D&D 3.5 base class: Black knight (working title)

[Rogue 9]

This is a base class for D&D 3.5e that I cooked up well over a year ago, got into the beta stage with, and kind of forgot about when my board was abandoned. I had thought I'd posted it over here, but I guess I didn't. I still want to finish the project (paladin analogues that do not suck for the other extreme alignments besides lawful good), so here it is. The last post.

Black Knight

More than any other individual, even the blackguard, the black knight is the paladin's dark mirror. While holding to a twisted form of honor, the black knight is fully in the grip of evil. Many among their ranks believe themselves in the right, seeing paladins as too sadly idealistic to do what is necessary to defeat evil, without realizing that with the methods they have taken up they have become that which they wished to fight. Others are fully conscious of their own depravity and not disturbed by it at all, out to increase their own power or that of their masters at the expense of others.

Whatever their beliefs about themselves and their place, black knights are wholly ruthless individuals. Some take up the rule of their own fief, ruling over their unfortunate peasants with an iron fist. Others serve higher lords as dark lieutenants and enforcers. Still others adventure, on a quest to increase their own influence or simply spread evil.

Game Rule Information

Abilities: Charisma affects many of the black knight's abilities, including Smite Good, Baleful Touch, and Infernal Pronouncement. A black knight's spellcasting is based on Wisdom. A Wisdom score of 14 is required to cast the highest level knight spells, and a Wisdom score of 11 is required to cast any black knight spells at all. Strength and Constitution help the black knight in combat.

Alignment: Lawful evil.

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills
The black knight's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the black knight.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Black knights are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).

Aura of Evil (Ex): The power of a black knight’s aura of evil (see the detect evil spell) is equal to her black knight level.

Detect Good (Sp): At will, a black knight can use detect good, as the spell.

Smite Good (Su): Once per day, a black knight may attempt to smite good with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per black knight level. If the knight accidentally smites a creature that is not good, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.

At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the knight may smite good one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: The Black Knight, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.

Poison Use (Ex): At 2nd level, the black knight runs no risk of accidentally poisoning herself when applying poison to a blade.

Baleful Touch (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a black knight with a Charisma score of 12 or higher can inflict wounds by touch. Each day she can inflict a total number of hit points of damage equal to her knight level x her Charisma bonus. Using baleful touch in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. The knight decides how many of her daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching a living creature. A knight may choose to divide her damage among multiple targets, and she doesn’t have to use it all at once. Using baleful touch is a standard action.

Alternatively, a black knight can use any or all of this damaging power to heal undead creatures.

Aura of Command (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a black knight projects an aura of dark authority around herself. Each ally or minion of the knight within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects not originating from the knight herself as long as they are engaged in following orders given by the knight (in the case of minions and underlings) or working in concert with the knight (in the case of allies). In addition, minions and underlings of the knight take a -2 penalty on attack and damage rolls against the knight and saves against fear effects caused by the knight. Allies and superiors of the knight are not affected by this second effect.

This ability functions while the knight is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.

Infernal Pronouncement (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, the black knight can pronounce doom upon her enemies and those who have displeased her. As a standard action, the knight pronounces doom upon her enemies. The intended targets must be within 30 feet and be able to see and hear the black knight. The targets must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the knight's class level + the knight's Charisma bonus). Those who fail and have Hit Dice less than or equal to the knight's class level are panicked for a number of rounds equal to the knight's Charisma bonus. Success means they are merely shaken. Creatures with HD greater than the knight's class level are shaken on a failed save and unaffected on a success. This ability does not work on targets that cannot see the knight, nor does it function in an area of magical silence.

Rebuke Undead (Su): When a black knight reaches 4th level, she gains the supernatural ability to rebuke undead. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. She rebukes undead as a cleric of three levels lower would.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a black knight gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from the black knight spell list. A knight must choose and prepare her spells in advance.

To prepare or cast a spell, a knight must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a knight’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the knight’s Wisdom modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a knight can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Black Knight. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. When Table: The Black Knight indicates that the knight gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Wisdom score for that spell level The knight does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.

A knight prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to spontaneously cast a cure spell in its place. A knight may prepare and cast any spell on the black knight spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a knight has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her black knight level.

Fiendish Servant (Su): Upon or after reaching 6th level, a black knight can call a fiendish bat, cat, dire rat, horse, pony, raven, or toad to serve him. The black knight’s servant further gains HD and special abilities based on the knight’s class level (see the table below).
A black knight may have only one fiendish servant at a time.

Should the black knight’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 knight’s current class level.

Command (Sp): At 6th level, a black knight can produce a command effect, as the spell, once per day as a cleric of her class level. She can use this ability one additional time per week for every three levels after 6th (twice per day at 9th, three times at 12th, and so forth).

Greater Command (Sp): At 15th level, the black knight casts greater command in place of command.

Evil Authority (Sp): Once per day a black knight of at least 14th level may command those around her. Once per day the knight may compel all evil creatures with equal or fewer Hit Dice within 50 ft. to recognize her as their superior. The targets may resist this ability with a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the knight's class level + Charisma modifier). Those who fail their saves do not attack the knight and obey her commands as though affected by a mass suggestion spell. The effect persists for 24 hours.

Code of Conduct: A black knight must be of lawful evil alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever changes alignment.

Additionally, a knight’s code requires that she respect worthy authority (that is to say, authority with the wherewithal to keep itself in power), act with honor towards those deserving of it (those willing to do what it takes to command respect), rule over those too weak to rule themselves, and punish those who defy her rule or that of her rightful overlord.

BAB: As fighter
Saves: As fighter

Table: The Black Knight
1 Aura of Evil, Detect Good, Smite Good 1/day
2 Poison use, baleful touch
3 Aura of Command, Infernal Pronouncement
4 Rebuke Undead
5 Smite Good 2/day
6 Fiendish Servant, Command 1/day
7
8
9 Command 2/day
10 Smite Good 3/day
11
12 Command 3/day
13
14 Evil Authority
15 Smite Good 4/day, Greater command 4/day
16
17
18 Greater command 5/day
19
20 Smite Good 5/day