Most Holy Knight (3.5e Prestige Class)

Most Holy Knight
"When the hordes of the Abyss fell upon him, Shy'Nar, the Most Holy Knight, stood as stoic as any mountain. He held them off while the rest of us escaped. I owe him my life, regardless of how much he annoyed me with his constant prattling of religious matters."

A warrior who cannot devote himself wholly to his ideals is not even a man, let alone a knight. This is the most important tenet to a Most Holy Knight. He is the defender of the faith, the first line of defense against the enemies of his church. To be gazed upon by this holy warrior is to have your soul bared to him, every sin committed revealed. Every Paladin strives to attain this level of devotion, though few actually succeed.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Most Holy Knight.



 : When using their Detect Evil/Good ability, a Paladin immediately rolls a level check akin to that of a caster level check (1d20 + Paladin Level + Most Holy Knight Level) made to dispel magic. If his check beats a creature's caster level (or 11+HD for supernatural/spell-like abilities), then he may discern their true alignment, even if they have a spell or ability active that masks their alignment (including mind blank).

 : The Most Holy Knight's smite ability becomes a per encounter ability rather than a per-day ability.

 : A Most Holy Knight's class level stacks with his Paladin Level to determine his lay on hands amount, smite evil damage, and special mount bonuses.

 : At second level, the Most Holy Knight's Lay on Hands or substitute Lay on Hands pool is doubled.

 : At second level, whenever a Most Holy Knight uses his smite ability, his attack is treated as being aligned with his current alignment. A Lawful Good paladin's smite would be Lawful and Good aligned, while a Paladin of Slaughter's smite would be Chaotic and Evil Aligned. At tenth level, every attack the Most Holy Knight makes is aligned (unless he chooses for it not to be).

 : At third level, the Most Holy Knight's bonus to allies (or penalties to enemies) that he grants from his Aura is equal to his Most Holy Knight level (Minimum +5).

 : At fourth level, the Most Holy Knight constantly benefits from a Protection from Evil/Good spell, dependent upon his alignment.

 : At fifth and tenth level, a Most Holy Knight can smite an additional time per encounter.

 : At seventh level, a Most Holy Knight is treated as being five levels higher when dealing damage with his Smite ability.

 : At 8th Level, a Most Holy Knight may channel all or a  portion of his Lay on Hands pool into his weapon when he performs a smite attack. Performing a smite in this fashion becomes a standard action, and it may not be used to heal creatures. When channeling his lay on hands in this fashion, the extra damage is untyped, but may only be used to affect creatures normally affected by his smite attack.

 : At 9th level, a Most Holy Knight no longer needs to concentrate in order to maintain his Detect ability. In addition, he no longer needs to concentrate for 3 rounds in order to gain the appropriate information from his Detect Ability. He need only concentrate for one round.

 : At 10th level, a Most Holy Knight may use his smite ability on any opponent who engages him in battle, and not just a particular alignment.

Ex-Most Holy Knights
If a Most Holy Knight breaks his Paladin Code, he loses access to all class abilities until he atones, as normal.

Playing a Most Holy Knight
Combat: The Most Holy Knight functions as a Paladin in almost every regard, and should be played as such.

Advancement: After attaining all ten levels in this prestige class, the Most Holy Knight typically returns to his original Paladin class, or another prestige class devoted to similar ideals.

Resources: Most Holy Knights of the same alignment can expect a great deal of support from one another, and of course, from their church. Most Holy Knights of opposing alignments (on the Good/Evil axis, rarely the Lawful/Chaotic axis) will battle to the death for the glory of their church.

Most Holy Knights in the World
"I won't allow you into the prime material, demons. Turn back, or die here."

Most Holy Knights are similar to Paladins in both tenets and devotion. The prime difference is the level of power that these knights hold over their normal Paladin Brethren. A Most Holy Knight is rarely fooled by magic used to hide one's true alignment, and it is this technique that has saved many undercover operatives of the church when a strike team of Most Holy Knights are sent in to cleanse a lair of sinners.

NPC Reactions: Depending upon the Paladin's Alignment, an NPC may react with Fear, Awe, or Fascination.

Most Holy Knight Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Religion) can research Most Holy Knights to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Most Holy Knights in the Game
NPC Most Holy Knights serve as Mentors or Superiors to Paladins in their order, while Adventuring Most Holy Knights typically serve as the sword-arm for their church, slaying evil (or good) wherever they find it.