Altian Knight

 

The Altian Knight is a dedicated champion of Altius Highfather who has undergone elite training at the Royal Academy of War, including instruction in both martial and religious skills.

 

Virtually Altian knights are paladins or clerics dedicated to Altius, Metron, or Aasandra. Occasionally a fighter/cleric will take up the cause, but other classes either have great difficulty qualifying or have little to gain from the class.

 

By default, all NPC Altian knights are part of the military arm of the Church of Altius. Most serve Bishop Carlein directly as part of his Order of the Silver Circle.

 

Hit Die: d10

 

Requirements: To qualify to become an Altian Knight, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

    Race: Human, half-elf.

    Alignment: Lawful Good.

    Base Attack: +5.

    Feats: Armor Proficiency (heavy), Mounted Combat, Weapon Focus (any spear or lance).

    Skills: Diplomacy 4 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 5 ranks, Ride 5 ranks.

    Special: Ability to cast 1st-level divine spells; must proclaim devotion to Altius Highfather; must be trained at Royal Academy of War at Blackmere City.

 

 

The Altian Knight
Level	Base Atk Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1	+1	+2	+0	+2	Detect aura of evil, divine grace	+1 level of Altian class
2	+2	+3	+0	+3	Aura of courage, smite evil	+1 level of Altian class
3	+3	+3	+1	+3	Warhorse, warhorse bonus	+1 level of Altian class
4	+4	+4	+1	+4	Lead troops	+1 level of Altian class
5	+5	+4	+1	+4	Bonus feat	+1 level of Altian class
6	+6	+5	+2	+5	Smite evil 2/day	+1 level of Altian class
7	+7	+5	+2	+5	Presence of Altius	+1 level of Altian class
8	+8	+6	+2	+6	Will of Altius	+1 level of Altian class
9	+9	+6	+3	+6	Bonus feat	+1 level of Altian class
10	+10	+7	+3	+7	Smite evil 3/day, might of Altius	+1 level of Altian class

 

Class Skills

The Altian knight’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex).

 

    Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2+Int modifier

 

 

Class Features

The following are class features of the Altian knight.

    Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Altian knights are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (but not tower shields).

    Detect Aura of Evil (Sp): At will, the Altian knight can detect evil (as the spell detect evil, except that it only detects evil creatures and intent).

    Divine Grace (Su): An Altian knight applies her Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus to all saving throws. This does not stack with the paladin’s identical ability.

    Spells per Day: An Altian knight continues advancing in spellcasting ability as well as gaining the new abilities of his new class. Thus, when a new Altian knight level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in his divine spellcasting class (paladin or cleric of Altius, Metron, or Aasandra only).

    Aura of Courage (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, an Altian knight is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Allies within 10 feet of the Altian knight gain a +4 morale bonus on saving throws vs. fear effects.

    Smite Evil (Su): Once a day, an Altian knight of 2nd level or higher may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma modifier (if positive) to her attack roll and inflicts 1 extra point of damage per class level. If the Altian knight accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect but it is still used up for that day.

    If the Altian knight already has this ability (for instance, from paladinhood), add the character’s Altian knight and paladin levels together to determine the bonus damage. At higher levels the character may use this ability more times per day.

    Warhorse: Upon or after reaching 3rd level, an Altian knight can call a celestial heavy warhorse, an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade against evil (see below).

    If the Altian knight already has a special mount (such as from paladinhood), add the character’s paladin and Altian knight levels together and use the table found in the Paladin’s Mount sidebar in the Player’s Handbook to determine the mount’s adjustments and special powers instead.

    Warhorse Bonus (Ex): When the Altian knight fights from his mount, both he and his mount gain a +2 morale bonus to attacks and damage.

    Lead Troops (Su): Beginning at 4th level, any troops under the leadership of an Altian knight gain a +1 morale bonus to attacks and saving throws when they are within sight and hearing of their commander. This has no effect on troops or allies whose HD or level is equal to or greater than the Altian knight’s class level.

    Bonus Feat (Ex): At 5th level, and again at 9th level, the Altian knight gains a bonus feat, which must be selected from the following list: Extra Turning, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Leadership, Ride-By Attack, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Focus (Ride), Spirited Charge, Trample. The Altian knight must still meet all the prerequisites for any of these feats.

    Presence of Altius (Su): At 7th level, the Altian knight can channel the presence of the Highfather to gain a +6 sacred bonus to Wisdom and Charisma. This is a free action and lasts for one minute per class level. The Altian knight may use this ability only once every 30 days.

    Will of Altius (Ex): Beginning at 8th level, the Altian knight remains conscious (but disabled) as low as –9 hit points.

    Might of Altius (Su): At 10th level, the Altian knight can call upon the might of Altius to gain a +6 sacred bonus to Strength and Constitution. This is a free action and lasts for one minute per class level. At the end of this duration, the Altian knight is fatigued for ten minutes. The Altian knight may use this ability only once every 30 days.

    Code of Conduct: An Altian knight must be of lawful good alignment and loses all special class abilities if she ever willingly commits an act of evil. Additionally, an Altian knight’s code requires that she respect the authority of the Church of the Highfather, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, etc.), help those who need help (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those that harm or threaten innocents.

    Associates: While she may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, an Altian knight will never knowingly associate with evil characters. An Altian knight will not continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. An Altian knight may only hire henchmen or accept followers who are lawful good.

 

 

Celestial Mount

The Altian knight’s celestial mount is a heavy warhorse with the celestial template added. Thus, in addition to the adjustments and special powers gained from the chart below, the mount also has the following special attacks and qualities:

    Smite Evil (Su): Once per day the mount can make a normal attack to deal additional damage equal to its HD total (maximum of +20) against an evil foe.

    Darkvision (Su): 60-foot range.

    Resistances (Su): Acid, cold, and electricity resistance based on HD.

    Damage Reduction (Su): DR based on HD.

    Spell Resistance (Su): SR equal to double the creature’s HD (maximum 25).

 

 

Altian Knight Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor	Str. Adj.	Int	Special
3-5	+2	4	+1	6	Improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, share saving throws
6-8	+4	6	+2	7
9-10	+6	8	+3	8	Command creatures of its kind