This is my first homebrew ever, I think it may need a few more abilities, so, I'm open to suggestions. I'm also open to critique.
I'm attempting to fix, or provide a variant to the the Knight class from the PHB 2. It appears to useless outside of tanking, and most of the other abilities, aren't particularly great either. Basically, I want to play the knight in shining, and be a rather useful addition to an adventuring party. So, without further ado, here goes:
The Foot Knight
"Strength, honour and valour, all virtues that I strive to gain, in combat and life."
The knight is a proud, charismatic, honourable combatant who fights in the name of chivalry. He is the man who wades into battle on foot, wearing full-plate armour, fighting off hordes of enemies.
The Knight
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special |
|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Knights Code, Knight's Challenge, +1 Fighting Challenge, Knightly Repuation |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Feat: Shield Specialisation |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Bulwark of Defence, Mettle |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Armour Mastery: Medium, Test of Mettle, +2 Fighting Challenge |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Vigilant Defender, Feat: Shield Ward |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Shield Ally |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Lunge, +3 Fighting Challenge |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Call to Battle |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Armour Mastery: Heavy, I'll Cover You |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Counter, +4 Fighting Challenge |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Improved Lunge, Shield Block +1 |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Daunting Challenge |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Attack not the Ally, +5 Fighting Challenge |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +9 | Improved Shield Ally |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +9 | Improved Counter |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Improved Call to Battle, +6 Fighting Challenge |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Impetuous Endurance |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Fight Back |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | +7 Fighting Challenge |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +12 | Loyal Beyond Death, Shield Block +2 |
Hit Dice: d12
Skill Points: 4+Int (x4 at 1st level)
Class Skills: Appraise, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge (local), Listen, Perform (Oratory), Ride, Sense Motive, Spot and Swim.
Class Features:
Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: The Knight is proficient with all simple, martial weapons and the bastard sword. He is also proficient with light, medium, heavy armours and all shields (including tower shields).
Knight's Challenge: This ability can be used 1/2 your class level + your charisma bonus (minimum 1) times per day. You gain access to the abilities that rely on Knight's Challenge, as per the table.
Knight's Challenge Abilities:
Spoiler
Fighting Challenge: Pick any opponent that has a CR greater than or equal to your character level minus 2. Against this worthy opponent, you place your honour and reputation on the line and as a result, fight harder and better than usual. You gain a morale bonus to attack, damage, and will saves as listed on the table. Additionally, you gain temporary hitpoints equal to the bonus listed on the table multiplied by 5. This ability uses up 1 Knight's Challenge and lasts for 5 rounds plus your charisma modifier, it is possible to issue more than 1 fighting challenge an encounter. If you are reduced to 0 hitpoints, you lose 1 use of Knight's Challenge.
Test of Mettle: As a swift action, you can shout out a challenge, calling the greatest of the enemies to face you in combat. Enemies of Intelligence 5 or greater, within 100ft of you, can see and hear you and a have CR of your level minus 2 or greater can be affected by this ability. The targets that are can be affected make a will save (DC = 10+1/2 Class Level + Charsima Bonus), and if they fail, they will be forced to attack you, by any means necessary (this includes spells, supernatural abilities, melee and ranged attacks). This ability lasts for 5 rounds plus your charisma modifier. An enemy targeted by this ability can be affected only once per day.
Call to Battle: A Knight's conviction is so strong, that he can convince himself, and others to fight on, even when everything seems lost. As a free action, you can expend a use of the Knight's Challenge to allow and ally, or yourself, to roll another saving throw against a fear affect. If an ally, is the target of this ability, he gains bonus to his save equal to your Charisma bonus.
Daunting Challenge: Yell out a call, that shakes all but the strongest of foes. As a swift action, you can expend a use of the Knight's Challenge, and force every enemy, Intelligence 5 or greater, who share a common language with you, can hear or see you, are within 100ft of you and are of a CR of less than your character level minus 2, to make a will save (DC = 10+1/2 Class Level + Charsima Bonus), or otherwise be shaken. If they fail this save by more than 5, they're frightened.
Improved Call to Battle: This ability now extends to all mind affecting abilities.
Loyal Beyond Death: A Knight can fight on, with the sheer force of his will, alone. When reduced below 0 hitpoints and your body is still intact, you may expend one use of the Knight's Challenge, to remain conscious and able to act, before dying/falling unconscious, for one more round. It is possible to expend uses of the Knight's Challenge, round to round, to stay conscious, until you run out of uses. When you run out of uses, you die, become disabled, or fall unconscious, depending on your hitpoint total at the time. Healing can raise your hitpoints during this time.
Knightly Reputation: The title "Knight", is well known around the land and can be used to a Knight's advantage. At 1st level, you may add 1/2 your Knight level to intimidate and diplomacy checks.
Knight's Code: A Knight must win through superior, strength and skill. He must always use fair play. A Knight should not:
- Gain the flanking bonus, when flanking an enemy. He may, however, give a flanking bonus to allies.
- Strike a flatfooted opponent.
- Deal lethal damage to a helpless opponent
If you violate the code, lose a use of the Knight's Challenge for the day. If no more uses are available, take a -2 penalty on attack rolls and saves. This represents the Knight undermining his confidence in himself, the very thing that makes him great.
Shield Specialisation: A good knight knows how to use his shield well. He's trained for long enough and hard enough to master the art of shield defence. The Knight gains the feat: Shield Specialisation, and can choose to use this feat on tower shields.
Bulwark of Defence: A Knight is always vigilant, making it hard to pass him by in a fight. If an opponent begins in a square threatened by the Knight, he treats all the squares that you threaten as difficult terrain.
Mettle: A Knight is strong willed, as he is tough. If you roll a successful will or fortitude save, that woud still have an effect, despite the successful save, the effect is now negated with this ability.
Armour Mastery: Medium: A Knight has trained and fought enough in his armour, to treat it like a second skin. Reduce the armour check penalty of medium armour by 1 and you may ignore the speed reduction caused by armour.
Vigilant Defender: A Knight is extremely hard to get past, even for the most skilled opponents. When an opponent is trying Tumble past you without an Attack of Opportunity, he adds your class level to the DC.
Shield Ward: A Knight, has enough skill to use his shield for more than deflecting attacks. He gains the the feat: Shield Ward.
Shield Ally: As an immediate action you may opt to absorb half the damage given to an ally. He takes half damage, you take half damage. This lasts until your next turn, and you may absorb any physical damage.
Lunge: A Knight knows how to make his way around the battlefield and lunge to reach places others would never reach. As a free action, you may temporarily increase your reach until next your next turn by 5 feet. By doing this, you take a -4 penalty to AC.
Amrmour Mastery: Heavy: As, Armour Mastery: Medium, except it applies to Heavy Armour. Also, the armour check penalty of medium armour decreases by 1 again.
I'll Cover You: A knight is very protective of his allies. As a swift action, he may provide cover to an adjacent ally or himself, using his shield. The ally gains a shield bonus to AC equal to the AC value of the shield. The Knight does not gain the shield's bonus to AC if using this ability on an ally. If you are holding a tower-shield you may provide total cover to yourself, or an ally.
Counter: A knight knows that when one attacks, one is left open to attack. A good knight knows how to exploit this. When attacked, and the attack roll is 5 or more lower than your AC you may attack back at your highest attack bonus as an immediate action. This is usable once per round. It doesn't count as an AOO.
Improved Lunge: As Lunge, but the penalty to AC is decreased to -2.
Shield Block: A Knight knows how to use his armour and shield to ruin a foe's offensive. During his turn, he may designate an opponent and recieve a +1 AC bonus against him. This bonus increases to +2 at level 20. When using a heavy shield, or a tower shield, this bonus doubles.
Improved Counter: As counter, except the attack roll only needs to be 3 or lower than your AC, and you may use this ability as many times as the chance arises.
Attack not the ally: A Knight is very protective of his companions, and will do almost anything to stop his enemies from hurting his companions. When he fails, he feels the need to punish the foes that caused his allies harm. After an enemy threatened by the Knight deals damage to an ally, the Knight may immediately attack that enemy, at his highest attack bonus. This can be used once per round.
Improved Shield Ally: As Shield ally except, he may absorb all damage, instead of half damage.
Impetuous Endurance: A Knight is able to push his body beyond the normal limits. A natural 1 on a saving throw no longer is an automatic failure. However, if the saving throw fails to meet the DC, it is still a failure.
Fight Back: A knight is able to strike back after taking even the most horrible damage. Once per round, after taking damage, as an immediate action, he may attack back at his highest attack bonus.