Tell Us What The Blackguard Does Already!

Schneidend

As the title suggests, this game is less than two months away and we still have no idea what the Blackguard actually does. I hate not knowing mechanical info. MMOs that never release full talent tree info or calculators, CRPGs that never explain how much this perk/feat/talent improves your weapon damage until the game is in my hands, etc. That sort of thing drives me up a wall!

Please, Overhaul, show us the Blackguard so we can give you our feedback in time to actually change anything that might be silly.

Cheesebelly

I dunno, I'd like to be (hopefully pleasantly) surprised. I guess it could be unbalanced, but then again, kits are unbalanced in BG1 anyway (both in the good and bad way)

Schneidend

I hate being surprised when it comes to mechanical stuff. I want to know what my options are.

Tanthalas

I'm guessing Blackguards just run around blackguarding stuff.

Schneidend

They'll blackguard your blackguard all blackguard long.

The question is, do they get a +2 to blackguarding? If so, does it come at a cost of -1 to notblackguard?

Mornmagor

It would be easier to make any kind of suggestions if we knew what the kit is about, if it's not powerful enough why bother with it when we have fighter/cleric or cleric/ranger?

I wanna know his abilities as well, but mostly i want to know if he can dual or multiclass.

Coriander

Well -2 but -1 after level 5. ;P

FrozenDervish

Agreed want to know what blackguard can do!

Cheesebelly

@Coriander : what about the gloves of extraordinary blackguarding? And the boots of fabulous +6, do they influence Blackguard, considering that blackguards blackguard only the blackguard color, while the boots of fabulous are multicolored? I expect a Rainbowguard now >:(

azurit

you all guys needs to learn the patience!

Coriander

@Cheesebelly I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of gloves of extraordinary blackguarding.

Mornmagor

Which means the gloves of extraplanar(!) blackguarding are in the game CONFIRMED.

Wonderboy2402

Imagine an anti paladin, that smites good instead of evil, gathers evil undead under his command, that likes to backstab and use poison. And cleric spells are of the evil spectrum, so they can heal or cause harm, curse, etc...

The apparently also can gain a fiendish servant.

My last playthrough of BG was as an evil cleric. So I am wondering if the experience would be much more different as a blackguard...

RushAndAPush

Blackguard boots: CONFIRMED

Mornmagor

That's the 3.5 edition Blackguard as a prestige class.

Trent said that this Blackguard is their own creation O_o

wissenschaft

Blackguard is a guard in black. Hes especially good at guarding evil stuff. :P

Wonderboy2402

Mornmagor said:

That's the 3.5 edition Blackguard as a prestige class.

Trent said that this Blackguard is their own creation O_o

It will be adapted to 2.0, I am fairly certain. So he safest bet is an evil paladin.

Cheesebelly

Great, now I can see a dumb PC-Dorn banter! (which isn't necessarily a bad thing)

PC : "So Dorn... What are you exactly?"
Dorn : "I'm a blackguard... a guard of black things..."
PC : "Like chocolate cookies?"
Dorn : "Those are brown..."
PC : "But they are dark... Isn't that good enough?"
Dorn : "What is your point PC?"
PC : "Do you have oil?"
Dorn : "You mean grease? No, I can't cast mage spells. I am a blackguard."
PC : "But Grease Oil is black...?"
Dorn : "Yes..."
PC : "So you guard Grease Oil?"
Dorn : "My hair are black..."
PC : "Yes!"
Dorn : "Do I guard them?"
PC : "Do you want to be bald?"
Dorn : "Sometimes, I wish I wouldn't just lack hair, but also a head. You, on the other hand, lack brains..."

Possibly switching the PC with Minsc, but add more Boo.

LordsDarkKnight185

You know, "blackguard" is simply an old-english term for a scoundrel or someone very uncouth

Schneidend

LordsDarkKnight185 said:

You know, "blackguard" is simply an old-english term for a scoundrel or someone very uncouth

Why, yes, I did know that. But, since that has nothing to do with what a Blackguard is in D&D...this thread was created.

In D&D, Blackguards are warriors that champion dark gods or notoriously "evil" ideas.

Wonderboy2402 said:

It will be adapted to 2.0, I am fairly certain. So he safest bet is an evil paladin.

It doesn't seem that likely, since the 3.5 prestige class is meant to mirror the Paladin of 3.5, and his powers reflect that, powers that the 2E Paladin does not have an analogue to. I'm hoping that, if they base the BGEE Blackguard on any edition, it'll be 4th, where it has a power called Dread Smite that deals cold and necrotic damage over time, and is not limited to affecting Good enemies. After all, how many Good enemies are there in BG1?

Since there isn't a necrotic damage type in 2E, it could deal acid and cold, at a rate of 1 each every second for 12 seconds. Save for half duration.

That, or, Blackguards could just naturally have a +1 to damage rolls as cold at 1st, and later, like 5th or 6th, perhaps, get a +1 to damage rolls as acid. That'd be neat.

Mornmagor

Or if acid doesn't exist, then poison.

I still don't think it's a paladin. I have a feeling it's a fighter kit but whatever, let's just find out eventually what he's capable of.

Daedalus87m

Well.... I'm pretty sure he can "Detect Good"

smeagolheart

I hope he gets a fiendish servant. That would be swell.

Xavioria

Unless if there was a class overhaul... or if Dorn is a "Very special orc" then I think Blackgaurd is a fighter because as of right now, only humans may be paladins (which I still disagree with partially, but whatever)

Schneidend

Mornmagor said:

Or if acid doesn't exist, then poison.

I still don't think it's a paladin. I have a feeling it's a fighter kit but whatever, let's just find out eventually what he's capable of.

Acid damage definitely exists, because Melf's Acid Arrow deals acid damage. Poison could work, but I picked acid becomes that seems more entropic and necrotic in that it melts things. Yeah, I'd like some passive cold/acid damage or passive cold/poison damage. Smites a limited times per day have never been particularly useful to me. I never know when the time to use them is, so I often end up not using them.

@smeagolheart

A succubus would be awesome. I hated when my lovely succubus became a useless vrock at epic levels in NWN: Hordes of the Underdark.

xLegionx

Blackguards are basically evil paladins. Think of them as almost like death knights except they are not undead. But they could be. They're only goal is conquest in the name of their dark god.

Xavioria

But Dorn is just out for vengaence... I don't think his profile said anything about veneration to a forlorn Deity..... gotta check now...

Schneidend

xLegionx said:

Blackguards are basically evil paladins. Think of them as almost like death knights except they are not undead. But they could be. They're only goal is conquest in the name of their dark god.

Yes, I know what a Blackguard is, but I'm asking for Overhaul to reveal what they DO, what mechanical strengths/weaknesses the kit has compared to a normal Fighter or Paladin.

Doom972

A proper Blackguard should have abilities that harm living and heal undead, the ability to rebuke undead (make them fight for you), and clerical spells at the same level the Paladin gets them. perhaps they added additional abilities like Detect Good.

Sceptenar

I figure the Blackguard kit is the standard D&D blackguard, it is just a paladin kit that requires you to be evil and gives you the opposite of the paladin's abilities, like smite good instead of evil, detect good instead of evil and so on. Frankly, I have my doubts about how useful this kit is actually going to be since most of the enemies you fight are evil, some neutral and hardly any are good.

Kerozevok

Someone know if the new quests are available even if you don't recruit the new NPC ?...