[3.5] The Enrathian Sky Knight [ToB PrC] (PEACH)

[Ernir]

This is a 5-level ToB PrC that makes you a hippogriff rider - giving you a scaling hippogriff mount, the ability to use certain maneuvers at range, and some increased ability to slaughter those who aren't fortunate enough to know how to fly. The fluff is centered around an organization/country in one of my campaign settings. I give you...

THE ENRATHIAN SKY KNIGHT

Image source
"Is it a dragon? No! Is it a wizard? No! It's a Sky Knight!" - heard from cheering children, as Sky Knight squadron flew overhead

In a land of monsters and magic, the skies are as important a battlefield as the ground beneath them. On that battlefield, the Sky Knights are the primary representatives of the Enrathian Kingdom, serving as scouts, heavy cavalry, and rapid response teams alike. Mounted on their trusty hippogriff steeds, they form the first and last line of the kingdom's aerial defense.

BECOMING A SKY KNIGHT

All boys have at some point dreamed of flying. For most of those, becoming a Sky Knight is the best way to realize that dream. However, there are many more eager boys than there are suitable hippogriffs. The result is that Sky Knights are chosen from the ranks of the finest knights of Enra, those who have displayed the most extraordinary horsemanship and valor (as well as a complete lack of fear of heights). Hippogriff eggs, and with them, the chance to become a Sky Knight are a common reward for the top competitors in royal jousting competitions.

Requirements
To qualify to become a Sky Knight, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

• Base Attack Bonus: +3.
• Feats: Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, and Ride-By Attack.
• Skills: Handle Animal 6 ranks, Ride 6 ranks.
• Special: The character must have trained a hippogriff to bear him in combat.

Class Skills

The Sky Knight's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Martial Lore (Int), Ride (Dex) and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level
4 + Int modifier.

Hit Die
d10.
{table=head]Level|Base[br] Attack Bonus|Fort[br] Save|Ref[br] Save|Will[br] Save|Man. [br] Known|Man. [br] Readied|Stances [br] Known|Special
1st|+1|+2|+2|+0|0|0|0|Sky Knight's Bond
2nd|+2|+3|+3|+0|1|0|1|Death from Above, Ranged Mastery
3rd|+3|+3|+3|+1|0|1|0|Shared Stance
4th|+4|+4|+4|+1|1|0|0|Strafing Run
5th|+5|+4|+4|+1|0|0|0|Lasting Bond
[/table]


Class Features

All the following are class features of the Sky Knight prestige class.

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

Maneuvers
At each even-numbered level, you gain a new maneuver known from the Diamond Mind or White Raven disciplines. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your full Sky Knight levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known.
At 3rd level, you gain an additional maneuver readied per day.
At 2nd level, you gain a new stance from the Diamond Mind or White Raven disciplines.

Sky Knight's Bond (Ex)
At 1st level, you can designate a single hippogriff which you have personally trained to bear you in combat as your bonded companion. This is a process which takes 8 hours of interaction with the hippogriff. The process can also replace a bonded companion that has perished or been released from service.
Upon completion, the hippogriff gains the special abilities of an Animal Companion (see the Druid class feature), using your Sky Knight level as your effective Druid level, with the exception that any bonus HD the hippogriff receives are magical beast HD, not animal HD. If you have the ability to cast spells, the Share Spells ability works normally.
Although it gains the same abilities, your hippogriff is not an Animal Companion. Feats, spells, and other abilities that specifically require or target an Animal Companion do not have any special effect on your bonded hippogriff.
The hippogriff remains bonded to you until you release it from service (a full-round action).

Death from Above (Ex)
Starting at 2nd level, you may add your Sky Knight class level to all ranged weapon damage rolls when firing at targets against which you have the higher ground.

Ranged Mastery (Ex)
Flying far above the ground tends to leave Sky Knights out of melee range, forcing them to learn new ways to use their maneuvers. Starting at 2nd level, a you can use the following maneuvers with ranged attacks, out to a range of one range increment (with whatever ranged weapon the you may be using), rather than just melee attacks:
{table=head]Diamond Mind|White Raven
Avalanche of Blades|Clarion Call
Diamond Nightmare Blade|Covering Strike
Disrupting Blow|Leading the Attack
Emerald Razor|Swarming Assault
Insightful Strike|Tactical Strike
Insightful Strike, Greater|White Raven Hammer
Mind Strike|White Raven Strike
Ruby Nightmare Blade|
Sapphire Nightmare Blade|
[/table]
If the maneuver has a Range entry of "Melee attack", change it to "Melee or ranged attack (up to one range increment)". When the maneuver specifies a "melee attack" in its description, change it to "melee or ranged attack". When the maneuver specifies "melee damage", change it to "melee or ranged damage".
Furthermore, if you know any Stone Dragon maneuvers, you may use them without touching the ground.

Shared Stance (Ex)
At 3rd level, whenever you assume a stance while riding your bonded hippogriff, your hippogriff may, at your option, gain the benefit of the stance as well.

Strafing Run (Ex)
At 4th level, you learn to use your mount's momentum and unique angle of attack to take out large swaths of opponents at a time. In any round in which your bonded mount performs a charge, you may take a full-round action to make a melee attack against every enemy creature located in any square directly below the squares through which your bonded mount moves in order to make the charge, provided the squares are not beyond the reach of your melee weapon. Your mount's charge provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.

Lasting Bond (Ex)
Starting at 5th level, the bond between your mount and yourself strengthens beyond mere training. You may use your Base Attack Bonus (as determined by all your hit dice) as your effective Druid level for purposes of determining what special abilities your bonded hippogriff has.

Adaptation
This prestige class can easily be adapted to accomodate animals and magical beasts other than hippogriffs, such as dire bats. Regardless of the creature type, the creature should be able to fly, be capable of bearing riders in combat, and similarly powerful as a hippogriff when it comes to combat. The last restriction may be loosened by applying a penalty to the Sky Knight's effective druid level when determining the companion's special abilities.

Example Sky Knight

Cpt. Ragnar Falk
Male Human Ranger 2/Warblade 1/Sky Knight 5
LG Medium humanoid
Init +2; Senses: Listen +5, Spot +11
Languages Common
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AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 14 (Dex +2, Armor +6, -2 punishing stance)
hp 62 (8 HD)
Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +2
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Speed 20 ft. (4 squares), see mount statistics below
Melee Lance +12 (1d8+1d6+5/x3)
Ranged composite longbow +11 (1d8+3/x3)
Base Atk +8, Grp +11
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Maneuvers and Stances Known (IL 7)
Stances - Leading the Charge, Punishing Stance (active)
Strikes - Douse the Flames (ready), Leading the Attack (ready), Steel Wind, Tactical Strike (ready)
Boosts - White Raven Tactics (ready)
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Abilities Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 12
Feats Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Rapid Shot, Ride-by Attack
Skills Diplomacy 2 (+3), Handle Animal 11 (+12), Knowledge (nature) 5 (+4), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 2 (+1), Listen 5 (+5), Ride 11 (+13), Spot 11 (+11), Survival 5 (+5).
Possessions Lance +1, breast plate +1, vest of resistance +1 (MIC), mwk composite longbow (+3 str bonus), 20 arrows, piercer cloak (MIC), potion of magic fang, potion of magic weapon, potion of cure moderate wounds, 130 gp.

Stormbreaker
Hippogriff
N Large magical beast
Init +3; Senses: Listen +5, Spot +10
Languages None
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AC 23, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (Dex +3, Barding +5, Natural +8, -1 size, -2 punishing stance)
hp 65 (7 HD)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +3
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Speed 50 ft. (10 squares), fly 100 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +11 melee (1d4+1d6+5) and bite +6 melee (1d8+1d6+2)
Base Atk +7, Grp +17
-----------------------------------------------
Maneuvers and Stances (IL 7)
Stance - Punishing Stance (active)
-----------------------------------------------
Abilities Str 20, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
SQ: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent,
Feats Flyby Attack, Wingover, Power Attack
Skills Listen 5 (+6), Spot 5 (+10)
Possessions Chain shirt barding +1, exotic military saddle

[Ormur]

Cool, a sort of mounted Boodstorm Blade for the Diamond Mind and White Raven disciplines. If you're going that route this seems like a good class and the feat tax is something you'd have to put up with anyway I guess.

Although I'm not sure why you're including Clarion Call as a ranged maneuver since it already functions as a 60 ft. burst, all the others are have a range of "melee attack".

[Ernir]

Cool, a sort of mounted Boodstorm Blade for the Diamond Mind and White Raven disciplines. If you're going that route this seems like a good class and the feat tax is something you'd have to put up with anyway I guess.

Kind of, I suppose. I thought of it more as a "flying mounted guy" first, but then I realized the problem of not being able to reach anything. So it turned into a ranged dabbler too.

Although I'm not sure why you're including Clarion Call as a ranged maneuver since it already functions as a 60 ft. burst, all the other are ones have a range of "melee attack".

Clarion Call needs to be included, because if it isn't, it only functions if you drop a foe with a melee attack.