Person_Man
2009-04-15, 01:44 PM
One of my favorite classes is the Knight (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060501a&page=2). I've compiled a lot of info on the class, and just recently completed a campaign with a Knight PC. So I thought it might be useful to put all of that information in one place, and see if any other Playgrounders had suggestions on how to improve it.
In order to comply with posting guidelines, I’ve specifically left out as much fluff, Save DCs, bonus amounts, durations, etc., as possible, and all of my ability/feat descriptions are only a few sentences long. I suggest you may wish to do the same when posting.
Knight Basics:
Pros:
Full BAB.
High hit points and AC.
Several useful battlefield control options.
Strong Will Save and a Will boosting class ability.
Class abilities are all Extraordinary (not subject to anti or dispel magic).
Flavorful and generally fun to play.
Cons:
Like most meat shields, you have a hard time keeping up with full casters.
MAD (Cha, Str, Con, Dex).
Weak Ref and Fort Saves.
Many enemies are immune to 80% of your class abilities.
Knight's Code.
Dead levels: 5-7 levels where you get barely anything.
Poor Skills: Other then Handle Animal, Intimidate, and Ride, there's not much you can do.
Class Abilities:
Key:
Red = Meh.
Indigo = Potentially useful for specific builds.
Black = Good
Blue = Awesome
Fighting Challenge: A poorly scaled bonus to hit, damage, and Will Saves against a single enemy.
Bonus feats: Mounted Combat is forced on you at level 2. So in most cases, you want to take the Ride by Attack, Spirited Charge, and Quick Draw. A small race can ride a medium mount almost anywhere. And even a medium Knight will benefit significantly when outdoors. Other then that, your bonus feat options suck.
Shield Block: A minor bonus to AC. Most Knight builds will want to buy an animated shield, so you don't have to give up two handed Power Attack.
Bulwark of Defense: Enemies cannot Charge or take a 5 ft step in difficult terrain, so this is an excellent addition to any battlefield control combo. But note that it only effects enemies who start their turn in your threatened area.
Armor Mastery: Whenever possible, a Knight should be mounted, so this ability is usually pointless. Even when you're not, it's a minor improvement in movement.
Test of Mettle: Aggro. Love it or hate it, this will be your defining ability for most of your career, and can lead to many different combos and interesting roleplaying. Note that tons of enemies are immune to it though, so be prepared to use combos that don't depend on it. If you play a multi-class Knight, this will be the natural break point. But be mindful that the Save DC depends on your Knight level.
Vigilant Defender: Screw you Rogues! This is another nice addition to battlefield control, and it's always on. But again, be mindful that it scales with your Knight level, so it's not much use to multi-class Knights.
Shield Ally/Improved Shield Ally(Ex): This is useful at low levels to protect squishy casters (until they get Fly, Invisibility, etc, and then they don’t need you), and for those Knights who are always on their mount, it’s useful to protect them from harm when needed.
Call to Battle: This is useful in a very limited number of circumstances, but is rarely actually used. So unless you fight a ton of dragons and have party members with weak Will Saves, this is generally a waste.
Daunting Challenge When combined with any other Fear ability, this is a ridiculously useful against some enemies, especially against mook rushes.
Bond of Loyalty: Limited use Slippery Mind. But with a strong Will Save, you probably won’t need it often.
Impetuous Endurance I've only rolled 1 on a Save a few times in my career, and given the result I would have failed anyway.
Loyal Beyond Death: Perhaps the most powerful defensive ability in 3.5 D&D. Just be sure that at least one person in your party has some serious healing ability, and that you carry a few backup potions as well.
The Knight’s Code
In many ways, your code is more stringent then a Paladin’s code. He can slaughter whoever he wants, as long as he has a reasonably Good reason to do so. But you can’t hit Flat Footed enemies or deal lethal damage against Helpless enemies without burning through your Challenges. This is a pretty big deal, since enemies are Flat Footed at the start of every combat (and as a result of several feats and spells) and Helpless encompasses a wide array of conditions (Paralyzed, Unconscious, Sleep, enough Ability Damage, etc). This makes any Knight/Rogue or Knight/OA Samurai (with Iajutsu Focus) build difficult or impossible to pull off, even though they might make perfect fluff sense. Personally, I think the Knight’s code borders on Lawful Stupid (tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LawfulStupidChaoticStupid), though your mileage may vary. There are several ways of dealing with this:
1) Role Play it Strait: Take your code seriously, and consider a good chance for roleplaying. Avoid breaking your code except for when it’s absolutely necessary and within your character to break it. But remember, just because you can’t attack an enemy, doesn’t mean you just have to stand there like an idiot. If an enemy is Flat Footed, you can take that time to buff yourself with a magic item, Demoralize an enemy, attack someone else, or use one of your Knight Challenge abilities. If an enemy is Helpless, you can use an action to lock him in manacles or deal non-lethal damage to reduce him to 0 hit points.
2) Play a Pacifist: This is actually a viable build for a Knight. See below.
3) Struggle with your code: You’re Lawful, but have a hard time sticking to the code of your order/church/whatever. You burn through Challenge uses when needed. This is only a viable option for a mid-high level strait Knight build, which will have spare Challenges available.
4) Hand Wave: Ask your DM to modify or throw away the code. Come up with some sort of Lawful code that doesn’t depend on any particular battle tactics. This is my preferred option.
5) Ask for something extra: If your DM is insistent on using the code, ask for some benefit for observing it. You’re making a sacrifice, and should get something in return besides just your modest class abilities.
Races:
Darfellan: Bonus to Str, bite attack, Swim speed. Remember that natural attacks count for Power Attack and Weapon Finesse. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050805a&page=2). Stormwrack pg 37.
Dragonborn: Bonus to Con, flight. Natural Flight is always useful, especially when combined with Test of Mettle and/or Flyby Attack. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1). Races of the Dragon.
Gold Dwarf: Bonus to Con, stability, darkvision, other minor benefits. An excellent choice if your DM is fond of Trip and Bull Rush. DMG pg.171
Goliaths: Bonus to Str and Con, Powerful Build, other minor benefits. +1 LA. The only reason to spend +1 LA on this race is if you want the Knockback build. But that’s a pretty good reason. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20040711b&page=5). Races of Stone.
Human: Bonus feat and Skill points. The most popular race, and for good reason. But I think there are better Knight options out there. Core.
Killoren: Medium, 30 ft, Fey, varies. Have a Smite attack (with untyped bonuses) that work against a variety of enemies and can be used once per hour. Being Fey protects you from various spells. Races of the Wild pg 92.
Mineral Warrior (template): Bonus to Str and Con, Burrow speed, Natural Armor, Darkvision, DR. +1 LA. The cheapest way to get high DR. Link (www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e). Underdark.
Mountain Spiritfolk: Climb speed, other minor bonuses. The Climb Speed is useful if you want to use Test of Mettle while standing on the roof or some other difficult to reach spot. Unapproachable East pg 72.
Neanderthal: Bonus to Str and Con, other minor bonuses. What Half-Orc’s stats should have been. But they really don't offer anything special for a Knight. Frostburn pg 36.
Necropolitan (template): You lose a level, and gain the undead type. Undead have a huge number of immunities, and are healed by negative energy. This means that friendly casters can dump Uttercold spells right on top of you when you fight enemies at close range, healing you while harming (non-undead) enemies. The down side is that you must be very, very careful when fighting enemies with Turn/Rebuke Undead. Libris Mortis.
Saint (Template): Con, Wis, and Cha bonuses, Fast Healing, DR, Circle of Protection, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Wis bonus to AC, Fire Resistance, Immunity to Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Petrification, and a bunch of other perks. Although the +2 LA is a big investment, the special abilities that this template grants are ridiculous. Book of Exalted Deeds.
Strongheart Halfling: Small size, bonus feat, other minor perks. You trade the Halfling bonus to Saves for a bonus feat, which is a great deal. Also, small races make great mounted builds, as their medium mounts can go anywhere your medium sized party members can go. This is my default choice for any Knight build that doesn't require Powerful Build or flight. Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
White Dragonspawn(template): Bonus Dex, Con, Natural Armor, wings, breath weapon, 1st level Sorcerer casting. Another broken +1 LA template. Dragonlance Campaign Setting.
Feats:
Before you do anything else, decide how you want to stop all of the enemies who will be attacking you once you use Test of Mettle. In most cases, this will be some combo involving Evasive Reflexes, Knock-Back, Knock-Down, or Stand Still, plus a reach weapon (usually a lance or glaive). There are potentially other ways (magic items, Tome of Battle manuevers, etc). But whatever you do, keep in mind that your primary goal is to lock down enemies and defend friends, so that the big guns (casters) can deal with them. So I left off a lot of potential offensive feats (Headlong Rush, Battle Jump, Lightning Maces) that really don’t work well for a Knight. If you want to play an uber charger or other massive damage dealer, look elsewhere.
Like almost all melee builds, Knights are very feat hungry. So if you can use Flaws, do so.
Ability Focus: Although I loath spending a feat on a small discrete bonus, Test of Mettle is just so important that I would consider it. MM pg 303.
Acheron Flurry: You can basically spend your turn to limit one enemy to a single Move or Standard action on his next turn. No To-Hit roll, no Save, it just happens. There are various little mechanical restrictions on this, but it’s a great way to prevent a boss enemy from making a full attack or Summoning while your friends pummel him. Requires Improved Unarmed Strike and 15 Wis and Dex. Planar Handbook pg 37.
Ancestral Relic: Pick one item (usually a weapon). You can sacrifice treasure to improve that item, bypassing the need to sell stuff at the standard 50% mark down. Assuming your DM plays using standard wealth by level and doesn’t short change you because he knows you have this feat, this is a great choice for long running campaigns. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 39.
Arcane Schooling: You’re treated as having one level of one arcane class for the purpose of activating spell trigger items (like Wands). Hello buff spells, good bye UMD! Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 33.
Combat Focus + Combat Vigor + Combat Stability: Bonus to Will Saves, to resist bull rush/trips/grapple/etc, and Fast Healing. A big, but useful investment, PHBII pg 87.
Combat Reflexes: Almost every Knight build will need this or Evasive Reflexes at some point. PHB.
Deformity (Tall): Bonus to your natural reach. Requires Willing Deformity (bonus to Intimidate). Heroes of Horror pg 121.
Dreadful Wrath: Gives you a Frightful Presence. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 38. (Or you can take Frightful Presence, which is very similar feat, from the Draconomicon).
Dragon Trainer: You can use Handle Animal to train dragons. Races of the Dragon pg 98.
Evasive Reflexes: You can take a 5 ft step instead of an AoO. When combined with a reach weapon and anything that generates additional AoO (Hold the Line, Karmic Strike, Robilar’s Gambit, etc) you can often foil most Charges and Full Attacks against you. And using Evasive Reflexes does not burn an AoO, so it’s a good option for Knights with mediocre Dex. Tome of Battle pg 30.
Fearless Destiny: Once per day when you are reduced to -10 or fewer hit points, you are instead reduced to -9 and stable. A lot cheaper then Resurrection. Races of Destiny pg 152.
Force of Personality: Cha replaces Wis for Will Saves against mind affecting effects. This pretty much lets you dump Wis entirely, which is useful for a Knight. But most builds won't need it. Comp Adventurer pg 109.
Goad: Poor man’s Test of Mettle that only works against one enemy. Multi-class Knight builds may want this as a backup plan. Comp Adventurer pg 109.
Hold the Line: Free AoO when your enemy charges you. Works particularly well with Evasive Reflexes. Complete Warrior pg 100.
Improved Toughness: Bonus hit points equal to your hit die. Extra hit points are always useful. But with limited feats and d12 hit die, I think you have better options. Complete Warrior pg 101.
Imperious Command: Drastically improves your ability to Demoralize. Drow of the Underdark pg. 50.
Inhuman Reach: Increases your natural reach. Requires Aberration Blood. Lords of Madness pg 180.
Item Familiar: Can drastically boost one Skill (such as Intimidate), and gains other powers as you gain levels. Unearthed Arcana.
Knockback: Free Bull Rush attempt whenever you hit an enemy with Power Attack. Requires that you be Large or have Powerful Build (Goliath, Half-Giant). Races of Stone pg 142.
Knock-Down: Trip is a popular way to keep your enemies at bay. Requires Improved Trip (which in turn usually requires Combat Expertise). Deities and Demigods (officially updated for 3.5).
Leadership: The most straitforward way of getting a mount that doesn’t die after a few hits. PHB.
Mage Slayer: Casters cannot cast defensively when you threaten them. And thanks to your Bulwark of Defense class ability, if they start your turn within your threatened area, it counts as difficult terrain. So they can't just take a 5 ft step away, essentially locking them into place or forcing them to waste their action to Withdraw. This is a must have feat for any mid-high level Knight. Comp Arcane pg 81.
Magic Device Attunement: Greatly improves your UMD ability. Complete Mage pg 44.
Martial Stance: You gain one Tome of Battle stance. Stances are effectively an all day buff, and there are a ton of useful options. Requires one martial maneuver (a level of a ToB class or the Martial Study feat). Tome of Battle pg. 31.
Martial Study: You gain one Tome of Battle maneuver. Again, there are a ton of excellent options. Tome of Battle pg. 31.
Mercantile Background: You can sell items for much higher then the standard 50%. Like Ancestral Relic, this is very useful for a long campaign, especially if you know your DM sticks to standard wealth by level. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 41.
Nymph’s Kiss: Bonus to Cha checks, Saves, and bonus Skill points. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 44.
Pierce Magical Concealment: Allows you to ignore the miss chance from any spell or spell-like ability. I’ve found that this is pretty much a requirement for any melee build if you want a chance of hitting BBEG at high levels. Combine this feat with any Blink effect to impose a 50% miss chance on your enemies and deny them their Dex bonus, without suffering the 20% miss chance. Requires Mage Slayer and Blind Fight. Complete Arcane pg 81.
Parrying Shield: You add your shield bonus to Touch AC. Lords of Madness pg 181.
Power Attack: The bread and butter of melee bonus damage. PHB.
Pushback: The poor man’s Knockback. Once per round when you hit an enemy of your size or smaller, you can Bull Rush him back 5 feet and move into his space. Miniatures Handbook pg 27.
Rampaging Bull Rush: Any enemy that you successfully Bull Rush is also knocked Prone. Requires Large size or Powerful Build. Obviously works well with Knockback. Races of Stone pg 143.
Reaping Talons: When using TWF with Tiger Claw weapons, you can use Combat Expertise or Fight Defensively or use Total Defense for one round and move no more then 5 ft, and the next round make a full round action to attack everyone who has attacked you (not everyone who hit you, everyone who attacked you) at your full BAB. Although a TWF Knight/Swordsage or Knight/Warblade will have horrible MAD, this can be absolutely devastating to your enemies at low-mid levels, especially when combined with a good status effect like Trip, Daze, or Nauseated. Requires Two Weapon Fighting, +6 BAB, and two Tiger Claw maneuvers. Tome of Battle pg 35.
Robilar’s Gambit: Enemies get a bonus to hit you, but all melee attacks provoke an AoO. PHBII pg 82.
Saddleback: You can use Ride in place of Reflex Saves once per round for you and your mount. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 43.
Sand Snare: Makes it much more difficult for a Tripped enemy to stand up in certain terrain. No Save. Working with someone who has a Bottle of Endless Sand or sand creating spells, this is a great way to lock down enemies. Sandstorm pg 52.
Shield Slam: When you charge an enemy and attack with your Shield, you get a free Trip attack and your enemy must Save or be Dazed for 1 round. A good mid level combo. But unless your DM is generous in how he reads the feat, it can’t be used with Pounce or two handed Power Attack, so it loses it’s usefulness by ECL 11+. Requires Shield Bash and Shield Charge. Complete Warrior pg 105.
Shield Ward: Your shield bonus applies to touch attacks and checks to resist Bull Rush, Disarm, Grapple, Overrun, and Trip attempts. Requires Shield Specialization. PHBII 82.
Shock Trooper: Let’s you shift your Power Attack penalty to AC, and it gives you some very useful Bull Rush maneuvers as well. This feat is pretty much standard for any build with Power Attack. Be warned though – dumping your AC can quickly lead to death, especially for a Knight using Test of Mettle. Complete Warrior pg 112.
Spirit Sense: Let’s you see an interact with spirits of the recently dead. “Sorry that we had to ambush you, but could you tell us your master’s weaknesses?” “Are you kidding me, you just killed me.” “I demand you tell me!” (My Intimidate check is 52.) “Fine, fine. He’s vulnerable to fire.” Heroes of Horror pg 124.
Stand Still: Although it deals no damage, unlike Trip or Bull Rush, this feat is unaffected by size, almost always works, and has few pre-reqs. Remember, enemies cannot Charge through occupied squares, and take penalties if try to squeeze into the same square to fight you. Requires Combat Reflexes. Expanded Psionics Handbook.
Stone Power: You gain temporary hit points each turn in exchange for lowering your To-Hit. Very useful at low-mid levels, especially when combined with DR and/or regular and/or Fast Healing. Requires one Stone Dragon maneuver. Tome of Battle pg 33.
Tomb Tainted Soul: The poor man’s Necropolitan, you are healed by negative energy and harmed by positive. Libris Mortis pg 31.
Tremendous Charge: Use your mount's Str mod instead of your own when making a Charge with a lance. Your lance has to make a Fort Save or it shatters. Potentially useful if you have an uber mount but a small/weak Knight. Dragonlance Campaign Setting)
Vow of Peace: Continuous Calm Emotions aura. A bonus to AC and Diplomacy. And if a creature strikes you with a manufactured weapon, the weapon must make a Fort Save or shatter. And Vow of Nonviolence (prereq) boosts the Save DC of many abilities. The down side is that you have to vow never to harm any living creature, and your party has some strict roleplaying restrictions as well. Never take this feat unless everyone in the party is on board with it. Assuming they are, this is a phenomenal feat for a Knight (Please, don’t hit anyone! Ok, you’ve decided to hit us. I demand you hit me!) or other tank builds that focus solely on aggro, defense, and disabling enemies. Requires Sacred Vow, Vow of Non-Violence. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 48.
Wild Cohort: The next best thing to Leadership for any mounted build. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a).
Multiclassing and Prestige Classes:
The Knight is good at some levels, and not so good at others. Your build should depend on what ECL you are playing at, and how high your campaign will go to.
Max level of campaign: My suggestion.
ECL 1-3: Don’t play a Knight. You’re better off as a Barbarian 1/Fighter 2, Crusader 3, or something else. Just call yourself a knight, and no one will care.
ECL 4: Strait Knight. Test of Mettle is phenomenally useful once you get it, especially at low levels.
ECL 5-11: 4 uses of Test of Mettle per day should get you through most combats, so this is the ECL when you benefit from multi-classing and/or going into a PrC.
ECL 12-19: This can be a difficult ECL range for the Knight. If you multiclass, then your Test of Mettle Save DC will be too low to effect many enemies. And plenty of enemies will be immune to it as well. But with 12-19 Challenges, you can use one almost every turn of combat, drastically improving your effectiveness in combats against some enemies. So my suggestion for this range is to go strait Knight, and focus your feats and magic items on improving your prowess against enemies that are immune to Mind Effecting effects. Alternatively, a multiclass Knight build can partner with a dedicated debuffer, although this tends to be difficult, since many debuff effects have a limited number of targets and/or range.
ECL 20: The only way to get Loyal Beyond Death is Knight 20, so that’s what I suggest if you’re playing to this level.
Ashworm Dragoon: One of the best mounted PrC, you get a poisonous burrowing worm to ride that improves with your levels, unlimited Mount Combat uses per round (essentially preventing melee damage to your mount), Pounce, and the ability to Burrow with your mount. This last ability is particularly important, because enemies can't target you if they don't have line of effect. This gives you great Test of Mettle combo. The only down side is that once your Test of Mettle DC starts being useless, so do your Knight levels. Best ECL: 6-11. Sandstorm.
Blackguard: Cha to Saves, a penalty to your enemies Saves, Sneak Attack (useful because it qualifies you for the Staggering Strike feat), and Rebuke Undead (because it qualifies you for a dozen uber useful Divine feats, like Travel Devotion, Earth Devotion, Divine Shield, etc). But your spells stop scaling at ECL 16, so don’t bother with it if you’re playing above that level. Alternatively, you can use the Paladin of Tyranny to get everything but Sneak Attack and the semi-useful spells. Best ECL: 7-12. DMG.
Bloodlines: Bloodlines count toward all class based calculations, which includes a Knight's Challenge/Test of Mettle uses per day and Saving Throw DC. Bloodlines are a very mixed bag, so whether or not you take any is highly dependent on your ECL and build goals. But it could be worth it, especially when mixed with other classes that have most of their stuff progressed by Bloodlines, such as Bard, Binder, Hellfire Warlock, etc. Unearthed Arcana (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm).
Binder: Although they lack full BAB, a few Binder vestiges have some serious defensive ability. Binders are also ridiculously flexible, in that they can choose new vestiges every morning. But it’s also the most ridiculously complex class. If you and your DM are not intimately familiar with this class, then skip it. Best ECL: 5-8. Tome of Magic.
Crusader: Crusaders can delay damage, heal, attack, and use decent battlefield control. The potential combo’s and builds are too numerous to list in a short blurb, but trust me, they (forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=680285) rock (forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=887398). Best ECL: 5-8. Tome of Battle.
Deepwarden: 2 levels will let any Dwarf get its Con to AC (instead of Dex). If you give up the need to make AoO and find a way to take the Action Before Thought maneuver or 5 levels of Kensai or the Saddleback feat (to deal with your Ref Save), you can reduce your MAD down to Cha/Con/Str. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=4). Best ECL: 6-8. Races of Stone pg 105.
Fighter: One or two levels for the bonus feat is a respectable choice for a Knight 4. But beyond that, you have many much better options. Best ECL: 5-6. PHB.
Hellreaver: Probably the best self healing tank out there. This PrC gets immunity to Fear, Mettle, and the ability to heal 10/20/30 hit points (depending on your level) to yourself or any Good ally within 10 feet every round of combat as a Swift action pretty much every round of combat (that you’re not using Test of Mettle or some other Immediate/Swift Action). Best ECL: 6-11. Fiendish Codex II.
Hexblade: Cha to Saves vs. Spells and Mettle. But your most powerful class feature is your full BAB Familiar, which is open to all sorts of combos with Share Spells and some wands. And/or you can trade in your Familiar for Dark Companion (PHBII), giving a few enemies a -2 to Saves. Best ECL: 5-8. Complete Warrior.
Kensai: A 10th level Kensai can get two (or more) magic weapons for a very reasonable xp cost. That by itself is pretty powerful, and frees up a ton of cash that you can invest in various defensive magic items. In addition, you get the ability to replace Ref Saves with Concentration checks (ridiculously easy to boost via magic items), and a bonus to Str. He can also gets a nifty boosts to several Skills, including Intimidate. Finally, a Kensai can transfer some or all of his BAB and/or Saves to a willing ally. Plenty of combos here. Best ECL: 6-10. Complete Warrior pg 52.
Marshal: A one level dip into Marshal will give you and your friends your Cha bonus to Str checks, which will work wonders on your Trip or Bull Rush attempts. Alternatively (or in addition) you could gain your Cha bonus to Dex Skills/checks (Ranger 1/Marshal 1/Knight 4 could be a sold Special Forces leader) and/or Cha checks (making your Diplomacy/Intimidate checks uber). Best ECL: 1-5. Miniatures Handbook.
Paladin: Basically all of the benefits of being a Blackguard except for Sneak Attack. Also, take a look at the Wary Swordknight Substitution level from Champions of Valor, which allows a Halfling Paladin to be treated as one size larger when its advantageous to them (Bull Rush, Trip, Grapple, etc). Best ECL: 1-8. PHB.
Tactical Soldier: Like the Fighter, the Tactical Soldier is a good 2 level dip. It essentially gives you Adaptable Flanker and Sidestep, which would normally cost 5 feats to get if you got them via other means. Best ECL: 6-8. Miniatures Handbook pg 22.
Totemist: Yet another good dip class. Soulmelds can do all sorts of nifty things, and the Totemist Save DC's are Con based. You also pick up Wild Empathy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16002049#post16002049), which is useful for a Cha based class like the Knight, and easy to boost with 1 level of Marshal. Best ECL: 1-6. Magic of Incarnum.
Warblade: Although not as great as the Crusader at tanking, the Warblade has some amazingly useful Counters. Best ECL: 5-8. Tome of Battle.
Warchanter: Full BAB, Bardic music, and other nifty Bardic music abilities. Bardic music can fuel all sorts of potent feats, such as Doomspeak and Snowflake Wardance. This is a particularly good choice if your party includes a dedicated summoner, like a Druid or Malconvoker. Best ECL: 6-15. Complete Warrior pg 87.
Skills
Although tanks don’t get many Skills, they do get some. Skills are ridiculously easy to boost, so be sure to pick a few that are useful to you to use to your advantage.
Handle Animal: The splat books are littered with mounts that you can purchase or find on a side quest and train, without needing a Special Mount or Animal Companion class feature. Anything listed as an animal (such as dinosaurs) plus many magical beasts (griffin, pegasus, rust monster, etc) can make excellent mounts.
Intimidate: Learn to optimize your ability to Demoralize (forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-911167). It synergizes very well with Daunting Challenge and Frightful Presence. It gives you something to do when you can’t attack an enemy. And it’s ridiculously effective in some circumstances.
Ride: For any mounted Knight, this is a very important Skill to boost, because it can replace the AC of your mount once per round (Mounted Combat). It can also replace your Reflex Save with the Saddleback feat.
Speak Language: For 2 Skill Points you can take Battle Signals (essentially Special Forces sign language) to communicate silently with anyone else who knows Battle Signals. Have everyone in the party take it, and it can be very handy for setting up ambushes or communicating in dungeons without giving yourself away. Heroes of Battle pg 95.
Tumble: If you're not mounted or flying, you're going to want to put a few ranks into this, and buy a Skill boosting item. At some point you're going to be surrounded, and you're going to want a way out. Keep in mind that Armor Mastery for medium armor kicks in at 4th level, so you can use Tumble without penalty while wearing Mithral heavy armor.
Use Magic Device: As a Cha based class, this is actually a respectable cross-class investment for you. All you need to do is hit DC 20 reliably. This is an especially good choice for non-mounted Knights, who don’t care about Handle Animal or Ride. Also, remember that if you have a single level of a class, you can use any spell trigger item for that class, even if you’re not high enough level to cast it yourself. For example, a Ranger 1/Knight X can get Pounce (www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5884385) whenever he needs it by putting a Wand of Lion's Charge (Spell Compendium) into a lance with a Wand Chamber (Dungeonscape).
Equipment:
General Notes:
Some of the equipment listed has been updated (and nerfed) in the Magic Item Compendium. (Which I haven’t indexed here yet, because I really don’t use it very often, since I have access to pretty much every other splat book). Check with your DM to see which version he is using.
As with Feats, you should remember that your primary goal is defense and control, not offense. This actually works to your advantage, since the most expensive piece of equipment for any meat shield tends to be their weapon. If you don't worry about devoting a lot of gp to that, you have a lot more money for high AC, Saves, and special tricks.
Armor/Defense:
Animated Shield: In most cases, you will want to enchant your shield with this ASAP so that you can use your weapon two handed. DMG.
Empyreal armor or shield enhancement: You can transfer your enhancement bonus to AC to be a sacred bonus to Saves. Although adding this to a +5 shield to get a bonus to your Saves would be twice as expensive as a Cloak of Resistance, it’s noteworthy in that the bonuses stack. A good high ECL choice. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 112.
Gemstone of Heavy Fortification: Very useful. Draconomicon
Ghost Shroud: Deflection bonus to AC, and all of your attacks have the Ghost Touch property. Libris Mortis pg 76.
Hideous Armor: Competence bonus to Intimidate. Champions of Ruin pg. 40.
Mechanus Gear: Probably the best mundane heavy armor in the game. Manual of the Planes pg 69.
Retributive Amulet: Probably one of the most powerful defensive items out there. Every time you take melee damage, that damage is split between you and the attacker. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 116.
Shield of the Severed Hand: Once per round grants you a Free Bull Rush whenever an enemy attacks you and misses. Requires True Believer feat and 7 HD. Complete Divine pg 102 or Magic Item Compendium.
Shadowy Diadem: Concealment and immunity to energy drain limited times per day. Cheap. Dragon Magic pg 103.
Shadow Veil: Deflection bonus to AC and limited concealment. Libris Mortis pg 76.
Spellguard Rings: Allows you to ignore the spells cast by an ally. For example, they could lob a Fireball at a group of enemies even though you’re standing in the middle of them without effecting you. Complete Mage pg 127.
Tabard of Valor: When reduced to 50% hit points or less, you gain Mettle. If you already have Mettle, you gain Improved Mettle (which works just like Improved Evasion, but for Will and Fort Saves). A must have for any Knight/Hexblade or Knight/Hellreaver. Complete Champion pg 142.
Wakeful Mind construct graft: You gain immunity to Sleep and Stun effects, and no longer need to sleep. Mostly useful to prevent ambushes in the middle of the night, and I also like the fluff value. Faiths of Eberron pg 158.
Weapons/Offense:
Akkabar’s Battleblade Ring: Blade Barrier once per day. Blade Barrier rocks. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 122.
Aurorum: Destroyed weapons made of this material can be re-formed as a full round action, restoring them to their previous state. Only a truly spiteful DM would Sunder your magical weapon. But if he does, this is your protection. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 38.
Armbands of Might: Unnamed bonus to Str checks, Skills, and damage when you use Power Attack. Comp Adventurer pg 132.
Banishing weapon enhancement: Extraplanar creatures must Save or be sent back to their home plane. Pretty much an auto win button against summoned enemies, demons, devils, elementals, and many others. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 113.
Bodyfeeder weapon enhancement: Any time you crit, you gain temporary hit points. The problem is that there aren't any high crit reach weapons out there. But this is still a good choice for certain builds. Link (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Bodyfeeder). Expanded Psionics Handbook
Exit Wound: If you hit an enemy with a ranged weapon, it also effects the enemy behind him, and potentially the enemy behind him, and so on. A great enchantment to put on your backup bow or shield (if it also has Throwing and Returning), as its absolutely devastating if you have a conga line of bad guys lined up to attack you in a dungeon. Complete Warrior pg 134.
Explosive: Whenever you hit with this weapon, everyone within 5 ft of your target (including the target, and potentially you) takes additional damage. I’ve found that this enhancement is very useful against groups of weak enemies. Just be sure to use a reach weapon, especially at low levels. Complete Warrior pg 134.
Frightful Crest draconic graft: Gives you a potent Frightful Presence. Races of the Dragon pg 128.
Glove of Taarnahm the Vigilant: Any weapon you wield is given Throwing and Returning. Helpful if you kill off an enemy as part of your full attack routine, can’t reach any other enemy, and have a left over attack that you don’t want to waste. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 123.
Merciful: Extra 1d6 damage, and deal non-lethal damage without penalty. Useful for when you want to attack someone who is helpless. Link (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Merciful_(SRD_Weapon_Enhancement)). DMG.
Mohrg’s Tongue undead graft: Gives you a secondary touch attack that Paralyzes enemies. Libris Mortis pg 80.
Nychyaella’s Healing Spear: Vampiric Touch three time per day. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 121.
Paralyzing weapon enhancement: Any creature hit must Save or be paralyzed. They get a new save every round. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 113.
Pandemonic Silver: Counts as alchemical Silver. And when you draw a weapon made of this material, everyone within a certain radius must Save or Cower. Now here’s the weird part - the Save DC is based on the speed of wind in the air. It’s bizarre, I know. But if you can get hurricane strength wind (through Control Weather, or an Air Elemental and a nice DM or whatnot) then the Save is very impressive. Complete Warrior pg 136.
Poison Fangs yuan-ti graft: Adds a strong poison to any existing bite attack. Serpent Kingdoms pg 154.
Riding Boots: Unnamed bonus to Ride, and if you have Spirited Charge you further multiply your damage when you Charge. DMGII pg 270.
Roaring weapon enhancement: Evil creatures must Save or be Shaken. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 113.
Scourge of Fangs: Scourge that turns into snakes. You can make 5 attacks when you make a full attack, and it has a debuff effect. Serpent Kingdoms pg 152.
Shadow Striking weapon enhancement: After one hit, your weapon will automatically bypass any alignment or material base DR. Tome of Magic pg 155.
Spell Storing weapon enhancement: Have a caster from your party put their best debuff effect into this for you. DMG.
Splitting: Arrows or bolts with this enchantment split in mid air, doubling your attacks. Champions of Ruin pg 42.
Star Metal: Weapons made of this material count as adamantine for all purposes (bypassing DR, hardness, Sundering, etc) and deals extra damage to extraplanar creatures (which includes all Summoned creatures). If you use Sunder for some reason (a Knight/Blackguard) this is a good choice for your weapon. Comp Arcane pg 141.
Subjugating weapon enhancement: Enemy must Save or be Shaken. Heroes of Battle pg 130.
Sudden Stunning: Enemy must Save or be Stunned for multiple rounds. Useable Cha bonus times per day. Very cheap. Magic Item Compendium.
Torturous: On a successful hit, target must make Fort save or Stunned for 1 round. The Save DC is piss poor and plenty of enemies are immune to Stun, but it's cheap and effective against mooks. (Ghostwalk p. 64)
Vampiric weapon enhancement: Each hit heals a small amount of damage. Unapproachable East pg 54.
Valorous weapon enhancement: Double damage on a charge. Unapproachable East pg 54.
Healing:
I won’t give a full rundown here, because someone else already did a better job (forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=900334). But you’re going to be taking a lot of damage, so learn how to heal yourself effectively, and make sure other party members can heal as well.
Misc:
Amber Amulet of Vermin Summon a flying mount once per day. 800 gp. Magic Item Compendium p 68.
Amulet of Aberrant Empathy: You can use a Handle Animal check in place of a Diplomacy check to influence the attitude of aberrations with low Int. Cheap. Comp Adventurer pg 132.
Amulet of Fearsome Might: Increases the area and Save DC of your Frightful Presence. Dragon Magic pg 93.
Banner of Law: All day Protection from Law 30 ft. Can be made for Protection from Evil, Good, etc. Remember, Protection from Whatever prevents mind control and prevents summoned enemies from attacking you. Heroes of Battle pg 133.
Cloak of the Dragon: Wings and a breath weapon once per day for a limited duration. Bargain price. Complete Champion pg 138.
Cloak of Mysterious Emergence: Dimension Door limited times per day. Dragon Magic pg 93.
Effigy Creatures: Construct animals that do whatever you tell them to do. Although they tend not to have a lot of hit points (Constructs have no Con score) they have a ton of immunities, DR, and they’re relatively cheap. Just make sure someone in your party has access to Repair spells (or buy them a Wand). Complete Arcane pg 152.
Everlasting Rations: Enough food to feed 1 person for a day, every day. Heroes of Battle pg 131.
Feather Fall Talisman: Gives you Feather Fall, once. Keep one per adventure, and you should be fine. Sharn City of Towers pg 170.
Figurine of Wondrous Power, Gold Beetle or Ivory Camel. Good as mounts if you don't want to be bothered with Handle Animal. Sandstorm p. 133.
Fiendring: Once per day you can turn into any fiendish creature, devil, or demon that can be summoned via Summon Monster I through IV. Unlike Polymorph, you gain all of their special abilities (DR, SR, etc). Lost Empires of Faerun pg 152.
Five Virtues: A Knight oriented collection of magic items. If you have all five, you get a very minor bonus to Will and adjacent allies AC. Magic Item Compendium pg 195-197.
Armband of Confrontation: Fighting Challenge lasts extra rounds.
Crystal of Alacrity: Minor bonus to your land speed.
Medal of Steadfast Honor. Spend Knight's Challenges to stand up as a free action.
Shield of Vigor. Spend Knight's Challenges to gain Fast Healing 5 for 3 rounds. Very useful at low levels.
Standard of Valor. Spend Knight's Challenge to allow any ally to reroll a failed Fear save.
Glove of the Master Strategist. Gloves of Storing plus True Strike once per day for a reasonable price. Ghostwalk p. 71.
Iyaringu of the Earth Dragon: Negates difficult terrain. Dragon Magic pg 102.
Kimono of Storing: Essentially two Gloves of Storing. Very useful for swapping out your lance or another melee weapon on the fly. Oriental Adventures p. 140.
Masterwork Tools: A cheap way to add +2 to any Skill check. Theoretically this works for any Skill. PHB.
Mighty Arms construct graft: You gain a slam attack as per a construct of your size. Natural attacks can be used as secondary attacks (at a -5) and count for Power Attack and Weapon Finesse. Ridiculously cheap. Faiths of Eberron pg 158.
Night Caller: You can blow this whistle over any grave to turn a corpse into a zombie that serves you loyally until destroyed. After you kill a powerful enemy, bury him and then make him serve you. Libris Mortis pg 79.
Noble Pennon. Slightly increases your Knight's Challenge DC and Smite Evil damage, and you can spend renewable charges to improve your Will or Fort Save. Also, it doesn't take up any item slot. Magic Item Compendium pg 166
Pendant of Dragon Empathy: You can use a Handle Animal check in place of a Diplomacy check to influence the attitude of dragons with low Int. Cheap. Comp Adventurer pg 134.
Slippers of Battledancing: Various bonuses, and if you have some ranks in Perform (dance) you can use your Cha instead of Str or Dex as your bonus to attack with one handed or light weapons. DMGII pg 272.
Surcoat of Valor. Slightly increases your Knight's Challenge DC (and usually duration). Every point of DC helps, but you'll probably fill your torso magic item slot with something much better later in your career. Magic Item Compendium pg 139.
Wand Bracer: Holds multiple wands, and you can draw any one as a Swift Action. Dungeonscape pg 33.
Wand Chamber: Puts a single wand inside a weapon or shield. As long as you’re holding it, you count as holding the wand. Dungeonscape pg 34.
In order to comply with posting guidelines, I’ve specifically left out as much fluff, Save DCs, bonus amounts, durations, etc., as possible, and all of my ability/feat descriptions are only a few sentences long. I suggest you may wish to do the same when posting.
Knight Basics:
Pros:
Full BAB.
High hit points and AC.
Several useful battlefield control options.
Strong Will Save and a Will boosting class ability.
Class abilities are all Extraordinary (not subject to anti or dispel magic).
Flavorful and generally fun to play.
Cons:
Like most meat shields, you have a hard time keeping up with full casters.
MAD (Cha, Str, Con, Dex).
Weak Ref and Fort Saves.
Many enemies are immune to 80% of your class abilities.
Knight's Code.
Dead levels: 5-7 levels where you get barely anything.
Poor Skills: Other then Handle Animal, Intimidate, and Ride, there's not much you can do.
Class Abilities:
Key:
Red = Meh.
Indigo = Potentially useful for specific builds.
Black = Good
Blue = Awesome
Fighting Challenge: A poorly scaled bonus to hit, damage, and Will Saves against a single enemy.
Bonus feats: Mounted Combat is forced on you at level 2. So in most cases, you want to take the Ride by Attack, Spirited Charge, and Quick Draw. A small race can ride a medium mount almost anywhere. And even a medium Knight will benefit significantly when outdoors. Other then that, your bonus feat options suck.
Shield Block: A minor bonus to AC. Most Knight builds will want to buy an animated shield, so you don't have to give up two handed Power Attack.
Bulwark of Defense: Enemies cannot Charge or take a 5 ft step in difficult terrain, so this is an excellent addition to any battlefield control combo. But note that it only effects enemies who start their turn in your threatened area.
Armor Mastery: Whenever possible, a Knight should be mounted, so this ability is usually pointless. Even when you're not, it's a minor improvement in movement.
Test of Mettle: Aggro. Love it or hate it, this will be your defining ability for most of your career, and can lead to many different combos and interesting roleplaying. Note that tons of enemies are immune to it though, so be prepared to use combos that don't depend on it. If you play a multi-class Knight, this will be the natural break point. But be mindful that the Save DC depends on your Knight level.
Vigilant Defender: Screw you Rogues! This is another nice addition to battlefield control, and it's always on. But again, be mindful that it scales with your Knight level, so it's not much use to multi-class Knights.
Shield Ally/Improved Shield Ally(Ex): This is useful at low levels to protect squishy casters (until they get Fly, Invisibility, etc, and then they don’t need you), and for those Knights who are always on their mount, it’s useful to protect them from harm when needed.
Call to Battle: This is useful in a very limited number of circumstances, but is rarely actually used. So unless you fight a ton of dragons and have party members with weak Will Saves, this is generally a waste.
Daunting Challenge When combined with any other Fear ability, this is a ridiculously useful against some enemies, especially against mook rushes.
Bond of Loyalty: Limited use Slippery Mind. But with a strong Will Save, you probably won’t need it often.
Impetuous Endurance I've only rolled 1 on a Save a few times in my career, and given the result I would have failed anyway.
Loyal Beyond Death: Perhaps the most powerful defensive ability in 3.5 D&D. Just be sure that at least one person in your party has some serious healing ability, and that you carry a few backup potions as well.
The Knight’s Code
In many ways, your code is more stringent then a Paladin’s code. He can slaughter whoever he wants, as long as he has a reasonably Good reason to do so. But you can’t hit Flat Footed enemies or deal lethal damage against Helpless enemies without burning through your Challenges. This is a pretty big deal, since enemies are Flat Footed at the start of every combat (and as a result of several feats and spells) and Helpless encompasses a wide array of conditions (Paralyzed, Unconscious, Sleep, enough Ability Damage, etc). This makes any Knight/Rogue or Knight/OA Samurai (with Iajutsu Focus) build difficult or impossible to pull off, even though they might make perfect fluff sense. Personally, I think the Knight’s code borders on Lawful Stupid (tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LawfulStupidChaoticStupid), though your mileage may vary. There are several ways of dealing with this:
1) Role Play it Strait: Take your code seriously, and consider a good chance for roleplaying. Avoid breaking your code except for when it’s absolutely necessary and within your character to break it. But remember, just because you can’t attack an enemy, doesn’t mean you just have to stand there like an idiot. If an enemy is Flat Footed, you can take that time to buff yourself with a magic item, Demoralize an enemy, attack someone else, or use one of your Knight Challenge abilities. If an enemy is Helpless, you can use an action to lock him in manacles or deal non-lethal damage to reduce him to 0 hit points.
2) Play a Pacifist: This is actually a viable build for a Knight. See below.
3) Struggle with your code: You’re Lawful, but have a hard time sticking to the code of your order/church/whatever. You burn through Challenge uses when needed. This is only a viable option for a mid-high level strait Knight build, which will have spare Challenges available.
4) Hand Wave: Ask your DM to modify or throw away the code. Come up with some sort of Lawful code that doesn’t depend on any particular battle tactics. This is my preferred option.
5) Ask for something extra: If your DM is insistent on using the code, ask for some benefit for observing it. You’re making a sacrifice, and should get something in return besides just your modest class abilities.
Races:
Darfellan: Bonus to Str, bite attack, Swim speed. Remember that natural attacks count for Power Attack and Weapon Finesse. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050805a&page=2). Stormwrack pg 37.
Dragonborn: Bonus to Con, flight. Natural Flight is always useful, especially when combined with Test of Mettle and/or Flyby Attack. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1). Races of the Dragon.
Gold Dwarf: Bonus to Con, stability, darkvision, other minor benefits. An excellent choice if your DM is fond of Trip and Bull Rush. DMG pg.171
Goliaths: Bonus to Str and Con, Powerful Build, other minor benefits. +1 LA. The only reason to spend +1 LA on this race is if you want the Knockback build. But that’s a pretty good reason. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20040711b&page=5). Races of Stone.
Human: Bonus feat and Skill points. The most popular race, and for good reason. But I think there are better Knight options out there. Core.
Killoren: Medium, 30 ft, Fey, varies. Have a Smite attack (with untyped bonuses) that work against a variety of enemies and can be used once per hour. Being Fey protects you from various spells. Races of the Wild pg 92.
Mineral Warrior (template): Bonus to Str and Con, Burrow speed, Natural Armor, Darkvision, DR. +1 LA. The cheapest way to get high DR. Link (www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e). Underdark.
Mountain Spiritfolk: Climb speed, other minor bonuses. The Climb Speed is useful if you want to use Test of Mettle while standing on the roof or some other difficult to reach spot. Unapproachable East pg 72.
Neanderthal: Bonus to Str and Con, other minor bonuses. What Half-Orc’s stats should have been. But they really don't offer anything special for a Knight. Frostburn pg 36.
Necropolitan (template): You lose a level, and gain the undead type. Undead have a huge number of immunities, and are healed by negative energy. This means that friendly casters can dump Uttercold spells right on top of you when you fight enemies at close range, healing you while harming (non-undead) enemies. The down side is that you must be very, very careful when fighting enemies with Turn/Rebuke Undead. Libris Mortis.
Saint (Template): Con, Wis, and Cha bonuses, Fast Healing, DR, Circle of Protection, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Wis bonus to AC, Fire Resistance, Immunity to Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Petrification, and a bunch of other perks. Although the +2 LA is a big investment, the special abilities that this template grants are ridiculous. Book of Exalted Deeds.
Strongheart Halfling: Small size, bonus feat, other minor perks. You trade the Halfling bonus to Saves for a bonus feat, which is a great deal. Also, small races make great mounted builds, as their medium mounts can go anywhere your medium sized party members can go. This is my default choice for any Knight build that doesn't require Powerful Build or flight. Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
White Dragonspawn(template): Bonus Dex, Con, Natural Armor, wings, breath weapon, 1st level Sorcerer casting. Another broken +1 LA template. Dragonlance Campaign Setting.
Feats:
Before you do anything else, decide how you want to stop all of the enemies who will be attacking you once you use Test of Mettle. In most cases, this will be some combo involving Evasive Reflexes, Knock-Back, Knock-Down, or Stand Still, plus a reach weapon (usually a lance or glaive). There are potentially other ways (magic items, Tome of Battle manuevers, etc). But whatever you do, keep in mind that your primary goal is to lock down enemies and defend friends, so that the big guns (casters) can deal with them. So I left off a lot of potential offensive feats (Headlong Rush, Battle Jump, Lightning Maces) that really don’t work well for a Knight. If you want to play an uber charger or other massive damage dealer, look elsewhere.
Like almost all melee builds, Knights are very feat hungry. So if you can use Flaws, do so.
Ability Focus: Although I loath spending a feat on a small discrete bonus, Test of Mettle is just so important that I would consider it. MM pg 303.
Acheron Flurry: You can basically spend your turn to limit one enemy to a single Move or Standard action on his next turn. No To-Hit roll, no Save, it just happens. There are various little mechanical restrictions on this, but it’s a great way to prevent a boss enemy from making a full attack or Summoning while your friends pummel him. Requires Improved Unarmed Strike and 15 Wis and Dex. Planar Handbook pg 37.
Ancestral Relic: Pick one item (usually a weapon). You can sacrifice treasure to improve that item, bypassing the need to sell stuff at the standard 50% mark down. Assuming your DM plays using standard wealth by level and doesn’t short change you because he knows you have this feat, this is a great choice for long running campaigns. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 39.
Arcane Schooling: You’re treated as having one level of one arcane class for the purpose of activating spell trigger items (like Wands). Hello buff spells, good bye UMD! Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 33.
Combat Focus + Combat Vigor + Combat Stability: Bonus to Will Saves, to resist bull rush/trips/grapple/etc, and Fast Healing. A big, but useful investment, PHBII pg 87.
Combat Reflexes: Almost every Knight build will need this or Evasive Reflexes at some point. PHB.
Deformity (Tall): Bonus to your natural reach. Requires Willing Deformity (bonus to Intimidate). Heroes of Horror pg 121.
Dreadful Wrath: Gives you a Frightful Presence. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 38. (Or you can take Frightful Presence, which is very similar feat, from the Draconomicon).
Dragon Trainer: You can use Handle Animal to train dragons. Races of the Dragon pg 98.
Evasive Reflexes: You can take a 5 ft step instead of an AoO. When combined with a reach weapon and anything that generates additional AoO (Hold the Line, Karmic Strike, Robilar’s Gambit, etc) you can often foil most Charges and Full Attacks against you. And using Evasive Reflexes does not burn an AoO, so it’s a good option for Knights with mediocre Dex. Tome of Battle pg 30.
Fearless Destiny: Once per day when you are reduced to -10 or fewer hit points, you are instead reduced to -9 and stable. A lot cheaper then Resurrection. Races of Destiny pg 152.
Force of Personality: Cha replaces Wis for Will Saves against mind affecting effects. This pretty much lets you dump Wis entirely, which is useful for a Knight. But most builds won't need it. Comp Adventurer pg 109.
Goad: Poor man’s Test of Mettle that only works against one enemy. Multi-class Knight builds may want this as a backup plan. Comp Adventurer pg 109.
Hold the Line: Free AoO when your enemy charges you. Works particularly well with Evasive Reflexes. Complete Warrior pg 100.
Improved Toughness: Bonus hit points equal to your hit die. Extra hit points are always useful. But with limited feats and d12 hit die, I think you have better options. Complete Warrior pg 101.
Imperious Command: Drastically improves your ability to Demoralize. Drow of the Underdark pg. 50.
Inhuman Reach: Increases your natural reach. Requires Aberration Blood. Lords of Madness pg 180.
Item Familiar: Can drastically boost one Skill (such as Intimidate), and gains other powers as you gain levels. Unearthed Arcana.
Knockback: Free Bull Rush attempt whenever you hit an enemy with Power Attack. Requires that you be Large or have Powerful Build (Goliath, Half-Giant). Races of Stone pg 142.
Knock-Down: Trip is a popular way to keep your enemies at bay. Requires Improved Trip (which in turn usually requires Combat Expertise). Deities and Demigods (officially updated for 3.5).
Leadership: The most straitforward way of getting a mount that doesn’t die after a few hits. PHB.
Mage Slayer: Casters cannot cast defensively when you threaten them. And thanks to your Bulwark of Defense class ability, if they start your turn within your threatened area, it counts as difficult terrain. So they can't just take a 5 ft step away, essentially locking them into place or forcing them to waste their action to Withdraw. This is a must have feat for any mid-high level Knight. Comp Arcane pg 81.
Magic Device Attunement: Greatly improves your UMD ability. Complete Mage pg 44.
Martial Stance: You gain one Tome of Battle stance. Stances are effectively an all day buff, and there are a ton of useful options. Requires one martial maneuver (a level of a ToB class or the Martial Study feat). Tome of Battle pg. 31.
Martial Study: You gain one Tome of Battle maneuver. Again, there are a ton of excellent options. Tome of Battle pg. 31.
Mercantile Background: You can sell items for much higher then the standard 50%. Like Ancestral Relic, this is very useful for a long campaign, especially if you know your DM sticks to standard wealth by level. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 41.
Nymph’s Kiss: Bonus to Cha checks, Saves, and bonus Skill points. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 44.
Pierce Magical Concealment: Allows you to ignore the miss chance from any spell or spell-like ability. I’ve found that this is pretty much a requirement for any melee build if you want a chance of hitting BBEG at high levels. Combine this feat with any Blink effect to impose a 50% miss chance on your enemies and deny them their Dex bonus, without suffering the 20% miss chance. Requires Mage Slayer and Blind Fight. Complete Arcane pg 81.
Parrying Shield: You add your shield bonus to Touch AC. Lords of Madness pg 181.
Power Attack: The bread and butter of melee bonus damage. PHB.
Pushback: The poor man’s Knockback. Once per round when you hit an enemy of your size or smaller, you can Bull Rush him back 5 feet and move into his space. Miniatures Handbook pg 27.
Rampaging Bull Rush: Any enemy that you successfully Bull Rush is also knocked Prone. Requires Large size or Powerful Build. Obviously works well with Knockback. Races of Stone pg 143.
Reaping Talons: When using TWF with Tiger Claw weapons, you can use Combat Expertise or Fight Defensively or use Total Defense for one round and move no more then 5 ft, and the next round make a full round action to attack everyone who has attacked you (not everyone who hit you, everyone who attacked you) at your full BAB. Although a TWF Knight/Swordsage or Knight/Warblade will have horrible MAD, this can be absolutely devastating to your enemies at low-mid levels, especially when combined with a good status effect like Trip, Daze, or Nauseated. Requires Two Weapon Fighting, +6 BAB, and two Tiger Claw maneuvers. Tome of Battle pg 35.
Robilar’s Gambit: Enemies get a bonus to hit you, but all melee attacks provoke an AoO. PHBII pg 82.
Saddleback: You can use Ride in place of Reflex Saves once per round for you and your mount. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 43.
Sand Snare: Makes it much more difficult for a Tripped enemy to stand up in certain terrain. No Save. Working with someone who has a Bottle of Endless Sand or sand creating spells, this is a great way to lock down enemies. Sandstorm pg 52.
Shield Slam: When you charge an enemy and attack with your Shield, you get a free Trip attack and your enemy must Save or be Dazed for 1 round. A good mid level combo. But unless your DM is generous in how he reads the feat, it can’t be used with Pounce or two handed Power Attack, so it loses it’s usefulness by ECL 11+. Requires Shield Bash and Shield Charge. Complete Warrior pg 105.
Shield Ward: Your shield bonus applies to touch attacks and checks to resist Bull Rush, Disarm, Grapple, Overrun, and Trip attempts. Requires Shield Specialization. PHBII 82.
Shock Trooper: Let’s you shift your Power Attack penalty to AC, and it gives you some very useful Bull Rush maneuvers as well. This feat is pretty much standard for any build with Power Attack. Be warned though – dumping your AC can quickly lead to death, especially for a Knight using Test of Mettle. Complete Warrior pg 112.
Spirit Sense: Let’s you see an interact with spirits of the recently dead. “Sorry that we had to ambush you, but could you tell us your master’s weaknesses?” “Are you kidding me, you just killed me.” “I demand you tell me!” (My Intimidate check is 52.) “Fine, fine. He’s vulnerable to fire.” Heroes of Horror pg 124.
Stand Still: Although it deals no damage, unlike Trip or Bull Rush, this feat is unaffected by size, almost always works, and has few pre-reqs. Remember, enemies cannot Charge through occupied squares, and take penalties if try to squeeze into the same square to fight you. Requires Combat Reflexes. Expanded Psionics Handbook.
Stone Power: You gain temporary hit points each turn in exchange for lowering your To-Hit. Very useful at low-mid levels, especially when combined with DR and/or regular and/or Fast Healing. Requires one Stone Dragon maneuver. Tome of Battle pg 33.
Tomb Tainted Soul: The poor man’s Necropolitan, you are healed by negative energy and harmed by positive. Libris Mortis pg 31.
Tremendous Charge: Use your mount's Str mod instead of your own when making a Charge with a lance. Your lance has to make a Fort Save or it shatters. Potentially useful if you have an uber mount but a small/weak Knight. Dragonlance Campaign Setting)
Vow of Peace: Continuous Calm Emotions aura. A bonus to AC and Diplomacy. And if a creature strikes you with a manufactured weapon, the weapon must make a Fort Save or shatter. And Vow of Nonviolence (prereq) boosts the Save DC of many abilities. The down side is that you have to vow never to harm any living creature, and your party has some strict roleplaying restrictions as well. Never take this feat unless everyone in the party is on board with it. Assuming they are, this is a phenomenal feat for a Knight (Please, don’t hit anyone! Ok, you’ve decided to hit us. I demand you hit me!) or other tank builds that focus solely on aggro, defense, and disabling enemies. Requires Sacred Vow, Vow of Non-Violence. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 48.
Wild Cohort: The next best thing to Leadership for any mounted build. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a).
Multiclassing and Prestige Classes:
The Knight is good at some levels, and not so good at others. Your build should depend on what ECL you are playing at, and how high your campaign will go to.
Max level of campaign: My suggestion.
ECL 1-3: Don’t play a Knight. You’re better off as a Barbarian 1/Fighter 2, Crusader 3, or something else. Just call yourself a knight, and no one will care.
ECL 4: Strait Knight. Test of Mettle is phenomenally useful once you get it, especially at low levels.
ECL 5-11: 4 uses of Test of Mettle per day should get you through most combats, so this is the ECL when you benefit from multi-classing and/or going into a PrC.
ECL 12-19: This can be a difficult ECL range for the Knight. If you multiclass, then your Test of Mettle Save DC will be too low to effect many enemies. And plenty of enemies will be immune to it as well. But with 12-19 Challenges, you can use one almost every turn of combat, drastically improving your effectiveness in combats against some enemies. So my suggestion for this range is to go strait Knight, and focus your feats and magic items on improving your prowess against enemies that are immune to Mind Effecting effects. Alternatively, a multiclass Knight build can partner with a dedicated debuffer, although this tends to be difficult, since many debuff effects have a limited number of targets and/or range.
ECL 20: The only way to get Loyal Beyond Death is Knight 20, so that’s what I suggest if you’re playing to this level.
Ashworm Dragoon: One of the best mounted PrC, you get a poisonous burrowing worm to ride that improves with your levels, unlimited Mount Combat uses per round (essentially preventing melee damage to your mount), Pounce, and the ability to Burrow with your mount. This last ability is particularly important, because enemies can't target you if they don't have line of effect. This gives you great Test of Mettle combo. The only down side is that once your Test of Mettle DC starts being useless, so do your Knight levels. Best ECL: 6-11. Sandstorm.
Blackguard: Cha to Saves, a penalty to your enemies Saves, Sneak Attack (useful because it qualifies you for the Staggering Strike feat), and Rebuke Undead (because it qualifies you for a dozen uber useful Divine feats, like Travel Devotion, Earth Devotion, Divine Shield, etc). But your spells stop scaling at ECL 16, so don’t bother with it if you’re playing above that level. Alternatively, you can use the Paladin of Tyranny to get everything but Sneak Attack and the semi-useful spells. Best ECL: 7-12. DMG.
Bloodlines: Bloodlines count toward all class based calculations, which includes a Knight's Challenge/Test of Mettle uses per day and Saving Throw DC. Bloodlines are a very mixed bag, so whether or not you take any is highly dependent on your ECL and build goals. But it could be worth it, especially when mixed with other classes that have most of their stuff progressed by Bloodlines, such as Bard, Binder, Hellfire Warlock, etc. Unearthed Arcana (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm).
Binder: Although they lack full BAB, a few Binder vestiges have some serious defensive ability. Binders are also ridiculously flexible, in that they can choose new vestiges every morning. But it’s also the most ridiculously complex class. If you and your DM are not intimately familiar with this class, then skip it. Best ECL: 5-8. Tome of Magic.
Crusader: Crusaders can delay damage, heal, attack, and use decent battlefield control. The potential combo’s and builds are too numerous to list in a short blurb, but trust me, they (forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=680285) rock (forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=887398). Best ECL: 5-8. Tome of Battle.
Deepwarden: 2 levels will let any Dwarf get its Con to AC (instead of Dex). If you give up the need to make AoO and find a way to take the Action Before Thought maneuver or 5 levels of Kensai or the Saddleback feat (to deal with your Ref Save), you can reduce your MAD down to Cha/Con/Str. Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=4). Best ECL: 6-8. Races of Stone pg 105.
Fighter: One or two levels for the bonus feat is a respectable choice for a Knight 4. But beyond that, you have many much better options. Best ECL: 5-6. PHB.
Hellreaver: Probably the best self healing tank out there. This PrC gets immunity to Fear, Mettle, and the ability to heal 10/20/30 hit points (depending on your level) to yourself or any Good ally within 10 feet every round of combat as a Swift action pretty much every round of combat (that you’re not using Test of Mettle or some other Immediate/Swift Action). Best ECL: 6-11. Fiendish Codex II.
Hexblade: Cha to Saves vs. Spells and Mettle. But your most powerful class feature is your full BAB Familiar, which is open to all sorts of combos with Share Spells and some wands. And/or you can trade in your Familiar for Dark Companion (PHBII), giving a few enemies a -2 to Saves. Best ECL: 5-8. Complete Warrior.
Kensai: A 10th level Kensai can get two (or more) magic weapons for a very reasonable xp cost. That by itself is pretty powerful, and frees up a ton of cash that you can invest in various defensive magic items. In addition, you get the ability to replace Ref Saves with Concentration checks (ridiculously easy to boost via magic items), and a bonus to Str. He can also gets a nifty boosts to several Skills, including Intimidate. Finally, a Kensai can transfer some or all of his BAB and/or Saves to a willing ally. Plenty of combos here. Best ECL: 6-10. Complete Warrior pg 52.
Marshal: A one level dip into Marshal will give you and your friends your Cha bonus to Str checks, which will work wonders on your Trip or Bull Rush attempts. Alternatively (or in addition) you could gain your Cha bonus to Dex Skills/checks (Ranger 1/Marshal 1/Knight 4 could be a sold Special Forces leader) and/or Cha checks (making your Diplomacy/Intimidate checks uber). Best ECL: 1-5. Miniatures Handbook.
Paladin: Basically all of the benefits of being a Blackguard except for Sneak Attack. Also, take a look at the Wary Swordknight Substitution level from Champions of Valor, which allows a Halfling Paladin to be treated as one size larger when its advantageous to them (Bull Rush, Trip, Grapple, etc). Best ECL: 1-8. PHB.
Tactical Soldier: Like the Fighter, the Tactical Soldier is a good 2 level dip. It essentially gives you Adaptable Flanker and Sidestep, which would normally cost 5 feats to get if you got them via other means. Best ECL: 6-8. Miniatures Handbook pg 22.
Totemist: Yet another good dip class. Soulmelds can do all sorts of nifty things, and the Totemist Save DC's are Con based. You also pick up Wild Empathy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16002049#post16002049), which is useful for a Cha based class like the Knight, and easy to boost with 1 level of Marshal. Best ECL: 1-6. Magic of Incarnum.
Warblade: Although not as great as the Crusader at tanking, the Warblade has some amazingly useful Counters. Best ECL: 5-8. Tome of Battle.
Warchanter: Full BAB, Bardic music, and other nifty Bardic music abilities. Bardic music can fuel all sorts of potent feats, such as Doomspeak and Snowflake Wardance. This is a particularly good choice if your party includes a dedicated summoner, like a Druid or Malconvoker. Best ECL: 6-15. Complete Warrior pg 87.
Skills
Although tanks don’t get many Skills, they do get some. Skills are ridiculously easy to boost, so be sure to pick a few that are useful to you to use to your advantage.
Handle Animal: The splat books are littered with mounts that you can purchase or find on a side quest and train, without needing a Special Mount or Animal Companion class feature. Anything listed as an animal (such as dinosaurs) plus many magical beasts (griffin, pegasus, rust monster, etc) can make excellent mounts.
Intimidate: Learn to optimize your ability to Demoralize (forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-911167). It synergizes very well with Daunting Challenge and Frightful Presence. It gives you something to do when you can’t attack an enemy. And it’s ridiculously effective in some circumstances.
Ride: For any mounted Knight, this is a very important Skill to boost, because it can replace the AC of your mount once per round (Mounted Combat). It can also replace your Reflex Save with the Saddleback feat.
Speak Language: For 2 Skill Points you can take Battle Signals (essentially Special Forces sign language) to communicate silently with anyone else who knows Battle Signals. Have everyone in the party take it, and it can be very handy for setting up ambushes or communicating in dungeons without giving yourself away. Heroes of Battle pg 95.
Tumble: If you're not mounted or flying, you're going to want to put a few ranks into this, and buy a Skill boosting item. At some point you're going to be surrounded, and you're going to want a way out. Keep in mind that Armor Mastery for medium armor kicks in at 4th level, so you can use Tumble without penalty while wearing Mithral heavy armor.
Use Magic Device: As a Cha based class, this is actually a respectable cross-class investment for you. All you need to do is hit DC 20 reliably. This is an especially good choice for non-mounted Knights, who don’t care about Handle Animal or Ride. Also, remember that if you have a single level of a class, you can use any spell trigger item for that class, even if you’re not high enough level to cast it yourself. For example, a Ranger 1/Knight X can get Pounce (www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5884385) whenever he needs it by putting a Wand of Lion's Charge (Spell Compendium) into a lance with a Wand Chamber (Dungeonscape).
Equipment:
General Notes:
Some of the equipment listed has been updated (and nerfed) in the Magic Item Compendium. (Which I haven’t indexed here yet, because I really don’t use it very often, since I have access to pretty much every other splat book). Check with your DM to see which version he is using.
As with Feats, you should remember that your primary goal is defense and control, not offense. This actually works to your advantage, since the most expensive piece of equipment for any meat shield tends to be their weapon. If you don't worry about devoting a lot of gp to that, you have a lot more money for high AC, Saves, and special tricks.
Armor/Defense:
Animated Shield: In most cases, you will want to enchant your shield with this ASAP so that you can use your weapon two handed. DMG.
Empyreal armor or shield enhancement: You can transfer your enhancement bonus to AC to be a sacred bonus to Saves. Although adding this to a +5 shield to get a bonus to your Saves would be twice as expensive as a Cloak of Resistance, it’s noteworthy in that the bonuses stack. A good high ECL choice. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 112.
Gemstone of Heavy Fortification: Very useful. Draconomicon
Ghost Shroud: Deflection bonus to AC, and all of your attacks have the Ghost Touch property. Libris Mortis pg 76.
Hideous Armor: Competence bonus to Intimidate. Champions of Ruin pg. 40.
Mechanus Gear: Probably the best mundane heavy armor in the game. Manual of the Planes pg 69.
Retributive Amulet: Probably one of the most powerful defensive items out there. Every time you take melee damage, that damage is split between you and the attacker. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 116.
Shield of the Severed Hand: Once per round grants you a Free Bull Rush whenever an enemy attacks you and misses. Requires True Believer feat and 7 HD. Complete Divine pg 102 or Magic Item Compendium.
Shadowy Diadem: Concealment and immunity to energy drain limited times per day. Cheap. Dragon Magic pg 103.
Shadow Veil: Deflection bonus to AC and limited concealment. Libris Mortis pg 76.
Spellguard Rings: Allows you to ignore the spells cast by an ally. For example, they could lob a Fireball at a group of enemies even though you’re standing in the middle of them without effecting you. Complete Mage pg 127.
Tabard of Valor: When reduced to 50% hit points or less, you gain Mettle. If you already have Mettle, you gain Improved Mettle (which works just like Improved Evasion, but for Will and Fort Saves). A must have for any Knight/Hexblade or Knight/Hellreaver. Complete Champion pg 142.
Wakeful Mind construct graft: You gain immunity to Sleep and Stun effects, and no longer need to sleep. Mostly useful to prevent ambushes in the middle of the night, and I also like the fluff value. Faiths of Eberron pg 158.
Weapons/Offense:
Akkabar’s Battleblade Ring: Blade Barrier once per day. Blade Barrier rocks. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 122.
Aurorum: Destroyed weapons made of this material can be re-formed as a full round action, restoring them to their previous state. Only a truly spiteful DM would Sunder your magical weapon. But if he does, this is your protection. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 38.
Armbands of Might: Unnamed bonus to Str checks, Skills, and damage when you use Power Attack. Comp Adventurer pg 132.
Banishing weapon enhancement: Extraplanar creatures must Save or be sent back to their home plane. Pretty much an auto win button against summoned enemies, demons, devils, elementals, and many others. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 113.
Bodyfeeder weapon enhancement: Any time you crit, you gain temporary hit points. The problem is that there aren't any high crit reach weapons out there. But this is still a good choice for certain builds. Link (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Bodyfeeder). Expanded Psionics Handbook
Exit Wound: If you hit an enemy with a ranged weapon, it also effects the enemy behind him, and potentially the enemy behind him, and so on. A great enchantment to put on your backup bow or shield (if it also has Throwing and Returning), as its absolutely devastating if you have a conga line of bad guys lined up to attack you in a dungeon. Complete Warrior pg 134.
Explosive: Whenever you hit with this weapon, everyone within 5 ft of your target (including the target, and potentially you) takes additional damage. I’ve found that this enhancement is very useful against groups of weak enemies. Just be sure to use a reach weapon, especially at low levels. Complete Warrior pg 134.
Frightful Crest draconic graft: Gives you a potent Frightful Presence. Races of the Dragon pg 128.
Glove of Taarnahm the Vigilant: Any weapon you wield is given Throwing and Returning. Helpful if you kill off an enemy as part of your full attack routine, can’t reach any other enemy, and have a left over attack that you don’t want to waste. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 123.
Merciful: Extra 1d6 damage, and deal non-lethal damage without penalty. Useful for when you want to attack someone who is helpless. Link (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Merciful_(SRD_Weapon_Enhancement)). DMG.
Mohrg’s Tongue undead graft: Gives you a secondary touch attack that Paralyzes enemies. Libris Mortis pg 80.
Nychyaella’s Healing Spear: Vampiric Touch three time per day. Player’s Guide to Faerun pg 121.
Paralyzing weapon enhancement: Any creature hit must Save or be paralyzed. They get a new save every round. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 113.
Pandemonic Silver: Counts as alchemical Silver. And when you draw a weapon made of this material, everyone within a certain radius must Save or Cower. Now here’s the weird part - the Save DC is based on the speed of wind in the air. It’s bizarre, I know. But if you can get hurricane strength wind (through Control Weather, or an Air Elemental and a nice DM or whatnot) then the Save is very impressive. Complete Warrior pg 136.
Poison Fangs yuan-ti graft: Adds a strong poison to any existing bite attack. Serpent Kingdoms pg 154.
Riding Boots: Unnamed bonus to Ride, and if you have Spirited Charge you further multiply your damage when you Charge. DMGII pg 270.
Roaring weapon enhancement: Evil creatures must Save or be Shaken. Book of Exalted Deeds pg 113.
Scourge of Fangs: Scourge that turns into snakes. You can make 5 attacks when you make a full attack, and it has a debuff effect. Serpent Kingdoms pg 152.
Shadow Striking weapon enhancement: After one hit, your weapon will automatically bypass any alignment or material base DR. Tome of Magic pg 155.
Spell Storing weapon enhancement: Have a caster from your party put their best debuff effect into this for you. DMG.
Splitting: Arrows or bolts with this enchantment split in mid air, doubling your attacks. Champions of Ruin pg 42.
Star Metal: Weapons made of this material count as adamantine for all purposes (bypassing DR, hardness, Sundering, etc) and deals extra damage to extraplanar creatures (which includes all Summoned creatures). If you use Sunder for some reason (a Knight/Blackguard) this is a good choice for your weapon. Comp Arcane pg 141.
Subjugating weapon enhancement: Enemy must Save or be Shaken. Heroes of Battle pg 130.
Sudden Stunning: Enemy must Save or be Stunned for multiple rounds. Useable Cha bonus times per day. Very cheap. Magic Item Compendium.
Torturous: On a successful hit, target must make Fort save or Stunned for 1 round. The Save DC is piss poor and plenty of enemies are immune to Stun, but it's cheap and effective against mooks. (Ghostwalk p. 64)
Vampiric weapon enhancement: Each hit heals a small amount of damage. Unapproachable East pg 54.
Valorous weapon enhancement: Double damage on a charge. Unapproachable East pg 54.
Healing:
I won’t give a full rundown here, because someone else already did a better job (forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=900334). But you’re going to be taking a lot of damage, so learn how to heal yourself effectively, and make sure other party members can heal as well.
Misc:
Amber Amulet of Vermin Summon a flying mount once per day. 800 gp. Magic Item Compendium p 68.
Amulet of Aberrant Empathy: You can use a Handle Animal check in place of a Diplomacy check to influence the attitude of aberrations with low Int. Cheap. Comp Adventurer pg 132.
Amulet of Fearsome Might: Increases the area and Save DC of your Frightful Presence. Dragon Magic pg 93.
Banner of Law: All day Protection from Law 30 ft. Can be made for Protection from Evil, Good, etc. Remember, Protection from Whatever prevents mind control and prevents summoned enemies from attacking you. Heroes of Battle pg 133.
Cloak of the Dragon: Wings and a breath weapon once per day for a limited duration. Bargain price. Complete Champion pg 138.
Cloak of Mysterious Emergence: Dimension Door limited times per day. Dragon Magic pg 93.
Effigy Creatures: Construct animals that do whatever you tell them to do. Although they tend not to have a lot of hit points (Constructs have no Con score) they have a ton of immunities, DR, and they’re relatively cheap. Just make sure someone in your party has access to Repair spells (or buy them a Wand). Complete Arcane pg 152.
Everlasting Rations: Enough food to feed 1 person for a day, every day. Heroes of Battle pg 131.
Feather Fall Talisman: Gives you Feather Fall, once. Keep one per adventure, and you should be fine. Sharn City of Towers pg 170.
Figurine of Wondrous Power, Gold Beetle or Ivory Camel. Good as mounts if you don't want to be bothered with Handle Animal. Sandstorm p. 133.
Fiendring: Once per day you can turn into any fiendish creature, devil, or demon that can be summoned via Summon Monster I through IV. Unlike Polymorph, you gain all of their special abilities (DR, SR, etc). Lost Empires of Faerun pg 152.
Five Virtues: A Knight oriented collection of magic items. If you have all five, you get a very minor bonus to Will and adjacent allies AC. Magic Item Compendium pg 195-197.
Armband of Confrontation: Fighting Challenge lasts extra rounds.
Crystal of Alacrity: Minor bonus to your land speed.
Medal of Steadfast Honor. Spend Knight's Challenges to stand up as a free action.
Shield of Vigor. Spend Knight's Challenges to gain Fast Healing 5 for 3 rounds. Very useful at low levels.
Standard of Valor. Spend Knight's Challenge to allow any ally to reroll a failed Fear save.
Glove of the Master Strategist. Gloves of Storing plus True Strike once per day for a reasonable price. Ghostwalk p. 71.
Iyaringu of the Earth Dragon: Negates difficult terrain. Dragon Magic pg 102.
Kimono of Storing: Essentially two Gloves of Storing. Very useful for swapping out your lance or another melee weapon on the fly. Oriental Adventures p. 140.
Masterwork Tools: A cheap way to add +2 to any Skill check. Theoretically this works for any Skill. PHB.
Mighty Arms construct graft: You gain a slam attack as per a construct of your size. Natural attacks can be used as secondary attacks (at a -5) and count for Power Attack and Weapon Finesse. Ridiculously cheap. Faiths of Eberron pg 158.
Night Caller: You can blow this whistle over any grave to turn a corpse into a zombie that serves you loyally until destroyed. After you kill a powerful enemy, bury him and then make him serve you. Libris Mortis pg 79.
Noble Pennon. Slightly increases your Knight's Challenge DC and Smite Evil damage, and you can spend renewable charges to improve your Will or Fort Save. Also, it doesn't take up any item slot. Magic Item Compendium pg 166
Pendant of Dragon Empathy: You can use a Handle Animal check in place of a Diplomacy check to influence the attitude of dragons with low Int. Cheap. Comp Adventurer pg 134.
Slippers of Battledancing: Various bonuses, and if you have some ranks in Perform (dance) you can use your Cha instead of Str or Dex as your bonus to attack with one handed or light weapons. DMGII pg 272.
Surcoat of Valor. Slightly increases your Knight's Challenge DC (and usually duration). Every point of DC helps, but you'll probably fill your torso magic item slot with something much better later in your career. Magic Item Compendium pg 139.
Wand Bracer: Holds multiple wands, and you can draw any one as a Swift Action. Dungeonscape pg 33.
Wand Chamber: Puts a single wand inside a weapon or shield. As long as you’re holding it, you count as holding the wand. Dungeonscape pg 34.