Ex-blackguard paladins

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Well, I was quite surprised when in the Call of Duty book preview I found a mention of paladins who have been blackguards (a statement that ex-blackguard paladins do not receive any special abilities ). While it's not technically impossible, I fail to recall any precedent whether in history or fantasy. OK, maybe a few paladins who who weren't lawful at the beginning or even some converted from neutral... even perhaps once evil paladins. But never a converted blackguard (note for munchkins: evil alignment is not quite enough). Have you heard of any such character?

 

If i get this right you're asking if i ever saw a paladin (or any class) who became a blackguard and then again became paladin?

Nope, that i havent.


If i did, i'd probably say that guy belongs in a mental institution

 

Sort of. Paladin-blackguard-paladin (it's interesting what happened to his blackguard levels) or whatever-blackguard-paladin.

 

A Paladin who fell from grace, and subsequently became a Blackguard, would not be able to take levels in the Paladin class again, as I understand it, even if he became Lawful Good again.

A non-Paladin who became a Blackguard, then later became Lawful Good, would have an extraordinarly difficult time becoming a Paladin. This is mainly because he has had the taint of true evil, i.e. contact with an evil outsider.

Whether or not a DM lets this happen in his or her campaign setting is really a matter of flavor. How many villains, blackguards of all people, do you see "rising?"

 

That's exactly what I though and therefore I was really amazed.

Of course, the DM might always rule a divine intervention, but let's leave that Hollywood cheese alone.

I still fail to find any example of an ex-blackguard paladin.

 

Anyone ever played Final Fantasy 2? The main character starts as sort of an evil paladin, but defeats his own shadow and becomes a paladin.

This could translate to D&D as a very tough atonement placed on the character by a priest of a good god. Theoretically, someone who for some reason fell from grace could rise again through atonement.

 

Atonement won't work for fallen paladins gone evil, it only works for those who change to NG, CG and perhaps neutral alignments, but without doing evil. Here divine intervention is required, but I've never heard of any such case. I guess atonement 2ould work for a moderately evil character who is not a fallen champion of good, since atonement technically relieves you of your sins (not the confession way, it just clears your karma ) and limitations are exception and not a rule. However, I really doubt that atonement would be enough to make a paladin from a blackguard. Perhaps if the blackguard left his sombre lord, changed alignment and lived a LG life for a few years, maybe he could see the light and become a paladin, but still LG fighter (even the cavallier type) is more likely. Blackguard is really, really evil. It doesn't merely do evil, it actively promotes evil and worships it religiously, bathing in blood in its name. Petty satanist sacrificing cats and drinking their blood will never get even remotely close.

 

I never heard of such a character. But this is typically right. A blackguard can turn into a paladin...typically.

But practically it's not possible. As you said above, blackguards are really really evil. No one can consciously become a blackguard and then just because he didn't like it, turn back to a paladin.

Oh... I think that only an ex-paladin can become a blackguard. Flame me if I'm wrong.

 

You're wrong. An ex-paladin blackguard does however have certain bonusses other blackguards don't have.

 

Yeah I suppose easily enough a lawful evil cleric could become a blackguard. A cleric that just wants a piece of killing action, wouldn't you say?

 

Perhaps. For him LG is two steps away, like with CG. One shared comportment is also a nice basis. I, however, still believe that sooner a CG will eventually become a paladin, even from Holy Liberator, than a LE will.