Knight of the Crown

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Joe Mashuga

Knights of Solamnia

Founded by Vinas Solamnus during the Age of Dreams, the Knights of Solamnia are a powerful force of crusaders dedicated to honor and the ideals of good. The Solamnic Knighthood is composed of three separate Orders. All would-be Knights must first enter the Order of the Crown, where they are taught the virtues of loyalty, honor, and obedience. Once established in the Order of the Crown, the Knights may petition to join the Order of the Sword, well known for their courage and heroism in the face of evil. Finally, only the most pure and true Knights may be accepted into the Order of the Rose.

The Knights of Solamnia follow a set of codes known as the Oath and the Measure. These codes form the very heart of the Knighthood. The Oath is simply "Est Sularus oth Mithas," ("My Honor is My Life"). The Measure is exceedingly complex, composed of thirty-seven volumes of text that were established from the writings of Vinas Solamnus and his successors. The Measure is too massive to summarize; however, each Order has a section of the Measure devoted to it. In all cases, the Knight is expected to show absolute adherence to the Measures of his Order as well as the Orders he once served.

Long ago, the Solamnic Knights were known as the very paragons of good. However, their own unbending rules and regulations prevented them from recruiting Knights outside of Solamnia, thus keeping their numbers relatively small. The Cataclysm nearly destroyed the Knighthood, as the Orders found themselves unable to cope with the multitude of horrors that engulfed Krynn. The Knights were scorned by common folk, as rumors spread that the Knights had foreseen the Cataclysm but had done nothing to stop it. Indeed, accusations flew of Knights who intended to profit from the devastation. This unwelcome reputation caused many Knights to operate covertly, aiding the weak and oppressed where they could. However, the War of the Lance saw a great need for heroes, and the Knights responded as they have always done. Tragic though it was, this war restored the reputation of the Solamnic Knights in the eyes of the people.

The hardships that have affected Krynn over the years have forced a change in the Knights as well. In 382 AC, Grand Master Gunthar uth Wistan inaugurated the first non-native Knights of Solamnia. A few half-elven Knights have appeared over the years, and some say it is only a matter of time before the Knighthood extends the offer of candidacy to other races (though some Knights insist they would rather see ten ogre Knights before a single kender).

Knights of the Crown

Those seeking to join the ranks of the Knighthood must first be accepted into the Order of the Crown. Each candidate must have a sponsor among the Knights, for it is the sponsors who bring their candidates before the Knightly Council. The Knight is questioned, and if the Council accepts the candidate, he is inducted into the Order of the Crown.

The virtues of loyalty and duty are impressed upon Knights of the Crown at every turn. They are expected to obey the orders of a superior, assist those oppressed by tyranny and evil, stay true to the Knighthood regardless of danger, and respect all that is good. Loyalty is both gift and promise to these knights. Their patron is Habbakuk, the Fisher King.
Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Knight of the Crown, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Alignment: Lawful good, neutral good, or lawful neutral.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Skills: Handle Animal 4 ranks, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 4 ranks, Ride 4 ranks.
Feats: Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Weapon Focus (any lance or sword).
Special: Must be sponsored by a Knight and brought before the local Knightly Council.

Class Skills

The Knight of the Crown's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Ride (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Knight of the Crown is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all types of armor, and shields.

Life's Honor (Ex): At 1st level, the Knight of the Crown gains a +2 competence bonus to Knowledge (nobility and royalty) skill checks that relate to the Oath and the Measure.

Requisition (Ex): The Knight of the Crown can request supplies from his Order for a specific engagement or mission. If the Knighthood agrees that the stated action is worthy of support, they will allow the Knight to draw supplies from their coffers. The maximum value of supplies assigned to the Knight at any time is equal to 200gp times the Knight's Charisma modifier (if positive) times the character's Knight of the Crown class levels. If the Knight does not have a positive Charisma modifier, he may request up to 100gp times the character's Knight of the Crown class levels. The Knighthood will aid the Knight in what way they can, but they may not necessarily have the exact supplies needed. The Knight is honor-bound to return all equipment to the Knighthood upon completing the task in question, except for that which is destroyed or lost during the mission. Failure to do so results in penalties, as described under Code of Conduct.

Weapon Specialization: At 2nd level, the Knight of the Crown gains Weapon Specialization in the lance or sword with which he has applied his Weapon Focus feat, as listed under Requirements.

Born to Ride (Ex): At 3rd level, the Knight of the Crown gains a +2 competence bonus to all Handle Animal and Ride checks.

Bonus Feat: At 4th level, the Knight of the Crown gains a bonus feat. This bonus feat must be chosen from the list of bonus feats available to a fighter.

Constancy (Ex): At 5th level, the Knight of the Crown is immune to all compulsion spells and effects.

Code of Conduct: The Measure of the Crown dictates that the Knight pay homage to the gods of good each day, help those imperiled by tyranny and injustice, obey the orders of a superior, aid any Knight who is on Knightly business, assist those kingdoms friendly to Solamnia, and show loyalty to the Knighthood regardless of personal consequences. A Knight who grossly violates this Measure (by refusing orders or refusing to aid another Knight, for example) or who consistently fails to return equipment given by means of the requisition ability loses all Knight of the Crown abilities. He can no longer progress as a Knight of the Crown until he atones for his violations by seeking a cleric of Habbakuk, Kiri-Jolith, or Paladine (see the atonement spell description on page 176 in the Player's Handbook).

Multiclass Note: Paladin characters can freely multiclass with this class. In other words, you can give your paladin PC a Knight of the Crown level, then return to the paladin class for your next level, take a Knight of the Crown level after that, and so on.

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