This is an experiment with base class intended filling a similar role as the cavalier, a primary melee combatant with a bit of party-boosting capability.
It only goes to 10th level so far. A complete version would be a standard 20-level base class, but just haven't done the math beyond 10th.
Would you play this as a player? Would you allow it as a DM?
Hit dice: d8
Weapon proficiencies: simple weapons, martial weapons
Armour proficiencies: light armour, medium armour, shields (but not tower shields)
BAB: good (as paladin)
Fort: good (as paladin
Ref: weak (as paladin)
Will: good (as paladin
1st Tactical initiative, smash
2nd -
3rd Forceful rhythm +2d6
4th -
5th Forceful barrage +3d6, superior weapon training +1
6th Unavoidable strike 1/day
7th Forceful barrage +4d6, Heavy armour
8th Tough (1), words of inspiration, adaptable combatant, shielded +1, cry 'havoc!', weapon flurry
9th Forceful barrage +5d6, Superior weapon training +2, Tough (2, fortitude), far-reaching, DR 1/-
10th Tough (4), shielded +2, DR 2/-
Tactical initiative (Ex): Whenever a knight and his allies roll for initiative, the knight can grant one ally within 30 feet the ability to roll twice and take either result. This decision is made before results are revealed.
Smash (Ex): A knight's blows are extraordinarily powerful, adding 1/2 knight's level to all melee weapon damage rolls. Additionally, once per combat the knight can perform a destructive smash, a single attack which benefits from a doubled smash bonus (i.e. adds his full level to the damage roll).
Forceful rhythm (Ex): At 3rd level, once per combat, a knight can time his blows with forceful rhythm, directing and redirecting momentum like a smith striking an anvil. A swift action, the knight's weapon attacks gain a +2d6 bonus on damage rolls. This extra damage is force damage. This lasts for the knight's next three weapon attacks or until the end of combat, whichever comes first. The bonus damage increases by +1d6 for each two knight levels beyond 3rd (5th, 7th, 9th etc.).
Superior weapon training (Ex): A knight trains extensively with all weapons. Starting at 5th level, he gains a +1 bonus on weapon attack and weapon damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level.
Unavoidable strike (Ex): At 6th level, a knight can prepare an unavoidable strike as a standard action once per day. His next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus, and is not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target.
Heavy armour (Ex): A knight gains proficiency wth heavy armour at 7th level.
Tough (Ex): A knight's toughness is legendary. He gains Toughness as a bonus feat at 8th level. At 9th level, he gains Great Fortitude as a bonus feat, and another instance of Toughness (this is an exception to the general rule about taking the same feat more than once). At 10th level, the knight gains Toughness two more times, for a total of 4.
Words of inspiration (Ex): A knight's exhortations can inspire his comrades in arms to great deeds, and stir uncertainty among his enemies. As a standard action once per day, an 8th-level knight can speak words of inspiration. The knight and each of his allies within 40 ft. gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while each of his foes within 40 ft. takes a –1 penalty on such rolls.
Adaptable combatant (Ex): At 8th level, as a swift action, the knight gains the use of one combat feat for a number of rounds per day equal to his knight level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive and he can change the feat chosen each time you use this ability. He must meet the prerequisites to use this feat.
Shielded (Ex): Knights heavily favour weapon and shield fighting. When using a shield, a knight's shield bonus increases by +1 at 8th level. This bonus increases to +2 at 10th level.
Cry 'havoc!' (Ex): At 8th level, a knight can incite such destruction on the battlefield that all attacks made against targets within 30 ft. (including the knight) gain a morale bonus on damage equal to 1/2 his knight level and all critical threats are automatically confirmed. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Weapon flurry (Ex): At 8th level, a knight can make a flurry of weapon attacks as a full-attack action. When doing so, he may make one additional attack at his highest attack bonus, taking a –2 penalty on all of his attack rolls for the rest of the round.
Far-reaching (Ex): At 9th level, the knight controls the battlefield around him. This effectively increases his reach by 5 ft.
Damage reduction (Ex): At 9th level, a knight gains damage reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage the knight takes each time she is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 10th level, this damage reduction rises by 1 point.
Some notes:
1. The d8 hit die and full base attack bonus is weird. Just give it a d10 and take out one of those toughness feats. I also don't see why the class should have to wait for heavy armor proficiency.
2. I would try to avoid the dead levels at 2 and 4. I don't really know what I would put there but I will say that the back 4 levels of this class are jam-packed with stuff that could be moved up. You can probably move shielded up.
3. In melee this class seems strictly better than a fighter. They get attack and damage bonuses that apply to all weapons and that extra damage arguably is a decent replacement for lost feats.
4. A lot of these mechanics seem to incentivize builds OTHER than sword and shield. Flurry would be better for heavy weapons than one handed weapons and shields. I could also see it being used with guns or otherwise getting more ranged attacks than the good lord intended. Smash incentivizes make more attacks than less so that leads to a two weapon fighting build.
I would address 3 and 4 at the same time. Limit the weapon training to one handed martial weapons and shields. Limit weapon flurry, unavoidable strike, smash and forceful rhythm to one-handed melee weapons wielded in one hand (though one or several of these abilities should be taken out because they all stack to be too powerful).
5. I don't like a lot of these mechanics. Far reaching is weird and I would take it out for a bonus feat or something. If you want more battle field control then there are good feats for that. I already complained about tough (it is goofy). Words of inspiration has no duration. Unavoidable strike seems out of place. Forceful rhythm should not be dealing force damage. It should probably just be more weapon damage. Really, I would take 2 of 3: smash, rhythm, and flurry. They are three pretty decent damage abilities stacked on top of accuracy from weapon training.
Honestly, I think you need to rip out a lot of these mechanics out and focus on three or four of these mechanics that define the class in different ways.
I do think that Pathfinder lacks a good sword-and-board class/build. At the very least, the ones that work are weird (like they are secretly just disguised two weapon fighter builds).
Everything Ex said, plus...
You give out toughness four times in three levels. I don't understand. If the extra hp are a class feature, why not do it every 4-6 levels?
The early levels are very light on features, while levels 8 and 9 are way too heavy on them. This is the opposite of almost every other class. The first few levels should have more, so that the class can accomplish its basic premise without the character waiting too long. After that, class features should be more powerful but less frequent.
Just, why?
Knight could easily be done as a cavalier alternate class or archetype that gives up the mount.
D12 Hit Dice.
Replace the mounted combat related abilities with some fighter abilities.
Call it a class.
Just, why?
As an experiment! :)
My knight is, as exactly as I could follow, a fully buffed selfish War/Destruction cleric, with all the buff bonuses baked in.
I'm assuming four fights per day, so at the levels where the cleric can cast divine favour four times for +2 to attack and damage, the knight gets +2 to attack and damage, always on (sometimes included in BAB, sometimes expressed as other bonuses, as appropriate to keep the scaling of each individual ability as simple as possible).
He gets stuff like Unavoidable Strike and Words of Inspiration when the cleric has no more simple combat buffs he can stack, but still has slots to spend, so he prepares true strike and prayer.
Considering all the complaints about buffed clerics outfighting warriors, I wanted to see what it would look like if the warrior class was a buffed cleric.
Just, why?As an experiment! :)
My knight is, as exactly as I could follow, a fully buffed selfish War/Destruction cleric, with all the buff bonuses baked in.
I'm assuming four fights per day, so at the levels where the cleric can cast divine favour four times for +2 to attack and damage, the knight gets +2 to attack and damage, always on (sometimes included in BAB, sometimes expressed as other bonuses, as appropriate to keep the scaling of each individual ability as simple as possible).
He gets stuff like Unavoidable Strike and Words of Inspiration when the cleric has no more simple combat buffs he can stack, but still has slots to spend, so he prepares true strike and prayer.
Considering all the complaints about buffed clerics outfighting warriors, I wanted to see what it would look like if the warrior class was a buffed cleric.
Then where the hell did flurry and smash come from?
Then where the hell did flurry and smash come from?
The fighter's biggest jump in power is at 6th, but the cleric gets and even larger one at 8th when he effectively goes from one attack to three: divine power becomes commonly available, and BAB reaches +6. Flurry keeps up with that.
Smash is just a generic damage bonus. Attack bonuses are folded into BAB and weapon training, damage bonuses into weapon training and smash. It actually adds up to a bit less than the cleric would get, but I didn't want to have to do something like weird +3/5 levels for a couple of points of precision.
Destructive smash is another +1/2 levels to damage, mimicking Destruction domain's destructive smite.