So, Im making a chaotic good Vampire (Plane Shift: Ixalan) hexblade warlock/oath of treachery paladin character, and I was wondering about what name I could use for that class combination. I've heard things like Hexadin or Bladelock, but I was thinking about something like Dark Knight or something else along those lines. Any suggestions?
Jokes aside, bladelock, Hexadin and so on are all OOC terms that wouldn't be used in character. Hexadin is what's best describe your character out of game but ingame I'd go with pangurjan's knave or blackguard.
Keep in mind terms like “knave” or “blackguard” are applied to someone by others.
Very few evil people, historically, saw themselves as evil. Unjustly persecuted, misunderstood, following a higher purpose, breaking a few eggs to make an omelette…. Whatever.
Keep in mind terms like “knave” or “blackguard” are applied to someone by others.
Very few evil people, historically, saw themselves as evil. Unjustly persecuted, misunderstood, following a higher purpose, breaking a few eggs to make an omelette…. Whatever.
While that's true I would argue the same applies to "Rogue" or "Barbarian", and if you reskin/reflavour your character's class a bit several likely wouldn't call themselves a Druid or Monk or several of the other canonical class names either. Is this supposed to be an in-game moniker or more of a metagame designation that isn't a port-manteau?
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A character in a fictional universe of mine is The Demicleric, a man who becomes increasingly evil as others try to foil his attempts to do good. Per what @tanksoldier says, nobody considers themselves 'evil' unless they're unhinged, have cripplingly low self-esteem or are being ironic about it. Everyone believes they are good, and this 'Demicleric' ('demi' in this instance meaning 'lesser') sees this title as an insult because he wants to achieve great things that only started out at a very small cost.
I've always liked the idea of demi- or anti- such as the original Anti-Paladin (later Blackguard), so maybe that could work. The Demicavalier, perhaps?
Or maybe words such as void, dusk, oblivion, solemn, or fallen could enter into this class' name. Dusk Knight, Voidsworn, Solemn Ranger, Fell Inquisitor, Oath of Oblivion, that sort of thing. But just as evil is something one attributes to another, I imagine the "solemn ranger" would be something your character would have to earn through their deeds, not just going "I'm the Solemn Ranger, I'm here to help... but darkly!" and throwing their tattered cape over their shoulder. Your character might not even call themselves a radical Paladin (see Radical versus Puritan Inquisitors in Warhammer 40,000) because they don't believe themselves to be doing anything radical, and that others of their order have instead grown soft. If their class is something they believe to be good, perhaps it could have once been an insult that has been appropriated, such as The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim's "Stormcloaks." Your character is a vampire, possibly a rather old one, so they might well have known when the first Voidsworn or whathaveyou had come about, and have since had time to get over an insult that may have since been lost to time.
Or maybe they just call themselves a Paladin, and don't believe that their bargaining with an otherworldly entity warrants distinction. "Would you call me a shield Paladin, as I carry a shield? Or a leather strap Paladin, for it is these buckles and strips which keep my armour from falling from my person? Nay, I am but a Paladin. This sword is as much a tool as the bowstring of a Ranger, and I see no distinctions between the axe and the arrow among their kind."
I doubt any of my ideas will be practical to you, but I hope they've proved foundational in the naming - and possibly the class-fantasy - of whatever you come up with.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
I'd likely go with Blackshield, making it part of the characters actual name (such as the previously mentioned "Steve" Blackshield) and also a reference to anonymity. It's a reference (possibly historical) to a knight that casts off their family lineage to forge their own path and would carry a shield painted black and beaing no identifying insiginia or family heraldry.
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I like your ideas a lot @HexTherapy! Demipaladin has a nice ring to it. Especially since my character isn't exactly evil (since an evil alignment would go more along the lines of antipaladin) yet she weighs more on the vigilante/mercenary side of things.
How about "wildly OP, and totally impossible char"? There is no way an Oath of Treachery char can be Chaotic Good. I brought up your original post at the table I was playing at last night. 4 players, with over a combined 80 years of experience in the game. The DM almost fell out his chair laughing.
I will quote you a line from the description of that subclass. There are several that jump out at me: "Those who are unfortunate enough to have close contact with blackguards have observed that a blackguard's overwhelming concern is power and safety, especially if both can be obtained at the expense of others."
Chaotic, yes. Good, never. There is also a reason that subclass also has this caveat, and why this is only UA: "This option exists alongside the Oathbreaker. DMs are free to use either option to model villainous or fallen paladins. "
That says DM's, NOT players , and for good reason. You introduce this char into a group, and if actually played as described, it is a party-wrecker. And as for MC'ing that with Hexblade, this is how you RP it: "Paladin was your typical Paladin, until he succumbed to the allure of an entity from the Shadowfell, and said Paladin betrayed his deity, his order, and now follows a dark path, beholden to no one but his new patron." THAT IS NOT a char that can be played in a typical party, but only in an all evil party that is strictly murder hobo.
Sure, but 80 years of combined experience doesn't count for anything if OP's DM gives the go ahead of playing UA and letting it not be restricted by flavour text in favour of opening up alignments, the latter of which is especially common at tables now.
As for name suggestions, OP, that can depend on the world. In my homebrew world, there is a clear definition between all the magic users but to make it easier they can all get lumped together as mages, be they a wizard or a paladin. If you can cast magic in any form then that makes you a mage, which is a broad label given by others who don't know the specifics of the individual mage. Once more details of a mage is known, they may be able to be identified as a paladin from their oath or a wizard from their arcane studies. From there it can be further refined by what oath someone has taken or what or where the wizard studied, giving them a title of sorts. It's like how two people in the real world can be engineers but one works on rockets and another on trucks, and you can take two rocket engineers but they work on different parts of the rocket giving them each more refined titles.
Engineer or paladin/hexblade is vague and not very character centric, so my advice is to gain your in character title from your backstory. You'll tell players that your a paladin/warlock, but in character you are a [Rank] of the [Adjective][Noun], for example, if your backstory involves you being part of a group outside of the other player characters.
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So, Im making a chaotic good Vampire (Plane Shift: Ixalan) hexblade warlock/oath of treachery paladin character, and I was wondering about what name I could use for that class combination. I've heard things like Hexadin or Bladelock, but I was thinking about something like Dark Knight or something else along those lines. Any suggestions?
Ironically, Eldritch Knight would probably be the best name if it wasn't already something else.
Dark Knight seems like a good shorthand to go by.
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Knave or Blackguard come to mind.
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Knight of Shadow and Shade? Gloom Blade? Mist Champion?
Steve.
Jokes aside, bladelock, Hexadin and so on are all OOC terms that wouldn't be used in character. Hexadin is what's best describe your character out of game but ingame I'd go with pangurjan's knave or blackguard.
Keep in mind terms like “knave” or “blackguard” are applied to someone by others.
Very few evil people, historically, saw themselves as evil. Unjustly persecuted, misunderstood, following a higher purpose, breaking a few eggs to make an omelette…. Whatever.
While that's true I would argue the same applies to "Rogue" or "Barbarian", and if you reskin/reflavour your character's class a bit several likely wouldn't call themselves a Druid or Monk or several of the other canonical class names either. Is this supposed to be an in-game moniker or more of a metagame designation that isn't a port-manteau?
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
A character in a fictional universe of mine is The Demicleric, a man who becomes increasingly evil as others try to foil his attempts to do good. Per what @tanksoldier says, nobody considers themselves 'evil' unless they're unhinged, have cripplingly low self-esteem or are being ironic about it. Everyone believes they are good, and this 'Demicleric' ('demi' in this instance meaning 'lesser') sees this title as an insult because he wants to achieve great things that only started out at a very small cost.
I've always liked the idea of demi- or anti- such as the original Anti-Paladin (later Blackguard), so maybe that could work. The Demicavalier, perhaps?
Or maybe words such as void, dusk, oblivion, solemn, or fallen could enter into this class' name. Dusk Knight, Voidsworn, Solemn Ranger, Fell Inquisitor, Oath of Oblivion, that sort of thing. But just as evil is something one attributes to another, I imagine the "solemn ranger" would be something your character would have to earn through their deeds, not just going "I'm the Solemn Ranger, I'm here to help... but darkly!" and throwing their tattered cape over their shoulder. Your character might not even call themselves a radical Paladin (see Radical versus Puritan Inquisitors in Warhammer 40,000) because they don't believe themselves to be doing anything radical, and that others of their order have instead grown soft. If their class is something they believe to be good, perhaps it could have once been an insult that has been appropriated, such as The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim's "Stormcloaks." Your character is a vampire, possibly a rather old one, so they might well have known when the first Voidsworn or whathaveyou had come about, and have since had time to get over an insult that may have since been lost to time.
Or maybe they just call themselves a Paladin, and don't believe that their bargaining with an otherworldly entity warrants distinction. "Would you call me a shield Paladin, as I carry a shield? Or a leather strap Paladin, for it is these buckles and strips which keep my armour from falling from my person? Nay, I am but a Paladin. This sword is as much a tool as the bowstring of a Ranger, and I see no distinctions between the axe and the arrow among their kind."
I doubt any of my ideas will be practical to you, but I hope they've proved foundational in the naming - and possibly the class-fantasy - of whatever you come up with.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
I'd likely go with Blackshield, making it part of the characters actual name (such as the previously mentioned "Steve" Blackshield) and also a reference to anonymity. It's a reference (possibly historical) to a knight that casts off their family lineage to forge their own path and would carry a shield painted black and beaing no identifying insiginia or family heraldry.
Bloodsworn Knight?
I like your ideas a lot @HexTherapy! Demipaladin has a nice ring to it. Especially since my character isn't exactly evil (since an evil alignment would go more along the lines of antipaladin) yet she weighs more on the vigilante/mercenary side of things.
Sure, but 80 years of combined experience doesn't count for anything if OP's DM gives the go ahead of playing UA and letting it not be restricted by flavour text in favour of opening up alignments, the latter of which is especially common at tables now.
As for name suggestions, OP, that can depend on the world. In my homebrew world, there is a clear definition between all the magic users but to make it easier they can all get lumped together as mages, be they a wizard or a paladin. If you can cast magic in any form then that makes you a mage, which is a broad label given by others who don't know the specifics of the individual mage. Once more details of a mage is known, they may be able to be identified as a paladin from their oath or a wizard from their arcane studies. From there it can be further refined by what oath someone has taken or what or where the wizard studied, giving them a title of sorts. It's like how two people in the real world can be engineers but one works on rockets and another on trucks, and you can take two rocket engineers but they work on different parts of the rocket giving them each more refined titles.
Engineer or paladin/hexblade is vague and not very character centric, so my advice is to gain your in character title from your backstory. You'll tell players that your a paladin/warlock, but in character you are a [Rank] of the [Adjective][Noun], for example, if your backstory involves you being part of a group outside of the other player characters.