The Raven Knight [ToB Prestige Class]

[ZeroNumerous]

Raven Knight

Hit Dice: d10

Skills: 4+INT; Concentration, Bluff, Craft, Intimidate, Knowledge (Nobility), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Engineering), Diplomacy, Martial Lore, Listen, Search, Sense Motive, Spot.

{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Maneuvers Known | Maneuvers Ready | Stance | Special
1 | 1 | +0 | +2 | +2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Oath, Courageous Resolve 1/day, Leadership
2 | 2 | +0 | +3 | +3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | White Raven Recover 1/day
3 | 3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Skill Focus(Diplomacy), Courageous Resolve 2/day
4 | 4 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | White Raven Recover 2/day
5 | 5 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Great Commander Stance, White Raven Mastery, Courageous Resolve 3/day
[/table]

Entry Requirements:
-Alignment: Any lawful.
-Skills: Diplomacy 10 ranks, Sense Motive 5 ranks, Knowledge (Nobility) 10 ranks.
-Feats: White Raven Defense, Clarion Commander.
-Maneuvers: At least four White Raven maneuvers.
-Special: Must have been to the Temple of the Raven and sworn an Oath to uphold the tenets of Knighthood upon the Blade of the Last Citadel.

Background
There are stories of many elite masters of the Sublime Way. From Bloodclaw Masters to Eternal Blades. The Deepstone Sentinels and Bloodstorm Blades. Even the vaunted Masters of Nine. But these 'masters' stand alone, unaided and unburdened by comrades. There is one master of the Sublime Way that stands surrounded by his comrades, for they are his strength. This master, the Raven Knight, is a master of war as well as a master of personal battle.

When the Temple of the Nine Swords was broken from within, the Raven Lord fled the temple with the Blade of the Last Citadel clutched to his chest. The Raven Lord fled deep into the mountains, reforming a school of the Sublime Way to rebuild the Temple of Nine. The Temple of the Raven, as it came to be called, drew soldiers from all across the land to proof their worth before the Raven Lord. Those who drew his favor became the first of his Raven Knights.

Raven Oath
The Oath of the Raven establishes the core tenet of Knighthood. The oath only takes hold when sworn upon the White Raven sword, the Blade of the Last Citadel. Without that, the Oath is no more or less than words spoken by the taker. When sworn upon the Blade, the oath binds the taker but brings the courage of the Knight to whole new levels.
A Raven Knight Cannot:

Leave a comrade to stand alone
Allow a comrade to die without attempting to assist him/her to the best of the Knight's ability
Slay a foe who has surrendered without due reason
Attack a fellow Raven Knight

A Raven Knight who has broken her oath or suffered a radical alignment immediately loses access to all of these class abilities and cannot take further levels in Raven Knight without an atonement spell.

Courageous Resolve
Starting at first level, the Raven Knight can make a small utterance of her oath to increase her strength and conviction for a short while. The Raven Knight enters a state of unbridled courage, gaining a +4 Bonus on her Strength and Constitution scores as well as a number of temporary hit points equal to her Charisma score times two. The Knight's Courageous Resolve lasts for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier plus her class level.

At the end of his resolve, the Raven Knight is fatigued for a number of rounds equal to the number of rounds she spent in resolve. This ability cannot be voluntarily ended and cannot be used when fatigued, exhausted, unconscious, or when the Raven Knight cannot speak. This ability is otherwise activated as a move action. You gain an extra use of this ability at third and fifth level.

Leadership
The Raven Knight's raw charismatic power and magnetic personality draws loyal followers to her side. The Raven Knight gains this feat as a bonus feat.

White Raven Recovery
At second level, the Raven Knight gains the ability to call upon her knowledge of the Sublime Way and her own courage. The Raven Knight immediately makes a Diplomacy check at a difficulty of twenty-five. Should the Raven Knight succeeds, her voice and conviction inspires all her comrades in thirty-feet. All allies (excluding the Raven Knight) within thirty feet who can hear and see the Raven Knight immediately recovers her expended maneuvers. The Raven Knight gains another use of this ability at fourth level.

Skill Focus (Diplomacy)
Through her understanding and deep connections of her comrades, the Raven Knight gains this feat as a bonus feat.

Great Commander Stance
Having honed her ability to lead others in combat, the Raven Knight opens new levels of power in her stance and posture. Upon entering any White Raven stance, she may willingly forego the normal effects of the stance and instead gain the effects of this ability.

All allies (excluding the Raven Knight) within thirty feet of the Raven Knight when she is in Great Commander Stance gains a morale bonus equal to the Raven Knight's class level to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves. This effect remains as long as the Raven Knight is conscious, standing, and her allies are within hearing and vision range. As long as the Raven Knight maintains this stance, her companions are immune to fear-effects from any creature with fewer hit dice than the Raven Knight.

White Raven Mastery
As the Raven Knight finally attains full understanding of the White Raven path, her connection with her comrades in arms has grown to a point of being unbreakable. The Raven Knight can, as a move action, give one ally within thirty feet (excluding herself) a morale bonus on any one skill check, attack roll, or save equal to the Raven Knight's diplomacy ranks divided by 2.

Once this ability is activated, you expend one maneuver, just as if you had initiated it, without gaining any of it's benefits. This ability will not work if the Raven Knight's comrades cannot see or hear her.

[ZeroNumerous]

Questions? Comments? Cries of Anguish?

[Korias]

It seems balanced, but the save progression seems weird. +2, +3, +2, +4, +4 For Fortitude?

Never seen that one before

[ZeroNumerous]

It seems balanced, but the save progression seems weird. +2, +3, +2, +4, +4 For Fortitude?

Never seen that one before

Huh? Did I screw up the table code or something? I see +0/+0/+1/+1/+1 for Fortitude through all five levels..

[Winged One]

Well, maybe Leadership should be a prerequisite instead of a bonus feat? Just a thought.

[ZeroNumerous]

I had thought of that, but the requirements already force you to wait until 8th level before you can take a level in this class. Though it does fit that Leadership would be a prereq in terms of flavor.

[Kioran]

The Boni to attacks, Saves and Damage are massive. Up to +10? That hammers one of the primary class Features of the Bard straight into the ground.
And half the Diplo Bonus can easily be as much as +15, if not more.

I don´t sense any kind of Balancing here. I´d halve the bonus to all the allies within 30ft. and the other bonus as well. Damage roll +10.........*shakes head*

F****** ToB

[ZeroNumerous]

On the bonuses of saves, attack, and damage being +10, I have no idea what you're talking about. Even at 5th level, a Raven Knight still only gives a +5, and only while in a stance from which you gain no benefit, burning away one of the primary abilities of being a ToB class.

As for the bonus: Yes, it's intended to be powerful. Because it gives up a maneuver to give an ally a boost. On all the rolls that matter. Attacks, saves, caster level checks, and skills. It specifically leaves out damage, because that makes no sense. You don't cause more damage because you got a pep-talk. Either way, I'm going to change that over to a move action.

Next time before you go Knee-jerk-ohmygod-ToB-overpowered, I would suggest actually reading the class.

[Kioran]

Great Commander Stance
Having honed her ability to lead others in combat, the Raven Knight opens new levels of power in her stance and posture. Upon entering any White Raven stance, she may willingly forego the normal effects of the stance and instead gain the effects of this ability.

All allies within thirty feet of the Raven Knight when she is in Great Commander Stance gains a morale bonus equal to the Raven Knight's class level to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves. This effect remains as long as the Raven Knight is conscious, standing, and her allies are within hearing and vision range. As long as the Raven Knight maintains this stance, her companions are immune to fear-effects from any creature with fewer hit dice than the Raven Knight.

White Raven Mastery
As the Raven Knight finally attains full understanding of the White Raven path, her connection with her comrades in arms has grown to a point of being unbreakable. The Raven Knight can, as a move action, give one ally within thirty feet (excluding herself) a morale bonus on any one skill check, attack roll, save, or caster level check equal to the Raven Knight's diplomacy check divided by 2.

Once this ability is activated, you expend one maneuver, just as if you had initiated it, without gaining any of it's benefits. This ability will not work if the Raven Knight's comrades cannot see or hear her.

Please note that I am talking about the "Great Commander Stance", which explicitly states that it boosts both attack and damage rolls - which turns even the lowliest hireling into a serious, if fragile, threat for even lvl 15 PCs as soon as you hit higher levels. And I don´t care if you yourself don´t profit from that - +10 turns entire battles, more than a Bards music, which, by the way, doesn´t help the bard himself all that much in the first place.

And the White Raven mastery: well, take a lvl 17 Char with 7 lvls in whatever and 10 in this class: he´ll have a whopping +26 to his diplomacy if you think conservatively (20 ranks + Focus + Charisma 3), easily 30 If you enhance a bit (20 Ranks + 3 Focus + 2 negotiator + 5 Charisma). And let´s not forget Skill synergy.......
So that´s a +15 Bonus to whatever check this ally attempts next. I admit, this one does not give boni on ability check or damage roll, which is good. it does, however, almost guarantee success on such a thing as dispelling or lockpicking or whatever. It´s not all that useful in Combat(unlike great commander), but violently powerful out of it........

I´d hardly call this a kneejerk reaction.........

Oh, and though my hatred for ToB might initially have been irrational, I easily and continously find fuel for the fire and almost no redeeming qualities.

[ZeroNumerous]

This class can't be taken to ten. It's a five-level class. Honestly, please read it before making baseless conjecture. Honestly, the only time you'd have all 5 levels of this class will be in a ECL 13 character. By then, wizards are getting very powerful, the cleric has replaced the fighter, and theres no one to help in combat.

Besides that, comparing it to the Bard(who can do much better things and has minor casting ability) is kind of pointless. The bard can easily do something more worthwhile than Inspire Competence. If the Raven Knight is using Great Commander's Stance, he's stuck in that stance until he uses a swift action to change it.

As for White Raven Mastery, yes it's powerful out of combat. But out of combat, you can just take 10. There you go, you've got the exact same result. The only time it would help would be caster level checks to dispel, and honestly it doesn't make much sense that the Raven Knight can even do that..

And yes, it is a knee-jerk reaction. You're attacking features of the class without reading the full class.

[Korias]

Huh? Did I screw up the table code or something? I see +0/+0/+1/+1/+1 for Fortitude through all five levels..

Whoops. Stupid Monitor.
I meant to say Will. But still That is a very strange progression.

[Kioran]

This class can't be taken to ten. It's a five-level class. Honestly, please read it before making baseless conjecture. Honestly, the only time you'd have all 5 levels of this class will be in a ECL 13 character. By then, wizards are getting very powerful, the cleric has replaced the fighter, and theres no one to help in combat.

Besides that, comparing it to the Bard(who can do much better things and has minor casting ability) is kind of pointless. The bard can easily do something more worthwhile than Inspire Competence. If the Raven Knight is using Great Commander's Stance, he's stuck in that stance until he uses a swift action to change it.

As for White Raven Mastery, yes it's powerful out of combat. But out of combat, you can just take 10. There you go, you've got the exact same result. The only time it would help would be caster level checks to dispel, and honestly it doesn't make much sense that the Raven Knight can even do that..

And yes, it is a knee-jerk reaction. You're attacking features of the class without reading the full class.

Still +5 is enourmous - you pay 50.000 Gold for it if you want it (albeit permanently) on a weapon. This turns Battles, too easily. And it is way more powerful than "Inspire compentence" while you still retain relative Fighting Prowess. It also eliminates the point of DR, since every commoner can nor hurt due to some Knight watching over their shoulder.

As For taking 10. ARGGHHHLL!

Of course you can take ten, but if the Raven Knight is looking over your shoulder, gimpy McSuck the paraplegic commoner can do a s***load of tasks he can attempt untrained taking 10 because he gets at least a friggin +10 Bonus. A normal NPC with 3 skill ranks and a +1 Ability Bonus can almost take 10 on a DC 25 check. That´s before you enter the reeeeeaaallly broken Diplo-twinks. oh, and did I mention that almost anyone cam jump over other peoples heads (DC 28 for 7 ft.) because your Knight is watching?

Seriously, this is insane. Twink this one out on diplomacy(say, a +50 Bonus, which is entirely possible), and even a Barbarian with only 1 rank in all Skill (cross-class, so what?) can do almost all skill-actions rushed while having good chances of success.

This classes hammers the Bard or even Rouges into submission by making their specialties available to everyone while you character is watching......apart from providing auto-success for single actions in combat(true-strike-style), though it would be a crying shame to waste a maneuver for that one unless it´s important

knee-jerk or not, this is seriously abusable.

[ZeroNumerous]

On the Will Save: It's listed as 2/3/3/4/4, unless theres something wrong with my screen. It's the same as any good save progression.

As for your problems:

1. DR has always been useless unless it's in the -very- high numbers. At low levels, it matters, at the levels where this class would have these abilities it matters so little that everyone has a chance to ignore it. DR has never scaled well.

2. I've change the second ability to work off ranks, rather than the actual check.