Cavalier (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Extras for the cavalier class.

Optional Rules

Alternate Challenge Rule

This rule changes the cavalier's armor class penalty for making a challenge. Instead of reducing the challenge by 2 against attacks by others than the target of the challenge, it reduces his armor class by two against (only) the target of the challenge. This gives the target an incentive for accepting the cavaliers challenge and actually fighting back. Abilities that negate or alter the normal AC penalty now negate or alter the new one.

Cavalier Orders

These new cavalier orders are available.

Order of the Bulwark

The order of the bulwark advocates a defensive fighting style where the cavalier positions himself like a bastion, protecting his comrades.

Edicts: A knight of the bulwark must hold the line and stand fast while in formation and be the rear guard when retreating. In battle, he must strive to be like a strong castle, shielding his allies. Additionally, he may not strike a helpless foe, and gets no attack bonus against flanked or prone opponents—tough he provides flanking bonus to allies and prone opponents standing up still trigger attacks of opportunity from him.

Challenge: A cavalier of the order of the bulwark may challenge a number of targets equal to his cavalier level as a single challenge. He does not gain the usual benefits or penalties of a challenge, instead adding his Charisma modifier to damage rolls and armor class against any targets of the challenge. Attacks of opportunity he makes against the target of his challenge do not count against his limitation on attacks of opportunity for the round.

Skills: Add Knowledge (local) (Int) and Knowledge (nobility) (Int) as class skills. Whenever an order of the bulwark cavalier uses one of these skills to identify or know details about a creature or it's typical tactics, he receives a bonus on the check equal to ½ his cavalier level (minimum +1).

Order Abilities

A cavalier belonging to the order of the bulwark gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Toughness (Ex): At 2nd level, he gains Toughness as a bonus feat. He gains this even if he already has (or later learns) the Toughness feat, allowing him to take the Toughness feat twice with stacking benefits.

Pinning Attack (Ex): At 8th level, when the cavalier hits with an attack of opportunity provoked by movement, the enemy can still move into the square it was entering as it triggered the attack of opportunity. Any remaining movement from that move action is lost. If the target takes another move action in the same round, he can continue moving without suffering more attacks of opportunity from the cavalier.

Forest of Spears (Ex): At 15th level, almost any attempt to move out of a space in the cavalier's reach provokes an attack of opportunity, even if it normally would not provoke such an attack. This applies to 5 ft. steps, use of Acrobatics, the withdraw action, and even to teleportation. Pinning attack works in concert with forest of spears, but cannot prevent teleportation.

Order of the Fallen

The order of the fallen is not really an order at all, it is more of a name given to the mavericks, oddballs, and oath-breakers among cavaliers. A cavalier who fails in another order can always change to the order of the fallen without going through the usual trial period.

Edicts: A fallen cavalier must be self-reliant and cannot bind himself to service. His own agenda always comes first. A fallen cavalier is proud of his accomplishments, taking responsibility for their own actions and need to either carry a personal coat of arms or to have an easily identified public alias to which all his actions can be easily attributed - such as 'the black knight' or 'the sword of the people'.

Challenge: In a turn when an order of the fallen cavalier issues a challenge, he (or his mount) can take an additional move action. If he started his turn hidden, he can take two additional move actions. These can come either before or after other actions on the cavalier's turn.

Skills: Add Disguise (Cha) and Stealth (Dex) as class skills. In addition, whenever an order of the fallen cavalier uses Disguise to meld with a crowd, he receives a bonus on the check equal to ½ his cavalier level (minimum +1).

Order Abilities

A cavalier belonging to the order of the fallen gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Out of Nowhere (Ex): At 2nd level, the fallen knight learns to appear seemingly out of nowhere. He suffers no armor check penalties on the Stealth skill, and can use his own Stealth bonus to conceal himself and his mount at no penalty.

Hit and Run (Ex): At 8th level, when the target of his challenge is defeated—becoming either helpless, dead, or destroyed—a cavalier of the order of the fallen can take an immediate action to make a double move. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and can even pass trough opponents' spaces as long as it ends in an empty space and not adjacent to any enemy. If this move ends in a position where the cavalier can use Stealth to hide, he can do so without penalties for movement or for having attacked on his turn.

Master of the Raid (Ex) : At 15th level, when the cavalier uses hit and run, all allies within 30 ft. of the cavalier can also do so.

Order of the Heart

The order of the heart prizes loyalty to comrades above all things.

Edicts: Cavaliers of the order of the heart are sworn defenders of their comrades, both physically and socially. They can never betray their comrades in arms or leave a man behind except when so ordered by a recognized superior, and they must always guard the honor and glory of their companions. They also care for the social life and well-being of their close friends and comrades, trying to keep them motivated and battle ready.

Challenge: When an order of the heart cavalier issues a challenge, he does not take an armor class penalty from the challenge.

Skills: An order of the heart cavalier adds Knowledge (local) (Int) and Heal (Wis) to his list of class skills. Whenever an order of the heart cavalier uses the Heal skill on a member of his party or company (himself included) or Knowledge (local) to remember a fact about his company or companions or their ancestors, he receives a bonus on the check equal to ½ his cavalier level (minimum +1).

Order Abilities

A cavalier belonging to the order of the heart gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Distracting Defense (Ex): At 2nd level, a cavalier of the order of the heart provides a +2 circumstance bonus to his allies armor class against any attack from an enemy adjacent to the cavalier.

Move as One (Ex): At 8th level the cavalier can organize an orderly move. As a full-round action the cavalier can move up to his (or his mount's) speed and allow any allies withing 30 ft. as well as allies he moves adjacent to during his own movement to move along as he moves, moving into any position adjacent to where he is at the end of his movement. This is an immediate action for the ally and can affect as many allies as there are free spaces adjacent to the cavalier (or his mount) at the end of his move. Allies can move up to twice their speed in this manner. All this movement counts as the withdraw action for the purpose of triggering attacks of opportunity.

Charge as One (Ex): At 15th level, when the cavalier of the heart charges, adjacent allies may also charge as an immediate action. All allies using this charge get a +4 bonus to attack rolls (instead of the normal +2 bonus for a charge) and do not take any penalty to armor class for charging. Each ally chooses for himself who to charge, and may only charge if there is a suitable target available. The cavalier can use this ability once per minute.

Order of the Stag

The order of the stag focuses on personal honor and on standing up to challenges.

Edicts: Cavaliers of the order of the stag strive to stand forth as a champion and accept all challenges. The code recognizes that there is no honor in accepting or offering suicidal challenges, but knights of the order are always encouraged to stretch their own limits. The order honors challenges to personal combat and duels on the battlefield, but recognizes that interference is often unavoidable. An order of the stag cavalier cannot have several challenges running at once; he must defeat one opponent before challenging another.

Challenge: When a challenge is active and as long as no ally has attacked the target since the cavalier issued the challenge, the cavalier gains a +2 morale bonus on Armor class and all saving throws. As long as the target of the challenge has not inflicted lethal damage on the cavalier, he can strike the target to inflict nonlethal damage without the usual -4 attack penalty.

Skills: An order of the stag cavalier adds Knowledge (local) (Int) and Knowledge (nobility) (Int) to his list of class skills. Whenever an order of the stag cavalier uses a Knowledge skill to know information about an opponent, he receives a bonus on the check equal to ½ his cavalier level (minimum +1). In addition to normal information, a successful Knowledge check give the creature's base attack bonus, though the GM might prefer to present this in relative terms, such as "slightly better than me", "equal to me", or "much less than me" rather than as a number.

Order Abilities

A cavalier belonging to the order of the stag gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Pride of the Champion (Ex): At 2nd level, Whenever an order of the stag cavalier is challenged, either by a class ability such as challenge or smite, or just a verbal challenge, he can issue a counter-challenge as an immediate action. This has all the benefits of a challenge, but does not count against the cavalier's daily limit. Note that edicts prevent the cavalier form using this if he already has an ongoing challenge.

Over the Hills (Ex): At 8th level the cavalier and his mount ignores difficult ground and gains a +10 morale bonus on Acrobatics and Escape Artist checks when charging or pursuing the target of a challenge.

Pride of the Herd (Ex): At 15th level, when a cavalier of the order of the stag defeats a challenge target, either by accepting surrender, killing the target, or knocking him unconscious, he can issue another challenge as an immediate action, and this challenge does not count against the cavalier's daily limit on challenges.

Order of the Unicorn

This order strives to emulate the pride and independence of the unicorn.

Edicts: A cavalier of the order of the unicorn must always strive to shine as an individual, to be at the forefront of every advance and to fulfill his personal goals. This includes working to personally pursue and defeat the target of their challenge. This does not prevent the cavalier of the unicorn from retreating, but it can make them ignore tactically sound targets in pursuit of their challenged enemy. They must also preserve face and not be afraid to show off.

Challenge: An order of the unicorn cavalier and his mount does not provoke attacks of opportunity for movement when making a Charge against the target of his challenge.

Skills: An order of the unicorn cavalier has Appraise (Int) and Survival (Wis) as class skills. Whenever an order of the unicorn cavalier uses one of these skills to loot or find food and water, he receives a bonus on the check equal to ½ his cavalier level (minimum +1).

Order Abilities

A cavalier belonging to the order of the unicorn gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Overbearing Charge (Ex): At 2nd level, when the cavalier charges the target of his challenge, he (or his mount) may overrun creatures standing in the way as a free action. This ability also allows a charge even when creatures occupy the space from which the cavalier could finish his charge in. If a creature stands in a position where it prevents the cavalier from moving into position to attack the target of his challenge (if there is no empty space to attack from) and that creature is successfully overrun or choose to let the cavalier move past, the cavalier may move that creature up to 10 ft. to make room. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. More than one creature can be moved in this way to make room for a cavalier (and mount) that takes up more than one square. If sufficient space is cleared for the cavalier to position himself for the charge attack, the charge is played out normally. If not, the cavalier stops in the last legal position along the path of the charge and the charge fails.

Shield of Thorns (Ex): At 8th level, when a target of his challenge attacks a creature other than the cavalier, it takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls and provokes an attack of opportunity from him.

Pride and Purity (Ex): At 15th level, when the cavalier or an ally withing 30 ft. of the cavalier fails a saving throw against a mind-affecting, poison, or disease effect, the cavalier can grant an additional saving throw against this effect. A character can only benefit from this once per minute. This is not an action.

Order of the Wing

Cavaliers of the order of the wing ride giant birds into battle. Given an adolescent giant bird to care for as a squire, the cavalier must raise and care for the chick and eventually can ride it into the sky.

In the animal companion rules, the giant bird mount is called a roc, but it can be any type of giant predator bird with the same statistics.

Edicts: The bond between cavalier and bird is profound—the bird is in a very real way a foster-child. Mistreating the bird or or allowing it to be harmed by neglect breaks this bond. Injuries suffered when fighting side-by-side do not.

Challenge: When he issues the challenge, the cavalier may make an Intimidate check to demoralize the target of his challenge as a free action.

Skills: Add Knowledge (nature) (Int) and Perception (Wis) as class skills. In addition, whenever an order of the wing cavalier uses Perception for visual perception tests outdoors during the day, reduce the effective distance when calculating range penalties by 5 ft. per cavalier level.

Order Abilities

A cavalier belonging to the order of the wing gains the following abilities as he increases in level.

Raptor Chicken (Ex): At 2nd level, the order of the wing cavalier receives a Roc as an animal companion as a druid of his level, but it cannot be ridden. The cavalier's keeps his normal mount until level 8.

A Small cavalier can opt to have a bird animal companion instead of a roc, but in either case it won't carry him as a rider until level 8.

Winged Mount (Ex): At 8th level, the roc (or bird) gained at second levels matures and can be ridden. While riding his winged mount, the cavalier can use his Ride skill in place of the mount's Fly skill, if desired. At this point cavalier of the order of the wing loses his regular mount, but instead receives a new bird animal companion as a druid of his cavalier level. This bird is in training to become a mount, tough a Small cavalier can ride this secondary mount if desired. If the cavalier's roc mount dies, the bird companions matures into a new roc in one week, and the cavalier acquires a new bird animal companion.

Call the Aerie (Sp): At 15th level, once per week, under the open sky, the order of the wing cavalier can call a convocation of giant birds. These take 2d10 minutes to arrive after the call is made and serve willingly, even as mounts. They are identical to his winged mount in statistics. The cavalier can call a number of birds equal to his Charisma bonus (minimum 1) and they serve for a number of hours equal to his cavalier level. They will not go indoors.

Cavalier Feats

These feats enhance a cavalier.

Ready Challenge

You keep your guard up even in a challenge.

Prerequisite: Challenge class feature.

Benefit: When you issue a challenge, you do not suffer an armor class penalty.

External Links

• The Cavalier's Code: An Optimization Guide
• Way of the Samurai by Chengar Qordath - Includes an interesting guide to Eldrich Heritage feats for martial characters.
• Handle Animal Guide—Another one

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