
A blackguard may have only one fiendish servant at a time.
Should the blackguard’s servant die, he may call for another one after a year and a day. The new fiendish servant has all the accumulated abilities due a servant of the blackguard’s current level.
Character Level: The character level of the blackguard (his blackguard level plus his original class level).
Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Extra Hit Dice improve the servant’s base attack and base save bonuses, as normal.
Natural Armor Adj.: This is an improvement to the servant’s existing natural armor bonus.
Str Adj.: Add this figure to the servant’s Strength score.
Int: The servant’s Intelligence score. (A fiendish servant is smarter than normal animals of its kind.)
The abilities mentioned in the “Special” column of the accompanying table are described below.
Empathic Link (Su): The blackguard has an empathic link with his servant out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The blackguard cannot see through the servant’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of the empathic link between the servant and the blackguard, the blackguard has the same connection to a place or an item that the servant does.
Improved Evasion (Ex): If the servant is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage on a successful saving throw and only half damage on a failed saving throw. Improved evasion is an extraordinary ability.
Share Saving Throws: For each of its saving throws, the servant uses either its own base save bonus or the blackguard’s, whichever is higher. The servant applies its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn’t share any other bonuses on saves that the blackguard might have.
Share Spells: At the blackguard’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his servant. The servant must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the servant if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the servant again even if the servant returns to the blackguard before the duration expires. Additionally, the blackguard may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his servant (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A blackguard and his servant can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the servant’s type (magical beast).
Speak with Blackguard (Ex): If the blackguard’s character level is 8th or higher, the blackguard and servant can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.
Blood Bond (Ex): If the blackguard’s character level is 11th or higher, the servant gains a +2 bonus on all attack rolls, checks, and saves if it witnesses the blackguard being threatened or harmed.
This bonus lasts as long as the threat is immediate and apparent.
Spell Resistance (Ex): If the blackguard’s character level is 15th or higher, the servant gains spell resistance equal to the blackguard’s level + 5. To affect the servant with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the servant’s spell resistance.
