OK, Here is the first of what will be several posts that will allow you to game in the world of Aromathus. Many of these will be character stats for the major characters of the novels (Because, hey, isn’t it cool to know that Gandalf is a 20^th level wizard? J ), but the first of these is the first “prestige class” I created for the world – well back before there was even a 3^rd edition of D&D.

First, a little background: The Knights of Narvith have two major influences. The first of these is the Knights of Solamnia from Dragonlance. I’ve thought they were a cool concept from the very first time I read about them fifteen years ago, and when I created Aromathus, I wanted to have something different. The second major influence is the Arthurian Knights of the Round Table. That concept, of a knighthood loyal to each other – a brotherhood of heroes fighting against injustice and evil? Well, If you’ve read anything I wrote, you can see that I’ve always been a sucker for that concept as well.

Yet, as with all borrowed concepts, the Knights are much more than that. The Knights of Narvith are all elite soldiers, yes, but they are bestowed with several gifts which allow them to succeed at their primary function, and that is essentially wandering policeman – at least, that is how they have appeared in D&D campaigns that I have run.

In fact, the knights date back hundreds of years. Formed by the Narvic Emperor to help him police the far-flung empire, they can cast some defensive spells, wear armor attuned specifically to a single knight, and have talents that make them very formidable in combat. And all of these things help them to fulfill the Narvic code (which, I admit, I stole from the movie Dragonheart…. But it fits VERY well.) And all these abilities rest on their following that code, for their powers and abilities are gifts from the gods, based on their loyalty to king, country, and the powers of good.

So, if you are looking to game in Aromathus, or just looking for a fun prestige class for your own game or world, take a look. The people I know who have played this class have enjoyed it, and I hope you will to.

NOTE: The class is for use with Third edition D&D (3.0 or 3.5), or with the Pathfinder RPG.

“A Knight is sworn to valor;

His heart knows only virtue;

His blade defends the helpless;

His might upholds the weak;

His word speaks only truth;

His wrath undoes the wicked.”

RACE: human, half-elf, minotaur

ALIGNMENT: lawful and non-evil

TOTAL ATTACK BONUS: +8

FEATS: weapon focus: longsword, tracking, improved initiative

Specialties & Requirements:

1. A Knight of Narvith must follow the code of conduct listed above. He must be of lawful or good and non-evil in alignment. Should he fail in this requirement, he is stripped of his knight-hood and looses all the magical benefits of his knighthood, and is rejected by his armor as well.
2. A knight, upon being initiated into the knighthood, receives a suit of Narvith Chain mail. This armor is magical in nature, and weighs only half as much as normal chain mail. It is considered light armor with a maximum dexterity bonus of +4 and an armor check of -2. Further, as a result of a pact between the Narvith emperor and the god of magic, it has no chance of spell failure when casting knight spells. Finally, it is bonded to its wearer at creation; anyone other than the knight who owns it suffers 1d6 damage per turn.
3. The second symbol of the knighthood is his sword. All knights receive a +1 masterwork longsword when they are initiated into the knight by the Lord High Commander of the Knights.

LEVEL BENEFITS:

Specials:

1^st level: Defensive stance once per day

2^nd level: Smite Evil once per day

4^th Level: Defensive stance twice per day

5^th Level: Damage reduction (3)

7^th Level: Defensive stance thrice per day

10^th Level: Damage reduction (6)

Knight Spells:

1^st Level: alarm, shield, protection from evil, mount, detect undead, comprehend languages, true strike, jump, magic weapon, spider climb

2^nd Level: Detect Thoughts, locate object, see invisibility, continual flame, daylight, cats grace, endurance, knock

3^rd Level: Magic Circle against evil, languages, wind wall, halt undead, gust of wind, haste, slow, water walking

4^th Level: stoneskin, detect scrying, wall of ice, Ice storm, remove curse

SPECIAL ABILITIES:

Defensive Stance: When he needs to, a knight can become a stalwart bastion of defense. In this defensive stance, a knight gains phenomenal strength and durability, but can’t move from the spot he is defending. He gains the following benefits: +2 STR, +4 CON, +2 on all saves, +4 dodge bonus to AC.

The increase in CON increases the Knights hit points, but these are lost at the end of the defensive stance when his CON returns to normal. These extra HP are lost first the way temporary HP are. While defending, a knight can’t use skills or abilities that would cause him to shift his position, such as jump or move silently. A defensive stance last for 3 rounds + his improved CON modifier. The defender may end the stance voluntarily at any time. At the end of the stance, the Knight is winded and suffers a –2 penalty to STR for the duration of the encounter. The Knight is limited in the number of times per day he can take a defensive stance by his level – see above. Taking the stance takes no times, but can only do so during his action (e.g.; a knight can’t take the stance only when struck by an arrow to get the extra HP)

Smite Evil: at 2^nd level, a Knight may, once per day, attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. He adds his CHR modifier (if positive) to his attack role and deals one extra point of damage per class level. For example, a 7^th level Knight armed with a longsword would deal 1d8+7 points of damage, + any additional modifiers that normally apply. If the Knight accidentally smites a non-evil creature, the smite has no effect but is still used up for the day.

Damage Reduction: At fifth level, the knight gains the extraordinary ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow or attack. Subtract the reduction number from damage taken. Damage reduction can reduce the damage to 0 but doesn’t allow the knight to actually get HP back