Lord Knight (3.5e Prestige Class)

Lord Knight
"We are servant to our lord, our ladies and our god and let nothing and no one convince you otherwise..."

The Knight is a member of a highly selective warrior class comprised of members of the wealthy noble rank. In the vast majority of societies only males are selected for the honor of the opportunity to fight for their lord, lady and god but the burden of the righteous upholding of the values of chivalry has been known to fall upon women in a few, very rare cases. Trained from the age of seven they are taken under the wing of fully fledged knight and given the title 'page' - who's very existence is based around completing usually monotonous and servant-like chores such as cleaning the armor of their knight, brushing his steed and many other basic tasks. In addition to the general peonage, a page is required to take to studies of religion and are given rigorous lessons in the art of courtesy. Once they have completed seven years of toil, they are instead given the rank of 'squire', which is in truth a knight in training for his right of passage into knighthood at the age of twenty-one.

A squire is now required to master the art of mounted combat as all knights are in need of a loyal mount - how else could one joust if not on upon a steed? When mounting and dismounting, a squire is usually to wear a set of weights around his ankles in order to build sufficient muscle to allow him to do so swiftly even without a saddle. It is now also that a squire is required to fight with weaponry both on foot and on horseback, the knight's advantage is his proficiency with multiple weapons although his coffers will dictate what range of his arsonry - minor nobles having much a much smaller variety than that of the much wealthier noble families.

Once at the age of twenty-one, a squire may pass a simple test in order to gain the title of 'sir' - the term of nobility for any knight - in which he must mount an unsaddled horse from standing without aid. A knight may attempt this task as many times as he desires but if he is unable, the ritual is postphoned until he wishes to pass this trial once again. The next stage of a knight's inauguration is his pledge to lord, lady and god - more commonly known as the act of chivalry, which in itself is divided into three parts although in all aspects a lord knight is dutied to follow all aspects or otherwise forsake his sacred oath.

Adept horsemen and warriors, lord knights can both inspire their allies and bestill fear in their enemies, fighting the good fight against evil and chaos - crusaders for their gods, protectors of the weak, benefactors to the poor, loyal sevants to their lord, damners of evildoers and justice against lawbreakers.

Becoming a Lord Knight
The Lord Knight is the opitome of law and order as well as fairness and good. One should only take the path of the lord knight if he is truly devoted to the cause of both lawbringing as much as he is to bringing about the end of all those that spread evil as due to his oath. If he should take any action which would consciously and directly oppose the values he upholds, he is stripped of his many abilities which before aided him in the persuit of justice and benevolence. As such, being a lord knight is a true committment not to be taken lightly by anyone contemplating the role of a knight. Paladins are the most well-adjusted towards this lifestyle and their former restrictions are almost mirrored by that of the lord knight. Forsaking magic discourages strong spellcasting classes from taking lord knight levels after a certain amount of levels as the trade off may be less than satisfactory given the purely-melee nature of the lord knight.

A Lord Knight relies upon his Charisma to power many of his aura-related abililities including all of his supernatural abilities and AC included. Strength and Constitution are also to be benefitted from due to the high Hit Die and good Fortitude bonus as well as a full Base Attack Bonus for accuracy as well as damage in melee as the range of many of the lord knight's abilities is limited to only 30 feet until much later in his class progression.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the lord knight.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Lord Knights gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

 (Su): At 1st level, the lord knight exudes a divine aura which affects all living beings within 30 feet of himself - even permeating through cover. A Lord Knight’s Aura of Courage now extends 30 feet. All auras obtained from the lord knight class are switchable as a free action once per round and he may only have one aura active as any given time. The one exception is that a lord knight will always have his Aura of Good active independent of any other aura he exhumes – the strength of his aura is equal to the lord knight’s class level with the addition of any paladin levels he had gained. In addition the lord knight gains detect evil and detect chaos as constant supernatural effects of his Aura of Good. He is also immune to stunning via overpowering auras of chaos or evil.

 (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a lord knight gains with his title the rights and responsibilities that align themselves with chivalry, compassion and benevolence. Starting from 1st level a lord knight is prohibited from casting all spells - arcane or divine – and loses his ability to access and prepare spells along with all spell slots until he either defies his alignment, his god or his oath. He may still maintain any spell-like abilities he has obtained from class levels and racial abilities along with use of magical items. For his sacrifice, the lord knight may turn undead as a cleric of his level and add any paladin or cleric levels he might have without the regular 3 level penalty. A Lord Knight may freely multi-class as a paladin without affecting his ability to gain further lord knight or paladin levels.

 (Su): A Lord Knight’s class levels stack with any paladin levels he has gained in order to determine the special qualities of his special mount as per The Paladin’s Mount. In addition, the lord knight’s mount is particularly well-trained and bred for war. All of the mount’s previous Hit Dice are replaced with d10’s and the mount’s Base Attack Bonus raised to be equal to his Hit Dice (or as per fighter). The Lord Knight no longer has restrictions upon the time which he may have his mount summoned for (no longer is the time restriction two hours per paladin level). In addition the mount gains fast healing equal to half the lord knight’s class levels to a maximum of fast healing 5 at 10th level. This mount gains all immunities and resistances that apply to the lord knight so long as it remains within 30 feet of him. Whilst in use of the mount the lord knight is counted as having the SRD:Mounted Combat, SRD:Trample and SRD:Spirited Charge feat even if he does not meet the prerequisite. This does not apply to any mount other than the lord knight’s Special Mount. This ability is converted from a spell-like ability to a supernatural ability. The Lord Knight’s mount cannot be dispelled or otherwise banished. An antimagic field prevents only the summoning and dismissing of this mount.

 (Su): At 1st level, a lord knight now his Smite Evil abilities per encounter instead of per day. A Lord Knight who take the Extra Smite feat will only gain one extra use of Smite Evil per encounter. In addition whenever a Lord Knight chooses to use a Smite Evil attempt with a full attack the smite bonus to both attack and damage rolls will apply to all attacks whilst only using a single attempt. The Lord Knight’s class levels and any paladin levels he has gained stack to determine damage and uses per encounter granted by this ability. The Lord Knight also gains an additional use per encounter. In addition the lord knight may choose the Smite Chaos in place of his Smite Evil attempt, granting him the same bonuses to attack and damage rolls against chaotic aligned creatures as if they were evil creatures.

 (Su): The Lord Knight glows with a soft, pure golden light which envelopes and destroys all shadows within its vicinity. At 2nd level the lord knight exudes bright, divine light which acts as bright light for 30 feet and shadowy for 60ft. All undead and creatures who are sensitive to light within 30 feet whilst this aura is active will take damage equal to the lord knight’s Charisma bonus each round which they remain inside the radius. The maximum damage dealt by this ability is equal to the lord knight’s class levels until 10th level where the damage will then equal the lord knight’s full Charisma bonus. This effect can dispel magical darkness such as the darkness spell as soon as the boundaries of both auras meet, the lord knight’s effective caster level for this is his class levels + any paladin levels he has gained.

 (Su): A Lord Knight usually devotes one part of his life or another to a particular dogma of the many saints of his deity, those who have given their lives to the cause of furthering the influence of god almighty. By spending 10 minutes in prayer to their patron saint every morning the lord knight may gain additional benefits and augmentations to his abilities dependent upon which saint his prayers are devoted to. These abilities last for 24 hours each and can be renewed at any time the Lord Knight is undisturbed in his prayers for 10 complete minutes. The player must declare himself in prayer before the beginning of this 10 minute period as any distractions will require the Lord Knight to begin his daily prayers anew.

Patron Saint of Health and Wellbeing: Known for her devotion to aiding the sickly and feeding the less fortunate, the Patron Saint of Health and Wellbeing doubles the healing pool granted by the lord knight’s Lay on Hands ability. In addition whenever 10 or more points are spent upon a single target the ability acts as if it were both remove disease and neutralize poison.

Patron Saint of Battle and Valor: Known for his gallantry and leadership in the face of combat and adversity, the Patron Saint of Battle and Valor grants the Lord Knight one additional use of his Smite Evil ability per encounter. The additional damage from this ability is doubled. All evil aligned creatures also under the influence of the Lord Knight’s Aura of Unforgiving Sins results in this damage being tripled.

Patron Saint of Horses and Cavalry: Known for his great companionship with his mount and deftness upon the saddle, the Patron of Horses and Cavalry grants the lord knight's Special Mount Supernatural flight with a flight speed of double its base land speed with good maneuverability. The mount also grants the Lord Knight the Flyby Attack feat even if he does not meet the prerequisite. This does not apply to any mount other than the lord knight’s Special Mount.

 (Su): A Lord Knight gains his deity’s favor for his complete devotion to the cause. Starting from 2nd a lord knight gains a Sacred bonus to AC equal to his Charisma modifier. This bonus to AC applies to both the lord knight’s touch and flatfooted AC and even when he is unconscious or helpless. The maximum bonus granted by this ability is equal to the lord knight’s class levels until 10th level where this bonus equals that of the lord knight’s full Charisma bonus regardless of class levels.

 (Su): A gentle wind with no source appears to brush away all fear and doubt from the mind, cleansing and allowing one to focus upon the task at hand. At 3rd level the lord knight may emanate an aura of peace and calm, removing all charm effects from all allies within 30 feet and granting them immunity to such effects whilst they remain within the vicinity of the lord knight. In addition all allies within 30 feet gain a sacred bonus to all concentration checks equal to the lord knight’s Charisma modifier.

' (Sp):''' A Lord Knight’s faith in his deity and belief system is so pure that any action he takes is instantaneously disclosed to the lord knight by a higher power as headed towards one or multiple alignments. This is a constant effect that allows a lord knight to make conscious decisions about any action as to whether it would further or hinder the cause of his deity or lord. Any conscious decision to make an ultimately evil or chaotic action is deemed a reprehensible violation of the lord knight’s oath.

 (Su): At 4th level, the lord knight can emit an aura of soothing warmth that heals wounds and knits bones at an unprecedented rate. All allies within 30 feet – the lord knight included – gain fast healing 2 so long as they remain inside the lord knight’s aura at the end of their turn. This ability increases to fast healing 4 at 6th level and finally to fast healing 6 at 9th level. In addition all allies within 30 feet gain complete immunity to nonlethal damage from both mundane and magical sources so long as both the Lord Knight is conscious and this aura is active.

 (Ex): At 4th level, the dedication to warfare the lord knight experiences is enough to conquer his physical limitations. A Lord Knight may now wield any two-handed polearm (with which he is proficient) as a one-handed weapon without penalty whilst still gaining 1-1/2 his Strength bonus to damage. In addition the lord knight may also wield a one-handed weapon as if it were a light weapon without penalty for the purposes of determining the effect two-weapon fighting whilst still gaining his full Strength bonus to damage. A Lord Knight may only attribute each of these abilities respectively to a single hand. This includes when the lord knight is both mounted and on foot. This ability does not affect the lord knight’s size category nor his ability to wield weapons larger than regular.

 (Su): A burning strength erupts throughout the body of those affected, their eyes enflamed with bravado and passion. At 5th level the Lord Knight emits an aura that effects all allies within 30 feet of the Lord Knight gain Damage Reduction/- equal to half of the lord knight’s class level whilst also benefitting from half the lord knight’s Charisma bonus to all saves. If the ally already has damage reduction, use the better of the two values.

 (Su): At 5th level a lord knight may now extend his own safeguard against the effects of fear to all allies whom are within his Aura of Courage. All allies whom are within range of the lord knight’s Aura of Courage gain immunity to fear as well as having all current fear effects removed as soon as they enter the aura boundary. This bonus replaced the regular benefit as well as granting immunity to other auras which would instill fear.

 (Su): All allies including the lord knight faintly glow for a few moments before returning to regularity. At 6th level a lord knight may grant a sacred bonus to AC equal to his Charisma modifier to all allies within 30 feet – the lord knight is excluded from this effect. The maximum bonus granted by this ability is half the lord knight’s class levels until 10th level where this bonus equals that of the Lord Knight’s full Charisma bonus regardless of class levels.

 (Su): At 7th level when a lord knight expends two turning attempts at once he may attempt a greater turning in place of a regular turn undead attempt. All undead that would usually be turned by this attempt are instead destroyed. This action remains as per a regular turning attempt.

 (Su): All sinners recoil in fear as the lord knight approaches, knowing of their misdeeds they cower and flee, more desperate with every footstep the hero takes towards them. All creatures which are of an evil alignment within 30 feet and whose total Hit Dice do not exceed that of the lord knight’s own may be selectively targeted and made frightened as an immediate action after being given a Will partial Saving Throw of DC (10 + ½(lord knight’s class levels + paladin levels) + Charisma modifier) or become shaken. This ability is selective and may only affect creatures that have line of sight with the lord knight. In addition all evil creatures that enter within the aura boundaries take double the additional damage granted by the lord knight’s Smite Evil ability.

 (Ex): At 7th level a lord knight can now make a full attack at the end of a charge although the action is still considered a full-round action.

 (Su): All those who defy the law, those who steal, kill and rally against order tremble before the might of the lord knight, who will deliver swift justice upon wrongdoers. At 8th level the lord knight emits and aura of pure lawful righteousness, restricting the movements of all chaotic beings around him as he sees fit. So long as the creature is within 30 feet of the lord knight, its total Hit Dice do not exceed that of the lord knight’s own Hit Dice the creature may be voluntarily restricted, doubling the cost of movement as soon as it enters the 30 foot radius boundary of this aura. This action allows the lord knight to waste the target’s charge attempt if his total distance covered does not allow the creature to reach the lord knight whilst still counted as a legal move even though he has not been allowed to attack (the relevant -2 penalty to AC until the creature’s next turn remains in play). The Will Save of DC (10 + ½(lord knight’s class levels + paladin]] levels) + Charisma modifier) negates this effect and the same creature cannot be affected by this ability for 24 hours. This ability will stay in effect until the creature has exited the aura’s radius, the creature is not allowed any additonal saving throw. A Lord Knight may only restrict one additional chaotic creature per round. The total amount of chaotic being’s Hit Dice restricted at any one time cannot exceed the lord knight’s own Hit Dice.

 (Su): The Lord Knight tears down the defenses the unrighteous don to protect their wretched bodies from the pure and righteous. Any weapon wielded by the lord knight counts as holy as a temporary enhancement. All projectile weapons imbue this ability upon their ammunition. This enhancement does not count for or against the cost of a weapon as the projectile weapon or melee weapon will lose this ability one round after it leaves the lord knight’s hands. In addition whenever a lord knight uses a Smite Evil attempt, he bypasses all damage reduction the evil creature has.

 (Su): A shimmering barrier forms around those close to the lord knight, warding them from harm by magical means and preventing further damage by the same source. All allies within 30 feet of the lord knight gain resistance to all energy types equal to his class level, also gaining spell resistance equal to (10 + ½(lord knight’s class levels + paladin levels) + Charisma modifier). This ability applies so long as the allies remain within the 30 foot boundary whilst being affected by either an energy type or spell subjected to spell resistance.

 (Ex): At 9th level the lord knight becomes immune to all spells and spell-like effects that use the evil-descriptor. All creatures summoned as evil creatures via summon monster or summon nature's ally act as if the lord knight were under the constant effect of magic circle against evil.

 (Su): All of the lord knight’s aura granted by the Air of Virtue class ability will have the aura radius doubled to 60 feet. In addition the lord knight will gain the ability to combine the effects of two auras as if he were only exuding the effect as a single aura – however the radius of this dual aura is limited to 30 feet instead of the improved range of 60 feet.

 (Su): The Lord Knight may commune with his deity once per day for a single question as an immediate action and whilst doing so becomes invulnerable to all mundane damage, spell effects, supernatural and even extraordinary abilities for one complete turn, for instance if the lord knight is falling the feather fall spell will be cast instantaneously upon him, allowing him to land safely. An example of use is if the lord knight is being grappled or pinned, the grapple is broken and he may not be successfully attacked (acting as if all attacks were simply evaded) or another grappled attempt made successfully against him for one complete round. Your deity will not allow any harm to come upon their favored servant whilst he is in direct communication with his god. Once the commune attempt has been used, the lord knight is restored to full health and any debilitating conditions removed including all temporary negative level and ability damage and drains. These conditions do not apply to any other sources of the commune spell available to the lord knight.

 (Ex): The Lord Knight has achieved a level of purity and prowess that have been noteworthy to his deity. He is inducted into the ranks of the closest mortal servant of god, gaining the rank of Templar Knight. He gains the Fire-Souled template without penalty. In addition the lord knight gains the good subtype as well as immunity to all compulsion and mind-affecting effects.

The epic Lord Knight gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Lord Knight feats) every three levels higher than 20th.

Epic Lord Knight Bonus Feat List: Armor Skin, Devastating Critical, Epic Leadership, Epic Prowess, Epic Reputation, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Great Smiting, Holy Strike, Legendary Commander, Legendary Rider, Overwhelming Critical, Perfect Health, Permanent Emanation, Planar Turning, Positive Energy Aura, Spectral Strike.

Ex-Lord Knights
A Lord Knight takes a sacred oath upon his knighting, to serve his lord, his lady and his god:


 * To defend the helpless - he is forced to come to the aid of those unable to defend themselves
 * To uphold the values of his god
 * To honor and love his lady
 * To obey his lord
 * To sustain the virtues of law and order - he should always be respectful of local laws unless they come into conflict with that of his deity's
 * To champion the cause of mercy and good - the lord knight should give generous charity to the poor and seek to punish and exterminate evildoers
 * To forsake the temptation of magic - he may not cast any spells, infusions, invocations that are prepared or spontaneously cast from any spell slots, spell list or spells known

Should the Lord Knight defy his pledge or if his alignment change to any other than Lawful Good then he is shunned by his deity and loses all class abilities including all supernatural and even extraordinary abilities. The Lord Knight will only be able to continue his progression in lord knight levels once either he has been punished or made an act of contrition to atone for his blatant actions against his required conduct and once his alignment has been restored to Lawful Good.

Playing a Lord Knight
Combat: A Lord Knight will always benefit the party on the front line as his abilities do not extend past thirty feet until the last level of his non-epic progression. His ability to sniff out evil and chaotic aligned creatures is served best when taking point. The Lord Knight's Smite Evil makes him much more prone to be in melee due to his Strength requisite in order to deliver more accurate and damaging attacks. Lord Knights can offer both buffing and debuffing auras at higher levels so their greater versitility allows more freedom in tactics - whether to use only auras which affect the lord knight directly, those that affect both himself and his allies or auras that purely hinder evil or chaotic creatures. The Aura Perfection ability acquired at 10th level allows for certain 'combinations' to be had. A Lord Knight may choose his aura selection based on his personality or battle style, several options are to be had given their both Lawful and Good nature:


 * The Judge: For the knight dedicated to the upholding of the law, focuing mainly on his Lawful aspect. He deploys his Aura of Just Trial once he acquires enough class levels and combines this with his Aura of Sins Unforgiving for added effect against chaotic evil creatures: the bane of his existance.
 * The Benefactor: For the lord knight with a heart, who gives charity even when it isn't asked for, who heals and nurses to health those in dire need. He exhubes the Aura of Blessed Convalesce and at 10th combines this with his Aura of Secure Assurance to prevent further damage to his allies.
 * The Faithful: For the lord knight who spends the greater part of his spare time in prayer and reading his hymn book. He deploys his Aura of Pure Halcyon and at 10th level opts to combine this with his Aura of Sacred Aegis due to his reliance upon his deities blessing to fight.
 * The Crusader: For the lord knight bent on the elimination of all this is evil and unnatural, from undead to monstrous humanoids. He relies upon his Aura of Holy Light to banish darkness which most commonly holds within its depths unholy creatures and beings. At 10th level he combines this with his Aura of Ardent Gallantry to protect him against the possibility of corruption from impure spells and attacks.

Advancement: Usually stemming from the role as a paladin, the lord knight may find it difficult to find any other form of class that does not hinder his progression in lord knight. After his final class level in lord knight he may choose to follow the path of the fighter, warbladeToB or crusaderToB and will be extremely disadvantaged if he dips into spellcasting classes as he cannot take advantage of spell slots without losing all of his class abilities gained from his levels in lord knight as part of his sacred oath. Even though at his final class level, the lord knight may opt to extend a single active aura to 60 feet, this may not be enough range to take advantage of classes which rely on projectile weapons. His Sanctified Armor class ability may allow him to forgo his heavy armor proficiency if he also wishes to take advantage of the monk's AC Bonus and Fast Movement but this may result in his ability scores being spread too thinly.

Resources: Lord Knights are often grouped into 'chapters' during wartime, whether this is crusades or fuedal warfare. During fuedal warfare, each chapter is usually organized underneath a single lord who is instated to this seat of power given his experience and bloodline - more wealthy nobles take the role as chapter leaders than the minor nobles, given their social ranking and the power of their families. Inter-chapter wars have known to occur over differences in interpretation of minor parts of their deities dogma and associated values which they bestow upon the people of their land. During the crusades - holy wars which contest the powers upon the material plane of one deity against another - the chapters unite into a single body under the leadership of a king or high-standing religious figure - many countries will often break petty fueds in order to join the holy crusades and reap the glory and rewards of the crusades which follow the bloody confrontations. Each of these said countries will worship a single deity or group of deities which are of the same alignment as well as similar in dogma and military commanders will often use the influence of their deities reach to stir the ranks into a religious fervor.

A Lord Knight's brotherhood headquarters will provide sufficient resources to bed and feed the knight so long as he is in need of housing as well as providing the means to re-arm him should he have his equipment broken or lost on the field on battle. These headquarters are fortified locations such as castles, forts and as parts of military establishments which can withstand heavy punishment during wartime as the chapter leaders, chaplains, and lords reside within these dwellings.

Lord Knights in the World
"To live life according to the decree of you, our God is the single greatest blessing thou hast given."

Lord Knights are most commonly present amongst the ruling class of feudal nations or nations with a single ruling power, otherwise serving in the military as high-ranking officers and even as bodyguards for officials and nobles. The title lord knight may be given as a badge of honor for gallantry on the battlefield or for services done to the nation during times of hardship or for contributions to the arts.

NPC Reactions: Evil NPCs and characters will always find themselves loathing those that follow the path of the lord knight, for their very existance is hindered and usually thwarted as a result of the lord knight's sacred oath. Some outsiders and supernatural beings of evil disposition may feel uncomfortable within the vecinity of the knight's aura and before learning of the knight's purpose may refrain from maintaining close contact for extended periods. However other nobles - regardless of alignment - will recognize and give due respect to the knight dependant upon his wealth and closeness to the ruling power of his respective nation.

Lord Knight Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (nobility and royalty) can research lord knights to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Lord Knights in the Game
The Lord Knight fits nicely into campaigns involving a monarchy or supreme ruling figure as bodyguards or high-class warriors. Knights may also act as temple guards, warlords, marshals and even local judges though more usually they are given much larger responsibilities than a single small town, presiding over territories for their lords whilst keeping the peace and repelling invaders.

Adaptation: Lord Knights in traditional fantasy campaigns will be found much higher in the heirarchy, being assigned to more prestigious roles and participating in events reserved for high-class society such as jousting, sword fighting as well as lavish banquets. The interpretation of the term 'lord knight' may be given as a military honor should a campaign choose to forsake the traditional role of the medival knight - when one can only be born into the opportunity rather than having to show certain prowess in order to achieve it. If a more modern setting should be in play, then perhaps anyone who has contributed a significant cultural, artistic, scientific or completed a great feat in general may have the title bestowed upon them. Lord Knights may also be adapted to any alignment should a DM wish to loosen the requirementsto fit that of a paladin of slaughter or a paladin of freedom it may be done so that more freedom of character may be allowed as whilst knights were thought to be courteous, gallant and chivalrous in legend, in truth a handful may have lacked the properties of mercy, virtue and kindness so often associated with courtly love.

Sample Encounter: If party is caught in some act of lawbreaking such as stealing, unlawfully harming or any other malicious a lord knight may be called upon to deal out harsh punishments or forced to battle with the party should they prove unruly and violent. Keep in mind that knights are highly skilled warriors and possess powerful connections within any area which provides for the noble ranks: a garrison will provide an escort or a backup patrol to aid the knight should he be engaged in battle, allowing the knight to engage his enemies mano-a-mano and also provide his allies with the multiple benefits. A lord knight will always function better in groups than by himself so long as the party remains within a reasonable distance.

EL 14