Zaydos Expands on Past Work - Playgrounder Caricatures Edition

[Zaydos]

Phoenixflame Knight – Wildwood Knight Archetype (Neophoenix0)

A phoenixflame knight is a member of a younger order which seeks to imitate the flight of the greater phoenixes of Elysium and the Fay Courts. Said to fly between worlds, resist death absolutely, and burn with the fire of Summer itself. While most phoenixflame knights serve the seelie court, the art of the blade transfers swiftly between the two courts and their kind can be found in both courts.

A phoenixflame knight gains access to Desert Wind instead of choosing between Crushing Avalanche and Flashing Lightning.

A phoenixflame knight adds Perform to their class skill list, a phoenix’s otherworldly song is a thing of legend but they do not gain a Seasonal Skill as they cannot devote the time to the study of the traditional skills of their courts.

A phoenixflame knight does not gain Fast Movement instead they gain Bloody Step.

Bloody Step (Su): Beginning at 6th level whenever you score a critical hit in combat you may teleport up to 10 ft; this does not trigger any form of ability which allows you to make attacks on the end of teleportation. At your discretion you may appear in a burst of fire dealing 1d6 fire damage to all adjacent creatures and objects. Beginning at 12th level you may teleport 20 ft and deal 2d6 fire damage. Beginning at 18th level you may teleport up to 30 ft and deal 4d6 fire damage.

A phoenixflame knight does not gain Standing in Court as they do not study the traditional arts of the courtly knights instead they gain Phoenix Resurgence; this counts as Standing in Court for any prerequisites which do not specify a court’s ability.

Phoenix Resurgence (Su): Three times per day you may channel the fires of the phoenixes, letting them flow through you healing you hp equal to 1/4th of your maximum health.

A phoenixflame knight does not gain either of the standard choices for Red Dreams as they do not study the dreams of the Fay Lords and Ladies but instead those of the cryptic greater phoenixes. They gain Dreams of Flight a non-standard Red Dreams option, but cannot choose the standard options.

Dreams of Flight: When you use your Blood Dreams ability teleport 5 x Charisma score feet (if you appear inside an object you are shunted out and take 1d6 damage per square shunted) and gain flight with good maneuverability and 60 ft speed till the end of your next turn.

A phoenixflame knight is not the champion of either court, dedicating themselves to a creature only loosely tied to the courts. However they have viewed the dreams of the phoenixes, lost themselves in the dance of these dreams, and found its fire within. Instead of gaining their choice of Champion of Summer or Champion of Winter you gain Champion of the Phoenix.

Champion of the Phoenix: You gain a (lesser) Phoenix Companion. This companion is, in theory, an extension of your soul and you are able to project it out from you into an adjacent space as a swift or move action on your part, and, when it is adjacent to you, it may re-enter you as a standard action on its part. When it is within you, you may add fire damage equal to your charisma modifier to any martial strike you initiate, and you gain Fire Resistance 30. When you project it forth it becomes a creature (see stats below). If slain your Phoenix Companion reforms itself within your soul in a process taking a week (give or take a few hours) and you suffer 1 negative level for one hour. If you die your Lesser Phoenix dies 1 hour later. It is completely and absolutely loyal to you, being an extension of your own being. You possess an empathic link with this companion as a sorcerer does with their familiar, but it is deeper allowing for full telepathic communication out to 1/2 a mile; when your Lesser Phoenix is adjacent to you, you gain the benefits of the Alertness feat.

Spoiler: Lesser Phoenix

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Phoenix, Lesser
Medium Magical Beast (Fire)
Hit Dice: 16d10+80 (168 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 20 ft (4 squares), or fly 90 ft (good)
Armor Class: 26 (+8 Dexterity, +5 natural, +3 deflection), touch 21, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+19
Attack: Bite +24 melee (1d8+4 plus 2d6 fire and 2d6 divine energy)
Full Attack: Bite +24 melee (1d8+4 plus 2d6 fire and 2d6 divine energy) and 2 claws +21 melee (1d6+2 plus 2d6 fire and 2d6 divine energy)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, fire flight, sacred fire
Special Qualities: Active healing, cold vulnerability, fast healing 5, fire immunity, flaming body, immunity to negative energy, death effects, and energy drain.
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +18, Will +9
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 27, Con 21, Int 14, Wis 19, Cha 16.
Skills: Listen +23, Perform (Song) +20, Sense Motive +23, Spot +31, Tumble +18.
Feats: Flyby Attack, Healing Devotion^CC, Heighten Breath^Dra, Maximize Breath^Dra, Multiattack, Weapon Finesse.
Environment: Elysium or temperate plains and hills.
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: Standard.
Alignment: Always Neutral Good (Elysium), or often Chaotic Good (Fay) (Phoenixflame Knight’s alignment)
Advancement: 17-24 HD (Medium).
Level Adjustment: –

A lesser phoenix is a race of highly intelligent bird with the ability to breathe fire and whose bodies are wreathed in sacred flames.

A lesser phoenix is a dweller in the plains of Elysium, a welcome sight across the fields of the Blessed Dead. Songbirds by nature their songs and their warmth are welcome companions of travelers across the plane, but one is advised not to commit evil in its sight, for it will not broke with evil deeds and will burn those who commit them.

Most lesser phoenixes on the Prime, however, are so called ‘fay’ phoenixes. Mechanically identical these phoenixes are normally associated with the seelie court and are much more likely to be of a non-good alignment. They are creatures of song and expression, violent to those who act against their own personal (and often unique) moral codes, and prone to overweening vanity such that the one certain way to anger them is to insult their song or plumage.

A lesser phoenix speaks Sylvan, and, if from Elysium, Celestial, as well as 2 additional languages (for high Int) usually Ignan and Common.

Combat:
A lesser phoenix prefers to begin combat with a powerful fire blast before flying in to engage with its flaming claws and beak.

Active Healing (Su): As a standard action a lesser phoenix can focus on its self-recuperation healing itself 4d8+16 hp.

Breath Weapon (Su): A lesser phoenix has a single breath weapon a 30 ft cone of fire dealing 14d6 damage, half this damage is fire and half is pure divine force not affected by fire resistance or immunity. A Reflex save (DC 23, Constitution based) halves this damage. Once a lesser phoenix uses this breath weapon it must wait 1d4 rounds to do so again. Typically they will use this ability as a full round action to maximize it and increase its DC to 28 dealing 84 damage, and increasing the time till they can use it again to 1d4+8 rounds.

Fire Flight (Su): As a full round action a lesser phoenix can fly up to twice its speed, or four times in a straight line, spilling fire in its wake. Any creature it passes over or adjacent to during this flight takes 5d6 damage, half this damage is fire and half is pure divine force. A Reflex save is allowed for half damage (DC 23, Constitution based).

Flaming Body (Su): A lesser phoenix’s body is writhed in flames providing light as a lantern. This fire will not burn, and in fact while it will warm a creature will not increase the temperature to damaging levels even with prolonged exposure. However if a creature strikes the phoenix with a (non-reach) melee attack the fires will turn hostile dealing 2d6+3 (Charisma modifier) damage to the attacking creature, half of this damage is fire damage and half is pure divine force not subject to (fire) resistance or immunity.

Sacred Flames (Su): A lesser phoenix’s talons and beak writhe with divine fire when it attacks. This fire deals 4d6 damage, one half (2d6) of which is fire damage and one half (2d6) is pure divine force not subject to (fire) resistance or immunity. This is included in the phoenix’s stats above.

Skills: A lesser phoenix gains a +8 racial bonus to Perform (Sing) and Spot checks.