Knight of the Sword

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 Sword

Whereas the Crown Knights uphold the virtues of loyalty and obedience, the Knights of the Sword espouse the ideals of honor and courage. To a Sword Knight, true courage is gained by sacrificing oneself to the very spirit of honor. Thus, Knights of the Sword become staunch defenders of the weak and defenseless, and fierce crusaders against the unjust and wicked. Their patron is the Sword of Justice, Kiri-Jolith.

Knights of the Sword are expected to defend the honor of the Knighthood and fellow Knights, assist the oppressed and weak, and face evil without regard for personal welfare. Upon joining the Order of the Sword, the Knight forfeits most of his worldly wealth to the Knighthood, save that which is needed for personal upkeep.
Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Knight of the Sword, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Alignment: Lawful good.
Base Attack Bonus: +7.
Skills: Heal 4 ranks, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 6 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 6 ranks.
Feats: Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Weapon Focus (lance or sword).
Special: Requisition special ability.
Special: The candidate must be brought before the local Knightly Council, who will give the candidate a quest. This quest must be witnessed or verifiable, and always involves tests of wisdom, generosity, and compassion, as well as combat with an evil opponent on par with the candidate. When the quest is completed, the Knight must be brought before the Knightly Council and relate the details of the quest. If the tale is acceptable to the presiding Lord Knight, the candidate is accepted.

Class Skills

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

Class Features

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

Spells per Day: The Knight of the Sword advances in divine spellcasting ability as he learns the skills of the Order of the Sword. At 1st level, as well as levels 3 and 5, the character gains new divine spells per day as if he had also gained a level in whatever divine spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, more frequent remove disease, and so on). This means that he adds the level of Knight of the Sword to the level of another divine spellcasting class the character has, and then determines spells per day accordingly.

If the character had no divine spellcasting class before joining the Order of the Sword, he gains the spellcasting ability of a 1st-level cleric with access to the general cleric list. This spellcasting increases as the character gains additional Knight of the Sword class levels. He does not, however, gain access to any domains.

Improved Requisition (Ex): At 1st level, the Knight of the Sword can now use his requisition ability to request a maximum value of supplies equal to 600gp times the Knight's Charisma modifier times the Knight of the Sword's class levels. If the Knight does not have a Charisma modifier, he may request up to 300gp times the Knight of the Sword's class levels. This ability replaces the Knight of the Crown's requisition ability but is similar to it in all other respects (i.e. the Knight is still responsible for returning the supplies).

Lay on Hands (Sp): The Knight of the Sword can heal wounds by touch, as the paladin ability. Any paladin levels add to the Knight of the Sword's levels for this purpose.

Detect Evil (Sp): At 2nd level, the Knight of the Sword can detect evil at will, as the paladin ability.

Smite Evil (Su): The Knight of the Sword can smite evil with one normal melee attack. He adds his Charisma modifier (if positive) to his attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per Knight of the Sword class level. If the Knight of the Sword also has levels as a paladin, he adds his paladin level to the damage bonus.

Detect Chaos (Sp): At 3rd level, the Knight of the Sword can detect chaos at will. This ability duplicates the spell of the same name.

Turn Undead (Su): The Knight of the Sword can turn undead at a caster level equal to his class level -2. A Knight of the Sword who also has levels as a cleric or paladin adds his Knight of the Sword level -2 to his cleric level (or his paladin level -2) to determine his effective level with respect to turning attempts.

Divine Grace (Su): At 4th level, the Knight of the Sword applies his Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws. This does not stack with any similar ability.

Dispel Evil (Sp): At 5th level, the Knight of the Sword can dispel evil once per week. When the Knight uses this ability, he must wait seven days before he can use it again. This ability duplicates the spell of the same name.

Code of Conduct: The Measure of the Sword dictates that the Knight pay homage to the gods of good each day, protect the weak and powerless whenever possible, and that the Knight never refuse nor flee combat with an evil opponent. The Knight must also strive to follow the Measure of the Crown, as detailed in the Code of Conduct heading under the Knight of the Crown prestige class. Finally, the Knight of the Sword must forfeit all wealth to the Knighthood, except those holdings required for personal upkeep. A Knight who grossly violates the Measures of the Crown or Sword (by fleeing combat against an evil foe or hording his personal finances, for example) loses all Knight of the Sword abilities. He can no longer progress as a Knight of the Sword 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 Sword level, then return to the paladin class for your next level, take a Knight of the Sword level after that, and so on.

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