Antipaladin Archetype - Fell Champion

[DeathmatchFM]

Summary: I don't like the idea that antipaladins are focused on destroying Good. That could make more sense for lawful champions of evil, or a fallen paladin, but by default the antipaladin is fueled by chaotic evil powers. Primary contenders for antipaladin use like demons, orcs, and drow do not focus on destroying good and good alone: they destroy anyone or anything in their way.

It makes sense that a paladin would focus entirely on destroying evil, as Good people and organizations are more likely to verbally disagree than they are to slaughter each other. Evil though is concerned with strength at any cost.

To that end, I wrote an antipaladin archetype based around the fact that evil does not discriminate and that a warrior who channels its energy empowers himself against all foes, not merely the good ones. Often times, in the depths of the Abyss I think being able to subjugate your peers is more important than fighting against the occasional angelic crusade.

A final note: I understand that my view of paladin vs antipaladin probably isn't universal. My purpose for this thread is primarily to see if the archetype looks useable. Thanks ahead of time for anyone who takes the time to read this over.

Fell Champion

Not all antipaladins choose to become the antithesis of good; some instead embody evil in its purest form. These fell champions care not whether their enemies are servants of good or others on a dark path, all that matters is destroying whoever or whatever stands in their way. To a fell champion, power is the only absolute truth.

The fell champion archetype is available only to the antipaladin alternate class.

Smite Enemy (Su): Once per day, a fell champion can call out to dark powers to crush his foes. As a swift action, a fell champion can choose one target in sight to smite. He adds his antipaladin level on all damage rolls against the target of his smite.

The fell champion receives a +1 profane bonus to his attack rolls against the target of his smite if it has interfered with his goals or refused to submit to his will. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the fell champion possesses (to a maximum of +5 at 17th level).

The smite enemy effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the fell champion rests and regains uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the fell champion may smite an enemy one additional time per day (to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level).

This ability replaces smite good and detect good.

Aura of Subjugation (Su): At 11th level, a fell champion can expend two uses of his smite enemy to grant the ability to smite enemy to all allies within 10 feet, except they only gain his bonus to damage, not his smite's attack bonus. Allies must use this smite enemy ability by the start of the fell champion’s next turn and the bonuses last for 1 minute. Using this ability is a free action. Good creatures gain no benefit from this ability.

This ability replaces aura of vengeance.

Aura of Dominance (Su): At 14th level, as long as a target of smite enemy is within the fell champion’s threatened area, it takes a -2 penalty to AC from attacks made by anyone other than the fell champion.

This ability replaces aura of sin.

Demonic Ascension: At 20th level, the fell champion fully embodies the power of evil and sheds the last vestiges of his mortality. He is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than a humanoid (or whatever the original creature type was) for the purpose of spells and effects. She gains darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision. Additionally, the fell champion gains damage reduction 10/good which allows him to ignore the first 10 points of damage made by a nongood weapon. Unlike other outsiders the fell champion may still be brought back from the dead as if he were a member of his previous creature type. Finally, whenever he channels negative energy or uses touch or corruption to damage a creature, he deals the maximum possible amount.

This ability replaces unholy champion.

[Vulmar1]

For the final the "proper" verbadge would be "treated as a Native outsider"

[Archmic]

As much as people hate doing this... I would suggest looking in 3.5 Unearthed Arcana. There is a variant in there for Paladins which change the classes some.

Paladin of Light - Lawful Good
Paladin of Freedom - Chaotic Good
Paladin of Slaughter - Chaotic Evil
Paladin of Tyranny - Lawful Evil

They pretty much do what you are looking for, save for the fact that your smite ability for this one is a smite all ability rather than a smite opposing alignment ability.

[DeathmatchFM]

The issue with a Paladin of Slaughter is it doesn't make sense: they don't slaughter everyone, just good people. And I think that if you're truly the champion of Chaotic Evil power, you would fight everyone.

Demons are described as always competing and fighting each other, vying for power. Drow are similar, and so are orcs. All three are prime examples of CE factions, and antipaladin (which in Pathfinder is required to be CE) is a poor class for any since you would be bad at proving your strength to your peers.

[Archmic]

DeathmatchFM wrote:

The issue with a Paladin of Slaughter is it doesn't make sense: they don't slaughter everyone, just good people. And I think that if you're truly the champion of Chaotic Evil power, you would fight everyone.

Demons are described as always competing and fighting each other, vying for power. Drow are similar, and so are orcs. All three are prime examples of CE factions, and antipaladin (which in Pathfinder is required to be CE) is a poor class for any since you would be bad at proving your strength to your peers.

While I agree with you on that, I believe you're missing what the Paladin of Slaughter, aka the Antipaladin, is. It's a champion of an evil force to be used against good. Just as the Paladin of Light, aka the Paladin, is a champion of good versus evil.

In all of pathfinder and DnD I've only ever found one thing that is the bane of good and evil. It's an outsider that is both angel and demon. Completely Neutral this creature can smite anything of good, evil, chaos, or law. Here's the problem with them and the same problem I think you'd run into making a neutral paladin like class; they are obsessed with balance and will kill anything that upsets that balance too much, at least as far as they perceive it to upset the balance.

Paladins of all types have a code in with they HAVE to live by to keep their powers. When confronted with something that violates that code they are forced to follow their code. A neutral based Paladin type could only adventure with other neutral chars, and if confronted by something too far outside neutrality; for example a level 10 Cleric of Good, Lawful, Chaotic, or Evil alignment; they would be forced to attack and destroy this paragon that's outside their viewpoint.

I suggested the four; really only two; alternate paladins to give you some options that you could throw into your game. But a Paladin that's pure neutral would be so hard to play, so broken versus everything, and so prone to attacking it's own party members that it would be; in my opinion; impossible to play.

An okay substitute would be to look in the 3.0 Manual of the Planes for D&D. I can't remember the class name but there's something in there that is about as close as I could imagine to what you're looking for.