CowardlyPaladin
2017-02-01, 12:46 AM
I have a long standing desire to rewrite the various "Paladin Knockoff classes" so they can have their own identity, and above all is the Knight. I really like its mechanics because it is a really mechanically distinct class, but because fluff wise it is just "Discount Paladin" it doesn't really get the love it deserves. So this is an FAQ for what the Knight is, what being a Knight Means, and how a Knight is meant to act. Bear in mind that Sir Alojzija is an in universe character, so she has a lot if in universe opinions and bias to bear in mind, so without further ado, the Knight FAQ
This is a sequel to Paladin FAQ (http://dicecast.tumblr.com/post/146716524494/the-paladin-faq), and yet again, I didn't write this, this was written by my friend
Come one, come all, and hear the tale of Sir Alojzija, Knight of the Willow Tree. Gulnaz of the Last Notes, the popular inventor of the double-dragon couplet, will sing the merry tales of their adventures. Afterward, Sir Alojzija herself will answer the questions of hopeful young knights.
Refreshments provided.
Q: Can I use poison?
No.
Q: Can I backstab?
No.
Q: Can knights flank?
No.
Q: You mean I have to fight every enemy one-on-one? My buddies can’t help me out?
There’s nothing wrong with jolly cooperation, but it has to be done honorably, where the enemy can see both of you. Flanking is a dirty trick.
Q: Can we retreat?
Only if everyone else has retreated first.
Q: Well if it’s a duel, then I’m the only one to retreat, so…
You can’t retreat from a duel!
Q: What makes you different from a paladin?
Paladins view all combat as a war. We view it as a game.
Q: A game? Isn’t that a little awful?
Games have rules. If you break the rules, you have to go sit on the sidelines. If you follow them, then afterwards, you can shake hands with your opponent and admire their skill. War has no rules.
Paladins and knights both have a code, but a code isn’t a goal--it’s a way of reaching for a goal. And our goals are very different. Paladins want to make the world a better place. They seek good at any cost. That means, even though they’re technically “lawful,” they’re willing to use dishonorable, dirty tricks, as long as they defeat their opponent.
Knights will never dishonor themselves. To us, the way we do combat is far more important than if we win or lose.
Q: So you don’t want to improve the world?
I think if everyone approached life with honor, and viewed even their enemies with respect, the world would be improved.
Q: Demons and devils can’t do that, though.
I’m always hearing about the evil of demons, or devils, daimon, demodans, gehelleths, or fiends. But the greatest evil I have seen is the evil of mortals, who see other mortals as devils.
Paladins do important work, but they have a cruel mindset. They can’t do anything to change humanity.
Q: Have you ever adventured with a paladin?
Once. She seemed a pleasant enough companion, if a little overzealous. But when I was engaged in single combat with a devil, and my chances looked grim, she leapt in from behind and backstabbed it. Needless to say, we went our separate ways.
Q: Did she fall?
Of course not. She was fighting evil, and staying true to her code. But her code was grim, and harsh.
Q: How can you be mad? She saved your life!
My honor is worth much more than my life. Without honor, we are all animals, tearing each other into pieces.
Q: So if I’m dishonored, am I going to be expected to kill myself?
What? No. That’s samurai.
Q: So how do I regain my honor?
Finding the Avatar would be a good start.
Q: ...are you serious?
Well, Fire Lord Zuko was certainly not a knight, but his story has a lot of resonance for us. His quest to bring back the Avatar really was a redemptive quest. The point wasn’t really to find the Avatar at all. It was to learn about himself. The Avatar was only a grail.
When a knight wishes to regain her honor, she must undertake a similar redemptive quest, or perform a great act of chivalry. The goal, or the act, matters little. What matters is how it changes you.
Q: But what about Phoenix King Azula’s famous quote, that you make your own honor?
She would say that, since she has none. From birth, Phoenix King Azula was willing to cheat, and lie, and use whatever means she could to achieve her goals. People like her are the reason wars happen. She was no true monarch, while Zuko became one.
Q: I’m sorry, who the hell is Phoenix King Azula?
Oh, she’s talked about in the Last Airbender Saga, historical chronicles from one of the islands of time. Most bards know the story. I’ve always liked how it’s about the redemptive quest. And Azula is a good villain, personifying the darkness of humanity.
Q: Wait, wasn’t some other guy the main villain? A spirit or something?
I don’t know, I’ve never heard that version.
Q: Will you guys stop geeking out about island of time sagas and get back to explaining knights?
Sorry. I travel with a bard, so I hear a lot of tales. And to be fair, knights love stories, too. What is it to be a knight, if not to try to make your life into a story?
Q: You keep saying paladins think of everything as a war, or they fight too much, but knights fight too. That’s a contradiction.
As I said, we fight as a game. As people play chess, or run marathons. We strive. We test our mettle. We hunt our Questing Beasts for the same reason. Without something to strive for, life would not be worth living.
Q: What’s a Questing Beast?
No one knows exactly what they are. Perhaps there is only one Questing Beast, or perhaps their is one for every knight--or something in between. They are strange beasts that knights chase, never to catch them. (The paladin I traveled with thought this was a complete waste of time, because, I quote, “We’re not saving anyone and we’re not fighting evil--what’s the point?” Paladins live life completely without wonder.)
Q: Okay, but...what is the point?
Oh, well if you’re on a Quest and you get stuck, the Questing Beast will give you a clue about what to do next, if you can catch it.
Q: What exactly is a Quest? Isn’t that what all adventurers do?
No, they have quests, lower case. Knights have Quests.
Q: So you just have to track the Questing Beast?
Well that, and there will be a few encounters along the way so you can prove your strength. Then you can catch the Questing Beast!
Q: And then what, you kill it?
Of course not. Don’t be absurd. You capture it, discover something about your Quest, then let it go. It would be barbaric to kill a Questing Beast.
Q: Are samurai just knights with a different armor set?
Oh no, there are some knights who use katanas and o-yoroi. And there are some samurai who use an arming sword and metal armor. It can get confusing, though, because sometimes knights do call themselves samurai, because they come from a samurai family; and the opposite is true as well. And a titled samurai or knight might be neither! The title is cultural, but what truly defines a knight--or a samurai--is universal.
Q: So how can I tell them apart?
By their spirit.
Q: I don’t know detect evil…
Not their alignment, their spirit. Samurai and knights both strive to improve themselves by holding themselves to a higher ideal. But samurai are loyal to a lord. Their honor comes from following their master absolutely, even to death. Knights seek something higher, less tangible.
Q: You don’t have to swear loyalty to a lord or king?
Not at all. Knightly orders usually have a leader, but he is not above them. The knights of the round table are one example--Arthur may have been a king, but they sat at the table as equal.
Q: King Arthur didn’t really exist, did he?
Of course he exists. He is what we can try to be.
Q: But in, like, a physical sense.
The physical is only a vessel to hold an idea. There are hundreds of knights of the round table. Who the first ones were is irrelevant.
Q: Oookay then. So, say there’s a knight born into the samurai class, who calls herself a samurai, because there aren’t any knights there. Doesn’t that mean there are no knight orders for her to join?
Quite possibly.
Q: But then how can she be a knight?
She could found a new order, and gather together like minded people. Or she could go on a quest to find an order. But you don’t need to be in an order to be a knight.
Q: Doesn’t that make you a black knight?
No. Black knights are not allowed in any knightly orders, but not all knights without orders are black knights.
Q: What defines a black knight then? Is it just a cool getup?
They have killed their Questing Beast.
Q: What about flanking and stuff? Do you fall if you’re not chivalrous enough?
Knights don’t fall. If you lose your honor, you may have to regain it, but you will never stop being a knight as long as you wish to. Even black knights are still knights.
Q: What makes killing a Questing Beast so much more important than cheating in combat, or acting disrespectful? Why is that the one thing that makes you fall?
Knights don’t fall.
Q: Okay, but…
The Questing Beast is a symbol of the Quest. It is what we strive for, but never truly find. It is the wonder in the world. The things left to discover. A black knight has sullied that with blood. Where there was the spirit of adventure, they have brought death and war.
Q: Do you get anything for killing a Questing Beast?
What you always get from killing. XP and money.
Q: That...doesn’t seem worth it.
It’s not.
Q: Wait, hang on. What if a knight stops being lawful? They become neutral or chaotic? You can’t be a knight and not be lawful.
That’s true. Someone who ceases to be lawful wouldn’t be a knight anymore.
Q: So you can fall!
No. There’s no dramatic moment of failure, like there is with a paladin. No one act can stop you from being a knight. No act can stop you at all. If you wish to be a knight, if you strive to be one, then you are one. If you cease to be lawful, how can you say you wish to live by a code of chivalry? You don’t wish to live by any code at all. That’s what it means to stop being lawful, doesn’t it?
Q: Okay, but what if I want to seek redemption? You know, be lawful again?
I can’t imagine how your alignment could have shifted so thoroughly and you could immediately want to change it back. For what? Some class features?
If you have stopped being lawful and you wish to become so again, of course you can. And if you are lawful, and wish to strive to be a knight, of course you can. But if you’ve lost your knight abilities because you’re no longer lawful, you should consider why. Do you really value law at all? If so, why did you lose your way?
Q: But I don’t get how that’s different than redemption for a paladin.
Because lots of paladins fall due to mistakes. A single evil action, no matter how minor, strips them of their power. They have a harsh, black-and-white code, and falling is a part of that. The idea of failure itself is what motivates them.
Q: What about paladins that fall because they became NG or CG? Would you say the same thing to them you would to a knight?
No, because paladins care much more thoroughly about good than about law. They have to be law-aligned, but they’re always willing to cut corners with their laws, if it will benefit what they see as the greater good. They are lawful as a method, not as an ideal.
Knights are not required to be good. Our ideal is idealism. To hold ourselves to a higher standard. To be lawful serves no purpose but that law itself. For us to reject law is similar to a paladin rejecting good--it suggests that a reevaluation of priorities might be required.
Q: So...if I want to, I can backstab somebody? Like, just once?
You can. Of course, you won’t be able to use any of your special abilities for the rest of the combat. But, sure, you can. It isn’t a failure; it’s just not getting first prize.
Q: I won’t fall?
...no. You won’t fall.
Q: Do you have to be of noble birth?
Of course not. The nobility of the knight is one of choice, not one of blood.
Q: Am I a knight? My family have been knights for eight generations, and I have the title of sir, but I’ve never heard of a Questing Beast or any of this stuff. I’m more of a courtier.
You’re not a knight. Knighthood is about believing in something, and following it.
Q: Do you get a free squire?
No. Our squires are young knights in training, like yourselves. Many orders match- up squires with experienced knights.
Q: So I have to work as someone’s squire?
Not necessarily, but it is traditional.
Q: Do I have to speak in thees and thous?
Only if you attend Sigil’s Renn faire.
Q: Sigil’s what?
It’s a great party. They dress up and pretend to be Primes, and serve fried food. Many orders of knights travel to Sigil to participate in the joust. It was founded by Helena Renn, intended as a cultural celebration for displaced Primes who couldn’t go home, but over thousands of years it’s become more of a novelty for Sigil’s natives.
Q: Can you take your armor off?
All knights can take their armor off, unless they’re warforged knights.
Q: Will I get a mount?
Yes.
Q: Sweet! I want my mount to be an African clawed frog!
How do you propose to tame it?
Q: How about a giant sea urchin?
What? How would you ride it into battle? Are you a sea elf, or…?
Q: I don’t get it. My paladin friend has a giant mosquito mount. How are these any weirder?
Ah. Knight’s mounts aren’t like paladin mounts. We’re not magically bonded to them, and they don’t come from the outer planes. Of course, we usually have a very special and close relationship with our mounts, but that’s because we trained them.
Q: So I have to train the mount myself?
You can purchase an already trained warhorse if you like, but yes, you’ll have to spend at least a little time personally training it.
Q: And what about when it dies?
Although it’s a very sad thing to have happen, and nothing can replace companions we lost, you’ll be able to train another mount.
Q: It won’t come back?!?
No. Paladin mounts come back because they’re actually some type of archon. Our mounts are mortals, as we are. Just as we can die, so can they.
Q: Do you have to be on horseback all the time?
No, but it’s fun.
Q: What exactly is the holy grail?
It is an idea we strive for, an artifact we quest for.
Q: Yeah, but specifically, what is it?
It depends on the knight. Not all knights seek the same grail. A person could be a grail, as the Avatar was for Fire Lord Zuko. Anything could be a grail.
The holy grail that the knights of the round table sought was a magical cup. But it hardly matters what it is. Seek what you want. If you’re not inspired by an enchanted cup blessed by the One, then seek something else. The point is the seeking.
Q: The One is involved in this? Wait, knights don’t serve him, do they?
Only if they want to. Knights aren’t a divine class.
Q: Yeah, but all this faith stuff is starting to sound kinda familiar…
It’s a secular faith. Knights have faith in themselves. They have faith in the world, that it can become what they seek. If they happen to dislike the current gods, then maybe worshipping the One is part of that faith. Or maybe they have no religion at all. Or maybe they worship the drow pantheon. Whatever!
Q: I don’t really view Lolth as a “be the change you wish to see in the world” kind of deity.
For some drow knights, perhaps they see the best in Lolth. Or not--knights aren’t actually required to be good, you know.
Q: But she’s chaotic.
You’re allowed to worship chaotic gods. You just have to be lawful.
Q: Isn’t that kinda inconsistent?
Why? Knights have rules for no one but themselves. They don’t strive to better the world, though they want to see the best in it. They strive to better themselves. Being a knight has nothing to do with what you worship, where you live, what your job is, your family’s station, what faction you support, or what plane you live on.
Q: So can I join the blood war?
You could join the Hell Knights. I mean, I don’t really see why you’d want to, but as long as you continue to abide by honorable combat, it doesn’t matter where you fight. Getting participants in the blood war to agree to duels and such--that can be tricky.
Q: Hell Knights?
An order who view the Nine Hells as something to aspire to. They fight in the blood war--on the devil side, naturally.
Q: So they worship the Lords of the Nine?
No, actually, they don’t even like them. From what I’ve read, they think the devils have Hell all wrong.
Q: But the devils are Hell!
Not to them.
Q: And that’s all that matters?
Yes. It doesn’t matter what you devote yourself to, just that you do it. Just like a samurai can be devoted to any lord.
Q: So is there a real holy grail?
Of course it’s real! Anything that inspires people is real. We choose what we follow.
Q: It’s not real, then?
Well, I mean, we’re in Sigil. If enough knights travel here, it’ll probably become real.
Q: And what if an actual ‘holy grail’ is found? What then?
We’ll find something else to seek, of course.
Q: If my companion does something that’s not chivalrous, or cheats, will I be held accountable?
No. Your honor is your own. Your companions don’t have to live by your code. The code only matters because you choose it. There’s no point in policing their actions.
Q: But what about that paladin? You said she stabbed your enemy in the back and it tarnished your honor?
Because she interfered in a fair duel, yes. This can happen. You should ask your companions to respect the choices you’ve made.
Q: So if we know some werewolves are coming to attack, and my rogue friend surrounds the area with traps, am I, like, obligated to stop him?
No.
Q: But shouldn’t I face them honorably? One on one?
You should. Challenge one of them to a duel if you wish. Never use dirty tricks yourself. And ask your friends to never interfere directly with your vows. But if you’ve chosen to travel with a rogue, surely you knew that he might fight dirty at some point.
Q: You talked about respecting your enemies, but killing them isn’t all that respectful, is it?
It’s not a matter of killing them, it’s a matter of how you view them while you do. A disrespectful combatant dehumanizes their opponent. They view the opponent as an obstacle, an object, or even a monster. A knight enters combat as though playing a game of chess. Even if we choose to fight--or even if we must fight--it is pivotal that we remember the one we fight is a person, just as much as us.
Q: But demons and devils aren’t people.
They think and feel as people do.
Q: They don't have free will!
Does that define the nature of a man?
Q: Well...yeah, kinda!
Dehumanization is finding some line to draw that makes certain people “us” and certain others “not us.” It doesn’t matter what that line is. The drawing of it is wrong. Dehumanization, not devils, is what causes cruelty. As soon as you’ve found some reason your opponent isn’t truly a person, you can do whatever you like, because they don’t deserve respect.
Q: I hear a lot of talk about chivalry. What is it, exactly?
What we’ve been talking about this whole time! Chivalry is the essence of what it means to be a knight: to seek to better oneself, hold oneself to a higher standard, to be kind to others and to seek the best in them, to quest
Q: To dream the impossible dream?
In my opinion, Don Quixote gets a bad rep. Sure, he might have been a half-wit, but he was one of the truest knights in history. What you fight, what you seek, doesn’t matter--the act matters. The striving. For a knight, to ever become bitter or hardened would be the worst sin.
Q: So you can fall--
No, seriously, you can’t fall. You’ll just be really sad and probably stop being a knight. Of your own choice.
Q: I don’t see the difference.
No single action can make a knight fail. No knight will ever be judged for failing. Failing is only one moment in a journey. You can always choose to keep going. Or you can choose to stop.
I have seen plenty of cruelty, but that’s no excuse to think the world is ugly. It’s not. The world is many things, too many to see in one lifetime. You can choose to see the good ones.
Q: That just sounds like purposefully staying ignorant so you feel comfortable while others around you suffer.
Gulnaz, did you let a paladin into this Q&A session? This was explicitly hosted for young knights and those considering knighthood only.
Q: There’s people other than paladins who care what’s happening in the world, you know.
Good for them. Maybe somewhere in Sigil there’s a magical device that can turn all that guilt and fear and rage into an infinite energy source. But whatever people they hate and fear are feeling the exact same way. Whatever thing they fear, was created by fear. Whatever makes them rage got popular from someone else’s rage. So I don’t see what they have to feel so clever about.
Q: But that’s so selfish! You don’t care at all?
I don’t care about what’s happening in the world. I care about what could be happening. I think whatever it is we care the most about, we create it. So I care about the world I want to see. I care about what I like, not about what I hate.
Q: To be chivalrous, I have to protect the weak, right?
Yes. It is a knight’s duty to lift up those weaker than themselves. We strive to see a better world, but we can admit that others don’t yet live in it. You should always protect non-combatants and other innocents from harm.
Q: Isn’t chivalry just an excuse to be sexist?
What? Of course not. Chivalry dictates how we should treat everybody. You should always be respectful of others, and treat them as fully mortal as yourself. You should never narrow your worldview by only considering some to be fully worthy of respect, or thinking respect has to be earned.
Q: But what about all that “fairer sex” stuff?
That’s not from the chivalric code. Some aristocrats with inherited knightly titles have that phrase in their code, and plenty of civilians and people of all sorts of classes have adopted it. It’s not actually a part of being a knight--the knight class, in any case.
Q: I like the idea of the “fairer sex.” I think treating men and women differently is respectful, because they’re different. Can’t I be chivalrous in that way?
I mean, I guess you can, but it’s not going to make you a lot of friends.
Q: I like the idea of the “fairer sex.” I’m drow and I think the way we treat men in my country is harsh and unfair. We should protect them and be respect of them. That’s different, right? I mean, you were telling the other guy not to do it, but that’s cause he’s a guy, right?
Uh...no. It’s not different.
Q: I’m an Asari, and I--
No!
Q: As a knight, shouldn’t I protect women?
Why? Are they the only ones who deserve your protection? As a knight, you should protect people who can’t defend themselves--civilians. Protecting your fellow knights who happen to be women would be rather missing the point.
Of course, if you see a lady knight about to be smashed by a falling rock, and she’s not in a one-on-one duel with it, you should probably pull her out of the way. That’s common sense, not sexism. But only if you’d do the same to a male knight.
By contrast, attempting to step in and protect her from harm when she needs no help, especially dishonoring her by interfering in a duel, would not be chivalrous at all. Instead, it shows a lack of respect. As a knight, she has chosen to test herself on the field of battle, and to test herself in life. By taking away those challenges from her, you would be declaring that her journey means less than your own, or even is meaningless, or frivolous. To say anyone’s dreams don’t matter is a great violation of chivalry.
Q: Has anyone ever done that to you?
At times, though not by fellow knights.
Q: If you’re a woman, why do you go by Sir?
That is the title of a knight.
Q: What about Dame?
Although some aristocratic institutions use this title to honor women they feel deserve the title knight, this is unrelated to the knight class. It’s similar to being a samurai because your family are samurai. It’s an aristocratic title.
Q: Oh, come on then, so is Sir.
Well, maybe. But it’s also the title that knights have chosen to represent their commitment to the quest.
Q: You’re telling me you don’t think it’s a little sexist that all knights, regardless of gender, are referred to with a male title?
Do I think that all genders being treated in the same way is sexism? No.
Q: But you’re ignoring the underlying message.
So, what title do you think should be used for a Salarian or fallen Modron knight?
Q: Well, Salarians are all male, and…
Wrong.
Q: Okay, not the big immobile ones, but my point is that--
Is this what you want to waste your time bickering over? “Underlying implications”? You’re looking for things to be angry about. You can call yourself Dame if you really want to. The question is what you want to see, not what you don’t want to see.
And non-female Salarians are neuter. They have no sex. Of course, they identify as many different genders…
Q: Hey wait, has there been a fallen Modron knight?
At some point in the history of ever, certainly. Fallen Modrons have free will, like all mortals, so they may choose to seek the grail.
Q: So a knight can fall!
Ugh.
To provide more context for the FAQ, here is the other changes I've made to the Knight, mostly just flavor stuff
So….the Knight.
The Knight is one of those classes that basically exist as a replacement paladin, since WOTC has absolutely no idea how to do the Paladin concept correct, but because they weren’t able to give the Knight any unique characteristics, despite its cool mechanics it basically fell by the wayside, forgotten. So I decided to make the Knight a more interesting class storywise, and for that to work, they need to be moved thematically away from the Paladin so they can be their own entity. So this is an attempt to create a distinct class, but mechanically its basically the same.
The Paladin's theme is trying to be a good person while adhering to a very rigid moral standard, while with the Knight I drew more on the actual Authorian ideals of honor and glory. Just an important clarification, the Paladin isn't actually required to be married to the notion of honorable combat, they can't kill prisoners, torture or do anything thats an evil action and they have to be lawful, but ambushes, traps, and lying are all perfectly acceptable for Paladins. A paladin can dig a pit, fill it with holy water and then tell a Devil to come and get him, but a
Knight wouldn't want to play with such cheap tricks.
So without further ado, the Kight
“All is Fair In Love and War”
Such a sentiment is abhorrent to a Knight, in a way the Knights exists as opposition to such terms. After all, so much of our concepts of fairness come from in regards to love and war, rules of war have existed as far back humanity, and codes of proper behavior in regards to dating date from the same era. Love and War aren’t in opposition to fairness, they are the creators of it, and now Knights exist to personify and defend it. Mostly the War Part because relationships get complicated real fast.
Knights are honorable warriors and their honor makes them strong, literally. Following their code of honor allows them maintain their powers. Some of these powers include immunity to “Dishonorable techniques” provided the Knight themselves doesn’t employ them. They at higher levels become immune to flanking, poison, being flat footed, certain combat tricks, and sneak attack for people not four levels higher than they.
The Knights code
Don’t attack an unaware opponent, especially not sleeping opponents.
Don’t stab an opponent in the back
Don’t flank an opponent
Surrenders must be honored, at least in the moment.
Don’t kill unarmed opponents (Unless they insist on fighting unarmed).
Don’t slay fleeing opponents, unless they are doing some Parthian shot ****. You may of course try to harm them to keep them from running away though.
Always be the last to retreat, and do so as a fighting retreat.
Be polite as much as possible.
Always strive to be cultured (literally no knights agree on what that means)
Always be willing to accept a duel and honor the terms of said duel.
Don't use Poison.
Questing
The focus of a knights life beyond all things, is the ideal of the Quest. Knighthood is all about doing extremely dangerous things for its own sake, often with little reward, for the sake of complete adventures, some might call them the Platonic ideal of adventurers. Others might call them “The people who get it wrong”.
New Powers
Questsight: Knights connection to the ideal of questing is so great they can sometimes “Feel” a quest in the area. A certain number of times per day (varies on level) the Knight can observe the area and “feel” if certain people who have a problem and feel like they need a hero to solve the problem. Some Knights describe the experience as a sense of certainty, that they hear the person’s need almost like a song and are drawn to it. Others describe it as an exclaimation mark over a person’s head, but they are generally seen as gauche.
Questsense: More powerful Knights understand their powers so well that they realize where they must go for the sake of the quest. A certain number of times per quest, they can just “know” what item they might have to get for the sake of continuing the quest, or what location they have to go to, or what person they have to talk to. What they are supposed to do next is unclear, but it is a good hint. And no, it doesn’t look like a marking on a mini map, shut up.
The Questing Beast
Should a Knight really have no ideas of what to do next, they can summon a questing beast to give them guidance. A knight must spend a day either in prayer or meditation (if secularly inclined) alone (or with a small group of companions) in the wilderness contemplating for the answers, and then the moment the sun goes down they will see a glimpse of the questing beast, and the Knight must pursue. The path they follow is a magical one, and they will likely find themselves in completely different locations, a knight located in the middle of the desert might pass behind a dune and emerge by a lake or on top of a mountain, the only limitations are that the Questing Beast always stays on the Material Plane and they never bring Knights to locations where they wouldn’t be able to survive (so a Water Elf Knight might go underwater but a human wouldn’t unless they had a magical item). If the Knight losses his way, he will turn a corner and emerge back where he started.
Along this road, the Questing Beast will bring the Knight to random locations across the Material Plane where they might do battle with great monsters, each journey contains 1-3 combat encounters. These are almost always encounters with mindless monsters, but not always (see below). Should the Knight or their companions die, their bodies appear back where they last rested, which confuses the attackers. These encounters are always actual locations on the Material Plane, which means that band of knights might emerge at any point and attack random monsters, something that stresses people out (though the odds are astronomically small). Evil outsiders always have to plan for the possibility that knights might randomly attack them when they are on the Material Plane.
After the conflicts are resolved, the Knight will find themselves at a pool, where the Questing Beast will face them, before vanishing. It will leave behind an item or clue to help the Knight to slay the Questing Beast, who usually have a small hoard of items with them, but should the killer ever encounter another knight, they will instantly recognize them as a slayer. Questing Beasts will answer future calls, but tend to take the knight to more dangerous encounters, provide less useful information (certainly no bonus magic items) and when they do show up, tend to have buddies with them. However they will always answers summons, and a few particularly psychotic Black Knights have made a habit out of killing them, though eventually the Questing Beasts will start to lead other Knights to these killers so they could be brought down. Questing Beasts can choose not to answer a summons, but if a Knight asks for a questing beast for a year and a day, their request must be answered.
In terms of encounters, most Questing Beasts simply make it an easy combat encounter, madd cityoften against an unambiguously evil force like undead, a monster, or evil outsider (Darkspawn are also popular). Among Questing Beasts, its considered bad form to involve politics into it, but there are always Questing Beats who buck the trend, and so knights might encounter people who the Questing Beast simply doesn’t like, or even have an ideological disagreement. A knight might encounter a band of Harmonium, or possibly a Peasant revolt, and the Knight might be expected to talk them into going home, or slaughter them, entirely depending upon the disposition of the Questing Beast in question. They are required to give the Knight a hint on how they want to solve the quest, but no details. So if a knight sees an ogre war band, they might see a dove fly by as an indication that the Questing Beast wants them to make peace.
Knightly Orders
Knights like to form orders, much like guilds, where they work to get a bunch of different quests, normally based around a theme. Knights are extremely honorbound and
Terms
Hedge Knight- A knight who hasn’t yet joined an order.
A knight Errant: A knight who hasn’t earned a rank in said order.
Landed Knight: A knight who commands his own lands and lords.
Household Knight:A knight who doesn’t join an order, but instead serves a lord or other official.
Sworn Shields: Personal Bodyguards for important people.
White Knight: The champion of the Guild, expected to answer challenges. Only rank other than Purple which must be Appointed.
Purple Knight: The Leader of a Guild or Order, sometimes called a Grandmaster, they assign people on Quests and maintain the group. Often call themselves kings.
Red Knight: The Knight with the highest kill count, often go out to fight big dangerous beasts.
Blue Knight: Defender of the common folk or the helpless, often assigned as a protector.
Green Knight: Guardian of a location or region.
Yellow: Winners of Championships
Gold: Who brings back the most money
Silver: Who brings back the most magic items
Brown: Who discovers the most new locations.
Grey: Who kills the biggest and baddest monsters.
This is a sequel to Paladin FAQ (http://dicecast.tumblr.com/post/146716524494/the-paladin-faq), and yet again, I didn't write this, this was written by my friend
Come one, come all, and hear the tale of Sir Alojzija, Knight of the Willow Tree. Gulnaz of the Last Notes, the popular inventor of the double-dragon couplet, will sing the merry tales of their adventures. Afterward, Sir Alojzija herself will answer the questions of hopeful young knights.
Refreshments provided.
Q: Can I use poison?
No.
Q: Can I backstab?
No.
Q: Can knights flank?
No.
Q: You mean I have to fight every enemy one-on-one? My buddies can’t help me out?
There’s nothing wrong with jolly cooperation, but it has to be done honorably, where the enemy can see both of you. Flanking is a dirty trick.
Q: Can we retreat?
Only if everyone else has retreated first.
Q: Well if it’s a duel, then I’m the only one to retreat, so…
You can’t retreat from a duel!
Q: What makes you different from a paladin?
Paladins view all combat as a war. We view it as a game.
Q: A game? Isn’t that a little awful?
Games have rules. If you break the rules, you have to go sit on the sidelines. If you follow them, then afterwards, you can shake hands with your opponent and admire their skill. War has no rules.
Paladins and knights both have a code, but a code isn’t a goal--it’s a way of reaching for a goal. And our goals are very different. Paladins want to make the world a better place. They seek good at any cost. That means, even though they’re technically “lawful,” they’re willing to use dishonorable, dirty tricks, as long as they defeat their opponent.
Knights will never dishonor themselves. To us, the way we do combat is far more important than if we win or lose.
Q: So you don’t want to improve the world?
I think if everyone approached life with honor, and viewed even their enemies with respect, the world would be improved.
Q: Demons and devils can’t do that, though.
I’m always hearing about the evil of demons, or devils, daimon, demodans, gehelleths, or fiends. But the greatest evil I have seen is the evil of mortals, who see other mortals as devils.
Paladins do important work, but they have a cruel mindset. They can’t do anything to change humanity.
Q: Have you ever adventured with a paladin?
Once. She seemed a pleasant enough companion, if a little overzealous. But when I was engaged in single combat with a devil, and my chances looked grim, she leapt in from behind and backstabbed it. Needless to say, we went our separate ways.
Q: Did she fall?
Of course not. She was fighting evil, and staying true to her code. But her code was grim, and harsh.
Q: How can you be mad? She saved your life!
My honor is worth much more than my life. Without honor, we are all animals, tearing each other into pieces.
Q: So if I’m dishonored, am I going to be expected to kill myself?
What? No. That’s samurai.
Q: So how do I regain my honor?
Finding the Avatar would be a good start.
Q: ...are you serious?
Well, Fire Lord Zuko was certainly not a knight, but his story has a lot of resonance for us. His quest to bring back the Avatar really was a redemptive quest. The point wasn’t really to find the Avatar at all. It was to learn about himself. The Avatar was only a grail.
When a knight wishes to regain her honor, she must undertake a similar redemptive quest, or perform a great act of chivalry. The goal, or the act, matters little. What matters is how it changes you.
Q: But what about Phoenix King Azula’s famous quote, that you make your own honor?
She would say that, since she has none. From birth, Phoenix King Azula was willing to cheat, and lie, and use whatever means she could to achieve her goals. People like her are the reason wars happen. She was no true monarch, while Zuko became one.
Q: I’m sorry, who the hell is Phoenix King Azula?
Oh, she’s talked about in the Last Airbender Saga, historical chronicles from one of the islands of time. Most bards know the story. I’ve always liked how it’s about the redemptive quest. And Azula is a good villain, personifying the darkness of humanity.
Q: Wait, wasn’t some other guy the main villain? A spirit or something?
I don’t know, I’ve never heard that version.
Q: Will you guys stop geeking out about island of time sagas and get back to explaining knights?
Sorry. I travel with a bard, so I hear a lot of tales. And to be fair, knights love stories, too. What is it to be a knight, if not to try to make your life into a story?
Q: You keep saying paladins think of everything as a war, or they fight too much, but knights fight too. That’s a contradiction.
As I said, we fight as a game. As people play chess, or run marathons. We strive. We test our mettle. We hunt our Questing Beasts for the same reason. Without something to strive for, life would not be worth living.
Q: What’s a Questing Beast?
No one knows exactly what they are. Perhaps there is only one Questing Beast, or perhaps their is one for every knight--or something in between. They are strange beasts that knights chase, never to catch them. (The paladin I traveled with thought this was a complete waste of time, because, I quote, “We’re not saving anyone and we’re not fighting evil--what’s the point?” Paladins live life completely without wonder.)
Q: Okay, but...what is the point?
Oh, well if you’re on a Quest and you get stuck, the Questing Beast will give you a clue about what to do next, if you can catch it.
Q: What exactly is a Quest? Isn’t that what all adventurers do?
No, they have quests, lower case. Knights have Quests.
Q: So you just have to track the Questing Beast?
Well that, and there will be a few encounters along the way so you can prove your strength. Then you can catch the Questing Beast!
Q: And then what, you kill it?
Of course not. Don’t be absurd. You capture it, discover something about your Quest, then let it go. It would be barbaric to kill a Questing Beast.
Q: Are samurai just knights with a different armor set?
Oh no, there are some knights who use katanas and o-yoroi. And there are some samurai who use an arming sword and metal armor. It can get confusing, though, because sometimes knights do call themselves samurai, because they come from a samurai family; and the opposite is true as well. And a titled samurai or knight might be neither! The title is cultural, but what truly defines a knight--or a samurai--is universal.
Q: So how can I tell them apart?
By their spirit.
Q: I don’t know detect evil…
Not their alignment, their spirit. Samurai and knights both strive to improve themselves by holding themselves to a higher ideal. But samurai are loyal to a lord. Their honor comes from following their master absolutely, even to death. Knights seek something higher, less tangible.
Q: You don’t have to swear loyalty to a lord or king?
Not at all. Knightly orders usually have a leader, but he is not above them. The knights of the round table are one example--Arthur may have been a king, but they sat at the table as equal.
Q: King Arthur didn’t really exist, did he?
Of course he exists. He is what we can try to be.
Q: But in, like, a physical sense.
The physical is only a vessel to hold an idea. There are hundreds of knights of the round table. Who the first ones were is irrelevant.
Q: Oookay then. So, say there’s a knight born into the samurai class, who calls herself a samurai, because there aren’t any knights there. Doesn’t that mean there are no knight orders for her to join?
Quite possibly.
Q: But then how can she be a knight?
She could found a new order, and gather together like minded people. Or she could go on a quest to find an order. But you don’t need to be in an order to be a knight.
Q: Doesn’t that make you a black knight?
No. Black knights are not allowed in any knightly orders, but not all knights without orders are black knights.
Q: What defines a black knight then? Is it just a cool getup?
They have killed their Questing Beast.
Q: What about flanking and stuff? Do you fall if you’re not chivalrous enough?
Knights don’t fall. If you lose your honor, you may have to regain it, but you will never stop being a knight as long as you wish to. Even black knights are still knights.
Q: What makes killing a Questing Beast so much more important than cheating in combat, or acting disrespectful? Why is that the one thing that makes you fall?
Knights don’t fall.
Q: Okay, but…
The Questing Beast is a symbol of the Quest. It is what we strive for, but never truly find. It is the wonder in the world. The things left to discover. A black knight has sullied that with blood. Where there was the spirit of adventure, they have brought death and war.
Q: Do you get anything for killing a Questing Beast?
What you always get from killing. XP and money.
Q: That...doesn’t seem worth it.
It’s not.
Q: Wait, hang on. What if a knight stops being lawful? They become neutral or chaotic? You can’t be a knight and not be lawful.
That’s true. Someone who ceases to be lawful wouldn’t be a knight anymore.
Q: So you can fall!
No. There’s no dramatic moment of failure, like there is with a paladin. No one act can stop you from being a knight. No act can stop you at all. If you wish to be a knight, if you strive to be one, then you are one. If you cease to be lawful, how can you say you wish to live by a code of chivalry? You don’t wish to live by any code at all. That’s what it means to stop being lawful, doesn’t it?
Q: Okay, but what if I want to seek redemption? You know, be lawful again?
I can’t imagine how your alignment could have shifted so thoroughly and you could immediately want to change it back. For what? Some class features?
If you have stopped being lawful and you wish to become so again, of course you can. And if you are lawful, and wish to strive to be a knight, of course you can. But if you’ve lost your knight abilities because you’re no longer lawful, you should consider why. Do you really value law at all? If so, why did you lose your way?
Q: But I don’t get how that’s different than redemption for a paladin.
Because lots of paladins fall due to mistakes. A single evil action, no matter how minor, strips them of their power. They have a harsh, black-and-white code, and falling is a part of that. The idea of failure itself is what motivates them.
Q: What about paladins that fall because they became NG or CG? Would you say the same thing to them you would to a knight?
No, because paladins care much more thoroughly about good than about law. They have to be law-aligned, but they’re always willing to cut corners with their laws, if it will benefit what they see as the greater good. They are lawful as a method, not as an ideal.
Knights are not required to be good. Our ideal is idealism. To hold ourselves to a higher standard. To be lawful serves no purpose but that law itself. For us to reject law is similar to a paladin rejecting good--it suggests that a reevaluation of priorities might be required.
Q: So...if I want to, I can backstab somebody? Like, just once?
You can. Of course, you won’t be able to use any of your special abilities for the rest of the combat. But, sure, you can. It isn’t a failure; it’s just not getting first prize.
Q: I won’t fall?
...no. You won’t fall.
Q: Do you have to be of noble birth?
Of course not. The nobility of the knight is one of choice, not one of blood.
Q: Am I a knight? My family have been knights for eight generations, and I have the title of sir, but I’ve never heard of a Questing Beast or any of this stuff. I’m more of a courtier.
You’re not a knight. Knighthood is about believing in something, and following it.
Q: Do you get a free squire?
No. Our squires are young knights in training, like yourselves. Many orders match- up squires with experienced knights.
Q: So I have to work as someone’s squire?
Not necessarily, but it is traditional.
Q: Do I have to speak in thees and thous?
Only if you attend Sigil’s Renn faire.
Q: Sigil’s what?
It’s a great party. They dress up and pretend to be Primes, and serve fried food. Many orders of knights travel to Sigil to participate in the joust. It was founded by Helena Renn, intended as a cultural celebration for displaced Primes who couldn’t go home, but over thousands of years it’s become more of a novelty for Sigil’s natives.
Q: Can you take your armor off?
All knights can take their armor off, unless they’re warforged knights.
Q: Will I get a mount?
Yes.
Q: Sweet! I want my mount to be an African clawed frog!
How do you propose to tame it?
Q: How about a giant sea urchin?
What? How would you ride it into battle? Are you a sea elf, or…?
Q: I don’t get it. My paladin friend has a giant mosquito mount. How are these any weirder?
Ah. Knight’s mounts aren’t like paladin mounts. We’re not magically bonded to them, and they don’t come from the outer planes. Of course, we usually have a very special and close relationship with our mounts, but that’s because we trained them.
Q: So I have to train the mount myself?
You can purchase an already trained warhorse if you like, but yes, you’ll have to spend at least a little time personally training it.
Q: And what about when it dies?
Although it’s a very sad thing to have happen, and nothing can replace companions we lost, you’ll be able to train another mount.
Q: It won’t come back?!?
No. Paladin mounts come back because they’re actually some type of archon. Our mounts are mortals, as we are. Just as we can die, so can they.
Q: Do you have to be on horseback all the time?
No, but it’s fun.
Q: What exactly is the holy grail?
It is an idea we strive for, an artifact we quest for.
Q: Yeah, but specifically, what is it?
It depends on the knight. Not all knights seek the same grail. A person could be a grail, as the Avatar was for Fire Lord Zuko. Anything could be a grail.
The holy grail that the knights of the round table sought was a magical cup. But it hardly matters what it is. Seek what you want. If you’re not inspired by an enchanted cup blessed by the One, then seek something else. The point is the seeking.
Q: The One is involved in this? Wait, knights don’t serve him, do they?
Only if they want to. Knights aren’t a divine class.
Q: Yeah, but all this faith stuff is starting to sound kinda familiar…
It’s a secular faith. Knights have faith in themselves. They have faith in the world, that it can become what they seek. If they happen to dislike the current gods, then maybe worshipping the One is part of that faith. Or maybe they have no religion at all. Or maybe they worship the drow pantheon. Whatever!
Q: I don’t really view Lolth as a “be the change you wish to see in the world” kind of deity.
For some drow knights, perhaps they see the best in Lolth. Or not--knights aren’t actually required to be good, you know.
Q: But she’s chaotic.
You’re allowed to worship chaotic gods. You just have to be lawful.
Q: Isn’t that kinda inconsistent?
Why? Knights have rules for no one but themselves. They don’t strive to better the world, though they want to see the best in it. They strive to better themselves. Being a knight has nothing to do with what you worship, where you live, what your job is, your family’s station, what faction you support, or what plane you live on.
Q: So can I join the blood war?
You could join the Hell Knights. I mean, I don’t really see why you’d want to, but as long as you continue to abide by honorable combat, it doesn’t matter where you fight. Getting participants in the blood war to agree to duels and such--that can be tricky.
Q: Hell Knights?
An order who view the Nine Hells as something to aspire to. They fight in the blood war--on the devil side, naturally.
Q: So they worship the Lords of the Nine?
No, actually, they don’t even like them. From what I’ve read, they think the devils have Hell all wrong.
Q: But the devils are Hell!
Not to them.
Q: And that’s all that matters?
Yes. It doesn’t matter what you devote yourself to, just that you do it. Just like a samurai can be devoted to any lord.
Q: So is there a real holy grail?
Of course it’s real! Anything that inspires people is real. We choose what we follow.
Q: It’s not real, then?
Well, I mean, we’re in Sigil. If enough knights travel here, it’ll probably become real.
Q: And what if an actual ‘holy grail’ is found? What then?
We’ll find something else to seek, of course.
Q: If my companion does something that’s not chivalrous, or cheats, will I be held accountable?
No. Your honor is your own. Your companions don’t have to live by your code. The code only matters because you choose it. There’s no point in policing their actions.
Q: But what about that paladin? You said she stabbed your enemy in the back and it tarnished your honor?
Because she interfered in a fair duel, yes. This can happen. You should ask your companions to respect the choices you’ve made.
Q: So if we know some werewolves are coming to attack, and my rogue friend surrounds the area with traps, am I, like, obligated to stop him?
No.
Q: But shouldn’t I face them honorably? One on one?
You should. Challenge one of them to a duel if you wish. Never use dirty tricks yourself. And ask your friends to never interfere directly with your vows. But if you’ve chosen to travel with a rogue, surely you knew that he might fight dirty at some point.
Q: You talked about respecting your enemies, but killing them isn’t all that respectful, is it?
It’s not a matter of killing them, it’s a matter of how you view them while you do. A disrespectful combatant dehumanizes their opponent. They view the opponent as an obstacle, an object, or even a monster. A knight enters combat as though playing a game of chess. Even if we choose to fight--or even if we must fight--it is pivotal that we remember the one we fight is a person, just as much as us.
Q: But demons and devils aren’t people.
They think and feel as people do.
Q: They don't have free will!
Does that define the nature of a man?
Q: Well...yeah, kinda!
Dehumanization is finding some line to draw that makes certain people “us” and certain others “not us.” It doesn’t matter what that line is. The drawing of it is wrong. Dehumanization, not devils, is what causes cruelty. As soon as you’ve found some reason your opponent isn’t truly a person, you can do whatever you like, because they don’t deserve respect.
Q: I hear a lot of talk about chivalry. What is it, exactly?
What we’ve been talking about this whole time! Chivalry is the essence of what it means to be a knight: to seek to better oneself, hold oneself to a higher standard, to be kind to others and to seek the best in them, to quest
Q: To dream the impossible dream?
In my opinion, Don Quixote gets a bad rep. Sure, he might have been a half-wit, but he was one of the truest knights in history. What you fight, what you seek, doesn’t matter--the act matters. The striving. For a knight, to ever become bitter or hardened would be the worst sin.
Q: So you can fall--
No, seriously, you can’t fall. You’ll just be really sad and probably stop being a knight. Of your own choice.
Q: I don’t see the difference.
No single action can make a knight fail. No knight will ever be judged for failing. Failing is only one moment in a journey. You can always choose to keep going. Or you can choose to stop.
I have seen plenty of cruelty, but that’s no excuse to think the world is ugly. It’s not. The world is many things, too many to see in one lifetime. You can choose to see the good ones.
Q: That just sounds like purposefully staying ignorant so you feel comfortable while others around you suffer.
Gulnaz, did you let a paladin into this Q&A session? This was explicitly hosted for young knights and those considering knighthood only.
Q: There’s people other than paladins who care what’s happening in the world, you know.
Good for them. Maybe somewhere in Sigil there’s a magical device that can turn all that guilt and fear and rage into an infinite energy source. But whatever people they hate and fear are feeling the exact same way. Whatever thing they fear, was created by fear. Whatever makes them rage got popular from someone else’s rage. So I don’t see what they have to feel so clever about.
Q: But that’s so selfish! You don’t care at all?
I don’t care about what’s happening in the world. I care about what could be happening. I think whatever it is we care the most about, we create it. So I care about the world I want to see. I care about what I like, not about what I hate.
Q: To be chivalrous, I have to protect the weak, right?
Yes. It is a knight’s duty to lift up those weaker than themselves. We strive to see a better world, but we can admit that others don’t yet live in it. You should always protect non-combatants and other innocents from harm.
Q: Isn’t chivalry just an excuse to be sexist?
What? Of course not. Chivalry dictates how we should treat everybody. You should always be respectful of others, and treat them as fully mortal as yourself. You should never narrow your worldview by only considering some to be fully worthy of respect, or thinking respect has to be earned.
Q: But what about all that “fairer sex” stuff?
That’s not from the chivalric code. Some aristocrats with inherited knightly titles have that phrase in their code, and plenty of civilians and people of all sorts of classes have adopted it. It’s not actually a part of being a knight--the knight class, in any case.
Q: I like the idea of the “fairer sex.” I think treating men and women differently is respectful, because they’re different. Can’t I be chivalrous in that way?
I mean, I guess you can, but it’s not going to make you a lot of friends.
Q: I like the idea of the “fairer sex.” I’m drow and I think the way we treat men in my country is harsh and unfair. We should protect them and be respect of them. That’s different, right? I mean, you were telling the other guy not to do it, but that’s cause he’s a guy, right?
Uh...no. It’s not different.
Q: I’m an Asari, and I--
No!
Q: As a knight, shouldn’t I protect women?
Why? Are they the only ones who deserve your protection? As a knight, you should protect people who can’t defend themselves--civilians. Protecting your fellow knights who happen to be women would be rather missing the point.
Of course, if you see a lady knight about to be smashed by a falling rock, and she’s not in a one-on-one duel with it, you should probably pull her out of the way. That’s common sense, not sexism. But only if you’d do the same to a male knight.
By contrast, attempting to step in and protect her from harm when she needs no help, especially dishonoring her by interfering in a duel, would not be chivalrous at all. Instead, it shows a lack of respect. As a knight, she has chosen to test herself on the field of battle, and to test herself in life. By taking away those challenges from her, you would be declaring that her journey means less than your own, or even is meaningless, or frivolous. To say anyone’s dreams don’t matter is a great violation of chivalry.
Q: Has anyone ever done that to you?
At times, though not by fellow knights.
Q: If you’re a woman, why do you go by Sir?
That is the title of a knight.
Q: What about Dame?
Although some aristocratic institutions use this title to honor women they feel deserve the title knight, this is unrelated to the knight class. It’s similar to being a samurai because your family are samurai. It’s an aristocratic title.
Q: Oh, come on then, so is Sir.
Well, maybe. But it’s also the title that knights have chosen to represent their commitment to the quest.
Q: You’re telling me you don’t think it’s a little sexist that all knights, regardless of gender, are referred to with a male title?
Do I think that all genders being treated in the same way is sexism? No.
Q: But you’re ignoring the underlying message.
So, what title do you think should be used for a Salarian or fallen Modron knight?
Q: Well, Salarians are all male, and…
Wrong.
Q: Okay, not the big immobile ones, but my point is that--
Is this what you want to waste your time bickering over? “Underlying implications”? You’re looking for things to be angry about. You can call yourself Dame if you really want to. The question is what you want to see, not what you don’t want to see.
And non-female Salarians are neuter. They have no sex. Of course, they identify as many different genders…
Q: Hey wait, has there been a fallen Modron knight?
At some point in the history of ever, certainly. Fallen Modrons have free will, like all mortals, so they may choose to seek the grail.
Q: So a knight can fall!
Ugh.
To provide more context for the FAQ, here is the other changes I've made to the Knight, mostly just flavor stuff
So….the Knight.
The Knight is one of those classes that basically exist as a replacement paladin, since WOTC has absolutely no idea how to do the Paladin concept correct, but because they weren’t able to give the Knight any unique characteristics, despite its cool mechanics it basically fell by the wayside, forgotten. So I decided to make the Knight a more interesting class storywise, and for that to work, they need to be moved thematically away from the Paladin so they can be their own entity. So this is an attempt to create a distinct class, but mechanically its basically the same.
The Paladin's theme is trying to be a good person while adhering to a very rigid moral standard, while with the Knight I drew more on the actual Authorian ideals of honor and glory. Just an important clarification, the Paladin isn't actually required to be married to the notion of honorable combat, they can't kill prisoners, torture or do anything thats an evil action and they have to be lawful, but ambushes, traps, and lying are all perfectly acceptable for Paladins. A paladin can dig a pit, fill it with holy water and then tell a Devil to come and get him, but a
Knight wouldn't want to play with such cheap tricks.
So without further ado, the Kight
“All is Fair In Love and War”
Such a sentiment is abhorrent to a Knight, in a way the Knights exists as opposition to such terms. After all, so much of our concepts of fairness come from in regards to love and war, rules of war have existed as far back humanity, and codes of proper behavior in regards to dating date from the same era. Love and War aren’t in opposition to fairness, they are the creators of it, and now Knights exist to personify and defend it. Mostly the War Part because relationships get complicated real fast.
Knights are honorable warriors and their honor makes them strong, literally. Following their code of honor allows them maintain their powers. Some of these powers include immunity to “Dishonorable techniques” provided the Knight themselves doesn’t employ them. They at higher levels become immune to flanking, poison, being flat footed, certain combat tricks, and sneak attack for people not four levels higher than they.
The Knights code
Don’t attack an unaware opponent, especially not sleeping opponents.
Don’t stab an opponent in the back
Don’t flank an opponent
Surrenders must be honored, at least in the moment.
Don’t kill unarmed opponents (Unless they insist on fighting unarmed).
Don’t slay fleeing opponents, unless they are doing some Parthian shot ****. You may of course try to harm them to keep them from running away though.
Always be the last to retreat, and do so as a fighting retreat.
Be polite as much as possible.
Always strive to be cultured (literally no knights agree on what that means)
Always be willing to accept a duel and honor the terms of said duel.
Don't use Poison.
Questing
The focus of a knights life beyond all things, is the ideal of the Quest. Knighthood is all about doing extremely dangerous things for its own sake, often with little reward, for the sake of complete adventures, some might call them the Platonic ideal of adventurers. Others might call them “The people who get it wrong”.
New Powers
Questsight: Knights connection to the ideal of questing is so great they can sometimes “Feel” a quest in the area. A certain number of times per day (varies on level) the Knight can observe the area and “feel” if certain people who have a problem and feel like they need a hero to solve the problem. Some Knights describe the experience as a sense of certainty, that they hear the person’s need almost like a song and are drawn to it. Others describe it as an exclaimation mark over a person’s head, but they are generally seen as gauche.
Questsense: More powerful Knights understand their powers so well that they realize where they must go for the sake of the quest. A certain number of times per quest, they can just “know” what item they might have to get for the sake of continuing the quest, or what location they have to go to, or what person they have to talk to. What they are supposed to do next is unclear, but it is a good hint. And no, it doesn’t look like a marking on a mini map, shut up.
The Questing Beast
Should a Knight really have no ideas of what to do next, they can summon a questing beast to give them guidance. A knight must spend a day either in prayer or meditation (if secularly inclined) alone (or with a small group of companions) in the wilderness contemplating for the answers, and then the moment the sun goes down they will see a glimpse of the questing beast, and the Knight must pursue. The path they follow is a magical one, and they will likely find themselves in completely different locations, a knight located in the middle of the desert might pass behind a dune and emerge by a lake or on top of a mountain, the only limitations are that the Questing Beast always stays on the Material Plane and they never bring Knights to locations where they wouldn’t be able to survive (so a Water Elf Knight might go underwater but a human wouldn’t unless they had a magical item). If the Knight losses his way, he will turn a corner and emerge back where he started.
Along this road, the Questing Beast will bring the Knight to random locations across the Material Plane where they might do battle with great monsters, each journey contains 1-3 combat encounters. These are almost always encounters with mindless monsters, but not always (see below). Should the Knight or their companions die, their bodies appear back where they last rested, which confuses the attackers. These encounters are always actual locations on the Material Plane, which means that band of knights might emerge at any point and attack random monsters, something that stresses people out (though the odds are astronomically small). Evil outsiders always have to plan for the possibility that knights might randomly attack them when they are on the Material Plane.
After the conflicts are resolved, the Knight will find themselves at a pool, where the Questing Beast will face them, before vanishing. It will leave behind an item or clue to help the Knight to slay the Questing Beast, who usually have a small hoard of items with them, but should the killer ever encounter another knight, they will instantly recognize them as a slayer. Questing Beasts will answer future calls, but tend to take the knight to more dangerous encounters, provide less useful information (certainly no bonus magic items) and when they do show up, tend to have buddies with them. However they will always answers summons, and a few particularly psychotic Black Knights have made a habit out of killing them, though eventually the Questing Beasts will start to lead other Knights to these killers so they could be brought down. Questing Beasts can choose not to answer a summons, but if a Knight asks for a questing beast for a year and a day, their request must be answered.
In terms of encounters, most Questing Beasts simply make it an easy combat encounter, madd cityoften against an unambiguously evil force like undead, a monster, or evil outsider (Darkspawn are also popular). Among Questing Beasts, its considered bad form to involve politics into it, but there are always Questing Beats who buck the trend, and so knights might encounter people who the Questing Beast simply doesn’t like, or even have an ideological disagreement. A knight might encounter a band of Harmonium, or possibly a Peasant revolt, and the Knight might be expected to talk them into going home, or slaughter them, entirely depending upon the disposition of the Questing Beast in question. They are required to give the Knight a hint on how they want to solve the quest, but no details. So if a knight sees an ogre war band, they might see a dove fly by as an indication that the Questing Beast wants them to make peace.
Knightly Orders
Knights like to form orders, much like guilds, where they work to get a bunch of different quests, normally based around a theme. Knights are extremely honorbound and
Terms
Hedge Knight- A knight who hasn’t yet joined an order.
A knight Errant: A knight who hasn’t earned a rank in said order.
Landed Knight: A knight who commands his own lands and lords.
Household Knight:A knight who doesn’t join an order, but instead serves a lord or other official.
Sworn Shields: Personal Bodyguards for important people.
White Knight: The champion of the Guild, expected to answer challenges. Only rank other than Purple which must be Appointed.
Purple Knight: The Leader of a Guild or Order, sometimes called a Grandmaster, they assign people on Quests and maintain the group. Often call themselves kings.
Red Knight: The Knight with the highest kill count, often go out to fight big dangerous beasts.
Blue Knight: Defender of the common folk or the helpless, often assigned as a protector.
Green Knight: Guardian of a location or region.
Yellow: Winners of Championships
Gold: Who brings back the most money
Silver: Who brings back the most magic items
Brown: Who discovers the most new locations.
Grey: Who kills the biggest and baddest monsters.