Chevalier (Apath)

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Unofficial rules compendium

A chevalier is a noble born warrior. Many cavaliers have noble blood, but the chevalier is from a rich, influential family of high pedigree. Never having had to squire for an order or fight for scraps to survive, the chevalier is used to comforts and luxury. Chevaliers see themselves as bearers of destiny, and do not throw themselves into the fray with the abandon of regular cavaliers.

Class Information

This is a prestige archetype.

Publisher: Purple Duck Games.

Prestige Class: Noble Scion

Build Class: Cavalier.

The chevalier is a cavalier with money and connections.

Role: A chevalier is almost always the leader of any group he joins, having name, money, and contacts. In combat he proudly directs others and strikes with the force of a hurricane for the sake of glory and valor.

Alignment: Any. A chevalier is always keen to appear responsible, just, magnanimous, and self-assured, but for some this is just a facade.

Hit Die: d10.

Class Skills

The chevalier's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The chevalier has all the class features of the cavalier, except as follows:

Affluent (Ex)

At each level, a noble scion gains gold pieces equal to 750 multiplied by her character level as stipend. (She gains 750 gp. at 1st level, an additional 1,500 gp. at 2nd level, and so on.) This is the noble's private spending money, a result of the increase in standing her level advancement brings.

A multiclass character only gets this stipend when increasing in level as a noble scion, not when increasing her level in any other class. The amount received is based on her character level, not class level. So a wizard 3 who takes a level of scheming noble gains 3,000 gp (750 times her new character level of four).This replaces the cavalier's bonus feats.

Noble Paragon (Ex)

In order to impress commoners and peers alike, the noble scion is brought up to be a paragon of her culture. At 1st level, the noble scion selects a culture she has been brought up in and three class skills. If a particular skill already a class skill, the scion instead gains a +1 trait bonus on that skill. Noble paragon replaces the cavalier's order. Notice that a chevalier might well join an order as a social activity, but being independently wealthy she does not rely on the order, can afford to ignore edicts, and does not work hard enough to get the benefits.

Prestigious Influence (Ex)

At 2nd level, a noble scion can use her influence to receive special treatment, favors, and other services. She effectively has a pool of virtual gold pieces equal 25 gp per class level to spend on services and non-material goods. This represents the wealth of her house, but also connections; naturally the theatre will offer their best tickets for free to honor their great sponsor and beneficiary who just happens to be the noble characters uncle. This pool replenishes at the beginning of every week. Unspent resources are lost and do not accumulate. Services and nonmaterial goods available to a noble scion include:

  • Pay for lodgings, stabling, taxes, and tolls.
  • Pay off bandits or pay ransom.
  • Pay for social gifts and bribes.
  • Improve her lifestyle quality.
  • Hire entertainers, messengers, mounts, servants, transport, workers, and so on.
  • Obtain invitations to exclusive events, or entry into privileged locations.
  • Gather information, spread rumors, or start a whispering campaign.
  • Purchase spellcasting services.
  • Employ an expert hireling to make a skill check with a check bonus of +10 plus half her class level at a cost of 50 gp.

The noble can spend some of these funds on her companions, but spending more than half your allowance on your friends could be seen as overly egalitarian. A noble scion cannot permanently gain goods or wealth from this ability. Boons attainable from this ability are generally only available in settlements of 500 people or more. The exact benefits available in a location are subject to GM discretion.

When in the home territory of her noble house, the scion has access to luxurious lodging at the manors or town houses of her family, and can use such facilities to throw parties, lodge her companions in comfort, or otherwise use the properties of her family to advantage. When traveling, she can expect at least modest accommodation with other nobles, and a noble visitor is often the occasion of parties and other entertainment. The backside is of course that the scion is expected to attend all these social functions, which can hinder her other activities.This replaces the order ability gained at level 2.

Fame And Fortune (Ex)

At third level a noble scion gains a bonus equal to 1/3 her class level on Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (nobility) checks. This ability also reduces the DCs of Diplomacy, Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (nobility) checks others make to gather information about the noble scion by the same amount. This replaces cavalier's charge.

Servitor (Ex)

At 4th level, a noble scion gains a faithful NPC servitor of the same level as a cohort granted by the Leadership feat (minimum 1st level). This servitor is of the expert NPC class and comes equipped with gear appropriate for a non-heroic NPC of the servitor's level. The servitor does not fight for the noble scion as would a cohort or follower, but instead can set up camp, act as a valet or maid, and otherwise provide food and comforts. The servitor can also run various errands while the noble scion is adventuring, such as delivering messages or maintaining the scion's interests.

Leadership (Ex)

At 7th level, the noble scion gains Leadership as a bonus feat. The cohort and followers come with equipment appropriate for their level. Pay and upkeep is provided by the noble scion's house. Followers serve their noble leader, but their ultimate loyalty is to the land and holdings; they may report unusual activities to others in the house and refuse orders that they perceive to be dangerous to the clan as a whole. It replaces the order ability gained at level 8.

Greater Leadership (Ex)

At 13th level, a noble scion can have a cohort up to one level lower than herself and the level of all her followers increases by one. At 19th level, she can recruit a cohort of the same level she is and the level of her followers increases by two. This also improves the noble scion's servitor. It replaces mighty charge.

Peerless Patrician (Ex)

At 20th level a noble scion can roll twice on any Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (nobility), or Sense Motive check and take the better roll. Once per day, instead of rolling one of these skill checks, she can assume the roll resulted in a natural 20. This replaces supreme charge.

Table: Chevalier

Level Base
Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save
Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Affluent, noble paragon, challenge 1/day, mount, tactician
2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Prestigious influence
3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Fame and fortune (+1)
4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Challenge 2/day, servitor
5th +5 +4 +1 +1 Banner
6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +2 Fame and fortune +2
7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +2 Challenge 3/day, leadership
8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +2 Expert trainer
9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +3 Fame and fortune +3
10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +3 Challenge 4/day
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +3 Greater tactician
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +4 Demanding challenge
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +4 Challenge 5/day, greater leadership (+1 level)
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +4 Greater banner
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +5 Fame and fortune +5
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +5 Challenge 6/day
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 Master tactician
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +6 Fame and fortune +6
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +6 Challenge 7/day, greater leadership (+2 levels)
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +6 Peerless patrician

Variant: The Noble Champion

A variant of the chevalier that does not make a connection between nobility and mounted combat, the noble champion foregoes the mount and expert trainer class features and instead receives the fighter's armor training class feature.

Armor Training (Ex)

Starting at 4th level, a chevalier learns to be more maneuverable while wearing armor. Whenever he is wearing armor, he reduces the armor check penalty by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by his armor by 1. Every five levels thereafter (9th, 14th), these bonuses increase by +1 each time, to a maximum –3 reduction of the armor check penalty and a +3 increase of the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed.

In addition, a chevalier can also move at his normal speed while wearing medium armor. At 9th level, a chevalier can move at his normal speed while wearing heavy armor.

This replaces the mount ability cavaliers get at 1st level.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

  • Class Skills
  • Order (all abilities)
  • Cavalier's Charge
  • Bonus Feats (all)
  • Mighty Charge
  • Supreme Charge
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