I'm looking to combine the Cavalier with the Slayer.
The idea behind this class is taken a bit from the concept in a Song of Ice and Fire that the best sort of knight is a ruthless killer, not some courtly honorable fellow.
Background on the Blackguard:
Blackguards are knights of the basest sort, and every king, queen, warlord, and even petty lordling has at least one under his command. Blackguards are men and women who eschew any sort of courtly mannerisms, any notion of honor, or the illusion of a fair duel. No, Blackguards are the very epitome of the notion that the very best sort of knight is a killer. And if good knights are killers, then Blackguards are unmatched, for they eschew any sort of leadership, any sort of finesse, for simple brutality and killing prowess.
Blackguards are never good, but they need not be evil. Some are barely restrained monsters of men, so ferocious they are barely held in check by their masters. Others see their work as a means to an end, and carry out their duties regardless of their personal feelings, should they even deign to have any on the matter at hand. Yet others are simply immune to the sufferings and cruelties they inflict on their fellow man, or pure cynics who readily acknowledge the fact that power is never granted, but taken with force, and force must be used to keep it.
Anyway, I'd like him to keep the Challenge class feature and his order abilities, but everything else I'd like to lose in favor of more slayer abilities and slayer-like abilities.
Some of the things I'd like to gain for this class:
Studied Target - Not sure if I want to go up to 5. Maybe have it at 1, but progress in damage and the like as if the class were a slayer.
Sneak Attack - up to 6D6.
Slayer talents - 4, and never advanced slayer talents, only the base ones.
Other abilities, some influenced by existing classes such as Skulking Slayer, others new:
Murderous Charge - Sneak Attack becomes D8 instead of D6 on the charge. Replaces Cavalier's Charge
Bloody Footwork - Certain combat maneuvers, such as bullrush and overrun, when performed successfully, do sneak attack damage and weapon damage to the enemy in addition to normal abilities. Stacks with feats that do damage when performing such maneuvers, such as spiked destroyer and trample.
Blaggard's Blade - Can feint as a swift action before or after any movement, as long as an attack is not made before the movement is actually taken. If you have Improved Feint, can feint as a swift action when full attacking.
Killing Blow - When performing a coup de grace with a weapon with which you have the weapon focus feat, the critical multiplier increases by one step. For example, x2 becomes x3, and so on.
Butcher's Strikes - An enemy that is challenged is considered flat-footed by the Blackguard for the purpose of sneak attack if he attacks anyone other than the Blackguard. In addition, in these challenges, Sneak Attack damage is no longer considered precision damage, and can be multiplied on a critical hit.
Some of these things probably won't go through, but others are fairly unique, while still keeping some of the core of the Cavalier classes. I was inspired specifically by the Daring Champion cavalier, which combined the more interesting parts of the Swashbuckler with the Cavalier. It would mean that, against a challenged individual, a Daring Champion could do up to 40 points of damage with a piercing weapon, successful as either a strength or dex based sort. THAT really got my attention.
Plus, I always enjoyed the concept of the Cleganes, not that I like the show that much, but those characters were always great on screen and in the books.
