Black Guard

The Black Guard of Naggarond are the favored warriors of the Witch King Malekith, and are given the sacred task of not only serving as his personal bodyguard, but as his heartless enforcers on the field of battle. Those who would become the Black Guard are taken from birth from their mothers, and have no family ties to distract them. They are children of hatred and war and are raised from infancy steeped in battle and blood. Each Black Guard has personally sworn an oath of undying devotion at the feet of the Witch King. It is this oath that lights the fires of hatred and scorn deep in their hearts, for no warrior can be greater than the one chosen by Malekith himself.

Black Guard Features

Elite Training

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, or History. Alternatively, you learn one language of your choice.

Eternal Hatred

Starting at 3rd level, you learn to channel your hatred into a sinister tool to slay your enemies. As a bonus action on your turn, you can give yourself advantage on weapon attack rolls until the end of the current turn. When you do so, you also gain 5 temporary hit points. The number of temporary hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 10 at 10th level and 15 at 15th level.

You can use this feature three times, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Immaculate Defense

At 7th level, you learn to fend off strikes directed at you or other creatures nearby. If you or a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can roll 1d8 as a reaction if you’re wielding a melee weapon or a shield. Roll the die, and add the number rolled to the target’s AC against that attack. If the attack still hits, the target has resistance against the attack’s damage.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

None Shall Pass

At 10th level, you become a bulwark of grim steel and master of locking down your enemies. Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach, and if you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn.

Malignant Strike

Starting at 15th level, your fury enables you to trade accuracy for swift, relentless strikes. If you take the Attack action on your turn and have advantage on an attack roll against one of the targets, you can forgo the advantage for that roll to make an additional weapon attack against that target, as part of the same action. You can do so no more than once per turn.

Force of Fury

Starting at 18th level, your burning hatred can delay the grasp of death. If you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn’t kill you outright, you can use your reaction to delay falling unconscious, and you can immediately take an extra turn, interrupting the current turn. While you have 0 hit points during that extra turn, taking damage causes death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throw failures can still kill you. When the extra turn ends, you fall unconscious if you still have 0 hit points.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.