Some dark knights realize that within the darkness, a bitter cold resides. Embracing this chilling truth, they ascend to become Blackfrost Sentinels, warriors who wield the icy powers within the abyss to freeze their enemies into submission. With each step, they walk the frost-laden path, their hearts as cold as the winter winds, and their resolve unyielding as the frozen tundra.
The blackfrost sentinel is an archetype of the dark knight class
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The blackfrost sentinel mainly focuses on STR and CHA for martial combat and CHA for his class features and spells.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Harm Touch. 2nd – Shared Offense. 3rd – Defile, Abyssal Arts. 4th – Aura of Obedience. 6th – Abyssal Arts, Defile. 7th – Dark Resilience. 8th – Aura of Sin. 9th – Abyssal Arts. 10th – Feed on Fear. 11th – Aura of Cowardice. 12th – Abyssal Arts. 15th – Abyssal Arts. 18th – Abyssal Arts. 19th – Aura of Rage.
Frozen Grasp (Su)
At 1st level, a blackfrost sentinel surrounds his hand with an unnatural cold, causing terrible pain and instant freezing. Each day, he can use this ability a number of times equal to half his dark knight level (minimum 1) + his Charisma modifier. As a melee touch attack, a blackfrost sentinel can cause 1d6 points of Ice damage and inflicts the Frozen status effect for 1d4 rounds. A successful Fortitude save prevents the status effect from taking effect. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + half his dark knight level + his Charisma modifier. This damage increases by 1d6 for every two dark knight levels beyond the 1st. Using this ability is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. For feats and other class features this ability also counts as harm touch and defiles can be used with this ability.
This ability replaces harm touch.
Cold Heart (Su)
At 2nd level, at will, a blackfrost sentinel gains endure elements as a spell-like ability using his dark knight level as his caster level, but only against cold temperatures. If cast on himself, the duration lasts 1 hour per dark knight level. At 4th level, he gains ice resistance 5, making him comfortable in near-freezing temperatures. At 9th-level, this increases to ice resistance 10 and he gains immunity against the Frozen status effect, and at 14th level, it becomes immunity to Ice. A blackfrost sentinel can spend one use of his frozen grasp ability as a standard action to grant all allies in a 15-ft.-radius ice resistance as well, this lasts a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier.
This ability replaces shared offense and dark resilience.
Chilling Darkness (Su)
At 2nd level, a blackfrost sentinel may convert any shadow damage dealt by his dark knight class features or spells into ice damage. If he does so, he inflicts the Frozen status effect on any targets damaged by it, with the same duration and saving throw DC as his frozen grasp ability.
Additionally, the blackfrost sentinel adds the following abyssal art to the list of options he can take:
Crush (Su): The blackfrost sentinel focuses on the icy prison of one of his enemies and pressures the body within. As a standard action, he can inflict 1d6 points of ice damage plus an additional 1d6 points of ice damage per three dark knight levels on an enemy within 30 feet with the Frozen status effect. The creature can make an additional saving throw to free itself from the Frozen condition after taking damage. For an additional dark pool point, it affects all frozen enemies within 30 feet around the blackfrost sentinel.
This ability modifies abyssal arts and replaces a defile gained at 6th level.
Blackened Ice (Su)
At 3rd level, the ice created when a blackfrost sentinel inflicts the Frozen status effect takes on an unnatural blackish blue hue. This ice has 10 + his dark knight level AC, hardness equal to half of his dark knight level, and hit points equal to 3 x his dark knight level. If broken, the creature is freed. Alternatively, the affected creature can break loose by spending 1 round and making a Strength check (DC 10 + his dark knight level) or an Escape Artist check (DC 15 + his dark knight level).
This ability replaces a defile gained at 3rd level.
Glacial Path (Su)
At 4th level, any liquid under the blackfrost sentinel freezes and allows him to stride upon it, leaving a path of ice behind him that remains stable for a number of rounds equal to his dark knight level. This ability doesn’t work on lava or similar hot liquids. At will, this ability can be suppressed.
This ability replaces aura of obedience.
Sight Clear As Ice (Su)
At 8th level, a blackfrost sentinel can see normally in natural or magical rain, sleet, hail, fog, snowstorms, blizzards, and similar weather conditions.
This ability replaces aura of sin.
Frozen Tomb (Su)
At 10th level, a blackfrost sentinel can summon a storm of ice and freezing wind to envelop a target within 60 feet in a block of black ice, which inflicts 3d8 points of ice damage (Fortitude half, the DC of this save is equal to 10 + half of his dark knight level + his Charisma modifier). If the target fails its save, it is paralyzed and unconscious but does not need to eat, drink or breathe while the black ice lasts (the ice blocks line of effect to the target). This ice has the same statistics as his blackened ice; destroying the ice frees the creature, which is staggered for 1d4 rounds after being released. For the crush abyssal art, creatures under this ability count as being under the Frozen status effect. This ability costs two dark pool points to activate.
Under temperate conditions, the ice lasts 1 minute per dark knight level. In tropical environments, it might only last half as long. In cold environments where ice and snow persist without melting, it might last indefinitely.
This ability replaces feed on fear.
Abyssal Blizzard (Su)
At 11th level, a blackfrost sentinel gets accompanied by howling wind and snow that hinders the sight; it reduces visibility ranges by half, resulting in a –4 penalty on Perception checks. The snow and wind extinguishes unprotected flames and imposes a –4 penalty on ranged attacks in a 10-ft.-radius.
Additionally, foes that are normally immune to the frozen status effect lose that immunity while within the abyssal blizzard. This ability functions only while the black frost sentinel remains conscious, not if he is unconscious or dead. This ability counts as an aura and can be suppressed at will.
This ability replaces aura of cowardice.
Aura of Nihilism (Su)
At 19th level, a blackfrost sentinel radiates an aura of cold nothingness, causing all enemies within 10 feet to receive the emotionless racial trait (-4 penalty on Sense Motive checks and can never gain morale bonuses) for 1 minute unless they make a Will save (DC 10 + half of his dark knight level + his Charisma modifier) to negate. Enemies succeeding the saving throw are immune to this aura’s effects for 24 hours. This ability functions only while the blackfrost sentinel remains conscious, not if he is unconscious or dead.
This ability replaces aura of rage.