
Lilijobel |

So I've had Hellknights on the brain lately, and been thinking "what legal or governmental functions could be made more awesome if they were carried out by scowling people in giant pauldrons?"
Which led me to my new idea for the Order of the Quill.
Basically the Order of the Quill are (super hard-core) auditors, accountants, and revenue agents. They also deal with fraud and counterfeiting. Their philosophy is that an orderly society depends on the proper distribution of money and resources to function: famines lead to peasant revolts, poorly-equipped soldiers don't fight as well, and governments and churches can't do *their* jobs if people don't pay their tithes and taxes or if mid-level bureaucrats keep skimming from the till. Not surprisingly, the order is full of Abadarites, although there are some evil members who worship Mammon.
You need Hellknights for this kind of work instead of just a bunch of experts with Skill Focus (Profession: Accountant) because everything is dangerous in a fantasy world. It takes a soul tempered in hellfire to audit a dragon.
Anyone else have ideas for original Hellknight orders?

Cole Deschain |

John Kretzer |

I created The Order of the Rod who look upon chaos as mental disorders. They run asylums...and try to correct chaotic behavior. They specialize in 'rehabilitating' children of nobles who have fallen into chaotic behavior. Think about all the worse things you have ever heard about aslyums....than throw in what you can do with magic to make it worse.

Simeon |

I created one called the Order of the Crucible for a homebrew campaign. Their founder was a half-drow fleshwarper who incorporated fleshwarpng into a sect of the Order of the Gate. The sect grew big enough to make their own order. Their creed is, "To truly grow strong, one must be reforged." Their favored weapon is the ranseur or and their armor's designs often resemble sleek bone and musculature as a testament to their fleshwarping. Their main goal is to hunt down those who would alter the humanoid form with magic or techniques deemed "immoral".

Xepharious |

Well, i've also been recently inspired to create a new hellknight order and I'd love honest feedback.
The Name: Order of the Star
Mission/goals: To snuf out chaos as it begins, specifically by acting as shocktroops that deploy rapidly (using magic or otherwise) into areas that are about to see revolt or invasion. They will engage as THEY see the need, as is thier Order's manifest right, but if hired even better. They also may not leave until they feel that the true cause of the chaos has been rooted out and removed, even to the detrement of those that hired them.
The Story: I'll be laying out the creation of this order as a background story in the campaign I am writing. The Order will have a strong alchemical tradition and should lend well to "newfangled nonsense" within the more tradional orders or even toward a more Steampunk adaptation. Members of this order are known to smell often of sulphorous or alkanine aromas.
The Lictor: I'll add more as I grow this character, but he was a victim of the Goblinblood wars in Isgar before adventuring. Saved by the Hellknights of the Pike, he is dispositioned toward the Orders and even falls in with the Order of the Nail while adventuring. Unhappy with the way Hellknights are viewed at large, and wishing to prevent the chaos of his youth, he eventually 'sells' the idea of The Star to the powers that be as both a force for decisive action within the law as well as a way to gain power for the various orders by improving the public image.

Ouachitonian |

Some ideas I've had:
Order of the Grave: founded and led by a Pharasmin inquisitor, this order exists to combat the undead and necromancy in any and all forms. It makes no allowance for the alignment or allegiance of the undead, only that they are violating the law that all mortals must die. Favored weapon is the dagger.
Order of the Wyrm: closely tied to the church of Apsu, the Order of the Wyrm exists to fight evil dragons and other followers of Dahak. Unbeknownst to most members, its vicarius is actually a silver dragon in human guise. Has more good members than most Hellknight orders, and no evil members. Favored weapon: glaive.
Order of the Anvil: founded with the belief that dwarves were being pushed to the margins by other races (especially humans) and that dwarven society needs to be reforged to survive. Membership is composed entirely of dwarves and dwarf-blooded oreads. Has no central citadel, but possesses small bases in most Sky Citadels. Members traditionally carry only dwarven weapons, which they take special pride in forging themselves, and especially favor the dwarven maulaxe. Commonly serve as the first line of defense for their home citadel, defending against threats from the surface and Darklands.

Ouachitonian |

I knew I was forgetting something. Armor:
Order of the Grave: The hellknights of the Order of the Grave generally wear tattered, hooded robes over their armor, the better to resemble certain classes of psychopomps they revere. The armor beneath these robes is so utilitarian and nondescript that observers of cannot recall details. Helmets are especially featureless, designed to appear as simply a blank, shadowed space beneath the hood.
Order of the Wyrm: unlike most hellknights, the knight of the Order of the Wyrm prefer to polish their steel armor so that it shines brightly. Some high-ranking knights have armor of mithril. All armor is designed to resemble a humanoid dragon, spiked and scaled with a dragon-headed helm. Hellknights whose veins carry the blood of dragons often design their armor to accommodate their natural bite and claw attacks, which some ordinary knights mimic with spiked gauntlets.
Order of the Anvil: The Order of the Anvil's suits are works of art, almost always forged by their wearers(some, however, are passed down to family members or favored apprentices on the death of their original wearers). Many choose to demonstrate their skill by crafting in adamantine or other special metals. Oread members are fond of alchemically-treated stoneplate. All suits are built to resemble idealized dwarven musculature, and possess 'beards' of metal wire or mesh, often in copper, gold, or silver.

Xepharious |

Well, i've also been recently inspired to create a new hellknight order and I'd love honest feedback.
The Name: Order of the Star
Mission/goals: To snuf out chaos as it begins, specifically by acting as shocktroops that deploy rapidly (using magic or otherwise) into areas that are about to see revolt or invasion. They will engage as THEY see the need, as is thier Order's manifest right, but if hired even better. They also may not leave until they feel that the true cause of the chaos has been rooted out and removed, even to the detrement of those that hired them.
The Story: I'll be laying out the creation of this order as a background story in the campaign I am writing. The Order will have a strong alchemical tradition and should lend well to "newfangled nonsense" within the more tradional orders or even toward a more Steampunk adaptation. Members of this order are known to smell often of sulphorous or alkanine aromas.
The Lictor: I'll add more as I grow this character, but he was a victim of the Goblinblood wars in Isgar before adventuring. Saved by the Hellknights of the Pike, he is dispositioned toward the Orders and even falls in with the Order of the Nail while adventuring. Unhappy with the way Hellknights are viewed at large, and wishing to prevent the chaos of his youth, he eventually 'sells' the idea of The Star to the powers that be as both a force for decisive action within the law as well as a way to gain power for the various orders by improving the public image.
Edit: so.. turns out there is an Order of the Star for Cavaliers. So I'll need a new name. Order of the Spark? Blue Flame?

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Order of the Anvil: The Order of the Anvil's suits are works of art, almost always forged by their wearers(some, however, are passed down to family members or favored apprentices on the death of their original wearers). Many choose to demonstrate their skill by crafting in adamantine or other special metals. Oread members are fond of alchemically-treated stoneplate. All suits are built to resemble idealized dwarven musculature, and possess 'beards' of metal wire or mesh, often in copper, gold, or silver.
Ooh, that's a neat one. With Torag being one of the five gods of the Godclaw, a Hellknight order focused on typically dwarven concerns, like craft, makes all sorts of sense.
Orders more strongly focused on Irori or Abadar's concerns, could be interesting. (For Abadar, fraud, for instance.)

Cole Deschain |

(For Abadar, fraud, for instance.)
Melting down a counterfeiter's coins and pouring the molten liquid over them.... so if you made one fake coin, you get a nasty scar, if you made a bunch of them... ouch.
Those who tamper with lawful trade, adulterate currency, common bandits...
The Order of the Scales, maybe?

Ouachitonian |

Ouachitonian wrote:Order of the Anvil: The Order of the Anvil's suits are works of art, almost always forged by their wearers(some, however, are passed down to family members or favored apprentices on the death of their original wearers). Many choose to demonstrate their skill by crafting in adamantine or other special metals. Oread members are fond of alchemically-treated stoneplate. All suits are built to resemble idealized dwarven musculature, and possess 'beards' of metal wire or mesh, often in copper, gold, or silver.Ooh, that's a neat one. With Torag being one of the five gods of the Godclaw, a Hellknight order focused on typically dwarven concerns, like craft, makes all sorts of sense.
Orders more strongly focused on Irori or Abadar's concerns, could be interesting. (For Abadar, fraud, for instance.)
I imagine the Order of the Anvil venerating all of the Lawful dwarven gods more-or-less equally (ok, probably Torag first then the others). Trudd and Bolka, both Neutral Good, would be considered corrupting influences and left by the wayside.

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The Order of the Pen
These Hellknights include a smaller number of typically fearsome enforcers and a larger number of 'advocates' who oversee contracts and function more as bureaucrats and middlemen during negotiations. A contract overseen by the Order is enforced by the Order, so that if one of the signatories breaches contract, the more militant members of the Order come for the oathbreaker and punish them accordingly. Despite (or because of!) these dire consequences, some noble families and mercantile concerns willingly invite the Order to witness their dealings (or, at least, some of their dealings), to put on a show of how diligently they intend to abide by their contract, and manipulate those they are dealing with to also accept the terrible consequences of breaking faith with them...
While advocates do not traditionally wear the heavy armor of an enforcer, they do wear heavy robes that conceal all but their face and hands, a metal mask that conceals their face (and promises both silence regarding the nature of the contract and neutrality), and thin, mostly decorative, metal gauntlets. Most have levels in Expert, Adept (preferred familiars include vipers and ravens) and / or Bard (preferred performance style being oratory), and at least some spellcasting seems to be preferred for advancement.
Enforcers are less inclined to use magic, but the Order is known to be led by a Magus, who has served as both Advocate and Enforcer in her day.

Simeon |

Order of the Lexicon
Chaos and disorder often spread through the printing presses and publications of the enemies of law. The Order of the Lexicon, based out of Citadel Karsalis in the Chelish Aspodell Mountains dedicates themselves to crush those texts through ruthless censors. Signifers are far more common than rank-and-file Hellknights, although they employ sizeable mercenary forces to track down "heretical" tomes.
Citadel:
The most notable feature of Citadel Karsalis is the two vast smokestacks rising out of the center of the fortress. Constantly smoking due to the sheer number of burning books, the vast furnaces are maintained by several fiendish fire elementals.
Armor:
Their armor is forged of simple dark metal with wrought flames, often coming off the armor as armor spikes. Signifers commonly wear red-orange robes with masks that resemble a large, heavy tome.

Ventnor |
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Order of the Scalpel
"Sometimes, the only way to save the body is the amputate." The Order of the Scalpel is an Inquisitor-heavy Hellknight order whose primary purpose is to root out internal threats to the Hellknights as a whole. Spies, defectors, any who show sympathy to chaos.
They do this primarily be inserting their own spies into every other Hellknight Order to ensure that they "stay focused on the true enemy." Naturally, this order is viewed with suspicion by other Hellknight Orders. They are also viewed disfavorably by House Thrune, due to the Order ruining several Chelish plots to assume more direct control over the Hellknights as a whole after executing agents who were more loyal to laws than they were to Law.

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Order of the Cipher
An Order of secret agents and spies and intelligence officers that gather information in the cities in which they are assigned. They are forgers and code-breakers and sleuths.
At first level in the PrC an Order of the Cipher Hellknight gains the SU ability to summon Hellknight Armor as a Standard Action, so he or she can be in disguise during the entire assignment and only give the reveal at the moment when breaking ones cover is sweetest to the enemy of Law and the Hellknights.

tonyz |

We had a custom Hellknight order in our Kingmaker campaign: Order of the Anchor, responsible for suppressing river bandits, piracy, smuggling, and so forth. They ended up based on Candelmere which became a major fortress and settlement of theirs.
Never went into great detail on their exact abilities but obviously there was eventually going to be conflict with the River Freedoms.