Blackguard

Born through betrayal, the once noble defenders of the King found themselves cloaked in blood and grime. Fallen from grace due to their deceiving nature, the royal protectors quickly turned into notorious dark knights. Utilizing their penchant for swordplay whilst combining it with cunning and bloodlust, made the Blackguards known for effective slaughter wherever their paths may lead.

Dishonorable

3rd-level Blackguard Feature

Starting at 3rd level, your efficient ruthlessness forbids you from toying with your targets, cutting their lives short immediately instead. As a bonus action, you sweep a target within melee range to the ground. The target has to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your strength modifier, or fall prone.

Attacks made by you against prone creatures with less than half their hit points deal extra damage equal to your Strength modifier.

Coup de Grâce

7th-level Blackguard Feature

At 7th level, you start utilizing a devastating finisher. If an attack leaves a target with fewer than 10 hit points, they are reduced to 0 hit points instead.

Backstabber

10th-level Blackguard Feature

10th level increases your agility and deviousness in combat. Once per turn, when making an attack, you use your movement to rapidly place yourself behind the target without provoking attacks of opportunity. The target’s AC is decreased by 2 for the attack.

You can only use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up).

Bladebreaker

15th-level Blackguard Feature

As a reaction upon being hit by a melee weapon, you can expend one of your hit dice to break your opponent’s stride. You decrease incoming damage by an amount equal to the number rolled. Upon rolling a 9 or 10, you cleave through your attacker’s weapon. A non-magical weapon is cleaved in two, a magical weapon is flung to an unoccupied space within 10 feet of the target instead.

Despicable

18th-level Blackguard Feature

Using your Dishonorable feature, you can now attempt to sweep all targets within melee range as part of the same bonus action.

Additionally, the threshold for your Coup de Grace is increased to 25 hit points.

Lore

King Alfonze II's elite soldiers, the Blackguards, once belonged to the Order of Mercy. Through grim betrayal, the order of combat medics broke their oaths to King Conandus Kilvillian I of and turned their backs on their kingdom. King Alfonze praised them for their help in the coup, but punished them for betraying his brother. As a result, all of their tongues were taken so there was none left to speak of the deeds they committed. In all of Epror, you will find no meaner human foe than a national hero gone rogue.