Hey everyone,
I posted this thread a little bit ago, but didn't get any response to my new edits. I'm not sure if restarting a thread is against msg board rules. If it is, I apologize. No harm intended. So I made a new Cavalier order and was hoping to get some feedback on the edits. At the end of it, I also explain why I went with what I did and why I think it makes sense and is balanced. Without further ado...
Order of the Hammer
A cavalier belonging to this order is devoted to the defense of Dwarves and destruction of Dwarven enemies. These cavaliers have all sorts of personalities, but they put the good of the Dwarves above their own. They might have very different views of how to best serve the Dwarven people, but if the enemies of the Dwarves see a line of Dwarven shields and hammers, there’s a good chance a Cavalier of the Hammer is leading them into battle.
Edicts
The cavalier must protect and advance the interests of the Dwarves. He must always come to the aid of a Dwarf in need and lead the charge against the enemies of the Dwarves. He cannot sit back when his fellow Dwarves are being hurt. He must pick up his hammer and attack.
Challenge
Whenever an Order of the Hammer cavalier issues a challenge, he receives a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls made against the target of his challenge if the Cavalier is being cheered on by another Dwarf within 30 feet. The Dwarf has to be able to hear the Dwarves for this bonus to be in effect. This bonus lasts for 1 minute. The bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.
Skills
As skilled as Order of the Hammer cavaliers are, their comrades-in-arms and sometimes civilian Dwarves are wounded in battle. Heal is a class skill for them since they have learned to be battlefield medics when necessary. And like other Dwarves, they love tales and stories of their ancestors. They also understand the tactical importance of learning about historic battles so Knowledge (history) is a class skill.
Abilities
2nd level – War March. As a standard action, a Cavalier of the Hammer can strike his weapon against his shield in a marching rhythm which gives all allies within 60 feet of the cavalier a +1 moral bonus to attack and dmg rolls and a +2 morale bonus vs fear. The cavalier loses the AC bonus for his shield (as with a shield bash) since he is using his shield as a percussive instrument. This effect lasts for as long as the cavalier is striking his weapon against his shield and lasts 1 additional round for every two levels the cavalier possesses once the War March is no longer being struck.
For every five dwarves also striking their shields within 60 feet of the cavalier, there is an additional +1 to attack <and damage?> (max at +6) and the range of effect increases by 15 feet. The other Dwarves striking their shields also lose their shield AC bonus.
The cavalier can lead this War March once per day. This is a sonic effect and all allies must be able to hear it. This makes any stealth checks impossible since such an action reveals your presence very loudly.
8th level – Wary. Cavaliers of the Hammer are used to attacks made on merchant caravans and patrols, and they have developed a sixth sense for ambushes and traps. Cavaliers of the Hammer gain the Uncanny Dodge ability.
15th level – Moradin’s Retribution. At 15th level, the cavalier can take retribution on those who dare strike a fellow dwarf. Whenever an enemy makes a successful melee attack against the cavalier or an adjacent dwarven ally, the enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from the cavalier. The cavalier receives a +2 moral bonus on the attack of opportunity. If the attack made by the enemy was a critical hit, the cavalier may treat the enemy as the target of his challenge for the attack of opportunity. The cavalier can use this ability once per round.
My thoughts:
With the challenge, there are a number of other similar challenges, and few have the restriction of needing a Dwarf in the party (likely 2 since the Cavalier doesn't count). So I think the tweak fixes it up.
War March, while it could look overpowered, should have these considerations:
1) Need for a lot of Dwarves. The highest bonuses are really unreachable except for actual time of war (hence the name), super high leadership score, or exceptional DM approval. How often will you see 30+ Dwarves marching around in a campaign? Esp those that would be marching to a sustained battle. In some ways, this is good for storming the gate, rallying the troops/merchant train after being ambushed, before two armies meet on the field of battle, etc. It won't overwhelm a longer dungeon crawl or the like.
2) This is a once a day and wears out relatively quickly. Can the cavalier keep the War March going? Yes, but if he chooses to powergame rather than enter melee to protect his Dwarven kin, then he has violated the edicts of his Order and loses his challenge ability for 24 hours.
3) He (and all the Dwarves that are adding the bonus) loses his/their shield bonus.
4) This makes the cavalier a true defender of the Dwarven people and rely on the community of Dwarves rather than be a solo adventurer/mercenary. This makes him a captain of the guard and not a soldier of fortune.
5) This method of inspiring also frees him from a CHA based ability. Which makes sense since this Cavalier will prob be a Dwarf.
Getting Uncanny Dodge at 8th level I don't think is too out of line. It does cover his butt a bit with the loss of his shield bonus. Considering he is a melee fighter and likely to wear Med or Heavy armor, he prob doesn't have a huge Dex bonus. I will come clean: I thought of this in order to prep this guy to easily step into the Stalwart Defender, which let's face it, is historically a Dwarven class. But if a Cavalier is going to go that route, he has to devote three feats to become a Stalwart Defender that he could have used on his mount. So what we have is a Cavalier who is not as focused on his riding abilities (which is about a good third of what Cavalier's are about). I think that is a fair trade off. This also makes him a little more Dwarven since most Dwarven strongholds don't have horses underground.
<Tangent, what mount would people recommend? The book said Giant Boars, but is that a Dire Boar? Either way, Dwarves aren't renowned for their cavalry. I realize the name of the class is the Cavalier and not the Tactician, but does that mean the Dwarves shouldn't be allowed to have a Battlefield Commander in their ranks?>
<Tangent from Tangent, I just found out about the Cavalier archetypes. Not sure if any of them are a good match for this Order though. Suggestions?>
And yeah, Moradin's retribution is pretty much a straight rip from other Orders. But it makes sense that a Dwarven Cavalier would be in the front lines, and if someone hurt an ally next to him that he would strike back. However, if anyone had a more creative suggestion for 15th lvl, I am all ears. (No wait, Dwarven Order... I'm all beard.)
