While it's great that you can cause bleed damage, your auras are still only limited to 10 feet. The Rampager Antipaladin archetype is more of a niche archetype. Reduxist wrote: Is it just me or does the Rough Rampager sound like it could have a good Bleeding Critical focused build? Get a bunch of Two-Weapon Fighting feats, maybe some keen or conductive kukris, and you'd be all set. It's probably going to be easier than working with a party of villains, but I have the feeling that the Dread Vanguard archetype was written more with NPCs in mind, given its reliance on location and allies. Now the default antipaladin gains access to animate dead (unless the GM specifically forbids it) at 11th level per rules as written, so the default antipaladin can gain his own personal minions that he doesn't have to worry about working with long-term. Unfortunately, chaotic evil and "team player" don't exactly mesh well, so the Beacon of Evil may not benefit the Dread Vanguard nearly as much as it would if it were an ability of a neutral evil or lawful evil character.
If it had been, say, a profane bonus, it would be more attractive, because there are fewer ways to gain profane bonuses than there are ways to gain morale bonuses. The "mass buff" from the Beacon of Evil is mostly a morale bonus (which doesn't stack with other morale bonuses). If your GM allows animate dead, for example, dread vanguard becomes far less attractive. Also, there are certain antipaladin spells that are just too important to lose. That said, using beacon properly means playing well with others, which isnt always possible for an antipaladin (as bodhizen pointed out). Additionally, aura of sin is actually a part of the beacon's effects (extended to 30 ft as well!). A mass buff of that scale can be devastating with help from a brood summoner, a necromancer, or a large party that attacks often, especially when the buff scales at level 12. I agree that in general beacon of evil's effects can easily be duplicated (and exceeded) through spellcasting, but I will add that in the right party (an unusual one), it can worth it. A lot of half-casting builds don't get as much use out of magical knack, the flexibility that spellcasting offers is extremely important, and beacon of evil is very dependent on the party. Thanks for your input! A lot of great observations that I hadn't thought of. Dark Emissary is also nice, but it comes online later and is less likely to see utility than the Aura of Sin, particularly since you're not necessarily in control of whether or not you can stay at any site that you create with the Dark Emissary ability.Īll in all, it's difficult to say whether it's optimal or not, but I lean toward not because your abilities are far less flexible and depend a lot upon both allies and location, which aren't always the antipaladin's forte, nor are those factors always under the antipaladin's control. So, here's my opinion on the Dread Vanguard Archetype.īeacon of Evil is a pretty awesome ability set, but virtually all of it can be duplicated with spells (except for the fast healing), and the antipaladin loses the flexibility that spells offer. Giving up casting also frees up a trait, as magical knack is no longer mandatory.ĭoes anyone see any reason not to give up antipaladin spell list for the dread vanguard archetype? While there are a few gems on the antipaladin spell list, they are all attainable with a wand and umd if need be, or a ring of minor spell storing, or a caster in the party. With at least two other bodies nearby, beacon of evil seems more powerful than anything the antipaladin spell list could muster, save animate dead, but most GMs (mine included) modify/ban that. Does anyone have any experience/opinions of the dread vanguard antipaladin archetype?Īt first glance, it seems worth it.