"Creation is made of opposites and counterparts."
Akaer Anisis, Balancer of Ostran (241 NA to 315 NA)

    Within Kyranath there is four gods that have the ability to empower a holy warrior for balance, known as the druid, these gods are Aqualie, Corathal, Ostran and Tyre. There is also four gods that have the ability to empower a holy warrior for order and good, known as the Paladin. These gods are Anthor, Hesneen, Kreaon and Mahacto. Because of the balance between Order and Chaos that was the guiding force in the creation of the cosmos and Kyranath, there is also four gods that can empower a holy warrior dedicated to evil and chaos; these are known as Villains. The gods that can empower these agents of the darker forces are Ajoetis, Ballog, Sembral and Syth.
    Villains, like the Paladin, all have the same basic abilities but use them to further the goals and ideals of their own evil god. But unlike Paladins they are not all the same alignment, and each also has a specific title that is given to them and a separate ability none of the others will share. As a whole they make up the sub-class of warrior known as the Villain. Ajoetis has the Warrior Seducer that is Neutral Evil, Ballog has the Chaos Knight which is Chaotic Evil, Sembral has the Blackguard which as also Chaotic Evil and Syth has the Dominator Knight which is Lawful Evil.

The Villain

Ability Requirements:
Strength: 12*
Constitution: 9*
Wisdom: 13
Charisma: 17*
Prime Requisites: Strength, Charisma
Races Allowed: Human (Orc Chaos Knight and Elf Warrior Seducer)
* The Blackguard and Chaos Knight trade these some scores for the requisite characteristics.

    The Villain epitomizes evil. He is nothing short of a mortal fiend. The quintessential black knight, the Villain carries a reputation of the foulest sort that is very well deserved. Consorting with all manner of evil beings and creatures and serving dark deities, the Villain is hated and feared by all.
    Only a human may become most Villains though an orc may become Chaos Knight and an elf may be a Warrior Seducer. He must have minimum ability scores of Strength 12, Constitution 9, Wisdom 13, and Charisma 17. Strength and Charisma are the prime requisites of the Villain. A Villain must be evil in alignment and must always remain evil. A Villain who changes alignment, either deliberately or inadvertently, loses all his special powers - sometimes only temporarily and sometimes forever. He can use any weapon and wear any type of armor.
    A Villain who has Strength and Charisma scores of 16 or more gains a 10% bonus to the experience points he earns.
    The level progression for the Villain is the same as that for the Paladin.
    A Villain, will never knowingly commit a good or selfless act. To do so would go against the very fibber of their being. As such, a Villain who commits such an act must make amends with an act of evil to mirror the act of good that they have committed or risk losing their abilities as they fall from favor with their god.
    The Villain is quite often inclined to sending forth pawns to do his bidding. Attacking with stealth and guile, they may have a code of sorts that limits them in certain ways and guides their actions but it is never one of honor, nobility or chivalry. There is no deed to low for a Villain to stoop to in order to reach their goal. There is no vice, no sin, no action or ruse that is beyond these corrupted warriors morals.
    The main motivations of a Villain is to bring about chaos and destruction or ultimate power and control to their gods and their servants. They have no respect for life, honor or love. They care not for anything but the achievement of their goals, or the goals of their sinister deities.
    The Villain is not above associating with the undead, and can quite often be found leading bands of the walking deceased. They take particular pleasure in the infliction of pain and disease, and of course the misery of others.
    A Villain does not attract a body of followers upon reaching 9th level or building a castle. However, he can still hire soldiers and specialists, although these men must be some sort of evil in comportment.
    A Villain may employ only evil henchmen (or those who act in such a manner when alignment is unknown). A Villain has no time for do-gooders and will never cooperate with characters of good or lawful (lawful evil being the exception to this rule) alignments unless it is in their better interest to do so. The Villain fails to see the worth in any who do not embrace ones evil nature, believing them weak willed and cowardly, and thus is seldom inclined to invest any of his time or effort in such individuals. He will not abide the company of those who commit good or righteous acts and is more often than not inclined not only to undermine such acts, but also focus his evil ways in bringing about their untimely end. Tact is not beyond a Villain however, and in times where it is necessary, Villains have been known act cordially and polite despite what they are feeling in side about those around them. This is, however, extremely rare

 
A Villain has the following special benefits:

• A Villain can detect the presence of harmful or threatening intent towards them up to 60 feet away by concentrating on locating it in a particular direction. He can do this as often as desired, but each attempt takes one round. This ability detects threats from both monsters and sentient beings.

• A Villain is immune to all forms of poison.

• A Villain can cause harm by using the Black Touch. The Villain may inflict up to 2 hit points per experience level. He can harm as many people in one day as his level as long as he does not cause more than the maximum amount of damage allowed him each day.

• A Villain can cause weakness, cowardice, emotional distress or insanity (though not cursed afflictions such as lycanthropy). This can be done only once per week for each five levels of experience (once per week at levels 1 through 5, twice per week at levels 6 through 10, etc.). The effect of this is to make the person unable to do anything overly active or beyond sustenance level movement needed for survival until they receive either lengthy treatment or magical interdiction.

    A ST vs. poison negates this ability.

• A Villain is surrounded by an aura of malediction with a 10-foot radius. Within this radius, all non-evil aligned creatures suffer a -1 penalty to their attack rolls, regardless of whom they attack. Creatures affected by this aura can spot its source easily, even if the villain is disguised. Note that this inflicts ALL creatures/Characters within range, regardless if they are friendly to the Villain or not.

• A Villain using an unholy sword projects an aura of fear 10 feet in diameter when the sword is unsheathed and held. This power allows the Villain to invoke fear into any creature within the area of up to 1 HD worth for every 3 levels of the Villain (a level 1-3 Villain can invoke fear in 1 HD of monsters, 4-6 2 HD, etc.) An unholy sword is a extremely rare and special weapon; if your Villain acquires one, the DM will explain its other powers.

• A Villain gains the power to dominate undead and fiends when he reaches 3rd level. He affects these monsters the same as does a cleric two levels lower -- for example, at 3rd level he has the turning power of a 1st-level cleric. This ability acts in an identical way to a Priests turning ability, only to dominate rather than turn.

• A Villain may summon a fiendish servant upon reaching 5th level, or anytime thereafter. This servant may be an animal or small monster. A bat, cat, rat or dire-rat, dog, raven or toad are typical servants though it  may be many other creatures if allowed by the DM. These servants have special abilities and may act as a guardian, helper, or even mount if physically able. The number of hit dice allowed to the servant is dependent on the Villain's level and will never be more than 5 hit dice less than his own level, though after determining the creature, the servant will gain a bonus to hit points based on what level the Villain summons it. The servant may be taught basic tricks as with a pet (though the Villain does not require the Train Animal NWP in order to train his fiendish servant). The special abilities gained by the Villain and the fiendish servant is determined by the level at which the Villain first summons the creature and the creature type.

Fiendish Servant Abilities
Villain Level 5-6: Bonus HP = +1HD, AC Adj= -1, STR Adj.=+0, INT=5.
    Special= Improved Alertness, Share Saving Throws, one posible other natural ability.
Villain Level 7-8: Bonus HP = +2HD, AC Adj= -2, STR Adj.=+1, INT=6.
    Special= Empathic Link, two posible other natural abilities.
Villain Level 9-10: Bonus HP = +3HD, AC Adj= -3, STR Adj.=+2, INT=7.
    Special= Share Spells, Speak with Villain.
Villain Level 11-12: Bonus HP = +4HD, AC Adj= -4, STR Adj.=+3, INT=8.
    Special= Blood Bond, three posible other natural abilities.
Villain Level 13+: Bonus HP = +6HD, AC Adj= -5, STR Adj.=+4, INT=9.
    Special= Spell Resistance, four posible other natural abilities.

Fiendish abilities:
Improved Alertness- Having a servant around allows for an extra pair of eyes and ears for the Villain. To this end, if the servant is within 5 feet, and the Villain is required to make a Dexterity or perception check for any reason, then the servant will also be able to make a check and if successful will grant a a bonus of +2 to all Dexterity and perception checks for the Villain.
Share Saving Throws- The servant uses the Villain's or it's own saving throw values for any saving throw it is required to make, which ever is the better.
Other Natural Abilities- The fiendish servant may be a creature that has some special natural ability. This ability may be similar to magical effects but the servant may not actually be able to cast spells.
Empathic Link- The Villain has an empathic link with the servant to a range of one mile (1.6 kilometers). The Villain cannot see through the servant's eyes, but they can communicate through what the servant is feeling. Even intelligent servants see the world through a different perspective, so misunderstandings are inevitable.
Share Spells- Spells that the Villain may cast, at his option, may also effect his servant. The servant must be within 5 feet of the Villain at the time of casting. If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, the spell stops affecting the servant should it move out of this range. It will not affect the servant again even if the servant returns to the Villain before the duration of the spell is complete. The Villain may target the servant solely with touch ranged spells that would normally affect only himself, should he so desire. The servant will always be affected by shared spells, even if the spell does not normally affect creatures of the servants type.
Speak with Villain- The servant and Villain may communicate verbally as if using a common language. Other overhearing will not understand this speech without magical aid.
Blood Bond- The servant gains +2 to THAC0 rolls when attacking, and to all checks and saves if it witnesses the Villain being threatened or harmed. This bonus lasts as long as the threat remains immediate and apparent.
Spell Resistance- The servants spell resistance equals the Villains level +7. To affect the servant with a spell, the spellcaster must first overcome their spell resistance.

•     A Villain can cast priest spells once he reaches 9th level. He can cast only spells from spheres as dictated by his specific god. (These will be stated later and spheres are explained in the Priest section.) The acquisition and casting of these spells abide by the rules given for priests.

    The spell progression and casting level of the Villain is the same as the Paladin Spell Progression. Unlike a priest, the Villain does not gain extra spells for a high Wisdom score. The Villain cannot cast spells from clerical or druidical scrolls nor can he use priest items unless they are allowed to the warrior group. The Villain may only cast the reverse of Healing and Protection Sphere spells (i.e. instead of Cure Wounds, Cause Wounds. Instead of Bless, Curse, etc.) with the exception of Cure Light Wounds and Protection from Evil in which they are allowed both versions.

The following is descriptive of each of the four types of Villains found in Kyranath:

The Villain of Ajoetis- The Warrior Seducer

    Though able combatants, the Warrior Seducer may use tactics less military to achieve their goals. A surprising number of the Warrior Seducers are women. Poison is a favored means of killing for this Villain.
    Elves may be Warrior Seducers.
    The Warrior Seducer is Neutral Evil.
    The spheres allowed to the Warrior Seducer are Charm, Combat, Divination and Healing.

Special Abilities:

• A Warrior Seducers may back stab as per the thief ability. This ability is subject to the identical limitations and bonuses as the thief ability as described in the rogue section of the Players Handbook. However the Warrior Seducer's Damage Multiplier is altered slightly.

    Warrior Seducers attempting to back stab will be severely limited in trying to remain undetected due to armor, and DM should keep this in mind, though any surprise or unexpected attack, even in combat, can gain this advantage. They receive a bonus of +2 to hit if able to use this ability from surprise.

Level    Damage
            Multiplier
   1-6           ×2
   7-12         ×3
   13+          ×4

The Villain of Ballog - The Chaos Knight

    Dedicated to the ruin of all good and order within the world, the Chaos Knight is perhaps the most hated and feared of all the Villains and the least likely to put on any heirs as to being civil.
    The Chaos Knight must have at least a Strength of 17, Constitution of 9, Wisdom of 13, and Charisma of 12.
    The Chaos Knight is Chaotic Evil.
    The spheres allowed to the Chaos Knight are Combat, Divination, Guardian and Healing.

Special Abilities:

• A Chaos Knight may invoke fear upon all targets within a 30 foot radius once per day, with an additional use granted every 6 levels of experience. An opponent who fails a ST vs. spell will automatically flee at their maximum movement rate for an amount of 1d4 rounds plus the level of the Chaos knight. There is a 30% chance they will drop whatever is in their hands, modified by +5% per Chaos Knight level and -5% per level of target. Those that save are still at -1 to hit the Chaos Knight for the duration of the fear effect.

The Villain of Sembral - The Blackguard

    The Blackguard is one of the toughest and most pious warriors of the God of Battle. The ability requirements of Constitution and Charisma are reversed for this Villain.
    Orcs may be Blackguards.
    The Blackguard must have at least a  Strength of 12, Constitution of 17, Wisdom of 13, and Charisma of 9.
    The Blackguard is Chaotic Evil.
    The spheres allowed to the Blackguard are Combat, Guardian, Healing and Protection.

Special Abilities:

• A Blackguard gains a bonus to AC. Because of the many battles and scars obtained, the Blackguard has gained a high pain threshold and better fighting tactics as well as a thick skin. He is less inclined to notice minor flesh wounds they may receive. For every five levels, the Blackguard gains a +1 Bonus to their AC. Thus a Blackguard of level 1-5 would have a natural AC of 9, level 6-10 has a natural AC of 8 and so on. This AC bonus cannot be negated in any way and is considered the base for adding armor, thus the bonus adds to any armor worn.

The Villain of Syth - The Dominator Knight

   The Dominator Knight is more apt to work with large armies and under orders, but their lawfulness is aimed at the curtailing of freedom and the control of others rather than the upholding of justice and honor.
    The Dominator Knight is Lawful Evil.
    The spheres allowed to the Dominator Knight are Charm, Combat, Protection and Summoning.

Special Abilities:

• The Dominator Knight has the ability to dominate the wills of lesser minds (any with Intelligence + Wisdom + Hit Die less than the Dominator Knight's Wisdom + twice their Level) when he reaches 3rd level. I.E. at third level he could dominate the mind of most average townsfolk (i hit die and Int and Wis of 9.) He affects these the same as would a cleric control undead only at two levels lower. This ability acts in an identical way to a Priests turning ability, only to dominate rather than turn. Unlike the turning ability only one creature or character may be targeted at any given time. Through this ability the Dominator Knight can command a simple task that the target will obey to the best of their ability for one round per level of the Villain. The target must be able to understand the Dominator Knight, though simple gestures and sign language may be used to get the message across. Attempts to have the target kill themselves or in other ways go against their own survival instincts or deep seated beliefs will allow an immediate ST vs. Spell to release the dominated target. Only one attempt per encounter may be attempted on a single target but if the first attempt is successful, the Dominator Knight may attempt to maintain the domination there after with new rolls as appropriate until they are unsuccessful. At such time as any attempt is unsuccessful, the Dominator Knight cannot again attempt to dominate the same target until a significant time passes and the target is more or less over the presence that the dominator Knight had tried to force on them. This is typically after one night's sleep. Protections vs. charm of any kind will work against this form of domination.