Blackheart Beguiler (Legendary Ninja Archetype)

An opponent who cannot fight back is one who has already lost, thus is the creed of the blackheart beguiler. Dedicated to destroying their opponent’s will to fight, these heartless ninja seek to confuse and terrify opponents into submission, giving no quarter.

Eyes of Fear and Flame (Su)

At 1st level, the blackheart beguiler gains the eyes of fear and flame secret technique (1 jutsu point):

Eyes of Fear and Flame: As a swift action, the blackheart beguiler can target a single creature within 30 feet of itself to which it has line of sight. That creature must make a successful Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the blackheart beguiler’s level + their Charisma modifier) or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to the blackheart beguiler’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Whenever the effects of this secret technique end, the blackheart beguiler can spend an additional jutsu point to reset its duration. At 8th level, the range of this ability increases to 60 feet and the blackheart beguiler can instead cause a creature to become frightened, and at 16th level, the range increases to 120 feet and they can cause the creature to become panicked. This is a mind-affecting fear effect, and is treated as a curse for how to remove its effects.

This ability replaces the dirty fighting class feature.

Jutsu Pool

The blackheart beguiler cannot use a dirty trick to regain jutsu, instead gaining the following method of regaining jutsu: Sorrowful Soul: Whenever a hostile creature fails their saving throw against the blackheart beguiler’s eyes of fear and flame secret technique or is successfully demoralized, they regain 1 jutsu point. Causing a helpless creature or on a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the ninja’s character level to fail a saving throw against eyes of fear and flame or be demoralized does not restore jutsu.

This ability alters the jutsu pool class feature.

Trick of the Light (Su)

At 2nd level, whenever the blackheart beguiler uses their eyes of flame and fear secret technique, they can instead cause it to have the following effect:

The targeted creature must make a successful Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the blackheart beguiler’s level + their Charisma modifier) or be unable to see the blackheart beguiler as though they were invisible, as per the invisibility spell. In addition, the creature sees an illusion of the blackheart beguiler’s choice as per the spell minor image.

This effect lasts a number of rounds equal to the blackheart beguiler’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1), although if the blackhearted beguiler attacks or targets the creature with a non-harmless spell, that creature can make a new saving throw against this effect, remaining unable to see the blackheart beguiler if they fail this saving throw. At 8th level, they can instead create a major image. This is a mind-affecting effect.

This ability replaces the vanishing trick class feature.

Soul Flames (Su)

At 3rd level, whenever a creature fails its saving throw against your eyes of fear and flame ability, it takes 1d6 untyped damage + your Charisma modifier. At 8th level and every five levels afterwards, this damage increases by 1d6. At 10th level, this damage becomes a curse upon your opponent, manifesting as light grey flames that are treated as an evil aura of an evil cleric of the creature’s hit dice. Damage dealt by this ability cannot be healed until removed with remove curse or other similar effect (the DC to remove this curse is 10 + the blackheart beguiler’s level). This is a curse effect, but creatures immune to curses still take damage from this ability.

This ability replaces the improved dirty trick class feature.

Multifold Eyes (Ex)

At 7th level, the blackheart beguiler can use their eyes of fear and flame as an immediate action.

In addition, they can target an additional creature with their eyes of fear and flame ability.

This ability replaces the powerful dirty trick class feature.

Brilliant Sight (Ex)

At 9th level, whenever the blackheart beguiler appears invisible to a creature due to using their trick of the light class feature, that creature also takes a -2 penalty to saving throws against ninja spells casted by the blackheart beguiler. In addition, the effects of the blackheart beguiler’s eyes of flame and fear ability last for a number of hours equal to the blackheart beguiler’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

This ability replaces the vanishing master class feature.

Path of Lies (Su)

At 11th level, the blackheart beguiler’s eyes of fear and flame ability ignores a creature’s immunity to mind-affecting and fear effects. In addition, whenever the blackheart beguiler uses their eyes of flame and fear secret technique, they can instead spend 1 additional jutsu point to cause it to have the following effect:

The targeted creature must make a successful Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the blackheart beguiler’s level + their Charisma modifier) or be either blinded or have their sense of their surroundings altered, as the hallucinatory terrain spell, using the blackheart beguiler’s class level as their caster level when determining its area of effect. Each hour, a creature can attempt to end this effect, but they take a cumulative -2 penalty for each failed attempt. At 15th level, the blackheart beguiler may instead cause a creature to have their senses altered as the mirage arcana spell. This is a mind-affecting effect.

This ability replaces the dirty trick master class feature.

Lonesome Torment (Su)

At 15th level, whenever a creature is under the effects of the blackheart beguiler’s eyes of flame and fear ability, the blackheart beguiler can choose to isolate that creature; the creature cannot perceive others without the benefit of truesight and cannot be perceived by creatures except for the blackheart beguiler unless those creatures possess truesight (any mental connection a creature may have had with the creature is instantly severed). In addition, every 10 minutes they are under the effects of the eyes of fear and flame ability, they take damage as though they were affected by the blackheart beguiler’s soul flame class feature, increasing the DC of the curse by +2 each time they are dealt damage. Removing this ability’s effect from a creature requires a break enchantment, wish, or miracle spell.

This ability replaces the shadow invisibility class feature.

Lost Soul (Su)

At 19th level, the effects of the blackheart beguiler’s eyes of flame and fear are permanent until dispelled or dismissed by the blackheart beguiler. In addition, whenever a creature is killed while under the effects of eyes of flame and fear, a clone of that creature is created as though by the clone spell which is entirely loyal to the blackheart beguiler, coming into existence where the creature was first affected by this ability. The blackheart beguiler can have only a single clone active at a time, if they wish to create a new clone, they must allow their currently created clone to fade away into ash.

This clone has all memories of the killed creature and can be directly controlled by the blackheart beguiler as long as the two are on the same plane as a full round action, although the blackheart beguiler can command it to do mundane things, such as living its life normally. This clone lasts for a number of days equal to the blackheart beguiler’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1) before fading into ash, but the blackheart beguiler can permanently reduce their jutsu pool by 2 points (to a minimum of 0) to make the clone permanent; when the clone is destroyed either by dying or by the choice of the blackheart beguiler, they regain their lost jutsu points.